#probably gonna do more of this sketchy style going forward

[lostonehero]

What remains after eternity

Homage

Lazarus has been in some sketchy places. Places not meant for human eyes. Places even gods feared to tread. However, that still didn't prepare him for this. Tim's mind seemed broken, worse than before. The air was humid and cold, and it smelled of rot. The area seemed to be abandoned.

A man, no, that wasn't right he looked like he was barely 19. His hair was cut in a military style, matching the uniform he was wearing. His blue eyes seemed distant. "You.... you shouldn't be here."

"I shouldn't be many places." Laz tilted his head. He didn't recognize the uniform, but that's probably because it's after his time on earth. He left and never looked back. "What happened?"

The kid looked down at his feet. "I was abandoned."

Laz reached out, and a bullet went through his hand. He takes a breath. "Let me help you."

"I can't be helped." Blue, tired eyes stared through Laz. "You don't belong here."

Laz was staring up at mechanical eyes, watching Tim wipe his mouth.

"What the fuck was that?" Lyf stared at the two.

Laz groans laying on the floor. "That is what happens when a mind is strong enough to force me out."

"Hurt you?" Tim tilted his head.

"No, I'm just. I'm just going to lie here." Laz takes a breath. "You ok?"

"Taste funny." Tim crouched down next to Laz poking at his leaking eyes.

"You probably shouldn't eat it, but I don't care." Laz looks over to Lyf. "If Thomas asks, I'm on the floor."

"Lazarus, seriously, what happened? Tim, don't eat that!" Lyf tries and fails to shoo Tim away.

Tim chuckles. "Like Jonny's babies."

"I'm not entertaining that comment." Laz sighs. "As I said, Tim's mind is strong enough to force me out. I need a moment before I even attempt again. Now, don't get me wrong. Strong doesn't mean healed it means dangerous. I'm going to have to talk to Scratch." He groans.

"Are you ok?" Lyf suppresses the urge to taste the fluid from Laz's eyes.

"Bruised ego mostly, with how long I've been at this, it's surprising to deal with this. Also, incredibly sore being forced out is really painful, but mostly hurt pride. I'm gonna be on the floor for awhile, sorry for making a mess, Aurora." Laz, let's out a breath.

"I've already called Brian and Thomas to grab him." Aurora chirps. "You depressed bastard."

"I resent that." Laz groans. "I am an orphan."

"I dont think that's the part you should be arguing." Lyf sighs. "Tim stop poking him."

"Hurt." Tim points at Laz.

"Not hurt." Laz huffs. "I'm just sore."

"Idiot." Lyf pinched his brow.

"I help." Tim gets up and grabs Laz with his vines.

"Fuck me." Laz can't even move his arms to cover his face.

"I will inform Brian and Thomas that Tim is taking him somewhere." Aurora sounded bemused.

"I'll follow as well." Lyf shakes his head.

.......

Jonny stepped out in his boxers, carrying Trevor on his back. "No more complaining, I'm taking you to your room."

"Dad, I can walk." Trevor mumbles he was pale, and his tail drooped behind him.

"You want to try that again?" Jonny huffs. "Just because all of you brats have my stubbornness doesn't mean that good thing."

Trevor huffs back. "Not a baby."

"Yeah, yeah, a big, strong man." Jonny chuckles. "Come on off to your room."

Trevor mutters something intelegalible.

"Dad! Trevor! Are you guys ok?" Thomas rolls over. "Just go without me, Brian."

Brian nods and keeps moving forward.

"Where were you two running to?" Jonny raised a brow.

"Tommy." Trevor reached out, then dropped his hand and yawns.

Jonny smiles with a sigh. "This is why I'm carrying you." He turns to Thomas. "Are you guys ok? Trevor told me what you guys were doing, and thank you."

"It was Trevor's idea." Thomas rubs the back of his neck. "Tim is carrying Laz around, and Laz got kicked out of Tim's head, which is the first time I've ever heard that happening. Laz claims he isn't hurt but can't move because he's sore like he overworked his body. He heals fast, so I'm not worried, but I am a bit concerned about what Tim thinks help means."

Jonny chuckles. "They'll be fine. Join in taking your brother back to his room."

Thomas adjusts his chair and rolls after his dad. "I... I can tell you what happened to him."

"I don't need to know." Jonny smiles softly. "You brats have your -"

"Tommy, tell dad. Gonna tell dad." Trevor groans, hiding his face in his father's shoulder. "Dad should know. Doctors aren't nice."

"I... Trevor, that literally has nothing to do with the terminus curse." Thomas pinched his brow.

"Your brother is on a different plane of reality at the moment Thomas cut him slack." Jonny snickers. "Come on, Trevor, we'll be there soon."

"Dad I was bad." Trevor mumbles.

"So am I." Jonny hums. "You ain't special."

"Noooo!" Trevor whines.

"Thomas, tell your brother no serious conversation when he's mentally gone." Jonny sighs.

"I don't think anything I'll say will help." Thomas frowns. "Trevor doesn't talk about where he was sent to when he turned 25. I was with Mae. We had each other to figure this out. Alex, well, they were just dropped with Aiden, so they were fine even met Izzy and Laz before we did. Janet, well, you already know how that was."

"It's bad." Trevor whines. "I was bad."

"Again, that's not special, you brat." Jonny huffs. "Would you like to hear my list of crimes?"

Trevor is quiet.

"That's what I thought." Jonny sighs. "There is ain't anything you brats can do to make me hate you nor be worse than I was. Hell, even Brian has done bad things, and he's the good one out of us."

"Baba, I'm sorry." Trevor whimpers.

Jonny stops in front of Trevor's room. "Alright, alright, that's enough. We ain't talking till you rest properly."

Thomas watches his dad wrap his brother up in blankets as tight as he can manage.

Trevor relaxes almost immediately and starts to purr as he falls asleep.

"What do you want me to wrap you up to?" Jonny crosses his arms with a smirk.

Thomas blushing. "I would say yes, but my legs are fused in this position, and I'm worried about my arms. Can I have a raincheck."

Jonny chuckles and shuts Trevor's door and ruffles Thomas's hair. "Yeah, yeah. Come on, I'm going to make Trevor's favorite meal, and you'll help me."

"I think I can manage." Thomas chuckles.

........

Marius blinks, staring at Lazarus, dropped in his nest by Tim, who just left. "How can I help you?"

"Your nest is weird compared to Thomas's." Laz blinks. "Um, kind of overdid it and got thrown out of Tim's head. My body is sore all over, and I can't move. I really don't know why Tim dumped me in here."

"I am a doctor." Marius frowns. "Although he could have just put you in the infirmary. I don't understand how he gets in here. My door is locked for a reason."

"In his defense, I don't think he knows either." Laz huffs. "I don't need a doctor. I just need to rest a night or two of sleep it will fix this. It's been a very long time, but that is what fixes this." He looks away. "Scratch would tell you the same. He's the one who taught me to go into people's heads."

"It sounds like this isn't normal." Marius hums, placing a blanket around Laz. "Why do you think you were kicked out?"

Laz narrows his gaze. "I was warned about this." He sighs. "Fine, I'll play along, but none of this leaves this room. It's not good."

"Doctor patient privilege, your secrets are safe with me, or I'll just forget." Marius frowns.

"I don't envy your position either. I can look in your head when I'm up to it if you like." Laz pauses. "Nothing too bad just to see how fractured your mind is if it is even that. I won't look at any memories that would require you to be asleep. Can't get consent if you're asleep."

"That is kind of you, but I rather you didn't." Marius takes a breath. "So why is this bad?"

"It's good and bad. Good because his mind is strong, and he's in there fighting. Bad because it's incredibly unstable. He's going to have more of these reality slips before it gets better. There isn't an easy way to say this, but we will have to keep those cages and things set up for future use." Laz looks back at Marius.

Marius sighs. "I had a feeling that would be the case." He crosses his arms. "Do you want me to carry you back to your room?"

"What, you aren't going to ask more questions?" Laz raised a brow.

"I don't need to. You don't have the information and are assuming." Marius gets up as Laz flinches.

"You purposely make the others underestimate you." Laz, let's out a soft oof as he is picked up.

Marius hums softly.

.......

Lyf stops. "O-oh, when did Tim get in o-your room."

"It is ours, Lyf. I appreciate what you're trying to do, but we are bonded. It always will be ours." Marius hums.

"Like I get it, no memory and whatever, but your body remembers isn't that enough?" Laz blinks. "I mean, your hair literally triggered the heat before you got to this state."

"Why do you know that?" Marius raised his brow.

"I never said I didn't know the xeon language. I just can't speak it. It doesn't work well with human vocal cords." Laz sighs. "Look, I don't have a dog in this race, but that's just my two cents. Neither of you can predict the future, so why dance around the present like you two are strangers?"

"Because I'm not an asshole?" Lyf rolls his eyes. "Why are you such a dick?"

"Age mostly." Laz tries to shrug and fails. "Also, the fact I really don't like romcoms. Even if you don't remember Marius, you clearly have feelings for Lyf, and Lyf is so head over heels for you that he would follow you to the end of time."

Marius blushes a mix of purple and black.

Lyf matches the blush with his own.

"No wonder why everyone gets annoyed at you two." Laz sighs. "This is clearly not working, so either drop me in the infirmary you've passed twice, or I can keep going."

"I... uh...." Marius swallows.

Lyf covers his face and groans.

"Please don't use me as an excuse to spend time together. It's weird." Laz sighs. "Can you please just drop me off."

"R-right." Marius quickly rushed back to the infirmary to drop Laz off into a bed.

.......

Marius sits in the gardens next to Lyf. "I..."

"Ivy told me about what happened." Lyf rubs his arm. "I just want to go at your pace. I didn't want to make you feel unwanted."

"I don't feel..." Marius reached out, lacing his fingers with Lyf's. "I don't know what is truly me from the instincts and hormones. I know I feel safe with you. It's still so fresh in my mind, and I get thrust here. I'm supposed to be different. Myself now has long past."

Lyf sighs. "You're still Marius, and the past few centuries, I've learned so much about you, and I will learn something else new as time moves on. I look forward to eternity with you no matter what time period your mind is in." He smiles. "Also how the fuck did you get doctor from mechanical engineer? Just because you're medically trained now doesn't mean it makes any sense to me. I can handle mech pilot, I can handle your insanity, but that what the fuck Marius?"

Marius blushes, shaking in a silent story. "That's a funny story, actually."

Lyf listens with a stupid smile on his face, which is cut short when Brian trots in not human shaped. "Oh, uh, hello."

"Hello Brian." Marius smiles then gives a soft oof as Brian lays on both Marius and Lyf. "Ivy was right. You are taking advantage of your new form."

Brian chitters and yawns.

Lyf chuckles. "He is quite soft. Tell me more about your adventures."

Marius smiles. "I guess we do now have the time."

The peace was interrupted. "So this is cute and all, but I have a few questions."

A eerie yelp came from Brian's maw as he skittered back and returned to a human shape. Marius shouted in shock, and his horns grew in an instant. Lyf shrieked and stumbles back.

"Rude, anyway." Mae hops out of the tree.

Lyf takes a breath. "Have you been there the whole time?"

"No, I was following you two from the vents earlier." Mae grins. "For being an acolyte, you're not very observant. Also, I love watching Laz get annoyed with other people's romantic problems. It's the only thing that really annoys him ironically, considering how he gets with Thomas."

Marius takes a few deep breaths, calming down that his horns return to nubs. "Why? Isn't it dangerous given your older body?"

"Rude again, not made of glass." Mae rolls her eyes. "However, I was looking for dad, but you guys seemed more interesting at the moment. As much as listening in on you two falling in love again, I really don't care, so I actually wanted to interrupt to ask Lyf a few questions about his god."

"Why do you want to know about Yog Sogoth?" Brian beat Lyf to the question.

"I'm making a timeline. You see the God's realm is separate from time and space kind of so the events of Gram's murder spree happened, I want to see if it happened before or after your galaxy was eaten." Mae shrugs. "I've been working with Laz on it for ages. It's weird because it affected Laz when it happened almost immediately because Scratch picked him when he just became whole again, which was before humans even went to the moon the first time. However, thinking reality wise, the bifrost happens eons later."

"That's a question for Jonny." Marius blinks, getting a headache trying to figure out the sheer math.

"Isn't that like a paradox?" Lyf stares blankly at Mae.

"I was a doctor, now a pilot, so I can't help you." Brian sighs. "Again, as Marius said, that kind of stuff is Jonny's expertise."

