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vanilla107 · 3 years

Text

Eclipse (in the shaded shadows where you and i meet)

Pairing: Ekko x Jinx

Words: 10 899

Summary: “Did you really mean what you said inside?” Ekko asked.

“Mean what?”

“The whole ‘you wanted to feel pretty and wear a nice dress for this evening’ thing.”

He watched her open her eyes and she looked at him before pushing down her skirts and gliding her hands over the fabric.

“We never got this kind of stuff in Zaun. I just wanted to experience it just this once,” Jinx murmured.

Tags: Fluff, New Year’s Eve Fluff, New Year’s Kiss, I needed an excuse to make them wear fancy clothes and slow dance, he is the sun, she is the moon, slow dancing.

Read on AO3

"Are you sure this isn't a bit...much?" Ekko asked, raising his arm and feeling the soft fabric against his skin, and Heimerdinger laughed.

"Of course not, my boy! This type of finery is completely normal at the Piltover New Year's Eve ball."

The suit was nothing short of extravagant. It was a white two-piece suit with a cape and gold embroidery adorning the shoulders and back. There was a large sun motif on the back of the cape that matched his gold shoes and rings. It was minimalist enough to not draw too much attention but enough to blend in with the other guests.

Ekko only stared at his reflection in the mirror before rolling his shoulders back and sighing. He was beginning to regret accepting the invitation from Heimerdinger as his plus one. He was aware of the annual Piltover New Year's Eve Ball and remembered his mother paging through the old magazines displaying the pictures of the guests arriving when he was growing up.

It was practically a fashion show and one of the biggest social events of the year, with celebrities, socialites, and leaders from all around being invited. Every year there was a theme and people who were invited went all out with their outfits. Ekko never thought he'd be one of the guests though, so standing in a Piltover boutique wearing a suit that surely cost more than his life, was surreal.

Heimerdinger had received his invitation a month prior and initially planned to not go but for some reason changed his mind last minute. He had begged Ekko to go with him and at first, Ekko had rejected the invitation. He despised Piltover and everything they stood for, so why would he go to a fancy ball that celebrated everything Piltover was when he knew that they didn't give a shit about Zaun?

But Heimerdinger opened up to him about Jayce Talis and Viktor and Ekko felt pity for the old professor. He could imagine how hurt he felt by Jayce's betrayal and in a moment of empathy, he accepted the invitation.

But standing in a Piltover boutique getting the last fittings done, it felt all sorts of wrong to go to a Piltover event as the leader of the Firelights.

"I don't know Heimerdinger...I don't know if I should do this," he mumbled.

Heimerdinger paused before ushering the fashion consultant out of the room. Once they were alone and double checked to make sure no one was eavesdropping, Heimerdinger lowered his voice as he turned to face him.

"What are your concerns about tonight, Ekko?"

"I...it just feels wrong. I'm the leader of the Firelights. I hate how topsiders treat us. I should be representing them. Not...not Piltover. And going to a fancy ball that’s reserved for the elite…I feel like a fraud," Ekko said with frustration.

Heimerdinger walked onto the platform and looked into the mirror at their reflections. He also wore a white suit with gold thread, the design simple in comparison to Ekko's suit, before standing up straight.

"I know this is hard for you and if you choose to back out, I won't be upset, but this isn't about representing Piltover at all. This is about representing you. You will be asked for your name and where you're from at the staircase and they will announce who you are. You aren't representing Piltover, Ekko. You're representing Zaun at a Piltover Ball. See this as an opportunity to show them who you are and what Zaun means to you. I would never ask you to represent a city that has let you down."

Ekko let Heimerdinger's words sink in before shaking his shoulders.

You're representing Zaun and what Zaun means to you.

He nodded and took a deep breath in before exhaling. He gazed at his reflection before grinning at Heimerdinger.

"Okay. Let's go to this fancy ball then."

~~~

Ekko was sweating under the bright lights as he walked towards the staircase. He didn't know how Heimerdinger was fine with his fur and the heat of the lights but he focused on relaxing. He was thankful that Hiemerdinger had chosen to skip the red carpet and avoid the paparazzi and cameras. He didn't need the Firelights to see him in the tabloids even though the likelihood of that was low.

You're representing Zaun. You'll be fine. Just schmooze your way in.

They walked to the announcer where Heimerdinger gave their invitation with their names scribbled on the top before the announcer turned to face the ballroom.

"Introducing Cecil B. Heimerdinger from Piltover and Ekko from Zaun."

It was as if the entire ballroom froze as their names were mentioned and Ekko's heart thudded in his chest as he felt the stares on him.

"Just be calm, my boy. You know who you are," Heimerdinger whispered as they descended down the stairs.

They walked down and Ekko took in the sight of the room. It was a marble and gold masterpiece with high ceilings and Piltover decor. There were white curtains along the sides of the walls and intricate centerpieces on the buffet tables. There was an orchestra softly playing music in the front and a few people swaying as they spoke but no one was dancing yet. Ekko figured that people would start dancing as the evening went on. He could hear the whispers of 'Zaun? That man is from Zaun?' and 'Heimerdinger? Wasn't he voted off council?' as they walked to the buffet table like filled with the most food he had ever seen.

This could feed the Firelights for at least a week.

He watched Heimerdinger take a plate and choose his food before following. Ekko wasn’t sure what he was looking for, so he grabbed a few things that look appetizing. They walked off to the side to watch other people mingle and he eyed Heimerdinger.

"Well that was…"

"Embarrassing?" finished Heimerdinger and Ekko chuckled. "I didn't expect a reaction like that to happen. I should've known about it with my status as an ex-council member and how some people here thrive off of gossip. I'm sorry."

"It's no problem. I'm used to large crowds staring at me with speeches to the Firelights," he said softly and Heimerdinger gave him a smile.

Ekko ate his food, his mouth in heaven as he tried the different finger foods. He wondered if this was everyday food for Pilties before taking another bite. He picked up a piece of fish (at least he assumed it was fish) and chewed it experimentally before nodding in bliss.

“If there’s one thing Piltover can do, it’s throw a good party,” Ekko hummed and Heimerdinger laughed as he bit into a mini sponge cake.

"Ah, Heimerdinger! So glad you could make it!" a voice said and Ekko looked up to see a beautiful woman in a halter-neck gold dress that reached her ankles. Her braids were loose and her sharp brown eyes took in his appearance.

"And you’re plus one from Zaun. Ekko, correct?"

"Yes. It is a pleasure to meet you, Councilor Medarda."

She raised an eyebrow in surprise and smiled, her expression softening almost instantly.

"The pleasure is all mine. I must admit when you responded to the invitation, Heimerdinger, I was surprised that you included a plus one and to hear that he's from Zaun was certainly not my expectation.”

“I wasn’t sure anyone would want to talk to me if I went alone so I asked Ekko to accompany me. He’s a brilliant inventor.”

Mel laughed and Ekko eyed her curiously. All the information he could find on her was sparse. All he could gather from research was that she was from Noxus and came to Piltover where she became part of the council a few years later.

Other than that, Mel Medarda was a mystery to him.

“Of course he’s an inventor!” she said as she regained her composure before focusing on Heimerdinger.

“Heimerdinger, I'd like to think that you aren't an outcast just because you're no longer on the council. While I came here to greet you, the real reason I’m here is because I don’t want any bad blood between us. I know a lot has happened but I do hope we can be civil. I don't want you to cut all ties with the people you've build friendships withjust because you aren't on council anymore."

Ekko watched as Heimerdinger nodded his head.

"No hard feelings Mel. I understand why Jayce made that decision."

Ekko wasn't sure if that was a lie or truth. While Heimerdinger had looked sad when retelling the tale to him, he seemed to be more at peace with the situation now. But then again, he didn't really know the feelings of the Yordle.

Mel turned her attention back to Ekko and he swallowed uneasily. He knew how powerful she was with her ties from Noxus and he stared back at her.

"Ekko, how did you and Heimerdinger meet? I will admit I haven't kept tabs on him but I am curious as to how your paths crossed."

Hemierdinger looked panicked for a second but Ekko knew how to answer.

"We met on the streets in Zaun. I was tinkering with an invention and Heimerdinger was inquisitive. We talked for a bit and shared ideas before he offered me an apprenticeship. I was hesitant at first but after a few lessons, I couldn’t say no.”

Ekko knew that was far from the truth considering that Heimerdinger found him off the side of the bridge with his ankle busted but the less Mel knew about him, the better.

“Oh, that’s wonderful! I hope some great inventions come from this apprenticeship and who knows, you might find yourself another Viktor or Jayce within Ekko."

"Ekko's his own person, Mel, no need for any comparisons. I have no doubt he'll create something marvelous," Heimerdinger said with a jovial tone.

"Of course. Apologies, Ekko I assure you I didn't mean it like that," she said and Ekko nodded his head in understanding.

"I'd love to ask more questions but I do have to see to the other guests. eimerdinger, you must come over for tea next week. I'd love to catch up with you,” she said, shaking Heimerdinger's hand and giving Ekko a nod.

Mel walked away and Ekko watched Heimerdinger exhale slowly before shooting him a smile of relief.

“I don’t know whether to be impressed or concerned that you’re able to lie so easily but I am happy you managed to make up such a believable lie at the drop of a hat.”

“Living in the Undercity will do that to you,” Ekko replied, taking another bite of food and Heimerdinger nodded before surveying the crowd.

“You don’t need to stay by my side the entire evening, Ekko. I assure you I’ll be fine as there are people here that I know. Mel was right that I shouldn't just cut everyone off just because I'm not on council anymore. Maybe I could learn a thing or two from my past students and friends here. Remember, think of this as an opportunity to show off what Zaun really is about,” Heimerdinger said and he discreetly pointed to a group of girls.

“I’m sure they wouldn’t mind talking to you.”

“And what makes you so sure of that?” Ekko asked in confusion.

“Well, they haven’t stopped staring at you since you walked in and you look rather dashing tonight so I’m not surprised,” Heimerdinger laughed. “Oh, look! One of them is walking over right now!”

Ekko didn’t expect to be approached so soon and he quickly eased his nerves before putting down his plate. He only acknowledged the girl when she was close enough to him and he looked at her curiously. She was a blonde with hair piled high in a up-do and wearing the most poufy pastel pink evening dress he had ever seen. Her strong perfume nearly had him sneezing before she greeted him.

“Sorry to disturb you! My name’s Eva Starling and my friends and I were wondering if we could have some of your time to talk to you. We’re especially interested in your outfit. It’s gorgeous!” she gushed.

Ekko was stunned for a moment. Did topsiders really initiate conversations like this? It felt so…formal but he shook off his bias before responding.

“I don’t mind. I got this ensemble at Ophelia’s on the edge of Piltover,” he said smoothly as he walked with her.

From the corner of his vision, he could see Eva’s friends giggling as they walked across the ballroom to them and once Eva introduced him to them, he was pulled into a deep conversation about fabrics and fashion. He inwardly thanked his parents for working briefly at the fabric factories and for retaining the knowledge as he smoothly maneuvered the conversation from fabrics to Zaun. He answered their questions lazily at first, not wanting to give them too much information about Zaun because he felt that the interest had to be authentic.

He didn't want to come off as a preacher.

Gradually the conversation spirled to the factories in Zaun and Ekko launched into one of the stories his mom and dad had told him after their shifts at work. Eva’s friends all gasped as he told them about the underpaid workers, his parents, and the factory conditions.

“That’s so horrible! How could the factory managers allow that?” Talia, one of Eva’s friends, exclaimed.

“Underpaid workers mean that there’s always a demand for money so they will work in those conditions to put food on the table.”

“Why can’t they just get better jobs?” asked Eva with a shrug of her shoulders and Ekko had to restrain himself from snapping at her.

Get better jobs? He had never heard of such ignorance in his entire life.

"Eva! You can’t just ask people to get better jobs!” Talia exclaimed.

“Most people in Zaun don’t receive a proper education as children because there’s a severe lack of funding for it. Without education, there’s no way a person is able to get a better job without those qualifications,” Ekko responded carefully.

They all gasped again and soon, Ekko was dragged to a couch on the side of the room, the girls sitting around him as he told them stories of Zaun. He couldn’t believe how easy it was to engage with them but also remembered Herimerdinger’s words.

They haven’t stopped staring at you since you walked in and you look rather dashing tonight.

Did that mean the only reason they were giving him the time of day was because he looked good?

Well he knew he looked good and if Pilties were only going to listen to him if he looked good in a suit, then so be it. He continued to talk to them, all nodding at his words, as if he was a king and them his subjects.

“I’ll definitely donate to the cause! You poor Zaunites shouldn’t have to suffer like this!” Eva cried as she wrapped her hand around his bicep and he chewed on the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from pushing her away.

Zaunites didn’t need pity. They needed a government that actually gave a shit about their city instead of prioritizing Piltover constantly and ignoring Zaun.

Ekko had noticed that Eva had taken quite a liking to him over the last two hours. She was fluttering her eyelashes, making eye contact whenever she could, and was practically on top of him on the couch. He knew that if the other Firelights had to see this, he would be teased endlessly.

He was sure Eva was a sweet girl, despite her not being the smartest one there, but he wasn’t interested in any sort of romantic relationship. His main priority was the Firelights and making sure that Zaun thrived. He didn't mind the attention, if anything, his ego was flying amongst the clouds but he was out of his element. Just because some upper class topsider women were showering him with attention, didn’t mean anything.

He had seen some of the other girls catch his eyes and blush but then they would look away. He realised that Eva was their leader. She had the most influence in the group and he realised that they were there with him because she was there.

He continued his conversations with the girls, the topics moving freely from Piltover technology, Zaunite street food, the tensions between Noxus and Ionia, and the Shimmer factories. Ekko managed to mix in lighthearted stories and humor with heavy topics to avoid giving lectures and casually complimented the girls on their outfits from time to time. He finally complimented Eva, who giggled at his words.

“I begged my dad to increase my budget for this dress because I wanted a pink one for tonight,” Eva explained as she smoothed down her bodice.

“I’ve been meaning to ask why pink? Isn't the theme sun and moon?” he asked.

“Because the sun is red and orange and pink is just a lighter shade of red!” she said with a dazzling smile. “It’s also my favourite colour and I didn’t want to wear a dress from last year like Talia. I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing the same clothes.”

It was at that moment, Ekko realised he found Eva insufferable as he watched Talia's expression fall and look away in embarrassment. It was one thing to be ignorant but to be a bully and humiliate someone in public?

That was cruel.

“I think your dress looks gorgeous Talia,” he said nonchalantly and he watched her slowly face him, her cheeks red, as she looked down at her red evening gown.

“Thank you, Ekko,” she said softly.

“I don’t see the big deal in always having new clothes. If it’s comfortable and makes you happy, then go for it. Maybe things are different in Piltover but…” he gave her a once over and smiled, “I think you look dazzling, especially your hairpiece.”

Talia touched it self-consciously before giving him a smile and he could tell Eva was seething from not being the center of attention anymore because her grip on his arm tightened.

“Ekko, how about we go dance?” Eva asked but he didn’t hear her.

He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. Surely that wasn't her? He focused on the staircase and he inhaled sharply, his stomach dropping as he saw the girl.

She was dressed in shades of blue, an unusual color for the theme but still somehow blending with everyone. He sat up straight and leaned forward, convinced his eyes were playing tricks on him but the blue hair was unmistakable.

Jinx was at the Piltover New Year’s Eve Ball.

Jinx...the girl who had tried to kill the same the councilors just a few months ago, who were present at the Ball.

"Presenting Miss Juliet Raelik from the Kasserak islands," announced the presenter.

Ekko knew that was a lie. While she carried herself with grace, he recognised her walk, her movements and watched as she descended the staircase before making her way over to the buffet.

“Ekko? Hello? Ekko!”

He snapped out of his trance to find all the girls looking at him, some of them failing to hide their laughter and others looking away with knowing grins on their faces. Eva was the only one who looked irritated.

“Sorry…I need to get a refill,” he said quickly before getting up, shaking off Eva’s iron grip, and walking towards the buffet.

He walked over to the buffet table only to find Jinx had vanished. He groaned before someone whispered in his ear, “Looking for me, Boy Savior?”

He turned around and there she was, in all her mischievous glory.

Ekko took in her appearance, her hair in a voluminous up-do with tendrils framing her face and light makeup. Her dark, long-sleeved, navy blue dress was bedazzled with tiny diamonds along the round neckline that gradually faded into the skirt in a lighter blue that looked almost white. He couldn't see her shoes from all the layers of abric but he figured she was wearing high heels with her being taller than him by a few centimeters.

He was temporarily stunned by her appearance and she grinned as she took a bite of a breadstick.

“Cat got your tongue?” she purred and he shook his head before the full force of the realisation hit him.

She was in the same room with the same people she tried to blow up just months ago and the only reason why all the councellors were alive was because Mel's armour saved them. They all needed hospital attention but healed over the months. Piltover amped up security and while no Zaunite ratted Jinx out purely out of loyalty to Zaun, they recognised that she had nearly started a war with Piltover. He hardly saw her these days but he refused to let her out of his sight tonight.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he hissed.

"I could ask you the same thing," Jinx said as she ate a mini cake before her eyes widened and grabbed two more from the table and shoved them in her mouth.

He watched her in disgust and partial amazement as she grabbed another one and attempted to fit it into her mouth.

"Uh…my plus one invited me and will you please chew before putting another cake in your mouth? I know they're good but you’re going to choke if you-"

"-Hmph, found yourself a Piltie? I knew you'd follow Vi's footsteps," Jinx said as she swallowed her cake and he was surprised to hear a trace of bitterness in her voice.

"What? No, I'm here with Heimerdinger."

"The rat thing?"

"He's a Yordle and you know that."

“You know I meant to say that. So you’re officially a Piltie now? Wow, three months was all it took to leave it all behind?” she said with sarcasm and a raised eyebrow.

“This has nothing to do with Piltover… I’m representing Zaun tonight,” he argued.

He saw Jinx’s eyes widen and she put her empty plate down on the table before rolling her eyes and crossing her arms.

“Okay so if you are representing Zaun and trying to make peace with the Pilties-"

"-I'm not making peace with them-!"

"-Why is an entire group of girls glaring at me from across the room?”

Ekko froze and he stared at her before she rolled her eyes and looked away, allowing him to quickly turn his head and see Eva and her friends glaring from across the room.

“They’re glaring at you…? Oh…they are. They’re…uh…I met them a few hours ago and spoke to them. I promise they're nice-”

“Oh, I'm sure they're nice to eligible bachelors who they've never seen before at their other little gatherings. Breaking Piltie hearts already? From Firelight Leader to Piltover heartthrob in an evening,” she chuckled and he watched her survey the dance floor before grabbing his hand.

“Jinx- what?”

“It’s Juliet Raelik from the Kasserak islands for the evening. Now, just dance with me."

She only giggled as she pulled him to the dance floor and they clicked into place as the orchestral music sang through the air. He inwardly thanked Heimerdinger for giving him waltz lessons as his one hand on small of her back and the other holding her hand in a waltz. She was in his arms, dancing in a gorgeous gown and it felt like something of a fantasy. There was a part of him that wanted to dance with her forever but he knew what Jinx was capable of and if he could prevent the evening from whatever she had planned, that was a priority.

"What is going on…Juliet?” he asked again sternly. ”If you're planning something-"

"-Why do I always have to be planning something?" she interrupted.

“Because the last time I heard of you, you had blown up the council headquarters, which by the way, has every member here present tonight,” he whispered furiously. "How did you even get in here?"

Jinx blinked at him before shrugging her shoulders.

“Ekko, I want one evening to feel pretty and wear a nice dress. Can you please shut up?”

But you’re pretty all the time, his brain screamed but he stared at her in confusion as he registered her words.

Did she just call him by his name?

Not Boy Savior.

Not Little Man.

Ekko.

Did that mean she really didn’t have anything planned after all? He was speechless as they danced and after he got over the shock of her using his real name he cleared his throat.

"Um…you look nice," he said softly and she peered up at him, a small smile on her face.

"You don't look too bad yourself."

He couldn’t help but chuckle at her words and he spun her in a circle before bringing her back to face him.

“Got yourself quite a fan club,” she murmured and he cocked his head in confusion before shaking his head with a laugh.

“I'm sorry they're not being welcoming...they were nice to me,” he mumbled and she sighed.

“It's just because you're an attractive, eligible bachelor so I'm not taking it to heart. Although...some of them are glaring at me like I murdered their parents! Especially that blonde girl. Do you know her name?”

“Eva? Does she have her hair in an up-do and wearing a pink dress?”

“Yeah and...her dress doesn’t even match the theme! And before you say ‘Juliet, your dress doesn’t match the theme either!’, it does. It represents the tides and how the moon controls them so therefore the moon is represented! Plus, people have hints of blue in their outfits too but none has pink, so she’s the only one who looks like a walking fashion disaster.”

Ekko’s shoulders shook with laughter and Jinx grinned.

“She’s…definitely something.”

“That only tells me that you dislike her intensely. Spill the beans. How awful is she?” she asked mischievously, leaning forward as if he was about to tell her priceless information.

Ekko watched her in fascination at how normal this all seemed. It didn’t feel like he was the leader of the Firelights and she was the girl who he had lost. They were two people just dancing and gossiping about topsiders. He decided to indulge her.

“When I was talking to her earlier…she told me how Zaunites needed to get better jobs if they were being overworked. She also insulted one of her friends for wearing the same dress as the year before and has been flirting with me all evening. I suspect she likes me more than I anticipated.”

Jinx’s jaw dropped and shook her head before rolling her eyes.

“Pilties and their privilege. Sounds like a spoiled brat to me. And she was flirting with you? Ew, you could do way better. Wait…do you wanna piss her off? Get a little revenge?” she asked, her eyes bright with mirth.

“I’m not doing anything illegal-”

“-No! No no no no…okay, just…just hold me, okay?” Jinx said, stifling her giggles, and she removed her hands from his shoulder and his hand before wrapping them around his neck. “Now wrap your arms around my waist,” she murmured.

They were only a few centimeters apart and Ekko felt his heartbeat skyrocket. He placed his hands on her waist and he heard her laugh softly.

“You should see her face. She is furious,” she murmured.

As they turned, Ekko pulled Jinx into him, so that their bodies were pressed together and he watched her eyes widen in surprise.

“There…now it’s not just one-sided,” he whispered and he took in her magenta eyes.

So unfamiliar but familiar at the same time.

“It’s like you want to cause a riot with some Pilties,” she said with amusement, looking down with a small smile on her face.

“I was never on their side. I’m here to represent Zaun. No one else.”