"You guys are useless." Mae huffs. "It's basic theoretical mathematics and creating a timeline. You would think you guys would have thought of something." She grumbles as she walks away.

"It's like a second, Jonny." Brian blinks.

"Fuck you're right." Lyf rubs his temples.

Marius smiles. "Jonny is a really good dad."

.......

"Aha, that's where you went." Scratch appeared next to Lazarus in the infirmary. "Alright, I know you hate this, but I would like to confirm what Thomas told me and Valerie."

Lazarus was in a church, his leaking eyes were replaced with amber eyes, his black hair was brown, and in a loose ponytail. He was in priest garb and seemed to be praying. "I told you I didn't want you in my head without discussing first." He leans back in the pew.

Scratch sits next to Laz. "Never thought you would ever come back here."

"Consider it nostalgia. It's been a long time since someone was strong enough to send me out." Laz sighs. "I suppose that is why you're here."

"That's one reason. Is it too much to want to check on you?" Scratch smiles.

"Still not my father." Laz smiles softly. "Tim's mind is strong, and even with my strength, I was unprepared for how he would lash out. I don't think they filmed everything, nor was it accurate for how long he was being tortured. The first few lobotomizes failed."

"I know." Scratch crosses his arms. "I've been scrubbing over the videos, and there are purposeful sections missing. There's a reason why so many of us enjoy humanity, and it's not for good reasons."

"Anything that could help me?" Laz thinned his lips. "Anything you're willing to share?"

"I don't want you to go back in his head, not until I can have a look." Scratch sits up. "I respect your abilities and how powerful you are even compared to myself. However, I would even state a claim that my own father would be horrified at the things done, and I don't think I've ever considered him to have a limit." He sighs.

Laz frowns. "What do you want me to do? I'm not just going to sit back. Tim is important to my father in law and the entire crew of Aurora and Thomas and his siblings already consider him a second father."

"Do you still have that cloak?" Scratch looks at Laz, who grimaced.

"I do." Laz sighs.

"Keep it close." Scratch gets up. "And you have Thomas to look after. I may be able to-"

"No. That isn't my decision. As I said before, stop offering me that." Laz scowls. "Get out and let me pray to beings who never existed."

Scratch frowns. "I apologize again." He vanishes, leaving Lazarus alone.

Laz returns to softly praying as he turns his head down.

.......

"Oi fuckhead wake up." Alex crosses their arms standing over Trevor who groans.

"Fuck off Alex." Trevor huffs. "I'm comfy."

"Dad made you dinner." Alex rolls their eyes. "Get the fuck up and enjoy it. The others think it's poisoned because they don't trust dad's ability to cook." They pause. "Hasn't actually stopped Marius or Lyf, though."

"Are they disappointed?" Trevor struggles out of the tightly wrapped blanket.

"Oh, immensely, but I can't tell which one." Alex snickers when Trevor throws his shirt at them and gets a clean one.

Trevor yawns and rubs his eyes. "Alright, alright, I'm coming." He groans as he hops out of bed. "My body still hurts."

"Thomas says that's normal." Alex smirks.

"Fuck Thomas." Trevor scoffs.

"Laz is already doing that." Alex chuckles, pulling back their hair. They were always the first to go completely gray.

"I hate you." Trevor rolls his eyes.

They both playfully banter all the way to the dining hall.

"You two don't have to look so disappointed." Jonny huffs, his tail lashing behind him.

"I wanted to eat something bad." Marius scowls eating a second helping.

Jonny rolls his eyes. "Again banned from baking."

Marius puffs out his cheeks. "Damnit."

Lyf snickers. "Ignore him this is very good."

"Damn right, it is." Jonny huffs. "You two brats sit the fuck down and I'll feed ya."

Trevor nods and sits next to Thomas, who is eating quietly. Alex sits across from Marius and Lyf.

Thomas swallows his bite and puts his fork down. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm still in fucking pain." Trevor sighs. "But you already know that. I want to go back to bed." He thanks his dad for the food.

"It doesn't really get easier, but you'll get used to it." Thomas crossed his arms. "What were you talking about before?"

Trevor raised a brow. "Before what?"

"When dad was carrying you right before he bundled you up in blankets." Thomas raised a brow.

"Well, I know dad is the one who did that because you could never get it right, but we were talking?" Trevor matched the raised brow.

Jonny sits next to Trevor. "I told you so."

Thomas huffs. "Shut up."

Trevor has a look of mild confusion. "Genuinely, I have no idea what you are talking about or why dad's right. Um, where Laz? He's normally glued to your side when your legs go."

"Infirmary." Thomas sighs. "Speaking of which, where is Tim?"

"I didn't put a tracker on him." Jonny rolls his eyes. "He's a grown ass adult even with a fucked up mind he can defend himself and he's somewhere on Aurora or my mom's ship. Aurora would alarm if he left."

"Tim is currently napping in his patch of dirt in the garden. He is lying face down, and a new thing has happened flowers have grown over him like a blanket." Aurora chirps. "Also, Nastya is coming to kill the thing you cooked even though I told her it was proper food. I understand why she doesn't trust you that creature is still in my vents."

"I can fucking cook!" Jonny huffs as his kids snicker around him.

"Unfortunately, I have to agree because I was craving something burnt." Marius sighs, laying his head on the table.

Alex snickers louder.

"You burn baked goods, not an actual meal." Mae scoffs. "That's a waste of good meat."

"I can set something on fire if that will help." Janet smiles from her seat.

"I really rather you wouldn't." Lyf frowns.

"Surprise the space cop is a fucking downer." Mae rolls her eyes.

"No fun allowed." Janet huffs.

"Why are you even here?" Alex gets up with their plate.

Thomas chuckles. "Fucker can't handle a little arson."

"I'm going to flick lit matches at you." Trevor clicks his tongue.

"Jonny, control your children." Lyf looks over to glare.

"One they are adults and can do what they want and two you're being a little bitch." Jonny grins.

Marius snorts laughing.

Aurora chirps out a laugh. "I agree with your children they need a new siblings."

Jonny growls. "I'm going to say no on principal now you fucks."

"So I fucking told you!" Thomas huffs.

.......

"Lazarus wasn't wrong. This place sure is a mess." Scratch hums softly, walking through a horror scene. "You are quite strong, but you are still merely human."

"Get out! You don't belong here!" A voice shouts, and rotten vines tries to grab Scratch but go right through him.

"That is quite cute. You keep trying, but I'm not leaving till I get to your center." Scratch groans. "I sound more like my dad every day." He phases through a shut door, and the scenery changes. "Oh!"

A man with bouncing curls and coffee color skin stares at Scratch. He has a pair of broken goggles on a worn military uniform on. He was sitting in a bunk on a base that no longer existed in reality.

"It's not often I get find surprises." Scratch smiles with too many teeth. "How long have you been in here?" Are you even aware of the world around since you died?"

The man frowns. "I got stuck in here trying to get Timmy to notice me, but I just went through him. I think I realized I was dead at that point, but I ended up here. Did we win?"

"You humans are fascinating creatures. However, does it really matter if you guys won or not? The war has long been forgotten. Times a fickle bitch like that." Scratch tilts his head. "However, this is a problem. You're unknowingly blocking Tim from recovering, well, not blocking, making it harder. You really are out of the loop. I can fix that."

"Fix...? What did you do to Tim?" The man growls and gasps as he his picked up by his throat.

"Now don't get feisty, I have to figure out how this will work. A deal would suffice, wouldn't you agree?" Scratch hums. "You don't really have a choice because I will remove you either way."

"What are you?" The man growls.

Scratch smiles. "A god, for one. Two, how about I take you out and give you a form that will last just as long as Tim will, and in exchange, you'll be permanently removed from his head."

"Fine. Fine, you win. I don't buy the god thing, you bloody devil." The man vanishes with Scratch.

Scratch cracks his back, holding a glowing green flame in his hand as a black goo surrounds it, and it becomes a pair of dog tags. He places them down in the garden and vanishes.

TS finds the dog tags and assumes they're Jonny's.

.......

"Attetion, there is an intruder that has suddenly appeared in front of Jonny's door. They are wearing a male uniform from the moon war where Jonny picked up Tim. He has broken goggles on and has brown skin and big ringlet curls. They currently don't seem hostile and frankly look quite confused. However, you may use this information how you wish, and Nastya has given me permission to use my alarms until they are apprehended. Happy hunting!" The robotic female voice was the first thing Bertie heard as he got to his feet.

"Where the fuck am I?" Bertie shakes his head and pulls down his goggles. He heard shouting and decided to run would be better than to confront people who were hunting him.

"Remember we want him alive. That means no lethal force, as if any of you is capable of that." The woman laughs through the speakers.

"Found him!" A voice rings out.

"Use me at a battering ram!" A different voice shouts.

"Dibs!"

"Fuck!"

Bertie keeps running adrenaline running in his veins as he runs into an open garden. He didn't have time to dwell on the face. There is something like this on a spaceship. He screams in shock as his feet get lifted off the ground and he is hanging upside down.

"Hi Bertie!" A entirely familiar cheery voice answers.

"T-Tim?!" Bertie gasps adrenaline fading. "W-wha-" His vision went black.

.....

"Fucking second time he gets to end the hunt." Ashes growls.

Jonny froze. "Ashes shut up." He runs towards Tim and motions to his kids to stay. "Tim what did you call him?"

"You know him, it's Bertie." Tim smiles wide.

"Tim, Bertie is dead." Jonny steps back as Tim steps closer to him.

"He doesn't bleed right, but it is Bertie." Tim pulls Jonny into a hug. "He's wearing what he died in trying to save you, which was very stupid." He says while smiling. He kets go of Jonny. "His goggles are even broken from where you headbutted him to try to remove your gas mask to put on him. It was quite a stupid death."

Jonny swallows. "Tim, how about we put Bertie down? Trevor wants to talk to you."

Tim pauses his expression flickers for a moment before Bertie's unconscious body falls to the ground. "Not mad?"

Trevor is pushed in front of his siblings. "I uh no? Why would I be mad? I mean, it was bound to happen. If not you, it would be something else."

"That is a fair argument for our track record." Mae points to Janet.

"Again rude but fair." Janet shrugs. "To be fair, I was expecting you to say Alex because they always get into fights over their rigged bets."

"I mean that would work too and I'm not against it." Alex shrugs.

"Thomas?" Mae smirks looking at her twin.

"Fuck you." Thomas huffs.

"I mean, if you aren't gonna say it, you have a terrible temper." Trevor thins his lips.

"The embodiment of too angry to die." Mae snickers.

Thomas pinched his brow and sighed heavily.

Trevor realized that dad was using this to pick up Bertie and get him somewhere to be looked over. "Um, can I get a hug? I mean, as a thank you to get this over with."

Tim's lips quirked up into a smile. "Hug, baby?"

"Not really a baby, but sure." Trevor gasps as Tim runs and pulls him into a tight hug. "Actually, you know what? I'm not leaving. You have a tight hug." He starts to purr as his face gets red.

"Good baby!" Tim smiles wide.

"Tim, I think you keep doing that he's going to fall asleep." Thomas clears his throat sort of jealous.

"Fuck that I want a nap. Hug me next." Mae also caught up quickly. She also really missed being bundled up tight, but just like her dad will never admit it.

Tim looks behind him. "Jonny took Bertie." He holds Trevor in a bridal carry. "That's ok. You are very good." He turns back and smiles. "Babies are mine now!"

Trevor shakes his head out of his daze. "Wait what?"

Tim grabs the rest of them with his vines. "Naptime for clever babies."

"I mean, at least he's taking me in my chair." Thomas sighs.

"Don't wanna break legs." Tim hums as he begins to wall forward.

"Honestly, though, wouldn't mind a nap." Alex yawns.

"That's because you pulled an all-nighter creating a new betting pool with Aurora on the probability of us getting new siblings and what gender they will pick." Janet rolls her eyes.

Mae raised a brow. "And you thought I was bad about you and Laz."

Thomas blinks. "Actually, yeah, I think Alex is the worst now."

"I stand by my creations." Alex crosses their arms. "Also, everyone who knew already placed bets."

Thomas just shakes his head.

"Babies need nap now." Tim hums the tune of Tim goes crazy.

.......

"I have to say this is the first time I've ever seen something like this." Carmillia laughs. "I can't say I'm bored with my imprisonment."

"I hate to say it, but Carmillia is right. I have no idea what to make of this." Raphaella sighs. "Tests literally show nothing wrong but his blood is a different color."

"Of course it doesn't." Laz groans walking into the lab. "I know excatly what this is and who did this."