Their gazes met once more as the song ended but there was a clinking sound that echoed the room and they all turned their heads to see Jayce Talis tapping a champagne glass from the front of the room.

“Good evening everyone! Just a quick announcement from me. Thank you all for attending the annual Piltover New Year’s Eve Ball. We know that a lot has happened this year but I assure you that the council will do everything in its power to keep the City of Progress thriving.”

Ekko watched Jinx roll her eyes in annoyance from his peripheral vision.

“City of Progress my ass,” she grumbled.

“Now, without further ado, please enjoy the rest of your evening. We have cuisine on the tables over there to suit any palette, a beautiful orchestra to dance into the night and don’t be afraid to chat to new faces!”

Ekko applauded as everyone else did and Jinx slow clapped in annoyance. The orchestra began to play again and Jinx led him off to the side.

“All that dancing has me thirsty. I need something to drink,” she said and Ekko had no choice but to follow her. They stopped at the drinks table, a large bowl of a cocktail in the middle with glasses of water around it. Ekko grabbed himself a glass before Jinx dumped some liquid into the bowl from a flask.

“What are you doing?” he sputtered and she grinned.

“Having fun! You should totally try some!” she said as she poured herself a glass.

“If you poisoned it-”

“I said I wanted a normal evening, did I not? And why would I poison myself?” she shot back, glaring at him before taking a gulp of the drink.

He was about to ask what she had spiked the cocktail with but her face lit up in a fake smile. It was unnerving to say the least.

“Oh my gosh, hi! Your dress is so beautiful!”

Ekko’s brows furrowed in confusion before he realised that Jinx wasn’t talking to him but to someone behind him. He spun around and came face to face with Eva and her friends. Eva gave him a sickly sweet smile before extending a hand to Jinx.

“Thank you. I don’t think we’ve met before. My name is Eva Starling. My dad is the owner of Starling Enterprises, which I’m sure you know already.”

“I’m Juliet Raelik and I didn’t know that about your dad but thank you for telling me,” Jinx said as she ignored Eva's extended hand and Ekko bit on the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing.

“How do you not know?” Eva asked, lowring her hand immediately, a flash of anger on her face before looking shocked and her friends giggled behind her. “I thought everyone knew. It must be because you’re from one of the islands right? They probably don’t teach you about the major contributors in Piltover.”

Ekko felt anger burn in his stomach at Eva’s words. He knew that Eva was just trying to humiliate Jinx or…Juliet? Whatever, she was Juliet for the evening.

“Well the islands are quite advanced Eva. I’m sure you didn’t know that my mother is queen there,” Jinx said, her sweet tone hiding the fury in her eyes. “And besides, I’m sure I read somewhere that Starling Enterprises was in danger of going bankrupt. It was all over the news a few weeks ago.”

Ekko raised an eyebrow at the information and looked at Eva, who had gone scarlet from her neck upwards.

“That was a rumour!” she said a little too loudly and Jinx glanced at her nails before Eva changed the subject.

“Oh and your mother is a queen? So you’re a princess! That’s impressive! Do you have any suitors?” she asked and Ekko wasn’t sure how much longer Jinx could hold up her lie.

“I’ve rejected all of them. None of them really clicked with me,” Jinx shrugged. “But there’s quite a few people here who seem to be possible candidates.”

Ekko watched as Eva’s friends all gasped and he found himself watching the conversation in awe.

“Oh? Anyone caught your eye ?” Eva asked, her voice cracking.

“Hmmm, I better not tell. Don’t want to go into the New Year telling everyone who I think is attractive,” Jinx said with disinterest.

“Well give us a hint please!” asked one of Eva’s friends and Eva glared before Jinx laughed.

“Alright…um…they’ve chosen to dress as the sun counterpart for the theme this evening,” she said, shooting Ekko a wink and he watched as Eva’s friends comically squealed and Eva gritted her teeth.

He realised that Eva was not good at hiding her emotions well at all and decided to try and diffuse the situation somehow before pouring her a glass of cocktail and handing it to her.

“Oh, thank you, Ekko. That’s so considerate of you,” she said giggling too much and he saw Jinx only grin before remembering that she had spiked the same bowl just a few minutes ago.

He watched in horror as she downed the entire glass and prayed that she wasn’t a lightweight. Ekko had no idea what Jinx had put in there but the alcohol seemed to hit her almost instantly as her face turned a rosy colour.

“Ekko! We should go dance!” she said a little too loudly, causing some heads to turn their way. “We were so rudely interrupted the first time round so I’m sure we could-”

“Eva! Keep your voice down,” Talia said quickly and Eva glared at her friend.

“Excuse me? Keep my voice down? I’ll speak as loud as I want!” she yelled.

“Eva Marie Starling, will you be quiet!” a voice hissed and Ekko tensed up as a woman wearing a floor length silver dress strode up to them, her presence radiating authority. She took one look at the glass in Eva’s hand before taking it out of her grasp.

“We agreed that you’d go steady on the alcohol! What is this?” her mother demanded and Eva blinked as if her thoughts were foggy.

“Ekko offered it to me and-”

“Oh no, you are not blaming someone for giving you a drink when you know you could have declined. No one is forcing you here to drink, Eva!”

“But…but Juliet must’ve spiked it!” Eva said accusingly, pointing a finger at Jinx, who looked back in faux shock.

“But Eva…I’m drinking the same thing as you…see?” she said as she drank the spiked beverage and put her cup down. “I’ve had two glasses and I’m fine. Maybe you’re a lightweight?”

Eva’s mother glared at her daughter before huffing and grabbing a glass of water from the table.

“You are going to sit with me until you’ve sobered up young lady!” she said and Eva struggled against her mother.

“But mom-!”

“No buts! You can return to your friends once you’re in a better mind space.”

They watched as Mrs. Starling dragged her daughter away and as if a spell had been broken, most of the girls walked away to the dance floor or to the buffet. A few of the others stood back, to talk to each other but only Talia stepped forward.

“I apologise…she usually isn’t this…wild,” she said softly and Jinx grinned.

“It’s okay, a party isn’t a party until someone gets a little drunk. Oh, Ekko, why don’t you dance with Talia? I’m sure you’d love to show off your dance moves while I…uh…go to the bathroom and...freshen up.”

Ekko didn’t have time to ask what that even meant because Jinx ran off into the crowd. She was willingly allowing him to dance with a topsider? Did that mean she liked Talia? Or was she only going to cause more mischief? While he wanted to go after her, it felt rude to leave Talia when she was the only one who seemed to be genuinely nice to him the entire evening.

“Uh…may I have this dance?” he asked Talia and she fidgeted with her hands.

“I don’t think Eva would like that…” she mumbled and he shook his head before grasping her hand and leading her to the dance floor, and he could hear some of Eva's friends giggling behind them.

They walked to the middle of the dance floor as the orchestra played another song and they glided effortlessly across the floor.

“You shouldn’t let Eva control your actions, Talia. I don’t know if it's a Piltover thing but…she’s not the boss of you,” he said and she averted her gaze.

“I know…it’s just easier to let her get what she wants. We had another friend…she usually stood up to Eva but then Eva managed to make her life a living nightmare and she became a social outcast. Thankfully she moved after we graduated from high school but still…her influence is terrifying.”

“You’re joking.”

“Unfortunately not…Eva has a lot of power especially because of her dad. No one has stood up to her since…well since today. Juliet is quite the feisty one,” she laughed.

“Yeah…she is,” Ekko said.

Juliet was more than feisty when she needed to be and if only Talia knew who she really was.

“Do you two know each other? You seem awfully close and if there is something between you two I wouldn’t want to intrude...” Talia asked quickly.

“Oh no. There’s nothing between us. She noticed how uncomfortable I was with Eva and she wanted to be a menace. So she stole me away for a dance.”

“Ah, a menace." Talia chuckled. "I must admit…I was a little surprised when she brought up Starling Enterprises going bankrupt.”

“Why?”

“Eva knows that the majority of her influence is because of her dad’s business. If she loses that, she’d be nothing but empty threats. When that article was published she was hellbent on making everyone believe it was a rumour.”

“How do you know if it’s true or not?”

“I don’t but the way Eva was acting…I could tell she was nervous and she’s hardly nervous. I felt like she was hiding something so I drew my own conclusions.”

“Are you close with Eva?” he asked, aware how serious their conversation had become and tried to not look too interested in learning information about one of the most influential topsiders, and she sighed.

“We were close a few years ago but I don’t know what shifted. I still care about her deeply but I hate the way she treats people.”

“So why do you hang out with her?”

“It’s easier to be friends with her than not to be friends at all. It’s all about connections in Piltover and with her dad being so influential, I’d rather stay quiet.”

“But surely your parents have connections too?”

“Sure we’re wealthy but Eva is in a league of her own and standing up to her wouldn’t be wise. I know it’s nothing in comparison to your life in Zaun but there’s different ways to sink or swim in Piltover and being enemies with Eva is the easiest way to sink. She has the connections to control our futures or completely destroy our reputation...I can't risk it.”

“A blonde who has rich parents can do that?”

“Surely you know someone like that in Zaun?” she asked and Ekko was quiet as he thought of Silco, the most powerful man in the Undercity and all his underlings, the Shimmer factories and his influence over Jinx.

“I understand,” he mumbled sadly and she gave him a sad smile.

“She has her good moments but I don’t know how anyone’s supposed to change her. The only person she can change is herself. And I don’t think she wants to at this moment.”

They swayed before Ekko saw the flash of blue hair in his peripheral vision and watched as a waiter offered Jinx a glass of champagne that she accepted. He watched her take a sip before wincing. She didn’t seem to be up to anything too chaotic so he could afford to relax but then he saw Eva walk up to her. He watched them exchange words and from the looks of it, Eva was getting angrier with every passing second.

“Oh no,” he whispered and Talia turned her head to see what he was looking at.

“This is not going to end well,” she whispered as they slid out of the dance floor.

Talia tried to make her way to Eva but Ekko stopped her, holding her wrist.

“Talia, I think we should stay out of this,” he said cautiously.

While he believed Jinx wanted a normal evening, he didn't trust Eva's emotions. He knew Jinx could handle herself but he didn't want Talia to be caught in the fray because she didn't deserve it.

“But…what if something bad happens?” she said gesturing to Jinx and Eva, who only seemed to be getting more red with every passing minute.

“You can’t babysit Eva all the time. Remember what you said to me? The only person she can change is herself. She is never going to learn if you keep softening the situation for her.”

Talia looked at him incredulously before nodding and taking a step back.

“So we just...watch?” she asked.

“If things get crazy we can intervene-”

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

He saw Jinx grin before whispering something into Eva’s ear and he knew she had said something that caused Eva to snap. He watched as Eva turned red with rage, screamed in fury, and she lunged at Jinx, who only stepped out of the way, and crashed into the one buffet table. Unfortunately for Eva, that buffet table had the chocolate fountain and he watched in horror as Eva screamed as the warm chocolate got all over her gauzy pink dress and hair.

“My hair! My dress!” she shrieked.

Her mother and some of her friends ran to her aid, as did security personnel and Jinx darted out of sight. Jayce ran up to her and Eva cried as she was escorted out of the ballroom, leaving a trail of chocolate behind her. Mel walked to the front of the room, tapping a champagne glass hastily before smiling brightly.

"Apologies everyone! Just an accident. We'll have Miss Starling all cleaned up in no time. Please, eat, drink and dance! Only half an hour from the New Year," she announced.

Talia was frozen next to him with her hands to her mouth but Ekko realised she was hiding her laughter.

"Oh my...I should've helped her...but wow she looked...hilarious," she snickered and Ekko smiled at her.

"Maybe she'll learn to not lung at people next time?" he said and she struggled to conceal her laughter.

Ekko would’ve laughed because finally some karma but knowing that Jinx was behind the whole thing had him worried for her safety. Usually he wouldn’t be concerned but knowing that she wanted a normal night (at least that’s what she said when they were dancing) he felt oddly protective over her in a room full of topsiders.

"Are you concerned about Juliet?" Talia asked and he groaned.

"I can't help but feel partly responsible for her. I'm from Zaun...she's from the Kasserak islands...I'm not sure if it's her first time at this Ball but...I feel oddly protective of her," he lied.

Protective my ass. I need to make sure she doesn't get caught by security.

"Say no more. You clearly care about her and I suggest you find her before Eva blabs enough to get security involved. I don't think Juliet needs that kind of angst into the New Year. I'll cover for you and her. I should go comfort Eva and I'll keep her distracted for as long as I can."

Talia was about to turn away before turning back to face him.

"Thank you for the dance and for talking to me about Zaun...I didn't know it was that bad."

"Most topsiders don't know how bad it is but now you know. Do with that information what you will," he murmured.

She squeezed his shoulder before lowering her voice, "And thank you for sticking up for me earlier. I appreciate it, really."

"Thank you for being real with me," he said, giving her a genuine smile and she shook his hand before walking out the ballroom and following the trail of chocolate that was almost cleaned up by staff.

Ekko looked around the room for Jinx but he couldn’t find her until he spotted a curtain gently blowing in the breeze on the other side of the ballroom. Curtains didn’t move without wind which meant there must be a door behind it. He looked around, making sure Eva hadn’t come back, before slipping through it and found himself on a balcony. There were sconces providing light above him and realised that he was looking into the gardens of the venue. He spotted various rose bushes and the scent of them floated to his nose before looking across the rest of the balcony, where he found Jinx pouring the champagne out the glass onto the grass below.

“So…you want to tell me what just happened with Eva?” he asked hesitantly and she placed the glass down on the windowsill.

“She was being annoying,” Jinx said with a twirl, the skirt of the dress flaring out and Ekko watched the moonlight hit the diamonds on the neckline.

“I saw Jinx…you said things to her too and she ended up lunging at you.”

“She needed to be put in her place. No one disrespects you or Zaun,” Jinx said, as if it was the easiest answer in the world.

Ekko didn’t know how to respond for a minute. Eva had disrespected him? And Jinx stood up for him? If he had known how this evening was going to go, he would’ve prepared himself to not be stunned into silence whenever Jinx spoke.

“She disrespected me?” he managed to say after a moment and he saw her jaw tense.

“Bitch said some shit like 'she saw you first and that I needed to keep my hands off of you', like a spoiled child. We both know that no one tells me what to do and I hated that she was making assumptions that you actually wanted to be with her. Then when I defended you, she said how Zaun was dirty and only thieves came out of that city and that the Kasserak islands have nothing to offer like Piltover does. So I put her in her place.”

Ekko watched her lean against the balcony, the moonlight bathing her in silver and she looked ethereal.

“I told her that she was a two-faced Pilitie bitch and who had the blandest personality based off of the two minutes that we spoke. I told her that you’d never date….court… whatever Pilties say when they date people, because she was too ugly from the inside. And that if she wanted a shot at dating you, she needed to actually have worked a day in her life and not rely on her daddy’s money which might be non-existent considering the company is bankrupt.”

“You called Eva Starling a two-faced Piltie bitch?”

“And I’d do it again!”

Ekko heard some applause from the ballroom but he didn’t care if someone was giving a speech. He could watch Jinx here and no one would get hurt…but then again she had only caused minor chaos this evening.

"I have two questions for you," he said to her and she looked up in acknowledgement.

"How do you know so much of the Kasserak islands? And what did you use to spike the cocktail?"

Jinx threw her head back and laughed before responding, "Did a little research on the Kasserak islands before getting this dress. Wasn't hard to research and I spiked the cocktail with Fire's Breath."

"Fire's Breath? But that's not too bad unless you have three glasses."

"Yeah so poor little Eva was a light weight," Jinx said with a strech of her neck before facing the gardens.

They watched the gardens and the fountain water trickle from the balcony and Jinx sighed before closing her eyes, as if she was savoring the moment.

“Did you really mean what you said inside?” Ekko asked.

“Mean what?”

“The whole ‘you wanted to feel pretty and wear a nice dress for this evening’ thing.”

He watched her open her eyes and she looked at him before pushing down her skirts and gliding her hands over the fabric.

“We never got this kind of stuff in Zaun. I just wanted to experience it just this once,” Jinx murmured.

A melody floated out of the ballroom and Ekko watched as she swayed to the music. It was a slow song, the violins humming and he rolled his shoulders back before taking a few steps towards her.

“May I have this dance?” he asked, cringing at the awkwardness of words and Jinx snorted in laughter before accepting his hand.

“Who would I be to turn down the most eligible bachelor of the evening?” she said through giggles

"Oh, shut up," he groaned and they slowly danced under the stars.

Ekko wasn’t sure when his hands wrapped around her waist and hers around his neck but it felt so natural to place them there. She laid her head on his shoulder as they swayed from side to side.

“Who taught you how to dance?” she asked.

“Heimerdinger. Took a couple tries to nail the waltz but I got there.”

“The Yordle taught you how to waltz?”

“Well, who did you learn from?”

“I taught myself!” she said proudly.

“Bullshit,” he muttered and he felt her snicker into his shoulder.

He couldn't help but notice how she seemed protective of him and he couldn't help but ask her.

“What if I told you that I wanted to date Eva?”

He felt her tense up and for a moment regretted asking her but she only laughed.

“That’s hilarious, Boy Savior.”

“Why? What if I actually liked her?” he asked jokingly.

“You’d be bored of her in two weeks and she’s the most uninteresting person I’ve ever met,” Jinx said bluntly and Ekko couldn't hold back his laughter.

“So what you’re saying is that I need someone interesting?” he asked once he caught his breath.

“Someone who…keeps you on your toes. Someone who keeps you guessing and your mind going. It can’t just be anyone though."

She paused as if listening to someone in her head before nodding.

"You’re the leader of the Firelights and they obviously have to know about that…so yeah you’re a lost case, Boy Savior. No dating Pilties for you,” Jinx said with a nod, as if satisfied with her answer.

“Guess I’ll have to date a Firelight,” he said.

“Guess so but that could be messy if you break up.”

“It’s like you don’t want me to date anyone,” Ekko grumbled.

“It’s not my fault you chose to be the leader of the Firelights,” Jinx said dramatically. “Maybe if you weren’t, you’d actually have a shot at dating someone.”

“So being the leader of the Firelights is limiting me right now? That’s your conclusion?”

“Yep!” she said, before holding him tighter, as if that was supposed to silence him.

It did silence him and he wondered if this was her way of saying that he should only date her.

She said that he should date someone who wasn’t a Piltie, which she wasn’t. She said he should date someone who knew he was the leader of the Firelights but not an actual Firelight because the break up could be messy and if they still had to see each other everyday, it would be even worse. So if he wanted to date someone, they had to be a Zaunite who knew he was the leader of the Firelights but not be a Firelight who kept him on his toes and was interesting.

She met the description but with their messy history…was there even a possibility?

He decided he was over-thinking her words and decided to enjoy the moment with her instead. They swayed in silence for a while, enjoying each other's company before he cleared his throat.

“Was this everything you thought it would be? Despite Eva and the chocolate fountain colliding?” he asked her eventually and she raised her head off his shoulder.

“Everything and more! And Eva being covered head to toe in chocolate was the cherry on top!” she grinned as she looked into his eyes.

Ekko heard some footsteps from inside and voices gradually rising as they stopped outside the curtains. Ekko prayed the wind didn't pick up otherise the curtains would blow and giveaway their hiding spot.

“Where is Ekko? I must find him!” roared Eva and they tensed up.

“We’ve looked everywhere for him, Eva. Maybe you should give it a rest? And you still have chocolate in your hair,” Talia said and Eva only screamed in frustration before the group of girls walked away.

Ekko and Jinx laughed and the voices inside got louder before Ekko realised the people inside were chanting a countdown.

Shit, it was New Year's Eve.

He had forgotten after all the chaos that had happened that evening.

"Five!"

It was tradition to kiss someone.

"Four!"

And a Jinx was in his arms. He could kiss her if he wanted.

But was it what she wanted?

“Three!”

He was the leader of the Firelights. She was...she wasn't on the right side...but if anything, tonight showed she didn't have to cause that much chaos to have a good time. It made him feel oddly content. Part of him felt that kissing her into the New Year was a bad idea on every level possible but the other part of him that had dreamed a life like this with her was riding on a high from how they had danced together.

“Two!”

“Jinx…I don't know if now is the right time but-” he began but she cut him off with an index finger to his lips.

"Pucker up, Boy Savior," she whispered and pulled him closer.

“One! Happy New Year!”

Ekko was sure there was applause and cheering but all he felt was the soft fabric under his fingertips as he held her waist and her lips on his.

He felt her sigh into the kiss and he tilted his head to deepen it. He swiped his tongue against her bottom lip teasingly and she giggled before granting him access. Ekko wasn't sure how long they kissed for but it was everything he could've wanted.

It was slow and soft as if they were making up for lost time. He gripped her waist so tightly, he thought he was leaving bruises. The thought of his bruises on her only made her hold her tighter. She only tightened her arms around his neck in response. When they broke apart Jinx only chuckled before sliding her hands down from his neck to his chest, her lips pink and her face flushed.

"Happy New Year, Boy Savior. Thanks for sharing that with me. Unfortunately, I should get going," she said breathlessly.

"What? Why?" he asked, still dizzy from the kiss.

"Let's just say...I didn't buy this dress," she grinned before giving him a final kiss on his cheek and jumping over the balcony.

He watched her land and sprint off into the gardens, looking like a princess from a fairytale, when someone cleared their throat from behind him. Ekko spun around, ready to make up an excuse to a girl jumping over the balcony and running into the gardens, when he registered who was standing in front of him.

"Vi," he breathed and she raised an eyebrow at him before gesturing at the retreating figure in the gardens.

"You...idiot!" she yelled, her anger flaring and he winced. "Did you seriously kiss Jinx? Tell me right now what I saw was a hallucination!"

He didn't know what to say to her. He was so dead.

"Yeah, I kissed Jinx," he said finally, realising that he should just come clean.

They stared at each other for a minute before Vi's facade broke and she snorted before dissolving into peals of laughter.

"Little Man all grown up, huh?" she asked and he blushed as she laughed again. "C'mon, it's better that you say that you were out here for fresh air than kissing Jinx, who stole Juliet Raelik's dress and left her knocked out in a closet."

Ekko was too dazed to comprehend Vi's sentence as she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and dragged him back into the ballroom. He was surprised she wasn't upset with him. Those thoughts vanished when he saw Eva talking to a group of Enforcers tearfully in a corner.

"Some context would be great right now, Vi," he said nervously and she sighed.

"Juliet Raelik was found in her closet, tied to a chair and gagged. She explained that someone knocked her out in her hotel room and stole her dress, shoes, and her invitation to the New Years Ball. She woke up in darkness, gagged and bound to a chair. A concerned hotel resident said they heard noises from her room and Enforcers found her banging her chair on the closet door, trying to escape. The only reason I know about this is because Caitlyn got an Enforcer alert and demanded we stop by at the hotel to assess the situation. We came here as soon as we found out."

Ekko remembered what Jinx said about the dress and he watched the Enforcers leave Eva and exit the ballroom.

"No wonder she managed to get into the Ball so easily. She was lucky to get out when she jumped over the balcony. Enforcers probably know the dress description and now they'll have a description of Jinx from Eva," he said solemnly and Vi nodded.

"This is worrying as this might put Jinx on Enforcer alert because Juliet is royalty but it's honestly not the worst case. You want to tell me what happened to her?" Vi asked, glancing at Eva who ran out the ballroom to follow the Enforcers, and Ekko retold her the whole saga with Jinx and Eva.

"I usually don't condone Jinx's actions...hell I'm still getting over her blowing up the council quarters but…maybe I'll let this one slip. No one says shit like that about you or Zaun…even if she did steal a dress worth thousands and knocked out Kasserak royalty," Vi said and Ekko noticed the small smile on Vi’s face as well as her outfit.

She wore a subtle gold suit with white trimming on the cuffs and high heeled boots. Her hair was slightly curled and he swore he smelt perfume on her skin.

“I’m surprised you’re wearing those shoes,” he said and Vi rolled her eyes.

“Blame Caitlyn. I lost the bet and I have to wear these for the rest of the night. They’re not bad just…if something happened, I would break a leg first before helping anyone. What are you doing here anyway?” she asked.

“Here with Heimerdinger. He’s been really nice though and has let me mingle with other people.”

“Anyone to your liking? Like a girl with blue hair…?” she teased and he glared at her as she laughed.

“No comment, Vi. Are you here with Caitlyn?”

“Yeah, we ran late and only got here a few minutes ago but I still got my New Year’s kiss before the Enforcers arrived and so did you,” Vi grinned.

"You're never going to let this go are you?"

"Not a chance, Little Man."

They walked over to Heimerdinger who was talking to a thin man with brown hair before he beamed upon seeing Ekko.

“Ah! Ekko! Just the man I was talking about! You must meet Viktor! He was my assistant but is now the co-creator of Hextech!”

“Thank you Heimerdinger. I appreciate the praise but it is not needed. And you must be Ekko. I’ve heard a lot about you and from one Zaunite to another, I’m happy Heimerdinger has seen potential in you,” Viktor smiled and raised his hand and Ekko grasped it and shook it, aware of how boney Viktor’s hands were.

“Completely coincidental but I’ve learnt a lot from him in this short space of time,” Ekko said.

“That’s no surprise to me. I’d love to see what you’ve worked on another day-”

“-Viktor! Oh, thank goodness that debacle has been sorted- oh. Uh…Hello Heimerdinger,” Jayce said, faltering for a moment before straightening himself.

“Hello Jayce. I must say, you have gone all out with the decor this year,” Heimerdinger said and Ekko could feel the awkwardness between the two.

Jayce looked nervous but Heimerdinger seemed fine.

“I think I’ll give you two some time to catch up-” Ekko began before the Yordle interrupted him.

“Oh, that won’t be necessary. We have much to do tomorrow, Ekko, and I think it’s time we take our leave,” Heimerdinger said and Ekko nodded, not phased at the party being cut short.

He knew it would’ve been a different story if Jinx had still been there but he was fine to leave then. He had schmoozed with all the people he needed to and if Eva tried to talk to him again, he surely would not make it out.

"Tell Caitlyn I say hi. Sorry I missed her," he said and Vi squeezed his hand.

"I'll pass it on. Get home safe."

He said his goodbyes to Viktor and Jayce before following Hiemerdinger.

They left the ballroom and walked through the corridor to the carriage waiting for them outside. The plush velvet seats were heavenly as the carriage started moving to take them back to Zaun. They were quiet for a few minutes and Ekko was about to fall asleep before Heimerdinger tapped him on the shoulder.

“I do apologise for making things awkward just now. I suppose I wasn’t in the right frame of mind tonight to see Jayce,” Heimerdinger said as he fiddled with his hands.

“It’s okay. You seemed fine with him and Viktor. You acted well.”

“Viktor didn’t vote me off the council but they are partners. I can imagine Viktor must’ve felt torn too when he found out but I can’t make assumptions. Thank you for attending with me though. I got to catch up with some old students and council members. I do appreciate it.”

Ekko smiled, relieved that Heimerdinger had a decent evening after all.

“You seemed to have an eventful evening too. I saw your little group around you,” Heimerdinger said in amusement and Ekko chuckled.

“Yeah, that was quite an experience I’ll be glad to never have again. Piltover women are…intense.”

Heimerdinger laughed loudly and clapped his hands, “Intense one word to describe them! Do you feel you represented Zaun the way you wanted to?”

“I think I did the best I could under the circumstances. I think I might have gotten through to at least one person,” Ekko said, thinking of Talia and how similar their situation was.

He hoped that she would somehow distance herself from Eva but she could only change herself after all.

“Oh, before I forget! I managed to take this photo of you and that girl on the dance floor. I hope I didn’t overstep.”

Ekko thought he was getting a picture of him with Talia but his heart skipped a beat when he saw the blue hair. It was a photo between him and Jinx and they were smiling at each other with his hands on her waist and hers around his neck, and their clothes shining under the light.

"You seemed quite smitten with her all evening. I know there was some drama but I didn't have to worry myself in it. I'm not on council anymore so I don't need to!" he laughed and Ekko grinned.

This must’ve been taken when she was trying to piss Eva off.

"Happy New Year, Ekko. May this year be one of success and victory."

“Thank you Heimerdinger. Happy New Year,” Ekko murmured, eyes locked on the photograph.

He knew that photograph could be the only photographic evidence against Jinx since the dress description matched the one from Juliet but he wasn't planning on sharing it with anyone. He wasn't sure if Heimerdinger would ever ask him to give the photo to Enforcers as evidence but he would lie. Say he lost the photo or something. He needed to keep the memory of the Piltover New Year's Eve Ball and his time spent with her alive in every way possible.

Happy New Year, Jinx. I'm glad I got to into the new year with you.

He tucked the photo into his blazer pocket and watched the bright lights of Piltover dim into the neon ones of Zaun, before closing his eyes and dreaming of the sun and moon dancing together.

A/N: Happy New Year everyone!

I know it’s the end of January, but I had this fic in my head since mid November and only really had time to start writing it on New Year's Eve LOL. (Also it wasn't supposed to be this long but I kept writing and writing and...here we are 10k later).

I want to thank Kissun13 for inspiring this idea! She said in the Timebomb discord server something along the lines of how Ekko and Jinx are yin and yang and how they're the sun/moon, day/night, and light/dark to each other. She said that they should wear fancy clothes because they deserve it and I was like YES A FANCY PILTOVER BALL LET'S GO. She then proceeded to send me a whole visual concept of their clothes and the way I could see their clothes in my mind told me that I had to write this fic. It was my first idea that I fleshed out in the server when the server was still quite small so I feel weirdly sentimental about the fanfic. So thank you Kissun13!

The biggest of virtual hugs to you.

Also the Island Juliet is from doesn't exist so...yeah do with that information what you will.

Title credit to Kim Lip - Eclipse from LOONA

#ekkojinx #timebomb #arcane #vanilla107writes #jinx #ekko #my writing

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factual-fantasy · 4 years

Text

.....Guys..

Guys I cant cope with this, its too adorable.

I.. dude like.. for real.. like..

Transformers.. are made of metal.. and magnets.. stick to metallll...

...duuuude... I have so many cute headcannons now that I feel like my head is going to explode..

Imagine Miko.. She saves up her money and buys this sheet magnet one day right? She draws these cute little pictures, cuts them out, glues them to the magnet and cuts the magnet sheet to make her own personalized magnets.

She started with Bulkhead. She would discretely place the magnets on the back of his legs as high up as she could reach. He’s a bit clueless, cant actually see them unless he deliberately looks for them and cant feel them. So he has like 15 magnets stuck to his legs but he doesn’t know at all.

Miko manages to stick about 3 on Bumblebee before he started getting suspicious.

She gave some to Raf and Jack and they joined in.

The kids ended up turning it onto a game. They tried to see who could get the most magnets on different bots. Ratchet being worth the most points.

All three kids got about two magnets each on Optimus which was really hard to do because they had to somewhat climb on him and hope he didn’t move. Optimus knew from the very beginning exactly what they were doing and when they were doing it to him, but he thought it was adorable so pretended to be oblivious and stand extra still whenever he felt one of them climbing up on his pedes. Plus, Optimus was worth a lot of points in the game so he didn’t to make one of them lose because he caught them in the act.

Miko made one with a giant cute Bumblebee on it and put it on, well, duh, Bumblebee’s leg. He was later seen with a face full of pride and the magnet on his chest plate.

Miko and Raf spent the night at Jacks house and Miko brought all her magnet gear. They took a sick day and spent all their time making magnets. They went to the base that weekend with these big heavy backpacks that were obviously filled with magnets. Every member of team Prime that knew about the magnet stuff pretended to be very busy and distracted that day.

Miko made a giant magnet that had a blushing Shrek on it and stuck it to Ratchet’s foot. He hasn’t noticed yet and she got over 1000 points for it.

Raf was placed on Ratchets shoulder at one point or another, and this absolute mad lad manages to stick a bright pink one with a flower on it right on the side of Ratchet’s head where he cant see or feel it. But of course all the other bots could see it clear as day and never said anything. Raf got 5000 points for getting a girly magnet on Ratchet’s head.

Arcee was the hardest to sneak up on, absolutely nobody could get a magnet on her. She was worth 6000 points because of the difficulty. At first she didn’t want one.. but then Bulkhead, and Bumblebee were gushing about how cute and creative the magnets were and how much they loved them. Arcee got a bit jealous, now she wants a pretty Miko magnet too..

But she cant just like, ask for one. So one day she pretended to be exhausted all day and constantly distracted and working on stuff. But as soon as a magnet mysteriously appeared on her ankle she suddenly had all the energy in the world and had a particular prep in her step. She now pretends to be tired when ever she wants another magnet.

Jack somehow managed to sneak a laugh/crying emoji magnet on the back of Smokescreens head. He still hasn’t noticed this particular magnet and keeps wondering why everyone keeps laughing literally behind his back.

When Wheeljack was around, Miko tried to sneak a magnet on him while he was sitting down with Bulkhead. But there’s no sneaking up on Jackie, so he instantly noticed her and was like, “The frag you doin??” And Bulkhead just whispered, “Duuuude you’re not supposed to notice.” Wheeljack kept the magnet because it said “foxy grandpa” on it, he doesn’t know what it means but he thought it sounded funny.

When Ratchet finally noticed the like, almost 10 magnets on his legs he was annoyed at first......

..But they’re so cute, and Miko worked so hard on them and they have little faces on them.. And it just.. It makes Miko so darn happy and giggly when she sees he still hasn’t noticed them yet. So he pretends to be the most oblivious of them all, letting the kids stick tons of magnets to him.

He gets to about 40 magnets before Optimus kind’a nudges him and goes, “I can no longer tell if you are actually oblivious to all the magnets, my friend.” And Ratchet just goes, “Don’t tell the kids I know, I don’t want to spoil their fun.” Optimus just nods and says, “Of course, would you do the same for me? I do not wish to spoil their game, I am still worth very many points.”

It genuinely took Ratchet forever to notice the pink flower magnet though. He didn’t remember putting Raf on his shoulder that one time and never thought that Raf would actually do something like that. He eventually noticed it when he saw that whenever anyone looked at him their faces would just light up.

.......................He left that one there and pretended to not notice it because it made Optimus genuinely smile every, single, time, he looked at it.

One time Ratchet was called out to a mission with about 40 magnets stuck to his legs, he returned with only about 16 and had a crushed expression on his face. He was in a horrible mood after that mission, despite how well it went. Later the remaining 16 magnets disappeared too, Miko thought Ratchet had finally discovered them and just threw them out. She sheepishly went up to him and asked him if that was true.

Ratchet looked appalled and said, “Absolutely not! Why would I throw them out??” He brought his left arm down and flipped up his armored plating to reveal the 16 remaining magnets all neatly organized and stuck to the underside of the plate. “I didn’t want to lose any more of them, they wont get lost or damaged here.” Safe to say Miko didn’t think Ratchet cared and teared up a little.

At one point Miko made special jumbo magnets for each member of team prime. Optimus got a bright red one that was covered in blue glitter, it said “BOOS MAN” in big gold letters. She misspelled boss.. Arcee’s was baby blue with the word “QUEEN” poorly spelled in cursive with hot pink marker. Bumblebees was a bright yellow one with black stripes that had the word “STINGER” written on it, but you cant really tell because the words were also black. Ratchet had a white one that had an orange cross on it and had the words “Best Medic” written very carefully and neatly with black sharpie. Bulkhead’s was the biggest one, it was a bright green one that said “My Best Friend” on it. It had a tiny doodle of Miko and Bulk’s faces on it too.

Optimus smiled at his, said it was lovely and hid it some where to keep it safe, but occasionally he could be seen wearing it around the base. Same thing with Arcee, she said she loved it and wore it occasionally. Bumblebee wore his with pride on his chest plate around the base but took it off before he went on missions. Ratchet cried in private over his and hid it somewhere, occasionally on a good day the magnet could be spotted on his left chest plate. Bulkhead also cried a bit but not in private. He put it on his chest plate and said he’d treasure it forever.

Miko eventually ran out of magnets and money, so Agent Fowler came in clutch and got her like a 15 foot heavy duty magnet sheet and these mega big scissors so she could keep making them.

Ultra Magnus told Wheeljack to take the “foxy grandpa” magnet off his shoulder pad because it was “distracting”. Wheeljack looked at Ultra Magnus, then at Miko, then at Ultra Magnus. He said okay and took the magnet off his shoulder and slapped it right on his forehead.

Miko laughed so hard she nearly passed out. Ultra Magus said to take it off and Wheeljack was like “make me you coward”.

Wheeljack asked specifically for biggest, most ugly and obnoxious Magnet she had. Miko returned with a diner plate sized baked Berry Benson magnet that she didn’t have the chance to use. Wheeljack put it on his shoulder pad where it could best be seen and refused to take it off JUST to make the kids laugh and annoy Ultra Magnus.

I would keep going but honestly this post is getting too long and if I try to keep going my brain is going to melt from the cuteness.

♡(ಥ﹏ಥ)♡

#transformers prime #tfp headcannons

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altorav · 3 years

Note

NekuShiki question time! :)

Is there anything you might want to change about them design wise?

Do you think they would have children? How many?

If they married, who would make the engagement proposal and how?

1. Is there anything about them you want to change design wise?

Hoo boy. You got me cracking my knuckles.

In general I don't really see any problems with their original designs. Neku's blinding bangs/turtleneck/phones play symbolic meanings, so I won't change his design. What Shiki wore in the first game also actually look quite comfy and practical. If unremarkable, it's in her concept that she's meant to look unremarkable, so that's totally ok. I still would be against her looking like a total fashion disaster if I could though. Unfortunately interesting designs affect how often people are willing to draw characters in fanarts. And...like a lot of people did, I did find her fashion choices in NEO rather...questionable

So my personal take would just simply change her long dress into a normal shirt (I mean, I have no fashion sense irl either, but trousers underneath a knee-length dress just...feels so uncomfortableeee) Her trouser could have some plaits because Nomura is into plaits lately. And flat, laceless shoes for simplicity so you will be directed to look up to her face instead of her hilariously bright-laced shoes. (I wonder if Shiki intentionally wore those shoes so people won't be interested to look her in the eye or something. Damn girl, Neku supposedly taught you some confidence! Where is it!)

And while we're on the topic and I'm that nerdy about this stuff. I might as well share some of my ideas for Shiki outfits while we're at it.