"Care to share?" Carmillia crosses her arms.

"Scratch, the god who made me their acolyte. I had a feeling a spirit was trapped in his head, but I didn't really think he would be pulled out, let alone given a physical body again. Remove his dog tags." Laz points and Raphealla does, and the body vanishes. "It's always anchored. Those dog tags are his anchor he'll reform once you put them down."

"Is this common?" Raphaella tilts her head, placing the tags down, watching with interest as Bertie reappers.

Laz huffs out a bitter laugh. "It's the closest you'll find Scratch acting like his father. It's cruel, and there is only a handful of these I've seen. Bertie has been cut off from ever moving on, and of course, he had to agree to it for it to work. The only peace he can now get is having his anchor in a place he can not reform. Those tags are indestructible. Trust me, I've seen the attempts at trying." He steps forward. "Get Jonny back in here. It would be best if you had someone he knew to explain this." He vanishes without another word.

Raphealla frowns. "How uquine, I wouldn't mind testing the limits with consent, of course." She quickly grins.

"That sounds splendid." Carmillia grins back.

.......

Jonny holds his jaw and sighs. "One, if you're going to punch me, make sure you're prepared." He raised his brow as Bertie curses, holding his hand. "Two, I can't change the fact that time has passed. Be mad, but know this is your reality now."

"Bloody fuck, what is wrong with your face?" Bertie rubs his broken hand.

"New Texans such as myself have reinforced bones for starters, and our skulls are built to take damage, hence why I headbutt." Jonny motions to his horns. "Also, why do you think New Texans are short? Our skin is padded, and our bodies are made for impacts. We have denser body mass for a reason. I can pull myself out of a sandpit being buried alive. You humans ain't the default."

Bertie sighs. "Fine, I don't have to like it, but why are you telling me any of this? Why hasn't Tim come out to talk to me?"

Jonny frowns and looks away. "That's another reason, Tim's hurt."

"You're immortal. Try again." Bertie scowls.

"We can still be hurt." Jonny mutters quietly. He takes a breath and grabs Bertie. "It would be better if you saw the truth because you're sure as shit ain't gonna believe me."

Bertie follows with uncertainty in his features. They arrive on a different ship.

A woman stood in the entrance with a raised brow. She was the same height as Jonny, her horns curled around her ears, unlike Jonny's. She looked similar to Jonny. Her arms were crossed. "What brings you here?"

Jonny sighs. "Unfortunately, this man won't believe me if I tell him the truth." He looked uncomfortable. "I need dad to show him the stuff about Tim."

The woman frowns and unhooks her watch, handing it over to Jonny. "Are you sure?"

"I won't be watching." Jonny sighs. "Bertie here will be watching till he asks for it to stop."

Bertie narrows his gaze. "How can I trust you didn't fuck with the footage."

"I wish it was doctorared." Jonny shakes his head, tossing the watch to Bertie. "Show him the truth."

Bertie rolls his eyes. "Whatever you say."

The watch comes to life, and the video starts to play. Jonny heads inside with the woman.

........

"Was it really wise to leave that man with your father watching that?" Valerie sips her tea.

Jonny frowns. "The idiot got himself killed, giving me the gas mask. I tried to save him, but he's stubborn." He shakes his head. "No, he's angry, and I don't think anything I could say would make him believe me. He shouldn't have to see Tim like this without the context."

"You've become a good man, Jonny." Valerie smiles. "I'm glad we finally got to reunite."

Jonny smiles softly. "I suppose I can't argue with ya mom." He sighs. "What did Scratch even do?"

"Well, from what he told me, he found Bertie in Tim's head. Which isn't unheard of spirits getting trapped in the living quite often, and when that living person dies, they move on together. Well, that's how it's supposed to happen." Valerie sips her tea. "Although obviously none of us stay dead for that to work. Apparently, Bertie was creating a block unintentionally and so Scratch removed him. It's his fault for accepting the deal."

Jonny nods and stops before he makes a noise when Bertie runs in, throwing the watch at Jonny, which Valerie catches.

"You're so fucked up! How the fuck did you create this?" Bertie was fuming.

Valerie puts the watch back on reconnecting it to something Bertie doesn't see. "Now, he didn't create that. You have humanity to thank for that."

"What? So you're saying... you're saying.... bloody hell." Bertie covers his face.

Jonny sighs getting up. "I tried to warn you. We can't die, but that doesn't mean we can't be hurt, tortured, get sick, and destroyed. Tim.... Tim is recovering. He should be napping with my brats."

"Oh, he is. TS sent me pictures." Valerie smiles softly.

"Wait, one, you have kids?" Bertie stares at Jonny. "Who would have your kids?"

"Me." Jonny rolls his eyes. "Why do people keep asking me that?"

Bertie pauses as something clicks. "Oh right, um, sorry.... also, isn't Tim radioactive? Shouldn't you be worried about your kids?"

Jonny snickers. "We're from a desert planet. We don't have the thing Earth has protecting it from a suns radiation." He takes a breath. "Besides, that isn't what you should be worried about. How Tim reacts to being woken should be your concern."

"What?" Bertie stares at Jonny.

.......

Tim is curled around Laz, who looked annoyed. Thomas was awake trying very hard not to laugh. Everyone else was out cold.

Bertie and Jonny stared at the scene.

Jonny opens his mouth and pauses. "How did Laz get involved?"

Thomas covers his mouth taking a deep breath.

Laz huffs, causing Tim to curl around tighter. "I made the mistake of looking for my partner."

Bertie quietly. "Is he an alien too?"

Jonny snorts. "No, he's human."

"But his eyes." Bertie motions to his own face.

Jonny starts to cackle manically. He wakes up everyone.

"I'm so glad you find this hilarious." Laz sighs as Tim hugs tighter.

"Mmmm, Jonny." Tim mutters. "Laz is a good pillow priest."

This causes Thomas to break laughing. "I'm fucking stealing that."

"I hate everyone in this room." Laz groans.

"Tim, come on, get up. Bertie wants to talk to you." Jonny sighs.

Tim unwrapped himself and got up rubbing his face, Bertie notes that he purposely avoids his eyes. "Ok we can talk."

Bertie takes in the image of his friend. Tim was skinny, skinner than even the worst times on the base. He was pale and looked exhausted. His hair was buzzed short, and he knew the man hated it when it was buzzed for the military. The vines did come out of his skin, and it looked swollen like he was tugging at them. His clothes were purposely hemmed to be shorts and short sleeved. He had a pair of goggles around his neck, and he had a feeling that was just out of comfort. There was a longer lanyard around his neck with a strange dial. He didn't know what that was. "Hey Tim, it's been a while."

"You've been dead." Tim tilts his head.

[hydn-jpg]

i was gonna draw gabe but cas is so funny lmao (ft. my mc jiwon!)

[seemslegitflapjacks]

Chapter 8; Sketchy Shit

The year had been going on for a while. I honestly can’t tell you what happened since last time, but I’m having a blast. Ever since I’ve been hanging out with Randy and the team things are turning up for me. I’m finally back where I stood at my old school. Popular. It’s dumb, I know, but, it’s just so awesome. People don’t fuck with you, you have friends in every class, and everyone knows your name.

Right now, I’m sitting in the gym. I was talking with my friends until the coach threw her keys at me.

“Woods you open up the locker rooms.” She ordered as I gave her a quick nod in return, standing up as I hopped down the bleachers to go down the hall.

Today was stormy, the rain was so loud and hard it sounded like a waterfall overhead. The sky was an angry bluish-black color, lightning lit up the sky now and again, rolls of thunder chasing after it.

I didn’t like going down to the locker rooms, because once you opened the double doors that led to the hall they were on, it was pitch black. According to Randy some kids had busted out the bulbs with a basketball and the school never bothered to fix the lights. I couldn’t see anything in front of me, the only light I had was the weird glow from the slit windows on the doors back behind me. I felt along the left wall, quickly finding the door to the girl's locker room. I messed with the keys, trying to get the one that went to the door before I stopped. hearing a noise within the locker room.

I slowly turned the key in the lock, peering my head in. The sound came from the far back of the room. I stepped in, slowly making my way through the darkroom, the bangs of thunder rumbling the building a bit. That’s when I could make out the sound, it sounded like a baby crying. My heart dropped into my stomach, I didn’t want to go any closer to where the sound was, but my feet disobeyed my head as they pulled me forward to it. It was like I wasn’t even in control. My heart was slamming against my ribcage as a sick feeling came up my throat. I stopped in the hall of the showers, pulling back the numerous curtains until my eyes trailed to the right of me.

I saw watered-down blood running off into one of the drains, the sounds of the baby now closer than ever. I tore my eyes to the curtain, the deadly curiosity getting the better of me as I pulled the curtain back.

What I saw was horrifying, I almost threw up.

On the floor of the shower was a bloody infant with its neck twisted at an unnatural angle, bloody cries of agony coming from it. Terror surged through my body as I got the fuck out of there, screaming.

I stumbled out of the hall, having dropped the keys in the showers, all eyes turning to me. The gym teacher marched over, grabbing me by the shoulders.

“Hey, hey Jeff what's going on?” She asked, trying to make me turn to face her.

I didn’t know what was going on, everything was too much, I couldn’t handle all of this shit at once. My body was shaking, It was like I was a deer in headlights.

“Woods! Get it together!” She hollered, striking me across the face, bringing me back down to Earth, albeit very painfully.

The gym went silent, the teacher sending back one of the other kids to get the keys I dropped. I felt so embarrassed, I wanted to cry and bolt. She took me to the sides and sat me down on a bench, a few guys coming past me, giving me awkward looks. I’d probably do the same after seeing a screaming kid get bitch slapped by a teacher.

I sat there for a while, trying to cope with what the fuck I just saw. It had to be me losing my shit and not taking my meds. Ghosts aren’t real, it had to just be me seeing stuff. It was probably just the way the room was set up and how some shadows fell. It was just so weird, and scary. Even if it was in the shadows, how could I have heard crying? Why did the baby look so real? All these questions were making my head hurt...

“Jeff, sweetie you ok?..” I heard a soft voice ask, looking up to see the gym teacher.

“No ma’am..” I admitted, the woman sitting down next to me with her hand on my back.

“What’d you see back there?” She asked, looking over at me.

“You’re not even gonna believe me Coach G..” I mumbled.

“Any answer’s an answer sweetheart.” She told me.

“I saw a baby..” I whispered.

“You’re gonna have to speak up a little bit sweetie.” Coach G told me, leaning in with her ear so she’d hear better.

I hesitated, before letting out a sigh, answering again, “I saw a baby, a dead one.” I told her.

Coach G went silent, I looked over, the color drained from her face completely. She was almost as white as the tennis shoes she was wearing.

“Coach G? Are you ok?” I asked, concerned.

“Nobody’s ever told you about the incident?” She asked, her motherly brown eyes becoming cold and unnerving.

‘What incident?” I returned, a bit scared.

“Well, back in 2009, there was a girl, she’d been pregnant and had her baby in one of the showers. She didn’t want it, so she snapped its neck. Not too long after she died from bleedin’ too much.” She explained, a grave expression on her face.

I sat there, my face losing its color in fear. I’d just seen the ghost corpse of some girl’s dead newborn. I felt sick to my stomach, what the absolute fuck?

After that class, I fucking dipped, to say the least. I wasn’t spending the rest of the day in school knowing full well there was some creepy shit going on. I quickly texted Keith, asking him to help me ditch, to which he thankfully agreed. I waited in the pool room, raindrops slamming onto the skylight roof above. I leaned up against the wall, staring at the water, the buzzing of the lights overhead accompanying the thunder and lightning.

I waited there for a while, closing my eyes, opening them once more, only to see a floating body inside of the pool.

I screamed again, running for the door, slamming my hands against it as I forcefully shoved it open, running outside into the unforgiving storm. I didn’t even have to wait before I saw Keith’s car pull around the corner. I ran over to sit, barely giving him time to stop as I swung the door open and got in, slamming it shut.

“Jesus Christ, what’s up with you dude? You look like you just saw a ghost.” He laughed, locking the doors as he pulled off.

“Cause I just fucking did Johnson.” I snapped, shaking.

“Hey, calm down, you’re cool now dude.” He told me, reaching over with his free hand to pat me on the shoulder.

I exhaled a large sigh, looking at the road ahead of me as Keith drove us. The windshield wipers pushing back the water now and then. The silence setting over us again, my eyes trailing to the gloomy scene outside.