So this was from last year before we even got any news about NEO being a thing. My idea about this is for a possible sequel, Shiki would have been shown to have gained more confidence and started wearing more fashionable clothes that reflect her character development, and due to the issue surrounding her iconicness, her outfit needs to be some kind of homage of her more iconic appearance. So I took the necklace and the short hoodie with prominent pull strings and combine it with her leggings, creating this. I didn't color it yet, but her color scheme would be similar to Mina's.

The hoodie with prominent pull strings continue to be the thing I latch on when designing alternative outfits for Shiki. Including this design I made for how I imagine Shiki looks like in Sanctuary (yes, THAT Sanctuary) based on her description in the fic. Also made last year

Admittedly she looks a bit young here, when she's supposedly 17. I'm gonna revise this design later when I got the chance. Heh

As for Neo Neku?

Honestly I felt a bit off when I first saw him. The sleeves look a bit weird when you see him only from waist-up. But unlike the Shiki one, I've gotten a bit used to it now. Plus I love how he now doesn't wear headphones and turtleneck anymore. Since I had a similar concept for his sequel design just like Shiki's

Accidentally looking a bit like neo Beat it seems

In general, like the Shiki one. I tried to design this outfit to reflect his character development. No turtlenecks, headphones down for most of the time.

2. Do they think they would have children? How many?

Absolutely. Probably not a lot though. Both of them are only childs. Neku in general doesn't really mind growing up alone, he used to think younger siblings would have been a chore to him so he never wanted one. Shiki on the other hand, always wished she had siblings, be it an older sister or a little brother, she always feels like her house can have another occupant or two growing up, so she wants at least more than one. So they ended up planning for two.

However, I'm gonna crush her dreams here, because I'm the no.1 Shiki stan, Shiki ended up having a couple of stillborns the first times they tried. Which scares her for awhile.

Luckily, their third trial actually succeeded, much to their relief, but afterwards, they both found out Shiki could no longer conceive.

So they're always treating their first kid like they're some miracle. Overprotective too, considering the pasts they had. Shiki still wished the kid could have a sibling growing up though, and Neku is always there to make sure she doesn't drag herself down too much.

Later on, they found some traumatized kid on the streets and decided to adopt him. So initial goal achieved I guess???

3. If they married, who would make the engagement proposal and how?

Shiki, now a billionaire thanks to her work, hired a bunch of men in black to chase Neku down and corner him to Hachiko, where she'll jump from behind the statue and save him from an incoming bullet, everything starts feeling like Deja Vu, and in a panic that may or may not be staged, Shiki pulled out her hand to him, showing him a ring inside a small velvet box, yelling: "FORGE A PACT WITH ME!"

#twewy #neshiki #shiki misaki #neku sakuraba #the world ends with you #twewy spoilers #neo twewy spoilers #despite how much of a dumptruck I am I couldn't seem to think of a good proposal scenario srry

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shadowredfeline · 2 years

Text

Here's a Two in One Drawing.

1st one: Couples in Minecraft

I did a drawing based off of a dream i had a couple of days ago. I got an Invitation to play with @murumokirby360 wanting to play Minecraft with him, and i thought saying, what? My P-Pal doesn't play Minecraft, so i accept the invitation and played with him. So i decided to add Four Couples, Shadow, Lisa, Spot and Vanilla to play Minecraft with each other. Normally i was going to make Lisa's Sonic form in Minecraft, but the problem is i had to remember her Cat Form when anytime she would play Minecraft. Even when she wore those clothes as an anthro Cat form even she still has her Sonic Form for when she's not playing Minecraft. Plus i do enjoy Minecraft since the music just puts me at ease. But i even remember for @bryan360 since he's never played Minecraft either once when we discussed Steve and Alex got to be in Smash Bros.

Shadow R😺🗡: Yeah i have remember seeing them in Smash Bros. But Lisa and i do Enjoy Minecraft a lot together with some friends we know and play them on different systems. Even my brother when he got to play Minecraft on the PlayStation 4.

Lisa😺❤️⚡️: Mmhmm. I do use my Cat form anytime Shadow and i want to be Cats together even when we're not wearing anthro clothes and have our collars and scarves on. But with Minecraft however. It's pretty amazing to explore everything being Blocky and building stuff while mining and surviving at the same time.

Caleb 😺🏀🏈: Yeah since i do play that game too and maybe we can all play Minecraft together.

Shadow R 😺🗡: Great idea guys. ^^

For the 2nd one: Learning Filipino Language Studying

Ever since Lighting, Speedy, Zack and Penny went back to School. Shadow decided to take his Sons Zack and Speedy to go to the Speedsters house to do some of his homework. And afterwards, they might think of wanting to play with Spot, Riya or Cude if they get their work done faster. So Shadow decided to sit down with the boys and Rita decided to help us out on when they need what the two are working on. Zack was working on his Math Problems since he has to learn some Multiplication since it's important to learn different types of math problems besides Addition and Subtraction.

Speedy on the other side is currently working on some Writing and English. Rita decided to help him out on his Writing and discuss what word his has to remember like say he's currently working on Nouns and even Past, Present and Future. Cause with Nouns it has to be like a Person, Place or a thing or sometimes an Idea. While Past saying like you did or were doing something, Present saying like you are or am doing something, and future saying like will do something. Then Rita started Calling Shadow's Kids, "Anaks". Shadow and the Boys were confused when Rita called them that, he asked how she kept calling her family different names like "Asawa" and "Anak". But Rita told them that's Filipino Language. Like Anak is actually a Child and Asawa is what you call a Husband. Like Example Lisa is Shadow's Asawa and Lighting, Speedy, Zack and Penny are their Anaks. Shadow, Zack and Speedy felt intrigued that they learned something a little new. So Shadow, Zack and Speedy would love to learn some Filipino Language with Rita since she's really good at it. Since that's what she knows besides English. And Shadow, Zack and Speedy are learning Spanish, i bet doing Filipino Language can be like their new language they can learn. And Shadow has read some Filipino words from her before, but he is practicing and so should the boys.

Zack 😺💙🗡: Wow, Dad. It sure is nice that Mrs. Rita decided to teach us something a little new. 🙂

Speedy 😺👟: Yeah, it sure is nice to learn something new. Maybe after we some of the Homework assignment my brother and i got assigned to do from school, maybe we should learn some the Language that Mrs. Rita can teach us.

Shadow 😺🗡: That's a great idea, Boys! I'm sure she would love to have us learn something the four of us can do together in the Future. Even your mom and your sisters can try this language too.

Both: Yeah ^^

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shyrose57 · 3 years

Note

Starlit headcanons:

Because Tommy is basically living alone he can cook for himself.

This has the advantage that he won't starve but the disadvantage of Tommyinnit cooking.

He's actually pretty good at it, if he were to cook himself anything but sweets.

He won't

But once everybody starts learning about it they bring over a bunch of stuff!

Supernatural stuff he has no Idea how to cook.

"What kind of fucking apple(?) is this?" he asks himself as he googles frantically.

Ranboo and Tubbo know, but they've been banned from the kitchen for kitchen crimes.

They stick with cake and some of the easier to prepare vegetables. They are Thankful whenever Phil sends Wilbur and/or Techno over with food they can just reheat. (cake and cookies get old afterall)

The perks of having no adult supervison.

Tommy somtimes has inspirations during his dreams leading to him shooting up dead in the night and scurrying to his workbench where he wildly draws them down and starts sorting out his fabric.

3. Tommy has a social media platform aswell where he showcases his hobby pieces (all made with normal material, he rockons putting other people's experimental fabrics out there without the permission might get him in trouble)

4) Tubbo and Ranboo start buying the Supernatural fabrics for him. Tubbo because it makes it harder for other people to get suspicious ("what do you mean you don't have woven rainclouds?? just grab 'em from the sky and go!" "verry funny dick" is a conversation that can only happen so many times afterall) and because he likes the way Tommy beams up eveytime he gets to explore a new fabric, but don't tell Tommy that!

Ranboo does it because he feels guilty for living with Tommy when two whole realms are after him.

5) When Tommy finds out Ranboo is allergic to rain (wait- HOW DO YOU DRINK??) he makes him clothes that are hydrophobic ("Here don't want my employee to melt in a puddle" "I would burn actually" "Like a vampire" "ahh- I guess??"

6) Ranboo learns sewing from Tommy, but rather rhan making the big pieces he prefers to make smaller accessories because if he messes up he won't waste as much fabric. When he tries to overcome that fear and makes Tommy a hoodie for his birthday Tommy is overjoyed (he denies it) he wears that hoodie a lot ("Tubbo don't look at me like that! It's simply that everything else is in the laundry!)-🤡

Good for him. Also, Tommy's next unknowing steps into the magical world, as he gets a taste of their dishes!!

Also some of Ranboo's, considering he hails from the End and all.

How sideways can this go?

Imagine being Ranboo and seeing your roommate launch up in the dead of the night like a man possessed and start sewing.

It's how he gets the majority of his human customers, with those from the town so wary of him.

Tubbo doesn't want the game to be up just yet, it's too funny. Though to be honest, how nobody's caught on yet he's not sure.

Tommy catches onto Ranboo's reasons, and more or less tells him he doesn't need to, but Ranboo continues.

Plus, anyone who says they don't like watching him work is an absolute liar.

Tommy's just like... casually the definition of jack of all trades. He can do all sorts of things with clothes and what he can't he practices until he can.

Also, lets be honest, Ranboo got an entire wardrobe when he moved in-Tommy refused to have a roommate who wore a single suit all the time.

Tommy, at Ranboo: I don't like you.

Also Tommy: *Takes him in, makes him special clothes for the rain, teaches him how to sew*

But that's sounds cool. Ranboo starts doing a bit more in the shop, which Tommy appreciates, because he can handle the bigger commissions now without having to stop mid-way to start on the details now that Ranboo doesn't that. It gets things done faster, and makes it a little easier.

Also, Dream and Tommy are now hoodie-buddies because of this. I don't make the rules.

#Starlit Boutique AU #dream smp #dream smp au #tommyinnit #ranboo #tubbo

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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 4 years

Text

Moe Moe Mallekei Kyun~

In which Malleus and Cater go to a maid café, and shenanigans ensue.

... I’ve been wanting to write this for a long time.

***Warning: mild spoilers for Malleus’s PE Uniform personal story!***

Imagine this...

“Lilia-sama.”

Two bodyguards fell into line, saluting simultaneously to their vice dorm leader.

“We just finished combing through the prime gargoyle locations around campus,” Silver reported. “Unfortunately, there was no sight of Malleus-sama to be found. The accounts of the various students we interviewed also corroborate that the Young Master has not recently been spotted in the area.”

“I see. Thank you, Silver.” Lilia sighed, cupping his cheek in one hand. “Hm, this is a bit odd. Wherever could he have wandered off to this time?”

At that moment, a ping! sounded off. Lilia fished his phone out of his pocket and, with one glance at the screen, his expression softened.

“You don’t suppose some dastardly villain has… kidnapped the Young Master and is holding him for ransom, do you?!” Sebek’s eyes nearly bulged out of his skull at the thought. “If that is the case… THEN WE HAVE FAILED AS MALLEUS-SAMA’S KNIGHTS!!”

“Now, now--let’s not jump to conclusions. Even if that were true, I’m certain that Malleus would be able to easily fend off assailants on his own. Perhaps he has simply lost his way, or headed off campus to run an errand.”

“... Without warning us in advance?”

“I would have happily accompanied the Young Master wherever he went--EVEN TO THE ENDS OF TWISTED WONDERLAND ITSELF!!”

“Kufufu. Malleus is still young at heart. Let us allow him this moment of independence, just this once. He will find his way home eventually.”

“Welcome home, my masters!!”

Malleus skidded to a stop in the doorway—for beyond it laid unknown territory. The interior sported cream walls, with fairy lights, streamers, and paper flowers strung up. A number of tables and chairs, populated with people, were set against flowing white curtains.

Young ladies flitted about, balancing trays of food and drinks, cameras, and microphones. Each wore the same outfit, consisting of a frilly headdress, an apron, and a black dress with lace trim and ribbons.

And now, one of those uniformed girls extended a hand to him and a warm, welcoming smile.

Malleus frowned and turned to the orange haired young man beside him. “... Diamond. What is this strange establishment you’ve brought me to?”

“Mm? It’s a maid café,” Cater chirped, glancing up from his phone. “You said you’ve never been before, right?”

“Well, yes… However, when you invited me to join you for an outing, I did not expect this to be our destination.”

“It’ll be fine~ We’re already here, so let’s get seated!” Cater insisted cheerily, ushering the fae through the door.

“Right this way, my masters!” The greeter giggled and led the way, eventually stopping at a vacant table set for two. As the duo slipped into their seats, she handed them menus and moistened towels. “We have a wide selection of special services and delicious dishes for your enjoyment!”

Malleus hesitantly flipped open the (very pink) menu and ran his eyes down the page of available items. Along with the expected offerings of desserts, savory foods, and beverages were odd listings: massage, ear cleaning, karaoke, game, arts and crafts, picture, spoon feeding, live song and dance...

He stared quizzically at Cater, who seemed to be taking everything in stride.

“I’ll take a plate of omurice! How about you, Malleus-kun?”

He stared back at his menu, trying to make rhyme or reason of the unique names. What in the Great Seven was a Pyon ❤ Pyon Sunshine Bar…? Or a Lucky☆Happy☆Cookie? Malleus’s brows furrowed in both concentration and confusion.

“I… I shall have the local specialty, whatever that may be,” the fae prince declared at last.

“Excellent choices! And would you like a bunny, or a kitty?”

“You hand out animals at this eating establishment? Is that not a health code violation?”

“Aaah, Malleus-kun, she doesn’t mean real rabbits and cats. Look--you’ll see when she brings them, okay?” Cater laughed awkwardly. Then, turning to the waitress, he held up his index finger. “One of each, little lady~”

“Of course!” She scribbled down a few words on her heart shaped notepad before prancing off.

“... Diamond. Are you certain this is the fabled maid café of which you spoke of?” Malleus asked, folding his arms. “I find it difficult to believe that every patron here is descended from a high class lineage. Furthermore, the servers are wearing attire entirely unlike that of a traditional household servant.”

Cater blinked once, twice—then chuckled.

“Maid cafés are like normal cafés. Anyone can go to them to play pretend and chill for a while! The difference is that the waitresses are dressed cutely and offer fun services. Singing, dancing, playing games—that kinda thing!”

“I do not understand.” Malleus swept a hand at their surroundings. “The purpose of this establishment is merely for… amusement?”

“Yup! People get tired of the daily grind sometimes, so they go to places like this to see cute stuff and just take a load off.”

“I… I see.” Malleus tucked his thumb and forefinger under his chin. “We do not have anything like your maid cafes in the Valley of Thorns.”

“You don’t? What sort of things do you do back home for fun, then?”

“I was not allowed to venture far from the palace grounds. Most of my time was spent indoors, studying spells or honing my magical abilities.”

Cater inclined his head. “Oooh, right! Because you’re a prince and all, you weren’t able to do much—but hey! Things are different now! You’ve got Cay-kun to show you a good time!”

“Ah, yes. A ‘good time’...” Malleus attempted at a smile, which came out more wary than he had intended.

“Thank you for waiting!” a girlish voice chirped—their waitress had returned, wearing a tray of food in one hand and two headbands in the other. “Here is your omurice and Nyan ✨ Nyan ✨ Kitty-chan Parfait, plus one pair of kitty ears and one pair of bunny ears!”

She handed Cater his dish—a bed of ketchup flavored fried rice, sealed by a wobbling omelet and garnished with a sprig of parsley.

“Mm! Smells delicious. Thanks a bunch~” Cater grinned, winking at his server.

The maid giggled and placed Malleus’s dessert before him, along with the headbands.

“Would you like me to draw or write something special for you on your meal, master?” she asked, gesturing to Cater’s omurice.

“Sure thing! Could you write ‘Mallekei’? Oh, and a couple of hearts would be cute, too!”

“As you wish!”

As the maid set to work, Malleus marveled at the sight of his parfait.

Colorful scoops of ice-cream, granola, and sliced fruits were layered inside of a tall glass cup. A generous crown of whipped cream and a drizzle of strawberry sauce topped it off. Sticking out from the whipped cream were two wafer triangles and dots of chocolate candies, forming a cat-like face.

How adorable.

… But not adorable enough to be spared.

“Thank you for the food.” The fae raised his spoon to demolish the poor parfait kitten—

“Stop, stop, Malleus-kun!!” Cater cried, frantically waving his arms. “N-Not yet!!”

Malleus lowered his spoon with a frown. “Food is meant to be consumed, Diamond. Is there an issue you have with my table etiquette?”

“Well—no, but…” Cater played with a lock of his orange hair and sighed. “There’s certain rituals we need to do first!”

“Rituals? Oh, my apologies. I was not aware. Please proceed with your regularly scheduled… rituals.”

“Ahaha, you’re a quick learner! First thing’s first, let’s put on our headbands!” Cater swept up the cat ears and passed them over. “Here, to match your parfait! I’ll take the rabbit.”

Malleus gingerly nestled the cat ears on his head, copying Cater’s movements. It was a bit tricky maneuvering around his horns, but somehow, he managed.

“Oh!! Those ears suit you so well!” the waitress said, glancing up from decorating the omurice. Carefully placed splotches of ketchup spelled out ‘Mallekei’, hearts and little sparkles littering the space around the boys’ combined names.

“... Do they?” Malleus doubted it.

“They do!!” Cater reassured him with a laugh. “Ne, ne, miss! Can you take our picture so my friend here can have a souvenir to take home with him?”

“Certainly!” She replaced the bottle of ketchup and hurried off, returning shortly after with a polaroid camera. “Are you ready, my masters?”

“Ready, Malleus-kun?”

“Hmph. Of course. I will have you know that my posing abilities have improved considerably since our last encounter. Do not underestimate me.”

“Oh, that’s great! You’ve been practicing! Then… on the count of three, we nyah, okay?”

“... What is ‘nyah’?” Malleus inquired, his confidence suddenly waning.

“Eh?” A blip of surprise crossed Cater’s face. “Like, y’know… nyah!”

The influencer curled both of his hands into balls and made a pawing motion at his friend. “Now you try!”

“Like this?” Malleus mimicked him. He was more stiff—definitely not as practiced—but the general motion was still recognizable.

“Very good, master!!” the waitress gushed, raising the polaroid up. “On three?”

“1, 2, 3… Nyah!”

A flash went off, sending stars into Malleus’s vision. As he rubbed the daze out of his eyes, Cater’s voice called out to him.

“Are you okay there?”

“I am well. There is no need for your concern,” the fae insisted. “This ritual… it is more confounding that I took it to be.”

“Eeeh? It’s not meant to be hard or anything. Just relax, relax!” Cater paused before adding, “It’s part of the ritual’s requirements! You need to be nice and loose for the last step!”

“What is this last step?”

“We need to cast a magic spell to make your food taste extra tasty!” the waitress declared cheerily.

“Hoh?” A smirk found its way onto Malleus’s face. “That can easily be arranged. Allow me to do the honors.”

He put his hand before his parfait, an eerie green glow emulating from his palm. The sinister light engulfed his dish and Cater’s, sending them floating midair. Radioactive ice-cream and omurice hovered above their heads, causing both Cater and their maid to recoil in shock.

Other customers stared at the spectacle from their own tables. One man’s jaw dropped, the forkful of spaghetti bolognese in his mouth clattering onto the floor.

“You, who provides sustenance to the masses, become that which is delici—“

“H-Hold on a sec, Malleus-kun!!” Cater practically leapt over the table to seize his friend’s glowing hand. “Not that kind of spell!!”

Eyes wide with surprise, Malleus allowed his magic to settle down. The parfait and omurice gently floated back onto their table, and the maid sighed with relief.

“Is there a different spell needed for this occasion? I assure you that I am well-versed in practical magic—you need only speak its name, and I can conjure the proper…”

“No, no! It’s—“ Cater casted a look at their server and nervously chuckled. “Ne, Maid-chan~ Think you can give us a demonstration of the right spell?”

“Yes, master!” the girl, ever professional, flashed a perky grin. “Please watch carefully!!”

The maid set down her polaroid on the table. She then arched her fingers into C-like shapes, thumb extended straight. Pushing her hands together, she formed a heart and aimed it in the direction of the boy’s dishes.

“Moe moe kyuuuuuun!”

“What an odd spell. In all my years, I have never heard of such an enchantment…”

“Well, there’s a first for everything, right?” Cater flicked one of his floppy rabbit ears. “Plus, it should be no problem for the great Malleus-sama to pull off this spell, right?”

“This is child’s play,” Malleus’s laugh was like the earth itself rumbling. His lips quirked into a small smile. “You will join me in performing this sacred ritual, will you not, Diamond?”

“Of course~”

“Very well.”

They made hearts and thrust them upon their meals. And together, they uttered those three magic words.

“Moe moe kyuuuuun!!”

“Welcome back, Malleus,” Lilia greeted. The vice dorm leader nonchalantly hung from the ceiling, his raven and magenta bangs suspended midair. “Did you have fun on your outing?”

“Lilia. You knew?” Malleus slowly shut the door behind him, chasing away the cool air of the night. He spoke softly, knowing that sounds carried in the dusty hallways of Diasomnia and could disturb its residents.

“The wonders of modern technology,” Lilia trilled, expertly landing beside his young master. He brandished his phone in a gloved hand, a text message displayed on the screen.

hey hey lilia-chan! gonna steal malmal-kun for the day~ he’ll be back later, but do me a solid and keep it a secret from s&s til then, ‘kay? thnx!! (✿˶˘ ³˘)~♡

“It looks as though I have been exposed.”

“There is no shame in making new friends. In fact, I’m proud of you for expanding your horizons.” Lilia beamed. “Though what a shame it is that I was not present to grab a few pictures. Hopefully Cater fulfilled that task for me.”

The ancient fae tilted forward in his toes and peered up at his prince. “Soooo? Where did you sneak off to?”

“Fufu. Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“My. Is that any way to treat the man that kept Silver and Sebek from hunting you down?” Lilia teased, wagging a finger.

“Such loyalty,” Malleus smirked, hands on his hips, “deserves to be rewarded.”

He produced a polaroid photograph from his breast pocket and presented it with a flourish. The image, forever captured in time, was that of Malleus and Cater—the former with cat ears, the latter with bunny ears—with hands balled to resemble paws. Cater cheekily winked, while Malleus looked slightly bewildered.

The edges of the polaroid were dotted with stickers—smiley faces, flowers, and hearts. Marker had been used to scrawl on whiskers and blushes over both boys’ cheeks.

Overall, cutesy—overwhelming so.

But the Malleus and Cater in the picture were happy.

Their eyes shining like jewels.

Nyah-ing their hearts out.

#twst #twisted wonderland #Malleus Draconia #Cater Diamond #twisted wonderland imagines #disney twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland headcanons #twisted wonderland scenarios #something no one asked for #spoilers

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justanartisticduck · 3 years

Note

Sooo, you got any HCs for Harry and Robin when they were younger?

Okok so I’m currently answering an ask you sent abt these two earlier (the reason it’s taking me forever is cuz I am rambling up a STORM in it-) however I will never miss a chance to talk abt these two so I do have a few headcannons I’ll share!!!!!

ok so this is a basic headcanno but it is essential to know this when looking at my Red and Duck interpretations. Ok so basically uh haha so red and Duck are the “and they were roommates“ meme in a nutshell- why do I say this? Well its because these two did move in together when they were younger in fact!!! Duck- well- as you know they had it very rough in their childhood- (WARNING: child abuse/neglect mentioned alongside implications of homophobia- plus this also mentions disowning- please skip this bit if you wish not to see or read abt this stuff, skip to this 🦆 if you wish to keep reading without this stuff) so, after a not so accepting reaction to them coming out about both their sexuality and gender to their parents they found out they were going to be sent away- if they refused they would be disowned and this is when Rodney, their twin brother, comes in and practically urges Robin to run away since wherever they were being sent to was likely not good- (🦆) so, Duck ran away to the only other person they knew would accept them… Red. So that night they went to his house asking if they could stay a few nights (because they had no idea whether they would be accepted back into their old household at that time) so they were welcomed with open arms and since then Duck has been with Red!!! That day changed everything for them both, more and more days passed that duck lived with Red and his mom and Duck was in a house where they could be themselves!!! Alongside that they were able to go to the same school that Red did!! :DDD each time I think of red and duck from these days it just warms my heart <3 also pssst- they were roommates and even now in my au they still are!!! (Well- whenever Duck is not at college ofc) but they were always there for eachother, they were really the only friends they both had at that time really!! But they mean a bunch to eachother- Both red and duck nowadays in my au really havent changed much from how they used be as kids! ^^

Oh also bonus headcannon! I like to believe when Duck moved in they didn’t have many baggy shirts that would fit them and once they grew out of/into those baggy shirts they freaked out, (bc these shirts are no longer baggy and fit them well- too well and they hated it-) so they panicked about not having anything they could wear comfortably when Red was like “oh… well uh.. I have some old shirts of mine that you can use!” And that brings me to my headcannon that for the longest time they wore Reds stuff since it helped them express their gender comfortably! (Also fun fact! Red gave Duck a old smash mouth sweater he had that didnt fit him and let’s just say duck LOVED IT! They just uh… have no idea what the heck smash mouth is- they still have this sweater too btw XD man I need to draw them in it lmao-)

Anyways that’s all I’m gonna share here!!! Now I’ll try my best to finish my other ramble in the ask you had sent in a while back ago (bc i love talking abt these two!) but I hope you enjoyed this small ramble tho!! :D

#Also I am SO tired so if my words suck that’s why-#anyways hope you enjoyed this!!#dhmis #don’t hug me i’m scared #dont hug me im scared #dhmis red guy #dhmis Harry #dhmis robin #dhmis duck #ask to tag

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aeterna-auroral-avenger · 3 years

Note

Random ask: give your favorite HC about Scott

Oh heck yeah! Let’s go!

First of all, thanks for the ask, friend! It makes me so happy. Sorry I didn’t answer right away! Work kept interrupting me typing my answer, and I wanted to put thought into this lol.

Alright, hold on to your horses because once I get started, I don’t know if I can stop. You picked one of my favorite things to ask about 😁

I’m also going to say one of these because I’m going to give more than one I can’t give just one is not mine but actually came from @thwipandquip and I 100% accepted it right on the spot. The others I already had but developed further with @thwipandquip

Scott is a brilliant cook. He learned how to cook from his paternal grandmother, also brilliant in the kitchen, and he learned how to cook without needing to follow recipes all the time. He’s the type who likes to make stuff up as he goes, and he’s learned enough from his grandmother and from his own experiences to know what goes well together and what doesn’t. His dishes are nine times out of ten a big success, and even then that tenth time that’s not all that great is really, really rare. He’s good at it, and his dishes are proof. He can get cocky about it, but he’s earned the right. But! He can’t bake to save his life. He’s lucky if he doesn’t burn pre-made cookies that you can throw in the oven. Which was lucky for him that Baskin-Robbins didn’t require him to bake. He’s tried to bake. His grandmother tried to teach him, but for all the ingenious and knack he’s got for cooking, he had none left over for baking.

Scott played baseball in high school and college. He played other sports, but baseball was his first love. Scott tried to get #22 because his dad played baseball back in his day too, and that was his number, but Scott couldn’t get that one. So he wore #2 on his jerseys instead. Close enough to satisfy him. He played catcher and pitched some, but he loved playing catcher way more. So he’s used to wearing gear and a helmet and having to run and be active in it, which helped him feel more at ease in the Ant-Man suit and helmet. He played minor league some and could’ve probably gone pro if he wanted, but he decided on doing other things.

This is the one that’s not originally mine but I 100% accepted. Scott can paint, and he can do a pretty damn good job of it. He’s always had a knack for sketching and drawing stuff, and he started painting early on. It wasn’t until he got into high school art that his teacher was like “Holy shit this kid can actually paint!” So his teacher kinda spoiled him and gave him extra attention to help foster the talent and help him master it. Once Scott realized this was something he loved to do and could help entertain him and distract him when he was feeling low or his ADHD (another HC) was rampant, he pursued it and became amazing at it. He can pretty much paint whatever he wants. If he can imagine it, he can put it on canvas, and his forte is realism. He can make something look so real, it could be mistaken for a photo.

Halloween and Christmas are his favorite holidays. He can go all out for both especially with the decorations, and he’s as excited as any kid when they roll around. With Halloween, he loves the spooky stuff and getting scared, and he puts his electric engineering to good use and make moving Halloween decorations that are scary and cool all at once. He loves going to haunted houses with Cassie. Plus, Scott and Cassie like to go on trips to visit haunted places and do like their own ghost hunts. Scott dressed up as a Ghostbuster one year and loves that movie. He likes the second one okay, but the first is way better in his opinion. (shameless nod to Ghostbusters: Afterlife? Absolutely.) With Christmas, he loves giving people he loves gifts. He puts thought and energy into all of them, and he often goes overboard but he doesn’t care. Tis the season! And there’s nothing that makes him feel warmer and happier than letting people he loves know that he cares and they’re important to him. He and Cassie also have a competition every year on who can give each other the most wacky, ridiculous gift. So far, Cassie’s winning, but you best believe he’ll find a gift to help him win next year!

#my thoughts #scott lang #ant man #ant man and the wasp #amatw #headcanons #marvel headcanons #ant man headcanons #Scott Lang headcanons #i love him so much it's stupid #❤️🐜#thinks for thanking of me #marvel and dc geek

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yamithediaperdork · 3 years

Text

Best.sleepover.EVER! (digimon)

"So just so I have this right.. you and your little nerdy boyfri-" Jun started to ask, leaning on the door frame to Davis's room as he was packing his over night back, getting cut off as Davis threw a pair of his stained undies at her head.

"He's not my boyfriend!" Davis huffed, blushing red and pouting.

"Gross Davis!" Jun gagged, tossing the stained undies to the floor. "and by the way, with all the time you two spent together and cuddle, your SO dating. it's actually kind of adorable that you don't seen to realize it."

If Davis would of had anther pair of dirty undies ready to launch he would of, but atlas the landry hamper was too fair away and so Jun was spared for the moment.

"Anyways, back to my original point..I get that your both bed wetters..but your REALLY just gonna wear diapers all night and baby out?" She asked as he finished packing his bag.

"W-well yeah..I mean..it was his idea but Ken seemed so excited about it it wasn't like I could just turn him down you know." Davis said, slinging his night bag over his shoulder and already in a pair of fuzzy blue PJ's. it was a top and button set but if one listened carefully or knew what to look for, they would see the puff of Davis's underjams on under the pants.

"Date. Ing." Jun said, drawing the word out and then laughed, pulling away from the door and heading for her room.

Meanwhile over at Ken's, he was fretting over his little sleepover party. He had lots of arrowroot teething cookies, three pitches of juice and three of Milk and 4 sippy cups each ready to go anyways in the fridge.

He had his mattress and couch cushions serving as the floor for the blanket fort that he had spent all afternoon making, that would em compress the TV, a snack table, and a recharging station for the walkie talkie they'd be using to call Ken's mom to get fresh sippy cups.

he's made use f some Christmas lights to light the inside up if they wanted to read comic books or draw in coloring books, he had a toy chest with lots of action figures and stuffs.. pillows, a blanket each for them and of course a changing pad and lots of extra diapers as tonight was gonna be a no potty night.

Of course for Ken who was a total big baby, at least when it was just him or with Davis that was his every night but Davis could sometimes be a bit of a stick in the mud even though he was a bed wetter.

case and point: those sleek wimpy diapers he wore that you had to squint to see. now Ken, he wore a real mans diaper! (well if real men wore anyways) with PJ bottoms not even possible for him and he waddled like crazy. and sure he had to be careful his massive diaper rear didn't know stuff over but unlike Davis he could soak his huggies up to -6- times and not worry.

"Plus..this is totally gonna be the night I get him to blort!" Ken said, almost getting dizzy he was so over excited.

the doorbell rang and before either of his parents could stop him, he was dashing off to go and answer it even if he should of known logically it was too soon for Davis to be there.

Needless to say, the guy delivering the take-out for Ken's mom and dad got to see a red faced cutie.

Davis squirmed as he sat in the back seat of his dad's car, even though it was just the two of them, blushing as they got looks at every red light they stopped at.

"Dadddd why can't I sit in the front?" Davis whined as they stopped at anther red light, for maybe the 4th or 5th time. he'd actually lost count.

"at the risk of sounding redundant, little boys who insist on wearing their jammies for a car ride and they're bed time armor get to ride in the back." His dad said and smirked. "Besides it'll put you in the right mood for your night with your boooooyyyfriend~"

"Daddy! he's not my boyfriend!" Davis hugged and hugged his bag to his chest, going red in the face.

"oh wow, Jun was right, you are in denial! also that was pretty cute." His dad commented as the light turned green and they were driving again.

"What was?" Davis huffed, squirming big time now.

"You haven't called me daddy since you were like 3." his dad chuckled.

"..I'm just gonna hush for the rest of the car ride." Davis sulked.

With such events happening so close to each other, it was no wonder that as Davis made his way up to Ken's apartment (which his dad insisted on following him up to make sure he got there ok!!) that Davis and Ken were both in red faced squirmy little guy mode.

well at least until they saw each other and were hugging and nuzzling, then holding hands.

"Me and Ken are gonna go play with Lego's!" Davis said.

"heh, got something you might wanna say to me first little guy?" His dad asked.

"Oh! right! Bye daddy! love you! see you tomorrow!" Davis said, running up and giving his dad a hug and then dashing off with Ken towards fortress babykus, already in the process of tugging his pants off as they went.

"..So is yours as clueless as mine is that they're-" His dad started to ask.

"oh yeah." ken's dad said.

"totally." His mom finished.

"Holy smokes! This is awesome possum! Ken this must of taken forever to build!" Davis gasped, looking around in the instead of the blanket fort with starry anime eyes.

"ehehe well you know.. I just had some spare time on my hands." Ken said, all bashful now and rubbing the back of his head.

"Every time I try n build a blanket fort Jun wreaks it or mom makes me take it down! And we got this ALL night?!?" Davis asked.

"Yup! and mom's making us pizza pockets for supper, but we hafa eat at the table." Ken said, then was eyeing Davis's underjam."You ARE gonna switch to a proper diaper right?"

the tone in which he said it made Davis think of a snooty waiter at a high priced restaurant, insisting on a dress code.

"heh, whats wrong with my underjam?" Davis asked, loving to egg ken on but already her was moving toward the changing pad.

"What's wrong with!? It's too slim and tiny and..and.." ken paused as Davis plopped onto the changing mat, realizing he'd been played.

"oh, you are SO not funny." ken said, though he was breaking out in a grin as he came over.

"I beg to differ, but for now, if you want me in a big thick diaper.." and Davis relaxed and put his hands behind his head. "YOU do all the work."

"heh, careful, that kinda talk gets you triple diapered." Ken said, winking and grabbing a thick diaper with one hand and ripping Davis's underjam off with the other.

"Wait what!?" Davis cried out, but by then it was too late.

One diapering later and Davis was in not one but two of the thick diapers, though he'd gotten his revenge so to speak and put a second one on Ken.

as the two massive diaper butt babies crinkled and wiggled in the front, Davis brought up a topic that had been brought up to him.

"Um.. so.. are we dating?" he asked, shifting closer and snuggling into ken.

"I..Uh..I dunno.." the so called genius said, blushing and squirming. "I mean, we never said as much and..uh..I didn't wanna.." he trailed off.

"I Uh.. well.." and Davis planted a smooch on Ken's cheek, getting the other boy to turn bright red. "..I wouldn't ...mind.. if we.. I mean.. you know I like you you.." Davis said awkwardly.

"I..like you too." Ken said, heart beating fast and he returned the kiss. "So.. do.. we..wanna.. Like like each other?"

the two boys paused, honestly, both had foolishly thought themselves strait to this moment but as they looked into each other eyes, both smiled.

"Well..I guess.. if your gonna change my diapers..and I'm gonna change yours." Davis said, squirming then gently pushing ken over, and giving him anther kiss.

"heh, is that the only reason?" Ken asked, and exposed his neck, Davis knowing how much he loved hickeys.

"...I more then like like you Ken..and.. wanna play baby with you.. lots.. um.. if thats.. ok." Davis said/asked and then leaned down, ready to kiss and nimble. "Is that ok?"

"I..Feel the same way about you..but.. ehehe.. thought you were always waiting on Kari sooo.." ken said sheepishly.

"who needs Kari when I have my prince charming right here?" Davis asked the kissed and sucked as Ken thrashed.

"I..I..Oh Gosh..Davis I love you!" Ken cried out.

Pulling away from Ken's movie, Davis planted his lips on his new boyfriend.. this truly was.. the best sleep over ever.

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uglyshirtsinc · 4 years

Text

AIGHT HERE WE GO BUCKLE UP!! Endermen hybrids Illumina, Purpled, and Ranboo! With a sprinkle of Technodad and Sonboo, a drizzle of Little Brother Purpled and Big Brother Punz, with a side of Illumina and Fruit friendship! Less go! This was meant to be a ramble but literally ended up a fic outline?? Could even be read as a fic if you wanted??? What the hell 6 am me???

Endermen hyrbid are valuable because since they're half human instead of making enderpearls they make eyes of ender, and they respawn like humans do so they're used to farm ender eyes.

Ranboo meets Illumina and Purpled after being kidnapped and separated from his dad at the wee age of eleven meets sixteen year old Illumina and eleven year old Purpled.

He's tossed into a cell with the two of them, Illumina being there to calm the younger two down after being used for the farm. Whenever Illumina is brought back to the cell, he cares for the boys and dotes on them, acting much more worried and clingy that normal. They let him take care of them, knowing that keeping them safe calms him.

They talk about their lives before being taken, Illumina talks about the adventures he and his friend Fruit would go on. The dangerous things they did. He promises the boys to one day show them cool tricks, using the excuse of "the cell is too tiny and someone would get hurt" as to why he can't show them off there, not wanting to tell them the little portions of food he recieves (even less considering he gives most to the boys) has eaten away at his strength.

Purpled talks about his adoptive brother Punz who's just a bit older than Illumina, at age seventeen. How he was a cool mercenary hired to do "super secret" stuff and protect people. He tells them about his trident and tomahawk.

When Ranboo opened up, it gave Illumina his first real sense of hope he's had in a long time. Ran talks about his dad, emperor of the Antarctic Empire and faithful patron of the powerful Blood God. Illumina had heard of the Arctic Empire's hybrid son and after story after story began to believe that Ran really was the prince of the Empire. Ran's father obviously loved him, each story leaving him in tears of either longing or laughter. His father would be searching for them, and he would find them.

Weeks turned to months and nothing changed, until Ran was on the floor screaming in pain and Purpled was hiding in the corner wailing in fear. Illumina could hear cracking, popping, and spotted two hard lumps just next to Ranboo's shoulder blades and realized he wasn't just some Enderman hybrid, but rather a dragon hybrid. When the pain finally subsided and their captors returned to take the two young boys Illumina knew what he had to do.