All I could think about was what I saw back at school. Was Coach G trying to pull my leg? Was that body in the pool even a body? Was I just being a forgetful bitch and not taking my meds? I groaned softly, leaning my head back as my eyebrows bent downwards in frustration.

I saw Keith glance over to me in the corner of my eye, gently patting my forearm with his hand.

I felt my hand snatch him, holding his palm captive within my own. Keith was taken by surprise, but I didn't care. I was so scared, confused, and upset. My heart slowing down as he gently began to caress the top of my hand with his thumb. The two of us sitting in a nice silence for the rest of the rainy drive back.

Once we got to his house, I kicked off my shoes, greeting a few of his absolutely weird pets before I trailed upstairs into his room.

I flopped myself face-first onto his bed, breathing in the comforting scent of his room. Cigarette smoke, black coffee, and teenage boy. I grabbed the blankets, curling myself up in them as I heard Keith coming up the stairs and down the hall.

“Ma maison est ta maison?” He laughed.

“Oui.” I chuckled, Keith, launching himself on the bed, landing on top of me. “Dude get your skinny ass off me!” I laughed.

“Hmmm, no you’re a nice pillow bro.” He snickered.

“I’ll pick you up, no cap.” I threatened.

“Bet.” He smirked.

“Bet,” I repeated.

“No balls.” He poked.

“None.” I giggled.

Keith tried to shoot a reply back, but I beat him to his words. I pushed my arms up underneath him as I picked him up bridal style, standing straight up.

“Told you I could do it.” I gloated.

“How-” He spoke, confused.

“I go to the gym,” I answered.

“Roid midget.” He mumbled, yelping as I dropped him back down on the bed.

“I’m not a midget,” I whined, Keith, staring at me in the eyes, before smacking me with a nearby pillow, bringing me down onto the bed.

We lost our shit laughing, smacking one another with the pillows on his bed, Keith got me a few times in the face.

After a while, we both got tired. I flopped on my back, calming down as I finished laughing, tears in my eyes. Keith laying his head down on my stomach.

“You have like, no business being so fun to be around dude.” He told me.

“You ain’t got no business being so funny either,” I replied, my arms resting at my sides as I stared up at the ceiling.

We laid together for a short while until we both fell asleep to the sound of the raindrops dripping onto his bedroom window next to us.

[1zashreena1]

The Homicide is Hot -12

18+, m/f/f, technically OCxDiego Jimenez [Power]

Summary: Princess struggles with her own morality. But all cats are gray in the dark, right? Oh, and Diego has an epiphany.

WARNINGS: Ridiculous descriptions and ‘the code is more like guidelines’ outlook on grammar. Is it OOC if the character was given essentially zero development in canon???

Literal murder guys, seriously*** Protective Diego, feels, a blow job, plus size woman+fit man, insightful and helpful Julio, f o r e s h a d o w i n g

A/N:  Princess took on a life of her own and has essentially become an OC. There are infrequent mentions of her description (specifically as plus size) and her actual name in later pieces (its Bicki). She started as self-insert so she looks like me (plus size, white, short, blue eyes, curly hair). If that is not your thing, I totally understand. And do not feel obligated to read this, I will not be offended!

I’m not a fan of “plot” so be aware that most of this series is just meandering through their relationship, angst-fluff-smut whiplash style. But with dick jokes.

Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you would like to be tagged or removed.

TAGLIST: @chelsfic​ @symbiont13​ @nicke0115​​ @bunnykjm​ @rosee-sensuelle​ @girlpornparadise​ @mandoplease​ @heresathreebee​ @xxsteph-enrixx​ @jetiikad​ @joalsglasses​ @mutantcookiesecrets​ @demoncatstone​ @squidlywiddly87​ @lockedoutofmyotherblog​ @poeedamerons​

gif by @el-cheung​

"Its hot when he's homicidal." There. You said it.

Okay but remember that time when he stabbed two dudes and carved an ear off of a third? And you were gonna like, die if you didn't blow him IMMEDIATELY??? 

WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH ME.

Wait, wait. Maybe this is … good? That is not the correct word but you know what I mean. If I'm going to be with someone in his position then I need to be able to handle everything that entails, right? 

You glance over at TMP, the small stuffed panther is facing you on the breakfast bar. You know its ridiculous, but you feel like he's watching you. It only takes half a second, but you flip the stuffie around so he can't be a voyeur just like his namesake.

The small dry erase board in your lap reflects sunlight back up into your face. Its covered in anxious scribbles regarding last weekend, you're desperately trying to sort them into some semblance of helpfulness. It isn't going well.

I already know he is in love with me, straight out of the horse's mouth. Lol 'horse'.

Seriously. You cannot go one day without a dick joke. 

I love him. I mean, how can I claim to love someone if I don't accept all of them? He doesn't maim indiscriminately, it has a point. Is it justified? I don't know. Do I trust his judgment on it being justified? I think I do. I guess the better question is: Do I care? 

I'm already in it. He's paying half my bills, he already paid off all my debt. I've accepted so many gifts with the knowledge that they were bought with laundered drug money. Hell, every article of clothing I'm wearing right fucking now was purchased by Diego. Also, he said that those guys lost a shipment to the tune of EIGHTY THOUSAND DOLLARS, so you know, that's an accessory charge. At this point, even if I decide I have some arbitrary moral high ground, I'm definitely rolling around in a ditch, legally speaking.

You've always known that your morality was a bit off center than most people's, but being with Diego has put it into sharp relief. There are so many things that are illegal that you just don't care about. And your very visceral reaction that night was irrefutable proof.

-----------------------------

Last weekend

Diego does not like the cold. The heat in the SUV is turned way up, you already closed the vents on your side of the backseat. You're on your phone, pretending to ignore the massive hand sneaking under the hem of your dress while your legs are flopped over his lap.

Diego rumbles at you, the phone comes down just enough for you to peek over the top at him.

"Yes? Is there something you would like, my Murder Panther?" Your smirk is damn near audible as you question him. 

His eyes trail down to your lap then back up before he answers in a growl, "There is something I would love." The rockiness of his voice never fails to make you quiver just a tiny bit.

Just as those long fingers brush your thong his phone chirps. Repeatedly. And then starts ringing.

Diego snatches the cell out of his jacket pocket and hisses at the screen. Not good, you think. He answers it with a tirade of Spanish, shoots you an incomprehensible look, then retreats from you. Nooooo.

Being the only one in the car who doesn't speak Spanish is its own variety of delightful hell. Bastian and Julio are exchanging meaningful looks in the front while you just have to wait. Diego has gone quiet, which is utterly terrifying.

He disconnects the call, then passes the phone to Julio, who shows it to Bastian, who then changes course.

Diego reluctantly pulls your dress back down as you drop your feet to the floor. He raises a thick arm and tucks you into his side underneath it before kissing the top of your head apologetically.

"We have to run an errand."

-----------------------

The warehouse looks like it came straight out of a Law and Order episode. Its abandoned yet eerily lit from the inside, there is a suspicious assortment of motley vehicles parked outside, and two tattoo covered dudes toting semiautomatics appear as you pull up. 

"Please tell me those belong to you." You mutter quietly. Your immediate concern is Diego's safety.

Diego gives you the shark smile. "The men or the guns, Princess?" 

In the dark, at this incredibly sketchy location, and with the threat of violence thick in the air, he is actually a little bit scary.

You swallow the apprehension and glare at him with a raised chin. "Yes." You snap, crossing your arms in a stubborn huff. Holding his gaze right now is kind of intimidating but you manage it.

"Si, everything here is mine." His voice is hard as steel but the hand that comes up to grip your chin is gentle. It takes a second for you to realize that he is including you in that group. And that you like it.

You take in his features, those eyes are black in the darkness, but the silver in his beard glints in the partial moonlight. The defined jawline, his long straight nose, those perfectly framed velvet lips, thick brows and even thicker hair. So fucking gorgeous. Cupping his bristly cheeks, you whisper one requirement, "Just make sure to come back to me, baby."

Diego leans his forehead down on yours briefly, then kisses your nose. "Wait here for Diego, my Princess." His voice is dark and dripping with emotion. Julio opens the car door from outside and Diego steps out, adjusting his jacket and tucking the abalone-inlaid gun into his pants. He doesn't look back as they walk away.

Bastian steps out and closes the driver's door to smoke. The only door left open is the rear passenger next to where you sit. You're too preoccupied to stay focused on your cell. You look up to see that Bastian is on his phone, Probably his boyfriend checking on him. You can certainly understand that.

Faint voices float out of the open warehouse garage door, but everything is in Spanish. You slide down to the pavement and pace slowly. Its been almost twenty minutes, should you try to check on him? Each lap of pacing takes you ever closer to the empty doorway, purely by happenstance of course, until finally, finally, you can see people inside. 

There are three men kneeling on the floor, surrounded by at least two dozen others armed to the teeth. There are more guns than you have ever seen in your life, all being handled casually. Diego paces slowly in front of them, rattling off some rambling array of options, judging from his tone. Whatever he just said must have been unfavorable because two of the kneeling men start crying and begging. I should not be here.

Diego digs both hands deep into his pants pockets, as though searching for a lost item, only to pull out the larger of the switchblades that you know he always carries. Ambling forward, he snatches the man furthest from you by the hair and yanks his head back. The angle looks excruciating, but what happens next is infinitely worse. The blade glints under the overhead lighting as Diego slides it smoothly across the man's throat, triggering a cascade of red.

Diego just slit his throat.

Diego just killed that man.

Diego just committed murder.

You're frozen. Think. Think. If you move now someone will hear your shoes, you stuff a hand into your mouth just in case you make any noise. Your plum dress and black booties should blend into the night, thank fuck the dress is longer so there's less gleaming pale leg to reflect the moonlight.

I should go I should go back to the car I should go home. Your thoughts are racing but you can't look away as Diego skirts the rapidly expanding pool of blood and approaches the next man. He leans down to listen to the doomed man's pleas, one huge hand on his shoulder in mock comfort. Almost faster than your eyes can follow, Diego stabs him three times in the chest. The man coughs, then chokes on blood. Diego nudges him backwards to the floor with an expression of mild disgust before he can cough blood onto those exceedingly expensive shoes. The noise of his death is a quiet gurgle.

You can't feel your legs. Your stomach plummets and your heart rate leaps. This is Diego. This is my man. This is who he is and what he does. And this is what happens if you wrong him.

Just like I'm doing right now?

Sudden understanding makes your palms sweat and your jaw shake. Breathe. I trust him. You know, all the way down to the bottom of your soul, that he would never do anything like this to you. 

I'm different.

I'm special. 

I'm important. 

I have power.

The thrill of getting away with something courses up your spine. 

All of these men are his to command, available at his beck and call, and his to dispatch as he sees fit.

And you? Diego belongs to you. This powerful man chooses to kneel at your feet and pleasure you with his mouth, he dotes on you with gifts and gourmet dining, he waits for your text responses with baited breath. You want nothing more than to belong to him.

Movement snaps you out of your own head; Diego is approaching the last man, all confident stalk and predatory grin. A different feeling settles low and deep in your abdomen. Murder Panther. MY Murder Panther. 

Diego strokes over the man, no, this one is younger, the young man's hair. He is definitely an adult, but hasn't been for very long. Diego is whispering in his ear, the guy nods frantically and tilts his head toward you. You watch in morbid fascination as Diego carves off his ear. 

Diego wipes the blade off on the man's shirt, then pats him on the head as he walks off casually. He gestures to the group as he puts the knife away and they close ranks to help the lone surviving man to his feet and carry him off. 

Before you can jolt your body into retreating Diego turns to head your way. He glances up… and sees you.

His face, Oh no. Shock, horror, dismay, annoyance, and finally, determined resolution all cross his features in under three seconds. He uses his broad body to block you from his men's view and marches you back to the SUV. "Get in." He snarls, but he doesn't push you.

You slide all the way across the backseat to crash against the opposite side and Diego follows, slamming the door behind him and locking it. He scrubs a hand down his face and turns to you, expression grim.

You can't imagine what you look like, Probably a scared little bunny. But what you feel like? Oh, that is a different story. Damn near everything about what you just witnessed was so fucking hot. The actual homicides were kind of 'meh' (What is wrong with me???), but his power and ability and danger? Those you are definitely into.

He looks simultaneously defeated and defiant. "Well?" He barks with an expectant gesture. "This is me. This is what I do. You call me Murder Panther, but its different to see, isn't it, Princess?" The way he spits out his pet name for you hurts. He's lashing out in fear. He thinks I'm gonna run.

You keep your eyes locked with his as you reach out to his leg. He flinches at the contact but stays stiff. Your voice is smoky and dark, "I need you. Right fucking now. Give me your dick."

For the first time since you've met, Diego is speechless. His jaw hangs open while he watches you sink to your knees in front of him. Seemingly paralyzed, he just blinks as you rip his pants open and yank the material down over his hips. The instant you achieve clearance for his cock your mouth is on him. Your moan must vibrate the entire vehicle its so loud.

"Princess!" He finally gasps. "You. What. Fuuuck, what is. Oh, hell yes." His hips jerk and you dig your nails into his lower abdomen. He is fully erect in seconds, a little confusion isn't enough to cockblock Diego. Big hands flit through your peripheral vision erratically before settling on your head. The angle is finally correct and you slide him all the way down your throat, he practically howls with it. "Ahh, h-haaa. Jesus fuck, that feels so good. Shit, shit. Princesss." 

The way he calls for you, writhing with it, is almost too much. You moan back but don't stop bobbing your head on his length. Firm suction intermixed with sporadic long licks of your broad tongue have him leaking steadily in no time. Your left hand cups his balls, squeezing gently just to feel him tense up. He's salty, but not bitter. You want it. You need him.

Your right hand snakes down to hike up the dress. Once it’s over your wide hips you spread your knees so you can sink down onto his shoe. He doesn't notice at first, not until your hips start rocking in time with your suction. 

He grabs a fistful of hair to get your attention. "Are. Fucking christ woman, are you riding my foot?!" His eyes are huge, mouth open to pant.

You nod tightly, "Mm hmm." The moan vibrates all along his cock, causing his hips to rise off the seat.

"Ohh, oh fuck. You're so wet. I can hear it." He groans as though in agony. The thrusts begin to pick up pace and you grind down onto him. Your mouth can open just wide enough to accommodate the majority of his girth, you already know your neck is going to kill you tomorrow. Worth it. The skin of his cock is silky slick with both of you, he glides across your tongue easily but it requires pressure to fit him down your throat. Its like consuming fire, you're burning up from the inside out and its painfully perfect. 

In the darkness of the unlit SUV you can't see anything, you can only hear Diego moan and pant while your nose is buried in the soft hair on his lower belly. The intensity of being engulfed in his scent drives you to distraction, you grind down hard on his foot and you're so, so close. His hips lift off the seat to push deeper and you ride his motions, swallowing around the head of his cock. One enormous hand sinks deep into your curls, he pulls gently just because he knows you like it. His purr is deep, "My perfect little Princess."

That's all it takes. You drop your entire weight onto his foot to shudder and whine as an orgasm rips through you. Hips jerking in time with each spasm deep inside, you ride out all the waves without ever breaking rhythm on his dick.

Diego is frozen in shock as he realizes what just happened. He pulls you off, much to your whining disappointment, to stare down at you in awe. He stutters a little, "Good. Girl."

The instant he releases ringlets you dive down onto him with renewed vigor. The emphatic praise only spurs you on even stronger. Everything is wet; his dick, your mouth, his pants, your chin, the seat, your dress, his shoe. Everything. The sounds, the way he tastes, you're desperate to have him. 

"You want this? You want Diego?" His voice is so rough, so harsh. You nod tightly and moan for him, high pitched and hoarse. "Princess, so damn good, take it. Take all of me. Fuck, you look goddamn amazing on my cock." His hands stroke endlessly over your hair, his hips are jerking harshly and you know he is close. "Shit. Shit shit shit. Come," he is gasping, panting, "Come again for Diego, mi amor." His body stiffens, his legs shake, the grip in your hair tightens, and his head drops backwards to the seat as he pours down your throat in scorching jets. 

Diego collapses, boneless and breathless, but you don't release him. Your right hand shoots down between your legs to work your clit furiously while you continue suckling softly. 

"Yesss," he sighs upon noticing your actions. His voice drops low, overflowing with sinful threat, "You come for Diego. Pretty little Princess, all mine. Follow orders, come on your Murder Panther."

It breaks you. Your whole body seizes up as you wail for him, clenching down on nothing in painful ecstasy. Finally relinquishing his cock, you flop face down into his lap with an exhausted groan. Diego melts back into the seat and you both just lay there, panting.

Diego raps on the door window but stays slumped down and loose-limbed. 

Bastian unlocks the SUV, then pops the driver's door to stick his head inside. "Yeah, boss?" The blonde studiously avoids looking lower than Diego's face. You can hear Julio chuckling behind Bastian.

"Fuck the club. Take us home." Diego decrees lazily. You sputter joyful laughter directly into his pants.

You ride home curled up in his lap, snuggled into that salt and pepper beard you love so much while Diego feathers kisses all over your face, the knife cradled in your hands.

------------------------

Diego stumbles down the stairs the next morning, yawning hugely, only to find Julio in the kitchen, unashamedly raiding the fridge. Bastard, Diego chuckles.

"Manito! We need to talk." Julio gets right to the matter. "Before Gordita gets up." He adds pointedly.

Uhh, what. "Fine. Talk. Also, are you eating carrots at 10:12am??" That is disgusting.

Diego plops down onto a barstool and stares dejectedly at the espresso machine until Julio rolls his eyes and turns it on for him.

"Look, you need a check, eh?" Julio sighs but stands firm while Diego side eyes him suspiciously. When no objection comes, Julio forges on, "She saw you murder two people and cut an ear off a third last night, right? And her response was to blow you in the car? Fucking ride your foot to come, what, twice?"

Diego smiles dreamily, "Yeah. It was a good night." So. Much. Licking.

Julio passes him the steaming mug, "If you don't put a ring on it, pendejo..." 

Diego nearly drops the mug as his closest confidante walks off into the living room.

Shit, Julio is right.

[legendofzeldaalinktothepast]

Opalescent Tides - Chapter 8

Previous Chapter // Next Chapter 

(tw for drowning in the beginning) 

Pale fog surrounded Pearl. Her ears were clogged, her body suspended and light; she held her breath for an unknown reason, but feared what'd happen if she found out why. The fog thickened until she was surrounded in nothing but solid white. Pearl’s body trembled. Before she knew it, she could no longer hold her breath. She gasped for air and salty water filled her lungs.

Pearl clutched her chest and cried out in pain, but the water muffled her voice. With each passing second, Pearl’s consciousness slipped away until everything went dark.

Pearl bolted upright with a gasp. Her body clammy and drenched in sweat, it took her a moment to process where she was. She gripped the bed sheets tight, grounding herself as she steadied her breath, slowly returning to reality and assuring herself that, yes, she was in her room, and could breathe.

Once her breath was back to a steady pace, she flopped down onto the pillows and glanced at the clock on her dresser. 6:32. She had a couple hours until she actually needed to get up. Normally Pearl would take advantage of that… but the sweat covering her body made her feel sticky and disgusting, and the sickness from her nightmare lingered in her stomach, so she reluctantly pulled herself out of bed.

Pearl made her way across the hall, making sure to tread carefully in case Garnet was still asleep; but she heard footsteps in the kitchen and relaxed, continuing at her usual gait until she reached the bathroom.

As Pearl brushed her teeth, she refused to look at her reflection in the mirror. She knew she'd have those hideous bags under her eyes. It'd taken hours to fall asleep that night; at most, she'd gotten four hours of proper rest. Even without her sleep deprivation, she never found herself a beautiful sight to look at; with her nose too big for her face, a body so formless and flat chested she looked like a brick, it only soured her mood. Only once she’d finished brushing and rinsed her mouth did she look at the mirror, and even then, she merely glanced long enough to smooth out her hair.

Pearl grabbed a little silver box on the edge of the sink. Removing the lid, she retrieved a small, brown ring and slipped it onto her thumb. She stroked the smooth material with her index finger; Garnet had once told her it was made of solid tumbled sardonyx.

It had been a birthday gift from many years back, when Pearl was still recovering from her amnesia... Ever since then, a day hadn't passed where Pearl didn't wear the ring. The thought of forgetting Garnet again made Pearl sick to her stomach; but as long as that ring was on her thumb, she felt safe.

Pearl made her way back down the hallway. She could smell coffee brewing in the kitchen; as someone who preferred tea, she was never a fan of it, but the scent always made her feel right at home. Her mood immediately brightened just a touch as she spotted Garnet at the counter.

"Morning." Garnet said. Pearl opened the fridge and looked to see what she had to work with: not much, but they did have some fresh blueberries that Rose had given them the other day.

"Good morning." Pearl finally responded. "Do you want me to make pancakes?" The thought of food made her stomach turn… Normally she was bright and ready to eat breakfast upon waking up, but after that little nightmare -- even if it had mostly faded from her memory, and she could only remember the strange sense of anxiety that accompanied it -- food was the last thing she wanted. Still, Garnet was never good in the kitchen, and Pearl knew she’d probably enjoy a change from her usual routine of jam and toast.

"Always." Garnet said with a wink. She lifted herself up onto the counter and crossed her legs, taking a sip of her coffee. "I can't believe it's already Saturday. This week went by pretty quickly.”

"I think so, too." Pearl lied; in all honesty, this week had felt more like a month. She searched the fridge for pancake ingredients; blueberries, eggs, butter... 'I hope we have enough flour.' she thought, closing the fridge and heading over to the cabinet.

"Do you have any plans for tonight?" Garnet asked, setting her mug aside. "I want to go to the mall. Our sales have been decent this week, and I'd like to splurge on something nice..."

Pearl bit her lip. Throughout the week, she'd debated telling Garnet about her plans to meet with Amethyst... But every time she tried, a mixture of shame and guilt welled up in her chest. After how much Garnet had comforted Pearl these past few weeks, she’d started to worry she was asking a little too much. Besides, she had no way to even explain the situation without it sounding sketchy and incredibly vague -- which it absolutely was.

"I was planning to visit Amethyst, actually." Pearl responded as she stirred the pancake ingredients together. "But I won't be offended if you go to the mall without me. Maybe you could invite Bismuth?”

"That’s true… Or maybe all four of us could hang out together. I think Amethyst and Bismuth would get along pretty well." Garnet suggested.

"Hm, I think I'd prefer if it was just the two of us tonight." Pearl said, turning on the stove and greasing a frying pan with some butter.

"Ah, I understand." Garnet smiled knowingly, and Pearl’s cheeks flushed. Still, Garnet’s assumption was less embarrassing than the reality of the situation, so she let it be.

"D-do you want two or three pancakes?" Pearl hoped to change the subject.

"Just two." Garnet said. Once she'd finished her coffee, she slipped down from the counter and made her way into the living room. Garnet retrieved her comb and a couple of neon scrunchies, and stood in front of the body length mirror as she parted her hair into two sections.

Pearl poured a ladle of pancake mix onto the sizzling pan. With a spatula in hand, she leaned against the counter and watched as Garnet styled her hair in two puffy little pigtails. Pearl smiled; she always found it charming when she did cutesy hair styles like that. She normally kept her hair in a ponytail for convenience, but every now and then she'd do pigtails or braids, and would always decorate it with colorful hair clips, scrunchies, or bows.

Pearl remembered the pancake and quickly flipped it; thankfully, it was the perfect golden brown color she always aimed for. The more time that passed, the more the residue of her nightmare began to fade. By then, she’d almost forgotten about it altogether. 'Maybe I'll have some pancakes after all...'

* 

The sun descended over the ocean; as she waited, Pearl periodically checked the leather watch on her wrist. It was a few minutes past seven already. The more time her mind had to wander, the more her anxiety bubbled up in her chest, and she began to regret not bringing Garnet along.

"Hey, girly-girl!" a familiar voice called, snapping Pearl away from her thoughts.

"Good evening!" Pearl responded, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"Where's Garnet?" Amethyst asked, shoving her hands into her skirt pockets.

"I decided not to bring her along..." Pearl fidgeted with the collar of her shirt. "She's had a lot on her plate lately, and she wanted to spend tonight with one of her friends, anyway."

Amethyst smiled in a way that made Pearl's heart flutter. "That's fine with me. Do you wanna go for a swim?"

Pearl glanced down at her purse. “Oh, uh, I hadn't considered that! I didn't bring a swimsuit or a towel, so..."

’Oh, right.’ Amethyst thought. She’d forgotten humans had special clothing intended specifically for swimming. Why exactly they were so particular about these things, she failed to understand. "No biggie. I was just gonna go for a quick dip. But I won't swim too far or anything.”

"That's fine with me." Pearl relaxed her shoulders. "Perhaps I’ll dip my feet in, though…”

“Nice!" Amethyst said. And with that, she waded into the shallow water, clothes and all.