He didn't know much of Gods and patrons, only what he read while searching the strongholds with Fruit after their latest adventure.

Patrons were messy, being worthy to have one and be a follower was even messier. But within that moment, he didn't care. Thousands of voices in his head was better than having to witness those monsters that held them captive force Ran to cough and gag and wheeze in attempt to get Dragons Breath from the boy. It was worth it to return Purpled to his brother, to see the boys eyes light up the same way they did when Ran said his dad would save them. And for just a moment, Illumina let himself be selfish. It was worth it to get to hold his best friend close, to be strong enough to scale buildings and run from golems they'd messed with. To see the sunrise over a snowy mountain, to show the world he was faster, stronger, and smarter than anyone imagined.

Cutting his hand on a jagged rock sticking from the walls that he had warned the boys about so often, be used his own blood to draw the symbol. When it glows and the world fades, stands before him a towering man with hair as white as snow, wearing the finest attire fit for a king, dressed in gold with everything he wore.

Wordlessly, a deal is made and as their hands shake Illumina is staring into dark, ruby red eyes sparkling with a beast like excitement. The Blood God speaks and tells him "They have been waiting." And Illumina knows what he means.

When the world returns, his ragged and dirty clothes are replaced by the ones he would wear before the monsters took him. A pouch of emeralds hangs from his belt and a familiar black mask covers his nose and mouth. His strength has returned, but at a cost he has yet to find out.

There's no whispers, no cries, no one yelling in his head. There's no insanity blocking his train of thought. No amnesia. He is Illumina.

He wraps himself with the one thin blanket they were allowed, curling up near the gate to keep himself and his clothes covered.

Purpled is first to return and Illumina places a figer over his lips, signaling Purpled to stay quiet. When Ran returns, it takes Illumina less than thirty seconds to have the monstrous man on the ground unconscious. Ran and Purpled watch in awe as he checks the horrid man for anything of value to them. A ring of keys, a pouch of coin, an iron sword, and a map are all Illumina deems worthy.

While his strength has returned, he's mindful of the boys and their weak bodies. He carries Purpled on his back, the violet eyed boy the smallest out of them all.

It takes hours to escape their prison mostly undetected. When they do, Illumina grabs the first horse he can find that's saddled up and tells the boys to hold on as he rides off.

The map was appreciated beyond comprehension. It doesn't take long to find a town and get the boys proper clothing that will survive the journey to the Arctic. Keeping them close and their heads down they get what they need tools wise and leave before the sun can even set.

It's hard, telling Purpled that he'll have to wait even longer to see his brother, but promises once they return Ranboo home that Punz can come there to take him home. If Illumina must admit, he chooses Technoblade first because once it hits the news of the princes return and Illumina's name is spread, he hopes Fruit will come and find him, even if they have to meet in the middle.

Throughout the terror and pain, they push through. From the nights they got separated, Purpled clinging to Ran and assuring the dragon hybrid Illumina will find them, fighting off zombies when Ran couldn't stand straight to hold a sword. The relief when Illumina scoops them both into his arms and holds then tighter than before.

With hunters hot on their tail they can't afford to stop and it takes four months itself to reach the borders between the Arctic Empire and whatever land they found themselves in.

Ran's wings have grown in, one a dark, scaley black with brilliant green in the folds between each bone. The other is a is white and reminds Illumina of a jellyfish, bits and tassles hanging from the wing giving it a much more fragile, paper thin appearance. Both are incredibly strong, despite their looks, and it's often the intimidation factor the two wings bring that gets them out of sticky situations.

A year has passed since they've been held in captivity, Illumina now seventeen and the boys twelve.

Illumina buys the cheapest tickets to the Empire, having to hold Ran's hand to keep him from teleporting ahead in excitement. He cries multiple times, the feeling of finally being free and so close to home hitting him like a truck. Illumina sees the excitement on Purpleds face, knowing after Ran he gets his family too.

They arrive on the island and immediately Ranboo is dragging them the way to the inner walls. Claiming to know his home like the back of his hand. Passing by a few guards, Purpled asks why they don't just tell the guards they have the prince.

"The guards were the whole reason Ranboo ended up where he was, plus they could try killing us immediately thinking we took Ran. I can't risk putting you two in any more danger." Is the reply he gets.

They teleport to the other side of the walls easily, walking to the other, and teleporting. This repeats for two days till they reach the inner most wall. Techno stands on a platform in the town center, his expression showing no emotion and stance as proper as ever. Just watching him stand so straight makes Illumina's back ache.

Ranboo sobs on the spot and before he can call for his father and rush forward a hand is placed on Illumina's shoulder with a harsh grip.

The guard asks who they are, saying they most definitely are not meant to be there, and within that moment a rage so heavy it hits Illumina like a tidal wave.

A year of torture and pain, months of walking and risking his life to get here and right as he can reach it someone stops him. Illumina barely registers it before the boys jump back screaming and he's pulled his sword out to hit the other man.

He faintly hears cries of "Harvey!" As more people rush towards them. He can only focus on his blade pressing against the man, Harvey's, sword and the deep laughter filling his mind.

"It seems you've finally been broken into." The Blood God thinks aloud.

He yells for Ran to run to his dad who's being ushered of stage, his speech being cut short.

Ran looks between his father who has yet to notice him and then back to Illumina who's risked so much for him. To Purpled, who looks horrified and is trying his hardest to pull back Illumina.

And he chooses them.

Jumping between Illumina and Tapl he unfurls his large wings and yells out with a slightly staticy voice "Stop!"

And it's as if the world has stopped, the Blood God no longer speaking in Illumina's mind, Purpled can sag his shoulders in relief, and all eyes are on them.

He looks into Tapl's heterochromatic eyes and in a voice barely above a whisper says "Stop attacking my family."

Tapl steps back, the other guards step back. All can easily recognize the missing Prince, from the two-toned hair to the sparkling eyes only he possesses.

His name is breathed out and demands attention. Ranboo turns to gaze at his father from across the short distance and it's real.

They meet in the middle and Ran holds his father like a scared child, and Techno allows himself to crumble and cry. He cries for the child thought to be dead, stolen from him by those he trusted. He cries for the year and months he's spent separated from him. They cry together, and tears of pent up pain turn to tears of happiness. His grandfather and uncles appear soon enough, he's wrapped in hugs so tight and a pair of wings so warm he could fall asleep.

Purpled and Illumina and thanked for bringing him back, and all Illumina asks is for them to help them find their homes. A message is sent far and wide of Purpled's reappearance and it takes less than a month for a blonde boy, fresh i to adulthood to come crashing through the castle doors and Purpled to find himself wrapped in his big brothers arms once more.

Punz sobs so loudly it's heard from across the palace, clinging to his baby brother and cradling him like a baby.

You'd think after the royal family just about got on their knees to thank him, Illumina would be used to it and stop being so embarrassed, but something about seeing Purpled light up like he's dreamed of seeing the boy do and finally getting to see with his own two eyes the brother he talked about makes him very thankful for the mask there to hide his flushed cheeks.

Ranboo and Purpled aren't ready to let go, so Punz stays with his brother in the castle for awhile.

Illumina is asked thousands and thousands of questions, where they were taken, how they escaped, etcetera.

He takes Techno aside and confesses the deal he made in return for their freedom. He confesses he has yet to know what he's given up to the Patron and his fears. He confesses that He couldn't bare the thought of young Purpled loosing his hope and being raised in a place like that, Ranboo being hurt worse and worse for bottles of acidic breath.

He apologizes for being selfish and wanting to find his family.

And for the first time in forever, he's being held in the safety of a warm hug. He gets to cry and be comforted, he gets to be weak.

It takes longer, but one day new face appears and after four years he breaths in that ridiculously sweet scent of green apples and sweet fruits that Fruit Berries always had. He hugs his friend once again.

They show the boys their tricks, as Illumina promised. They watch them do stupidly dangerous things that make Phil, Techno, and Wilbur flinch and jump to catch the two seventeen year olds, always groaning in faux annoyance watching them land safely, Phil claiming this'll give him a heart attack and Wilbue and Techno agreeing their stupid (while impressive) actions are gonna be bad influences on their sons. Wilbur calls it quits after they manage to drag Punz in, the mercenary dueling the two of them and trying to see whether strength or agility are better. Purpled is torn between cheering for either family member and just yells words of encouragement a lot.

For once in a long long time, they're safe.

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cuddlesslut · 4 years

Text

Live my Life Ch.1

Kuroo x fem reader

Summary: sometimes life is full of making the wrong choices and not knowing till it’s to late.

A/N: this is chapter one of my new story. I’m still writing the Home series I must really wanted to start this story as well. I hope you guys like this one.

Warning: Angst, Smut, Drunk Sex, Underage drinking, toxic behavior

You found yourself sitting in this dingy bar nursing a drink you weren’t supposed to have. This had become part of your routine. It all started about three weeks ago. Your friend Kana, or well you suppose she could be called a friend she was more of a friend of a friend. She seemed nice enough kind of the free spirit type of girl always into the new big trend, not really what you would describe yourself as, more of what you wanted to be. You weren’t exactly some shy shut in but still your anxieties held you back from charging head first into in life and taking the bull by the horns. That’s why you surprised even yourself when you offered to be Kana’s bar buddy.

Kana is bartender at this whole in the wall bar with dim lighting. It got fairly good business but not enough to warrant more than one bartender at a time. That being the case Kana would often be there by herself well late into the night, the neighborhood wasn’t horrible but it still was unsettling sometimes. So as her bar buddy you would come at some point in her shift and find a free seat at the bar hopefully far enough distance from any other patrons. You’d order some fries or whatever greasy snack food you craved and waited there with her while she worked until she was ready to lock up. It was pretty easy you’d just sit there offering her someone to talk when she was bored or when she need to escape some overbearing customers. She’d make her way over too you and pretend to make you a drink. Although she offered you a drink you usually turn her down for the clear fact that you were underage when it came to drinking. It was perfectly fine for you to sit in the establishment since it also served food but at the age of 18 drinking was still prohibited. Being the laid back girl and bartender she was Kana didn’t care about bending that rule for a friend.

Most nights you’d pull out some school work on your tablet that your carried with you or just read some stories on your phone. Usually trying your best to avoid conversation with the regulars. That didn’t work as well as you hoped and soon enough you were quickly learning all of the local gossip and being included in the group known as the regulars. Which is what you were since you found yourself here four nights out of you week. You didn’t mind spending so much of your time here with Kana it was kind of nice to stray from your comfort zone plus you and Kana were steadily getting closer as friends too. Everything was smooth sailing until you met him.

It was a usual Thursday night you got dressed in your causal but sleek outfit. Wearing a comfortable pair of Jeans that hugged your body nicely not too tight but still showed your curves. You paired it with a black blouse and black ankle boots. You freshened up your make up of the day not needing to try to hard seeing as you weren’t going there to impress anyone. In fact you preferred to not draw any attention. Your brushed through your hair finally heading out of your home and too the dingy bar. Things seemed a little off tonight some felt different but still you took your usual seat as you scanned the bar. It was fairly empty only two other customers sitting all the way at the other end of the counter. Kana wasn’t anywhere to be found, she’s probably just grabbing something back you reasoned. And sure enough you could hear a clang in the back of the establishment that was hidden from the public eye. Although it wasn’t Kana that popped around the corner. Instead stood a tall and extremely handsome guy. He was wild black hair that was strewn in a chaotic fashion but it suited him. You could tell by his physique that he was fit , not too overly muscular but when he reached up to put the box he was carrying on the top shelf you could see a peak of a very well defined v line on his tanned skin. This man was the definition of tall, dark ,and handsome. And that wasn’t even mentioning his intense honey eyes that felt like they pierced your soul with just one look. He wore a black pair of fitted jeans and a red button up with strange print on it. You could inspect the odd design more intensely as he approached you with a smirk plastered on his face. Ah they were little black cats that littered his print. The style screamed I’m stylish but quirky.

“Well hello there sweetheart how can I help you?” You could tell he was using his customer service persona. Ah he goes for the smooth talkng flirt, he probably does very well with middle aged woman, you think.

“Um yeah,” you state giving the room one more look “ do you know where Kana is?” You questioned.

His perked at the mention of your friend. You could see him relax a little as he released some tension rolling his shoulders back. “Ahh you must be YN,” he smiled placing his hands on the bar leaning forward. His voice was a notch higher no longer Using his deep Casanova tone, this one was more natural. You eyes widened at the sound of your name leaving his lips.

“Yeah,” you replied hesitant.

“I’m Kuroo Tetsurou,” he presented his hand offering a firm shake to which you awkwardly accepted. “I’m guessing Kana forgot to inform you that id becoming back to work my usual Thursday shift today did she?” He let out a small chuckle.

Damn it Kana you cursed inside your mind. You could have been cozy in bed right now. “Ha nope she did not,” you let out a sigh. “I didn’t realize she was just covering these last few weeks” you respond.

“She just had my Thursday shift Mondays and Wednesdays are still her regular days.” He grinned “she was nice enough to take my shift while I was out with some family stuff.”

“Ahh I see, well I’ll should probably get out of your hair,” you stated starting to slide off the stool.

“Hey wait you came all the way out here let me get you a drink,” he offered.

You froze in your seat for a moment kind of embarrassed. You felt heat creep to your face as you respond “ oh umm I’m not actually old enough I’m only 18,” your eye locked on the surface in front of you.

He let out a chuckle “let me see your ID.”

Your face scrunched in confusion “but-” you start but he cuts you off.

“Shh just hand it over,” he smiles. You raise your eyebrow as you reach into your handbag fishing out your ID and handing it over. He backs upmholding it as though it was valid. “Well look at that! Sure enough you’re 20,” he gives a cheeky smile “so what can I get you to drink?”

You take back your card placing it back safely in your bag a look of shock present on your youthful features. You lean forward whispering “won’t you get in trouble!” Not wanting to have someone risk their job. He lets out a haughty laugh. “My dads the owner so I’m not too worried.” He stated cockily. “So again what are you drinking sweetheart?” Again he flashed that stupid smirk that sent your stomach doing flips.

After two drinks and some idle chit chat in his free time you decided it probably be best if you headed out. He was quick to stop you. “Ahh come on dont leave so soon I was hoping you’d be my bar buddy too,” he pouted. You rolled your eyes at his teasing. It was enough to keep you there though ordering another drink to nurse. It felt nice chatting and casually flirting with this attractive stranger.

This too became part of your routine. You still went to the bar during Kana’s shift to keep her company but you kept going on Thursday and spending you night talking to Kuroo. The both of you spending most of the night getting to know each other. It was just surface things like school, you found out he was two years older than you going to a university near by studying chemical engineering,and your taste in music which was something you had a lot in common. The conversation focused mainly on you. He always directed the flow of the conversation he was so out going and smooth, always asking questions about your day liked hearing about your day as if being a 3rd year in high school was the most exciting thing. You’d sit there for hours with him trying new drinks sometimes finding yourself leaving the bar at three am as if you didn’t have class in four hours. But you didn’t care it was exhilarating this was the most rebellious thing you had ever done. The flirting was harmless never going to far. And although you wouldn’t admit you were getting a crush on the raven haired bartender.

It was just another Wednesday night but today something inside of you told you to dress up more than you’d usually go for. Tonight you wore a simple black dress with a deep neckline that really showed your figure without being to flashy. Your period had recently finished so knowing you were securely dried up you decided to go for a pair of your fancy red lace panties and a matching bra that always boosted your confidence. Not that anyone would be seeing them. You checked yourself one last time before heading out to the bar and damn did you look hot.

When you entered the bar you were surprised to it was rather busy with customers all over the place, luckily you find a seat at the bar. You noticed that Kenma was also behind the bar. Kenma was the other bartender that worked the shifts opposite of Kana and Kuroo. He was also Kuroo’s best friend. You’ve only met him a couple times when he’d come to the bar to see Kuroo while he was on shift. It must be really busy if they called him in to work the bar with Kana.

Kana gave a sigh of relief and smiled as she saw you sitting at the bar. “Oh my god girl hey,” smiled “do you see how hectic it is?” She laughed. She took a moment to fully look you over her eyes wide.

“Damn girl you look fucking hot!” You felt some pride grow in you hearing your friend complement you. She always looked amazing so hearing that she thought you looked great felt like high praise.

“You want a drink babe?” She asked although it was more a of statement as she was already whipping together a drink before you were finished nodding. She handed you a strong yet sweet drink before she was whisked away by some needy patrons.

You sipped on your drink watching Kana handle the crowd. You and Kenmas eyes would lock every now and then but it’s very short and awkward. You don’t know him very well. Part of your anxieties had you convinced he didn’t like you. But you tried not to read into it to much. Kuroo had told you once that it was just that he wasn’t much of a people person only working at the bar as a favor to Kuroo and his father. You sit there silently observing the world around you not noticing someone taking the seat next to you.

“Boo,” a husky voiced whispered into your ear sending shivers down your spine. Kuroo cackled as you jumped turning around clutching your chest.

“What the hell Kuroo!” You gasped trying to steady your breathing. “They call you in too?” You ask referring to the booming business you sat in.

“Nah it’s my day off and I wanted to come have a drink and bug Kenma,” he rose his hand singling said man for a drink. “But looks like I lucked out now I get to bother you all night,” he smirked.

“Oh really and who said I want to have you around I deal with you enough on Thursdays,” you smiled back with a sly look.

He feigned a look of hurt. “Ouch YN you wound me, I thought we were friends,” giving you look that definitely didn’t come off as just friendly. You just roll your eyes trying to hide your intrigue. “Well it seems I need to prove my friendship to you let me by you a drink.” He rested his hand on yours as he signaled for a refill on your drink.

You should have seen it coming but you acted surprised when after several drinks and a couple rounds of shots you found yourself in the back seat of his car. Your red panties tossed to the side somewhere in the vehicle. You were laying back as he dove under the hem your dress. Kuroo looked up to your face his lips barley an inch away from your heat. He had a devious look on his face as he watched your face flush with need. Your lips were swollen from the heated make out sessions you had outside the bar. He quirked his eyebrow teasingly his heavy breath tickling you. He was waiting. It was almost tortuous but you knew what he wanted.