Pearl gave her a puzzled expression. "You're swimming in your clothes?"

Amethyst snorted. "You want me to take them off?"

Pearl cupped her hands over her mouth. "No! Goodness no, I just -- don't normally see people swim in their clothes, that's all. But there's nothing wrong with it, I suppose... it's just... a bit strange?"

"Alrighty then. I'm fine with being strange." Amethyst smirked, continuing into the water until the surface reached her chin. She let out a sigh of content; maybe her transformation would be a little less painful this time around, now that she was surrounded by plenty of chlorine-free water.

“So…” Pearl removed her shoes and stepped into the water. It was quite warm, and far more pleasant than she’d expected. Rolling her jeans up as high as they could go, she stepped forward until the tides just barely grazed her knees. “There was something you wanted to talk to me about?”

Amethyst’s expression softened. “Yeah…” she said, scratching the back of her head. Amethyst glanced up at the dimming sky before she continued. “So… You remember what you told me about the other day? How you lost your memory a few years ago, and how last month, you saw something that wasn’t real?”

Pearl swallowed a lump in her throat. “I do.” she responded after a moment of hesitation.

“Well…” Amethyst paused for a moment, as if trying to figure out her own words. Pearl’s anxiety rose with each passing second.

"You... you aren’t the only one." Amethyst began. "I also lost my memory. Something happened around a month ago, and I can’t remember anything before then. Not who I am, or where I come from, or why I’m here… Just my name.” Amethyst said. Pearl’s eyes widened.

“But that’s not the important thing…” she continued. “What I really wanted to say is… What you saw last month was real. It wasn’t in your head.”

Pearl’s expression fell. “What on earth are you talking about?”

Amethyst glanced up at the sky once more. ’Why does she keep doing that…?’ Pearl wondered. It almost seemed as if she was waiting for something... She looked up, too, and spotted the full moon hanging in the golden summer sky.

“Fuck -- !” Amethyst yelped out, causing Pearl to jump. Before she could ask if she was alright, Amethyst fell backwards into the water with a splash.

“Amethyst?” she called. No response. ’Oh no…’ Her heart pounded. She’d never been confident in her swimming abilities -- so for a moment, all she could do was pray that Amethyst would return to the surface… But the longer she waited, the more certain it seemed that something wasn’t right.

“Amethyst!” Pearl called out again. Fearing what’d happen if she waited any longer, she plunged herself into the water.

It didn’t take long for Pearl to spot that head of lavender hair. Swimming closer, Pearl gripped her by the shoulders and tugged her upright and towards the surface. Once Amethyst’s head was above the water, she took in a gasp of air.

“Are you alright?” Pearl urged, cupping Amethyst’s cheeks. “What happened?”

“Sorry ‘bout that.” Amethyst said, brushing a strand of seaweed away from her forehead. “It caught me by surprise, and once I went under, the water felt so nice that I didn’t wanna come back up, heh…” Amethyst blushed, glancing aside. “Didn't mean to scare ya."

“What caught you by surprise?” Pearl urged. “Did you step on...” Pearl trailed off as she caught a glimpse of Amethyst’s hands, and her heart nearly stopped in her chest. Her fingers were webbed together, her nails resembling something more like talons; and as she cast her gaze downward, she spotted a very familiar, very beautiful, shimmering and opalescent tail.

Amethyst wasn’t sure what to make of Pearl’s expression; her skin turned pale, her eyes were wide, and her mouth was slightly ajar. Pearl looked at her hand and fidgeted with the brown ring on her thumb before turning her gaze back towards Amethyst.

“It’s happening again, isn’t it?” she whispered.

Amethyst’s heart dropped down to her stomach. “No - no no no no no, it’s not! I mean, it is, but it isn’t what you think.” Amethyst cupped Pearl’s cheeks, but the latter immediately jerked away from her. Amethyst clasped a hand over her mouth as she saw a slight claw mark on Pearl’s face. “I’m sorry…” she whimpered.

“T-this is some sort of joke, isn’t it?” Pearl backed away, balling her fists at her sides. “I-I’m not sure how you did it, but--”

“It’s not a joke! I swear on my life, Pearl!” Amethyst insisted, tugging on her hair. “I don’t know why I’m like this… I don’t remember anything. I don’t even remember what I used to be. All I know is that… I lost my memory like you did. So I thought… Maybe…” Tears welled up in Amethyst’s eyes. “I thought maybe you were… I thought you were a mermaid, too, okay?" Her voice cracked, and she buried her face into her hands. "I know that's stupid of me. A-and I think I knew deep down that you'd react like this... I really just wanted it to be true. So this is my fault."

Pearl’s expression softened. Her fear, and a small hint of anger, still lingered in her chest… Yet at the same time, seeing Amethyst like this broke her heart. Extending a hand, she cautiously approached her and grasped her shoulder. Her soft skin now had a slick, scaly texture. She fidgeted with the ring on her finger for a moment, taking in a long, deep breath.

“Well… I can tell you for certain that I’m not a mermaid.” Pearl began. “But… Perhaps there’s more to my story than I’d initially considered.” She sighed again. “You don't have to be sorry about this, though... I'm just more confused than ever, and a little shaken up, but... I think I'll survive."

Amethyst didn't respond. She feared that if she spoke, she'd be unable to hold back her tears anymore. Pearl seemed to pick up on this; she reached for Amethyst’s hands and gave them a squeeze, running her fingers across those sharp talons and webbed skin. It simultaneously intrigued and disturbed her. But the more she looked at Amethyst’s shimmering tail, the more her fear dissolved away. Pearl turned her gaze up to meet Amethyst’s eyes; only now did that alien look in them begin to make sense. Her heart racing, she suddenly pulled Amethyst into a tight embrace.

At first, Amethyst tensed; but then she allowed herself to close her eyes and melt into the display of affection.

“It's going to be alright.” Pearl whispered. “I promise, your secret will be safe with me.”

Another silence fell between the two. They simply held each other tight, listening to the lapping of waves and chirping of crickets.

“This is gonna sound stupid…” Amethyst finally spoke up. “But like… are you sure you’re not a mermaid?”

Pearl giggled against Amethyst’s hair. “I have no reason to believe that. I mean, I clearly have two legs now, don’t I?”

“Yeah, but…” Amethyst began, but decided against it. She wasn’t sure how to explain a lack of monthly transformation without bringing up Rose… “I guess I'm still holding on to that stupid idea that it might be true... I still don’t know what the hell’s going on, you know? I don’t know why I became a human… I don’t even know why I’m here.”

“At least you’re not the only one.” Pearl said, squeezing Amethyst even tighter. “Sometimes, I feel the same way. Even if it’s for a slightly less… mythical reason.”

Amethyst chuckled. “Yeah, guess so.”

“But now I can’t help but wonder…” Pearl pulled away from the hug and looked Amethyst in the eyes. “Rose knows about your secret, doesn’t she? Do you think you can trust her with it…?”

Amethyst blushed. “Oh, yeah, totally, pfft.” Amethyst waved a hand dismissively. Just talking about Rose right now was making her feel guilty. “Like, she was kinda freaked out when she found me, and I had a lot of explaining to do, but uh, she’s doing a good job keeping my secret. Greg and Steven, too. I actually kinda snuck out tonight. She didn’t want me getting myself in danger, but… I wanted to keep my promise to you.”

Pearl chuckled softly. “You know you could have just told me about this, right? You didn’t have to put yourself in so much danger… I might have believed you if you told me the truth in a convincing way.”

“I’ll keep that in mind next time.” Amethyst stuck her tongue out.

Pearl rolled her eyes. “Anyway.” she continued with a sigh, gesturing to her wet clothes. “I would like to head home before I develop hypothermia. Would you like me to take you back to Rose’s house?”

In all honesty, the thought of facing Rose right now made Amethyst’s stomach turn. “No, I uh, might spend the night here. Rose is gonna be pissed that I snuck out, and I’m not ready to deal with that.”

“Nonsense. I won’t let you stay out here where you could be seen!” Pearl shook her head. “If you don’t want to see Rose tonight, I could take you back to my apartment. Garnet is out for the night, so it’ll just be the two of us.”

Amethyst blushed. “Aw, geez… You sure? I don’t want you to worry about me.”

“I’ll worry far more if you stay out here overnight.” Pearl said. “I insist. Should I carry you to my car? Or are you able to… Grow your legs back?”

Amethyst snorted. “Man, if only. You gotta carry me if you really wanna take me home with you.”

“That’s alright.” Pearl said. And just like that, she scooped Amethyst up into her arms. With a grunt, she carried her out of the water and onto the beach, making her way through the woods and into the clearing where her car was parked.

As skinny as Pearl was, Amethyst had honestly expected her to struggle carrying a heavier woman like herself… Of course, the slight strain on Pearl’s face didn’t make it look easy, either, but they made it all the way to the car without stopping once.

She placed Amethyst in the front seat, adjusting her scaly fin so that it lay comfortably on the ground -- pausing for a moment to admire the way it shimmered in the moonlight -- and then buckled her seatbelt for her.

“Damn, you’re stronger than you look.” Amethyst remarked.

“I do a lot of lifting at my job.” Pearl winked. “I’ve lifted antiques far heavier than you.”

“I can tell.” Amethyst blushed a little.

Pearl shut the door and walked around to the other side of the car; after climbing into the driver’s seat, she shoved the key into the ignition and started it up. They made their way out of the woods and back to the road.

As Pearl drove, Amethyst noticed a little door in front of her. “What’s this?” she asked.

“Oh, that’s the glove compartment.” Pearl said.

Amethyst tugged it open and saw that it was filled to the brim with papers, tiny bottles of various liquids, and dozens of stray bandages… but not gloves. ’Weird.’

After she grew bored of her newest discovery, she closed it back up. Her attention shifted over to the little cardboard shape hanging from the mirror; it had a strong, floral scent, and was shaped like a cat’s head.

“Oh, do you like my air freshener?” Pearl said. “Garnet found it at Hot Topic last week. She really loves Hello Kitty.”

Amethyst only understood a fraction of that sentence. “Yeah, I like it. It smells pretty nice.” she said, leaning back against the seat again. That uncomfortable, slightly painful sense of thirst began to tingle at her throat… Hopefully the ride wouldn’t be too long. If she didn’t get herself in some water soon, she feared it’d be just as painful as her first transformation.

Soon enough, they reached the thrift store-apartment, and Pearl pulled into the parking lot. “Alright…” Pearl glanced outside to make sure nobody was nearby before she took her keys out. “It doesn’t look like too many people are out right now, so we can probably make it inside without getting caught…”

“Worst case scenario, we tell them I got stuck in a costume.” Amethyst snorted.

Pearl gave a huff of amusement. “True, but I’d rather avoid confrontation altogether. I’m a terrible liar.”

She slipped out of the driver’s side, hurrying over to Amethyst’s side and lifting her out of the passenger seat. She nudged the door shut with her hip, making her way across the parking lot as quickly as she could -- which wasn’t very quick, at least while carrying Amethyst -- and fumbled with the key in the door for a moment before it clicked.

“Thank goodness…” Pearl whispered. She pushed the door open and hurried inside, locking it behind them once they were both safe.

“Alright...” Pearl let out a sigh of relief, setting Amethyst down on the floor so she could catch her breath. “I don’t think anyone saw us.”

“I hope not.” Amethyst rubbed her neck as she felt a twinge of pain in her gills. She really needed to get some water soon. “So uh, not to rush you or anything, but where’s the bathtub?”

“Upstairs, unfortunately.” Pearl said.

“You don’t have to carry me anymore. I know you’re strong, but still.” Amethyst smiled reassuringly. “I can drag myself up while you get the water started, ‘kay?”

“Are you sure?” Pearl said.

“Positive. It’ll be faster than making you carry me up the stairs.”

“Well… Just call for me if you change your mind.” Pearl headed straight for the bathroom. Bracing herself, Amethyst gripped the edge of the stairs and began to heave herself up, step-by-step. It was, admittedly, more difficult than she’d thought it’d be… But soon enough she had reached the top, and could hear the distant sound of running water. Gritting her teeth, she made her way down the hallway and towards the bathroom. Once she was there, she lifted herself straight into the bathtub and flopped right in.

“Is the water warm enough?” Pearl asked.

“It’s perfect.” Amethyst slouched down as much as she could, and let the water run against the gills on her neck. The faucet had only been running for a minute or two, so she had to shift around to get her body completely damp. And like magic, the aches in her body began to fade. “Ahh… Thanks so much, girlie.”