You pouted your chest rising and falling from your hard breathing. “Please!” You begged. He smiled content with hearing your pleas before diving into you his tongue lapping at your wet folds. Your head fell back in pleasure as he ate you out like a man starved. Your moans filled the car as he worked his skilled tongue in and out of you. He could feel how close you were as he felt you clench around his fingers as he worked you loose. Relief flooded your body as you came on his face. Lust still flooding you as you watched him lick up all your juices. He moved up your body sealing your lips into a searing kiss you could taste your essence on his lips.

Your hands reached down his body grabbing at his bulge. He let out a groan in your ear before picking you up and placing you on his lap. He attacked you neck nippping and sucking harsh purple marks into your skin. He pulled the collar of your dress down pulling your breast out . Moving your bra down he latched his lips around your swollen nipple rolling it between his teeth. You let out a pained moan as you rolled you hips into his lap. He finally hit limit. He lifted you up as he pulled his pants and boxers down before lining his achingly hard length with your wet cunt before pulling you down on it. Both of your groans filled the space as you felt him fill you whole. You hid your face in his neck as you panted while he let you adjust to the intrusion. You could feel his hands roaming your ass pushing the skirt of your dress up. A sudden smack came to your ass. You let out a hiss. He rubbed the mark he left on your soft skin.

“Go ahead sweetheart ride my cock,” he demanded. His dirty words sent shivers over body. You did just as he said starting to move your hips up and down rotating on his dick as it reached deep inside of you. Your body was already on edge from your earlier release so it took no time to have you clenching tightly around him you next orgasm fastly approaching.

“Fuck you’re so god damn tight,” he groaned. Lust took over as he grabbed your hips holding you still as he drilled up into your pliant body. Your moans egged him on as he chased both of your climaxes. He loved the feeling of your pussy clamping down on him. Feeling you milk his cock drained him of his will and of his semen as he came deep into you.

You both sat there for a moment both coming down from your highs. Bodies worn from the intense session you had just had. He groaned throughing his head back, “fuck I didn’t wear a condom,” he cursed.

“I’m on birth control” you breathed moving off his lap. You searched for your panties sliding them on quickly trying to contain the mess between your legs.

“Good, that’s good,” he breathed a sigh of relief he looked around both of you. It seemed no one notice dyour little drunken romp in the parking lot. There was a slight awkward pause neither knowing what to say.

“Well that was great,” he offered, “uhh do you need a ride home?” He questioned.

You shook your head, “no I’ll just grab a quick Uber home,” you respond pulling your phone out to do just that.

He nodded seeming to like that idea not wanting you to walk home. “I’ll probably head back in and sober up a little before heading home. I definitely can’t drive right now. I’m not even sure my legs will get me back inside,” he laughed. You giggled as well. A chime rang from your phone, your ride would be pulling up soon.

“Hey give me your number and message me when you get phone safe.” He said taking the phone to send a message to himself successfully trading numbers. He gave you one more deep kiss before you left to catch your Uber.

That night your body passed out exhausted. You knew you were going to regret drinking so much tomorrow morning when you have to wake up for class.

And damn was your body sore. Your head was ponding from all the alcohol and the rest was sore from the wild sex you had. Still you woke up bright and early making sure to shower off any evidence from your delinquent activities. You made sure to take some Advil before leaving for school opting to skip breakfast since your stomach was still unstable from the liquor. Your morning classes were relatively easy not but extremely boring. You found yourself daydreaming through most of your history class thinking back to your night with Kuroo. Little fantasys of dates, and more long talks at the bar, even some naughty ideas popped into your head. It was almost like you willed him into existence because not two seconds later your phone vibrated. Your heart skipped a beat seeing his name pop up in your notifications. You laughed at the way he saved his number last night. Oh my god he texted me you thought you were so giddy. That was until you read the messages.

Kuroo 🥵: Hey YN.

Kuroo 🥵: Last night was a Mistake. Look I have a girlfriend and I love her so I think it’s best we pretend last night never happened. Sorry.

Ouch. That hurt.

General Taglist: @diesinspanishbcimhispanic @graykageyama

Taglist: @captain-janeway @elianetsantana

#haikyuu!!#haikyuu x reader #haikyuu x y/n #hq #haikyuu smut #haikyuu angst #kuroo x reader #Kuroo #kuroo smut #kuroo tetsuro x reader #kuroo tetsuro imagine #kuroo tetsuro fanfiction #kuroo tetsurou #haikyuu kuroo #kuroo x y/n #kuroo angst #kuroo tetsuro angst #live my life #live my life by Cuddlesslut

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votederpycausemufins · 3 years

Text

Chapter three for Surprisingly Familiar. It’s time to get to the real plot of this thing!

@petrichormeraki is the maker of the hermit Tommy au, @helleborusangel likes to read these and give me their rambles which are my beloved, and then check my tumblr for my masterpost of things I’ve made.

“Hey Paul, you’re done talking with X, right?” Bdubs asked as he noticed Paul walking by.

“Uh, yeah. He said he could let a guest in for a little bit because he needs to talk with Phil and Phil’d rather stay here instead of coming to the castle.”

“Yeah yeah, sounds great.” Bdubs sad, waving it off. “Hey, new question. Paul what the heck was that back there?!” He shouted, making a number of hermits look over.

“Hey, calm down, keep things off tap.” Paul tried to calm the hermit down, but it didn’t work that much.

“Oh this is Hermitcraft. We don’t do things on tap. Except Tommy but that’s different. Now, what were you doing back there?” And Bdubs pointed towards the room Paul and Phil had talked in. From the crowd, Jrum felt a little nervous, wondering if it was something he did, but the answer calmed the bot.

“Calm down. It was something Hoodie taught me. I’m sure Zedaph can back me up.”

Behind Bdubs, Zed stopped slurping from a coffee cup that was actually filled with a slushie. “Yeah, don’t worry he’s fine. No necromancy.”

“See? I just wanted a private conversation.” Paul replied, though Bdubs still looked grumpy.

“Alright, don’t make me call in Genny.” And Bdubs signalled that he was watching Paul before walking off. As he left, Scar took his place, seeming pretty confused.

“So, what’s with him?”

Paul sighed. “He’s not a fan of certain types of magic. I did a bit of necromancy for a time and there was someone else in the world who essentially became a dark lord, so Bdubs and some others became witch hunters.”

“Huh, That’s not something I would have guessed.” Scar said. “I mean, I’m a wizard and he’s been fine with me.”

Paul looked a little stunned. “Oh really? Didn’t realize. What style are you? My friend Hoodie is coming in for a quick visit. He’s ars based.”

Scar laughed a little. “Is that so? Haven’t seen many of those. I’ve got a mix. Vex magic and crystalline. Cub’s also a user of vex magic.”

Paul nodded. “That’s nice. How many magic users you got around here?”

The hermit mayor started to count on his fingers. “So there’s me and Cub. Pretty sure Stress has some. Cleo’s definitely got some magic. Grian of course. Uh, not sure if Joe does or not. I think Xisuma’s just-”

“Xel- er, Grian’s got some magic?”

“Yeah. And I guess the kids probably do too. Not sure right now.” Scar said, before looking Paul in the eye. “You're not going to freak out about Grian having magic, right? You’ve already got him upset which gets us upset.”

“Yeah, I know.” Paul sighed. “Just been through a lot. I get overly worried sometimes, and to me, I suddenly hear that ‘kid involved in murders is now causing wars in the world my friends are in.’ So yeah, sort of thought the worst.”

Scar inhaled sharply. “Okay, yeah. I can see what made you freak out. But Grian’s fine. He’s been through a lot and while technically he’s caused chaos, it’s never something we hate and normally we’re all in on it somehow.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, you should hear about the sewer cats.”

“Can’t wait to hear about it. Haven’t seen any letters about it.”

Scar nodded, before being just a little confused. “So, is there a reason you’re always using letters instead of other stuff? I’m sure some of the others could make you something that would work.”

Paul nodded. “I don’t doubt that they could for the most part. I just deal with a lot of factors and have always preferred the tried and true method. I’m all over the place and sometimes I can only really bring along paper.”

“What do you do?” Scar asked, interest piqued.

“Let’s see. Not sure if Phil’s told you, but he used to be king.” Scar nodded. It wasn’t Phil, but Grian had mentioned it. “Well, I’m one as well. Hoodie’s my right hand man and royal mage.”

“Ah, and you said he’s the one visiting?”

“Yeah. So I end up busy there a lot. I also spend a lot of my time visiting my kids so I’m going from world to world. Then, there’s also my wife and she’s in the world we raised the kids in which is essentially my main home.”

“And that’s what?”

“Uh, the same one I found Xe- sorry, Grian in ages ago.” Paul answered. “And I’ve got a job there that doesn’t really work with comms sometimes, but paper is easy enough to have on hand, especially enchanted paper.” And Paul took out a sheet of paper, handing it to Scar.

Scar took the paper and looked it over. As he moved it, he could see how the light caught the slightly physical aspect of the magic, much like how enchantments could be seen. “This looks good. You can hardly see the magic but I can tell it’s there. What all is on here?”

“Mostly stuff to get it to the right recipient and make it illegible if you’re trying to read it and it’s not for you.”

“Ah. That’s a commonly known one for ars mages, right?” Scar asked. “I haven’t heard much about them.”

Paul nodded. “Yeah. That’s due to the mage wars. They happened a number of years back before Hoodie was alive. He’s the main reason things are sort of getting back to normal for those guys.” Paull pulled out an old communicator which looked like it was being held together with duct tape and prayers. “He should be here pretty soon. He said he was only going to get a few books and amulets. And your admin said he would be able to get in.”

Almost as soon as Paul had said something, a message went out that someone new had joined the world. Xisuma sent a message that he would go to help the guest to Aque Town and from there Paul and Scar just waited for the two others to arrive. Xisuma was the first to arrive, gliding down on his elytra. The other person wore a royal purple hooded robe and seemed to arrive with the use of an ender pearl, but Scar didn’t see them use one.

Paul was the first to move, going over to the other person. “Hoodie! You made it!”

With the confirmation that this was the mage coming in, Scar followed along, a bit excited to meet someone new with magic. “Of course Sir. You did ask for my presence.”

Scar watched as Paul put an arm around Hoodie’s shoulder. “You don’t need to be so formal here. In fact, here. This is Scar. He’s the mayor, and based on the kind of place this is, I’d say he’s the local hedgewizard.”

“Ah, I see. It is nice to meet you. My name is Hoodie. I am King Soares’ right hand man and royal mage.”

Scar shook Hoodie’s hand, getting a slight shock. “It’s nice to meet you too. Paul already said I’m Scar. I’m guessing you’re a lightning mage or something?”

Hoodie took his hand back. “Ah, sorry about that. Yes I am. Or at least I specialize in it. Same as my father lest he’s recently changed his affinity.”

“Well I don’t know enough about your kind of magic to know what that really means.”

Paul walked away as the two magic users started to discuss their various forms of magic and wizardry. He needed to find Phil again since the main reason Hoodie was even there was so that Phil could get more of the enchanted paper. Not wanting to drag the mage away, Paul was instead going after his brother since he was the one insisting he wouldn’t take any of it without knowing for sure it was enchanted by Hoodie. After that, Hoodie would help out a bit around the world as repayment for Xisuma letting him on, then the two of them would head back home. At least, that was the plan.

. .

Drawing him away from the nest was almost laughably easy. Grian and Mumbo were both asleep and the chicken was theoretically trapped. At least trapped enough it wasn’t going to escape into the room itself. And then it could only see out the window and not into the room which was a big plus. Because of that, it was simple enough to have viridian magic surround the prison and really ensure the chicken wouldn’t be getting out.

“You know.” The person spoke in a whisper, making Grian twitch ever so slightly in his sleep, but not wake up. “You’re really making this far too easy. I thought it would be difficult with those guests of yours here, but it turns out everyone’s distracted by them. And they put you in such a perfect position. Let’s just move you to somewhere a bit more private, hmm?”

Grian of course didn’t wake up, but as the person left, a bit more magic appeared around Grian, and then a few moments later, he woke up with a start. Grian looked around, glad to see there was only Mumbo and a box in the corner. For a moment he was confused about it, but faint clucking from inside helped him figure out what it was. But something still felt off.

Grian went to shake Mumbo awake, but he hesitated a moment before actually waking him up. “Mumbo. Mumbo!” And Mumbo woke up from his name being shouted, looking around to see what was going on. “Mumbo, I think we’ve been up here too long. Something feels wrong.”

Mumbo pulled out his communicator to look at the time. “Oh dear! It does look like we have been here a while. It also looks like someone else has shown up.”

“Really?” Grian asked, pulling his own comm out to look at the message. “There’s no way this person would just happen to show up today of all days for no reason. What if they’re someone else with… I want to check on the kids.”

Mumbo stood up and then helped Grian to his feet. “Don’t worry. I’m sure if anything happened, the other hermits would be taking care of the boys. We can of course check on them, but you don’t want your panic to make them panic.”

Grian nodded and from there the two of them went back down to the ground floor, leaving Kokatori behind. Finding the new person was rather easy as he and Scar were both standing on the street of Aque Town facing each other. Scar was currently donning his wizard robe over his Aque Town outfit. In his hands, he held a number of crystals that Grian thought he was never going to see again.

The other person was wearing a purple robe and held a wand in one hand and a book with a yellow cover in the other. His hood had fallen back slightly, so Grian was able to see as the other person glanced over at him when he got closer. Normally the avian would assume it was just because he was getting close and was noticed, but there was some sort of emotion in the eyes that made Grian worry.

Both of them had their attention pulled away from each other as Scar moved, a yellow glow around him as he moved like he had a speed effect. When he reached the other person, Grian watched as the Scar’s netherite sword struck them, and then a ring of white magic appeared around them, acting as a shield against further attacks.

Realizing at this point that the two were fighting, Grian moved to try and stop them, but then out of nowhere, lightning struck the ground in front of him, making him stop. When Grian looked back up, both mages were looking over to him and then Scar called out. “Hey, don’t worry! We’re just doing some sparring! It was my idea!”

“Are you sure? Who even is this?”

“His name’s Hoodie. Royal mage of Paul it looks like.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Grian asked, concerned.

“Yeah, it just sounds like he was jumping to conclusions when he saw you. I’m sure it’s going to be fine if you talk to him again.”

Grian wasn’t completely convinced, but pretended enough for Scar to look back at Hoodie and then continue their sparring. Slowly, the avian started moving to where everyone else probably was, still in the party building. Mumbo followed him along, but eventually he passed Grian when the builder decided to actually watch the magic battle.

Scar seemed to mainly be using regular combat, but enhanced by his crystals which actually seemed to be doing something. Hoodie, on the other hand, was using his wand and casting a number of spells from his book. At one point, Grian watched the mage fumble a little bit to pull out a book with a green cover before casting a new spell that he hadn’t used yet.

Grian didn’t realize he was just standing there alone, and the magicians weren’t really paying much attention to him, but in the span of a few seconds, that all changed. To anyone watching, it would seem like it happened all at once, but really it was just one thing after the other.

Grian was barely aware of the space around him getting the slightest tint of green to it. As soon as that had happened, Hoodie turned away from Scar and instead faced Grian, pulling out a new red spell book. Scar was the next to react, still under the effects of his yellow crystal. He started to pull out a red crystal, accidentally pulling a pink one out at the same time. He threw them towards Grian just as Hoodie began to cast some magic aimed at Grian, but also in the direction of what would be in the path of the crystals.

Seeing multiple things coming his way, Grian started to panic, wings moving to act as a shield since he currently wasn’t holding one. As they moved, the tips of his wings started to change from red to purple, the shift in color working its way to the base of the wings. He couldn’t react fast enough to block everything, but the magic hit both of the crystals, making them shatter into dust. The pink and red dust didn’t completely stay their original colors, some of them charred by the magic attack that hit them, but each tiny piece seemed to glow with its own energy, and even with the, being broken so small, when the cluster hit Grian, there was enough force to make him crash to the ground.

For everyone not watching at that moment in time, they simply heard a large crack of thunder at the same time there was shattering glass, followed by screaming from Grian. Within a matter of seconds, people were racing out of the nearby building, there to see what had happened.

When people got out onto the street, Scar was yelling at Hoodie. “What was that?! Grian wasn’t involved! I thought I could actually- I can’t see why Bdubs actually trusted- I’m guessing he’s changed a lot since-”

“Please, I was just trying to defend myself. He was about to attack me. Didn’t you see it?”

“He was just watching us!”

“No. Your back was turned so you maybe didn’t see it.”

“I should have used a brown crystal too. What kind of spell was that?!” As they yelled, Xisuma was the first to get over to the pair to try and figure out what was going on, getting an answer from Scar. “That Paul guy’s mage just attacked Grian! If I hadn’t done something, it might have killed him!”

“What?” Paul asked, coming over. “Hoodie what just happened?”

The mage looked over to Paul, ignoring Scar and X. “Sir, the hedgewizard and I were simply having a duel to see each other's magic skills. As we battled, this avian mage came by and tried to stop us once. Of course Scar was able to prevent that the first time, but then the mage tried to cast a spell of attack. I was already using a spell to help my reaction time, as was the wizard here, so I began to cast a counterspell. At first I thought Scar was also about to assist me, but instead he seemed to try and stop my spell, causing our magic to collide. It seems to have still-” Hoodie tried to continue, but Paul held up a hand to stop him.

Paul then tried to speak himself, but then his shoulder was ground and he was whirled around by Phil. “Paul, what the fuck? Did you just have your wizard attack Grian?”

“What? No, of course I wouldn’t! It sounds like Grian was trying to attack Hoodie and he defended himself.”

“Yeah sure. Mate, just tell me the truth.”

“I’m just telling you what Hoodie told me. I know just as much as you do at this point other than what he told me.”

Again, the conversation was cut off by Mumbo speaking up, having joined the group. “Grian’s really hurt. His breathing is off and it looks like his wings were hurt enough for them to shift away. There’s also something else, but I can’t place it. Xisuma, can you look at him?”

Everyone moved out of the way for the admin to head towards Grian, but as soon as he took a step, everyone had their comms buzz with two messages. Xisuma peeked over the crowd to look where Grian had been a minute ago. He wasn’t currently lying there, but neither were any items that signified him having died and respawned. That could have been because he had nothing on him at the point, which was unlikely, but could have been what happened.

That being said, the shocked gasps from people who were looking at their comms didn’t assure Xisuma, so the admin pulled up the chat logs on his helmet. Instead of there being a death message for Grian, there were two messages of people leaving the world.

The_Grifter left the world Xelqua left the world.

#hc x dsmp #hermit!tommy au #bdoubleo100 #paul soares jr #jrumbot #zedaph #goodtimeswithscar #xisuma #xisumavoid #hoodie the mage #Hels!grian #Grian #avian!grian #watcher!grian #grian xelqua #yhs grian #mumbo jumbo #philza

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