“Of course.” Pearl said with a smile. “Is there anything else you need? Anything to eat or drink?”

“Nah, this tub of water is all I needed.” Amethyst groaned happily, flapping her tail against the side of the tub.

“Alright, alright…” Pearl sat down on the floor, tucking her legs beneath herself. She let out a long, deep sigh of relief, letting her head fall back against the grey tiled wall. “What a long day…”

“Yeah, tell me about it.” Amethyst said, resting her elbows on the side of the tub.

The two of them sat together in silence, listening to the sound of the running water. Amethyst noticed Pearl chewing her nails down to the nub. It was something she’d often caught Greg doing when he was nervous… Another weird human habit. Hoping to calm her down, she rested a hand on her shoulder -- making sure to keep her claws retracted.

Pearl glanced back at her. “Hm?”

“It’s all gonna be okay, girlie.” Amethyst whispered. “I promise. I’m gonna go back to being human tomorrow, so you’ll only have to deal with this for one night… And even then, we’re gonna try and find out more about… Whatever’s going on.”

Pearl smiled warmly. “Thank you, Amethyst…” She reached for one of her hands and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I know I seemed pretty shaken up earlier, but… I truly am glad I--”

Pearl tensed mid-sentence as she heard footsteps down the hallway. “Shit…” she whispered, rising to her feet. “I think Garnet’s home.”

“You home, Pearlie?” an unfamiliar voice called.

“...And Bismuth’s with her.” A blush spread across Pearl’s cheeks.

“Oh, shit.” Amethyst slouched down in the tub until the water reached her nose.

“Here, just -- ” Pearl grabbed the shower curtain and pulled it shut. “There. If anyone comes in, keep this closed and don’t make a sound.”

“You sure that’ll work?” Amethyst raised an eyebrow.

“Of course not.” Pearl huffed. “But what else can we do?”

“Good point.” Amethyst mumbled.

“Regardless, I’m going to say hi to Garnet and our guest. Hopefully neither of them need to use the bathroom…” Pearl wrung her hands nervously. She glanced back at Amethyst one last time before heading out and pulling the door shut.

[likeamattoutofhell-archive]

meta: have they ever thought about homicide?

Short answer: fuckin’ nope. 

Long answer: fuckin’ nope, but shit’s complicated. In all his life, and, honestly, his unlife, Matty has never actively thought about killing as a thing to, you know, do, personally. For any reason. He has never willfully considered, planned, or committed murder, and genuinely can’t fathom it, as an answer or act to find yourself capable of. Dude just doesn’t have that kind of violence in him. Never has.

Except, of course, when he stops being himself. And that’s what it feels like, when he goes blood-wild. That’s what it is. There’s no thinking going on, then. Any homicide that happens - and there’s been a few - isn’t thought about. Matty hardly remembers. Yeah, that fucks with him. Badly. All the more reason to never, ever wind up there again. 

Which brings us to the snitching.

Matty’s well aware that ratting to hunters only leads to a few things, none of them pretty, most of them fatal. He’s not stupid. What he is is profoundly terrified, and stuck in a place where it seems like there’s only shit choices to make, and not many of those to pick from, anyway. This was very much by design of the hunter who dumped him in White Crest - what they set him up for, specifically, was paranoia, real danger, and awful dependence, a life-very-much-by-the-grace-of people who, broadly, despise him for something he can’t help or change.

But, paid in blood and a little something to keep all that fear, and self-loathing, and undeadness away, Matty’s had the chance to feel almost functional for the first time since he was turned; to actually live a bit, beyond the thirst that ate him up for years. But that lasts only so long as he’s useful, when called. Here’s what he sees, “choices” wise, every time that happens.

Turn a hunter down, and get killed. He’s been dead. Not down with it. 

Turn a hunter down, and miss out on his blood supply. Which, given how short he is on resources, generally, means he might get too hungry, too soon, to help hurting somebody himself. Which is the last fuckin’ thing he wants, in the world. 

Help a hunter out, and they get offed by whatever freak they went after. That’s not just a them problem - it’s one less load of blood to look forward to. So long as he knows they can be counted on to play by the rules and bring him something he can live on, Matty has a vested interest in getting them the kind of information that will make their lives easier.  

Help a hunter out, and try to angle them toward those things that really go bump in the night; the many, many supernaturals who take well to their predatory natures, who enjoy hurting, and killing, and turning human beings. And, of course, there’s all the deeply monstrous creatures of the bestiary. Those sell, too. 

Number Four’s a pretty clear winner, yeah? It’s hard for Matty to see offing something like his sires as a real loss to the world. Is it still murder? Yes. Are his hands dirty? Sure. Does he like to think about it that way? No. Nor does he like to think about the very real likelihood that other supernaturals, ones just trying to get by, like him, might wind up in the crossfire. But that’s... a thought he holds at arm’s length, honestly. There’s a metric shit-ton of fear between Matty and seeing anything besides horror in most supernaturals. Especially vampires. Not because he thinks he’s better, or something - because he knows how bad he can be. 

And them, too, he’s seen it. Matty didn’t exactly have a peachy time, between dying and White Crest. Those decades were spent scraping by, half-feral, pushed around by sketchy vampire nests and supernatural enclaves across the United States; not the nicest people, to say the least. Didn’t breed much trust, or sense of “community.” Even now, whenever a hunter points him to work, it’s generally going to take him towards some of the shittiest people and places this town has to offer. So, when Matty thinks about who’s going to die because he talked, he thinks of the worst of the supernatural. 

Still doesn’t feel good. In the end, most of these things didn’t have any more choice in what they are and what they need than he does; he really, really feels that. Raw deal. 

But you know what feels great? The thought that he might be sparing a few people a death like his. Because that fucking blew. 

As for this thing with Alain and Carrington, well. Special circumstances.

Sure, he doesn’t want to deal with a hunter who’s gonna ask him to do shit as insanely dangerous as turn on a guy like Carrington while refusing to pay the very sensible blood price he’s used to. More trouble than he’s worth, clearly. And Carrington is, you know. A vampire. An old, powerful vampire. With swords. None of these are points in his favor. They’re both petrifying, and as far as he’s concerned - yeah, it’s still murder. Somebody’s still going to die, because of him, and it still doesn’t feel good... only, that’s more because he can’t honestly say it feels as bad as it probably should. But, hey. This is a Number Five: giving two scary motherfuckers who have everything over him (see Number One) exactly what they want. Somebody to kill. Plus, hey. Who knows how much collateral damage might have racked up along the way, if the two of them were hunting each other old-fashioned style, for weeks, months? Now, they can duke it out and get this shit over with. And no matter who loses, Matty’s going to feel safer at the end. 

What else is he supposed to do, anyway? Pick a side? Between vampires, and slayers? Side picked. His. Done. 

[nate-santos]

Exit, Persued by Bookwyrms || Nate & Skylar

Research gone wrong with @theskyeandsea

After his conversation with Remmy, Nate knew there was only one place he hadn’t turned over in his search for information. He had stopped in once or twice, but the Archive always freaked him out, so he never stayed long. Not to mention the fact that in order to buy any of their tomes, you usually had to give something important or strange in return, and Nate was terrified of finding anything they would consider proper payment. Of course this would be his last ditch effort when it came to figuring out zombie specifics, his last stop to find out if there truly was a way to live a “normal” life after the change. He paced back and forth outside the shop for close to 30 minutes before he finally entered, speed walking to the back of the store so as not to make eye contact with anyone. While his anxiety began to settle to a normal rate, Nate’s eyes scanned the shelves. “Zombies….Z….what was it Remmy called them….Draugr? Ok...Dr….” He pulled out a few volumes and began to flip through the worn pages, eyes scanning for any sort of useful information.

Bleh. Even after stopping in here once before, the Archive still gave Skylar the creeps. There was just something about the fact that it seemed like there were never any employees, that there was some weird kinda unspoken trade system in place, the general ambiance… Nope. Why wasn’t there a Barnes & Noble or something in town? Shaking her head, Skylar forced herself to focus as she glanced down the rows of shelves. Morgan had hinted that the Archive might have more supernatural texts than Skylar had initially thought, so… here she was. But, this time it wasn’t for her. Rem was going through a lot and, while she was going through her own issues, focusing on Remmy’s felt more manageable. It was productive in a way that she didn’t need to think about herself. As she walked down the shelves, Skylar rounded the corner and nearly ran into a man reading a book. Startled, she held her hands up apologetically, “Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t see you, my bad.” She said, shaking her head. Glancing at the books on the shelves behind him, she saw that she was in the right section. Zombies and other undead, neat.

Nate nearly jumped ten feet in the air when the stranger ran into him, one of the books slipping from his hand and toppling down to the ground. “Oh! No I’m sorry! If I’m gonna read I should really sit down- at a table! Like a normal person.” He laughed awkwardly, kneeling down to pick up the stray book, hoping he didn’t ruin it by tossing the old thing around like a child’s toy. Ordinarily, Nate was the kind of guy who kept all of his books in pristine condition, never liking to lend them out lest the borrower fold the pages down like a heathen. “Am I in your way? Do you need help finding something? Not that I work here, I definitely don’t, but-well...I can help! Unless you want me to leave you alone. That’s fine too.” He scratched absently at his arm, the anxiety making his skin crawl. “Sorry…”

Skylar winced apologetically at the way the poor man jumped-- oh dear. She really hadn’t meant to surprise him, it was just a little tricky for her to pick up other people’s presence in quiet places like this. “No, don’t even apologize, I’m the one who spooked you.” She said, her fingers fidgeting at her side, spelling out the word sorry in ASL just out of instinct. Scooting back out of his way to let him pick up the book, Skylar glanced at the books on the shelves for a moment. “Are you sure? You really don’t need to, like you said, you don’t work here. But, um, if you have any pointers on finding books here, I’d love the help. The organization system is a little weird.” She said with a wry laugh, hoping it would make him a little more at ease. The last thing she wanted was to make someone uncomfortable when they were just trying to shop for some books.

Nate grinned through clenched teeth. Even if it wasn’t necessarily his fault, the awkward had already set in and he was gonna have to roll with it. “Yeah! Really, I uh...don’t know how much help I’ll be, but I don’t mind at all!” His eyes flicked around the store and if he was being honest, having someone else around while he did his search might not be the worst thing in the world. This place really gave him the creeps. “Yeah, I uh...I don’t know that they super have much of an organizational system.” He shrugged, holding his books tightly to his chest. “So what is it you were looking for? Was it…” Nate glanced around at the section they were in. “Undead in nature?”

“Thanks so much, really.” Skylar said warmly, a smile on her face. “I’m Skylar, by the way. Have you been here before?” She asked, curious to know if he had much experience in the Archive. The one time she’d been in here with Remmy, she hadn’t found too much in the way of information, just bits and pieces. But, now that she was a little more focused in her efforts to find something that could make sense of their situation, she had more of a mission. “Um, yes! I’m looking for stuff on zombies, actually?” She said. Hopefully that didn’t sound as weird to him as it did to her. Nope, there was nothing weird at all about just… asking about zombies. Mmmmm. Maybe she should have tried beating around the bush a bit more. Oh well, what’s done was done.

Nate felt more at ease by the second, which was saying a lot considering he was in a sketchy book store that specialized in the supernatural, looking for information on zombies alongside a complete stranger. He sucked in a deep breath and smiled, nodding to himself. “Uh, twice. But uh...not for long.” Glancing around quickly to make sure there wasn’t anyone else in earshot. “I kinda...get the creeps? Being in here?” He shrugged, his fingers gripping the edge of his books. “It’s definitely less weird if we look together though, right?” He froze, his smile locked in place. “Z-zombies? Do you know someone- I mean…” Be casual. “Is it just out of curiosity?” He passed her one of the books in his hands. “‘Cause this one, uh...looks promising.”

Hearing that someone else found the Archive just as creepy as she did made Skylar feel just a little bit more relaxed. At least she wasn’t alone in her opinions. “Trust me, I get that. It’s not a super comfortable place to just… hang out in. Which is a shame, it seems like they have a lot of good books and information here.” She said with a nod. He hadn’t said his name, but Skylar supposed that was to be expected-- not everyone was super friendly with people they just met. “For sure.” She nodded with a smile. But, when the man handed her one of the books, she balked a little bit, “Huh? You don’t need to give me your book, really. But… were you looking into them too?”

Nate smiled, his lips pulling tight over the awkward expression. He didn’t need to be this weird, they were just two strangers, looking at books on zombies in a super creepy, probably haunted book shop. He took a quick breath, trying to force himself to be more normal. “It’s fine, I uh...looked through it already.” He shrugged, turning back towards the shelf full of potential answers. Last time he’d been in here he had barely made it to this section of the store, let alone made it far enough to grab a book and peruse it. “I’m uh...Nate, by the way. And yeah, they’re uh...super interesting, right?” He smiled over his shoulder, hoping she didn’t prod too much. He reached out, pulling another worn book off the shelf, opening it carefully. Its pages were old and weathered, yellowing at the edges. Dust even seemed to pour out of it as he flipped a page, noting that there were paragraphs just...missing. “Huh...that’s weird.” Maybe it was one of those niche writing styles, like if t s eliot wrote novels on the undead.

The strained smile he offered her elicited a twinge of pity-- he just looked so uncomfortable. “Nice to meet you, Nate. And thanks, really.” Skylar said with a bright smile, hoping that it would put him a bit more at ease. “Mhm, they are.” She nodded in a non committal way. She didn’t want to sound too interested in the subject, otherwise he might ask her why she was looking and then she’d have to lie and that would… just be a whole mess. Nope! Not happening. As Nate pulled out another book, Skylar flipped through her own and frowned. What..? Whole chunks were gone, some sentences even ended mid-word. “I bet it can’t be as weird as this.” She said, gesturing to the section she’d opened to. As she pointed to a section of the book, her finger brushed against the interior of the spine-- “Ouch!” She gasped, withdrawing her hand quickly. What the heck was that?

Nate stepped over toward Skylar before freezing in his tracks. Her book looked the same as his: incomplete. Like the printer was running out of ink mid sentence, sputtering out between words. What made his freeze, however, wasn’t the weirdness of the pages, but the girl’s yelp of pain. “Are- oh man...are you ok? Paper cut?” He hoped it was merely a paper cut. He leaned forward, not noticing the pages slipping out of his own book’s binding, fluttering down to the ground. Out of the small gap where the pages used to be attached to the ancient binding came a flood of tiny, wriggling...worms?? “OH NO-” Nate dropped the book and began slapping his arms, attempting to brush off any of the things that managed to climb onto him. “What the heck?!”

Skylar looked at her hand in confusion, and saw a few tiny worms clinging to her index finger. “What are these things-- ow!” She grimaced, scraping the worms away with the edge of the book. But, more of the wriggling worms came out of the binding and attempted to latch onto her arm. She dropped her own book on the ground and began to swipe at the worms. “I don’t-- they’re biting me!” Skylar squealed, doing her best to get them away from her. Backing up, she ran into the bookshelf behind her and felt biting on the back of her neck. More?! “What are these?” She asked, looking to Nate as she tried to squish the worms that clung to her.

Nate panicked. Lord only knew what kind of diseases these things might contract, or if they were somehow venomous. He mirrored Skylar’s attempts to fling the bugs off himself, crashing backwards into another case of books, sending them toppling to the ground. In any other circumstance, Nate would have been horrified at the amount of damage he was surely doing, but at the moment all he could think about were these minuscule creatures nipping at his flesh. “I don’t- I don’t know!!” He scrambled over to the girl and tried to help her swat the things away. “Do you- you don’t think we’ll get in trouble for ruining their books, do you?” Surely his priorities were a little out of whack at the moment.

Shaking her head, Skylar replied, “At this point, ow! I think we’re fine to--” Before she could finish speaking, a man came by the shelves, a strange covered bird cage in his hand. Judging from the outfit he was wearing and the little name card on his chest, he must have been an employee? Or maybe the owner? Skylar didn’t really have time to question it. “The bookwyrms are at it again... “ The man grumbled as he fiddled with the latch on the cage with thick fingers, shaking his head. “Excuse me? Sir?” Skylar asked, but he was either not paying attention to her or simply didn’t care. Instead, he uncovered the bird cage and revealed about half a dozen flying little… Tinkerbells? “Okay, you little shits. Take care of this mess-- and I don’t mean the customers.” The man grumbled before opening the cage. Glancing over at Nate, Skylar stared at him with wide eyes. Was he seeing this too?

Nate’s stomach dropped as the figure of authority rounded the corner, a less than pleased look on his face. “I’m so sorry, sir! We didn’t mean- the books- there’s something biting us-” But the man didn’t seem to care about his rambling apology. “Sir?” He looked over at Skylar, wondering if this was just how this weird store operated, but she seemed equally as confused, still swatting at the small creatures. His eyes followed her gaze until he focused on the...things in the cage that the man was holding. Instead of a bird, the cage seemed to house a bunch of flying...fairies?? “Uh- Sir?!?’ But the man paid no mind, releasing the winged things into the store where they immediately began to swarm around whatever had come out of the books. The downside being that a lot of those little buggers were now all over Skylar and himself. “C-crap!!” Nate screamed, swatting at both the flying creatures and the biting ones. “What do we do now??”

“What the--” Skylar grimaced as the strange creatures began to fly around, grabbing at the bugs that were biting into her skin and yanking them off. They were helping, kind of, but only in the most painful of ways. “Can you call them off? Please?!” She asked the man, but he was leaning against one of the bookshelves, thumbing through a magazine, the empty birdcage sitting on the ground next to him. Ugh. Looking over at the man next to her, she blinked. Who was he again? Whatever his name was, he seemed to be having an even worse time than she was, Skylar swallowed. This was a mistake, all of this was so dumb and stupid and why was she even here in the first place? Brushing off as many of the bugs off her as she could, she felt a fairy thing tangled up in her hair, yanking at more of the worm things. “Get off, get away! I, I think we should leave. We should go.” She said, holding out a hand to guide him out of the library.

Nate scrambled away from the flying creatures who seemed to be- yep. They were eating the bugs that were crawling out of the blank book pages. He wasn’t sure what the things were, but the shop owner seemed perfectly alright with just letting them create chaos around the store and nip and Skylar and himself in their quest. He frowned down at the book he’d been reading, trying to think of the name of that lost library in the desert, the one with all the information supposedly lost to time or looters or something. The blank pages reminded him of that, and he was sad for a moment. But then a flying fairy launched itself at his head, eliciting a nice and manly yelp before he took Skylar’s hand. “Gladly!” He propelled himself forward, mumbling out another apology for all the damage they’d caused, though admittedly not as much damage as the things he’d intentionally let loose. Speeding out the shop doors, Nate nearly crashed to his knees outside. “What- the heck-” he gasped, his hands still slapping away small worms from his arms and neck.

The two of them raced out of The Archive, the strange little creatures paying no attention to them once they ran out of the store. Skylar shook her head, shaking free some of the little worms that had latched onto the back of her neck, as well as the ones tangled in her hair. “Ugh, ew, ew, ew…” She grimaced as she rid herself of the last of the worms and started to stomp on them, squishing them into the pavement. Looking up at the man next to her, she gave an awkward grimace in his direction. “Are you okay? There were a lot of them on me, did you get bit too?” She asked, still trying to figure out what this guy’s name was. She could have sworn that he had just told it to her, but… why couldn’t she remember it? What was happening?

Nate’s skin was crawling as he pawed at every inch of skin he could reach. He was sure that even a scalding shower for 24 hours straight wouldn’t be enough to make him feel clean or safe. “Yeah-not...not too much I think…” He looked up at the girl with terror in his eyes. “You don’t think they like carry disease or anything, do you?? I know- I know there’s...that one kind of insect, they bite you and they give you….lemon disease? I- I think it’s a- I dunno…” He waved his hands in front of him as he searched for the word. “You know….that bitey thing?”

Tilting her head, Skylar couldn’t help but feel sorry for the man in front of her. Between his words and his body language, it was clear that the entire incident had shaken him up. Which… for any normal person who’d just been attacked by gross worms and then by… freaking evil tinkerbells? She could hardly blame him. Reaching out, she patted his shoulder in what she hoped was a comforting gesture-- hopefully physical contact wouldn’t make him freak out more. “Lyme disease? I think that’s something you can get from ticks in the woods? I think, I think we should be okay. Those weird bug things…” Her eyebrows scrunched together as she tried to figure out why she’d been in the bookstore to begin with, “They… which section were they in again? I’m sorry, I-- I can’t remember.”

Still feeling the ghosts of insects crawling over him but fairly certain it was in his head at this point, Nate began to calm down. He flinched a bit at the physical touch, but more so because he thought Skylar was about to swat away some book bug. He smiled awkwardly, wrapping his arms around himself as if that would create some sort of protective barrier. “Oh! Yeah! That’s what I was thinking of! Weird…” Nate’s brows wrinkled in confusion. He was sure he’d known the name of that disease. He shrugged to himself but cocked his head to the side. “You don’t remember what you were looking for?” Weird. Or was she just trying to get him to say what he was looking for? In a hushed voice, he leaned in. “Z-zombie aisle?” 

Wracking her brains, Skylar struggled to think about what she’d been looking for. But, the second the man said the words, it came back to her. Zombies. Of course. She’d been in the Archive looking for information on zombies to see if there was anything she could do to help Rem. “Yes, yes, that’s exactly what I was looking for. How didn’t I remember that…” She muttered, confused. “And, hang on. Your name-- You just told me it, didn’t you? It’s, it’s something with a N? Noah..?” She said. No, that didn’t sound right, he didn’t really look like a Noah. Her hands fidgeted at her sides, stinging slightly from the small bite marks that dotted her skin. What was going on? Was she having some kind of… weird young person stroke? Or was she going insane? Of all the things to make her question her sanity, it wasn’t the awful worms or the pixies trying to smack them, it was the fact that she couldn’t remember this guy’s name. Wow. What was her life right now?

Nate nodded, his brows crumpling low over his eyes. Panic began to set in, wondering if she had forgotten his name or what she’d been looking for because of the mysterious bugs’ bites. Or maybe it was those literal flying fairies? Who the heck knew. Maybe she was just a forgetful person. “Nate-” he smiled lightly. “But you were close!” He glanced back at the store, a shiver running through him. “I uh...don’t think I’ll be coming back here anymore but…” Turning back to Skylar, he hugged his arms around himself a bit tighter, his voice dropping. “If uh...I find anything- on the undead stuff? I can definitely share it if you like?”

“Nate.” Skylar repeated. What the heck was going on? He’d literally just told her what his name was, hadn’t he? Eyebrows coming together in confusion, she nodded. “Sorry about that. I just, I couldn’t remember. I’m not usually like this, I swear. But, um. Yeah… I’m not going to be poking around the back shelves of this place anymore.” At least, she wouldn’t be doing it without someone who knew a little bit more about this whole thing. “Um. Yes! Yeah, that’d be really helpful, thanks! Here, let me give you my phone number.” She said, fishing a piece of paper out of her pocket before writing her number down. “And… I mean-- if you notice any other weird stuff. Like, like the tinkerbell things that were in there? Let me know?” She asked, tone hopeful. She didn’t want to be too nosy, but he hadn’t reacted with complete shock when the pixie things had swarmed him. Did that mean he knew about this magic stuff too? And if he did… then did he actually know about zombies..?

Nate smiled, hoping it came off as more reassuring than it felt. Everything about this felt off, except for Skylar. She at least seemed normal. “No worries, I’m sure it’s just the uh...dust or something in there.” He nodded to himself, hoping that maybe that really could explain it. “It’d be no problem at all.” He reached out, taking her number and placing it in his wallet. “Sure thing, it’s uh...not entirely uncommon to see this kind of thing. Usually I stay as far away from it as I can, but if I see anything I’ll let ya know.” Nate wasn’t sure why she would want to find more of those things, but maybe she knew more about them than he did. “It was nice meeting you, you know...in spite of all,” he gestured vaguely to the store behind them. “That.” Dusting himself off a bit more, he was already planning the 6 hour decontamination shower he’d be having after this.

Nodding at his words, Skylar stuck her hands in the pocket of her jacket to hide the way her fingers were fidgeted nervously. This entire thing had put her on edge and she honestly just needed to go home and lie down. Maybe that would help some. “Mmm, I really appreciate that, all the same.” She said with a smile. Wincing a little, she hummed in agreement. “No, I completely get that. See you around, Nate.” Skylar waved politely before turning around and walking quickly away from the Archive. A large cup of tea, a hot shower, and anything but a book sounded great right about now. And, hopefully with a little rest, he would be less shaken too. As she walked away, she shook her head. What the heck was this town?

[incorrectly-quoted-queers]

Drunk Punch Love: INTERMISSION ARCHANGEL

Pairing: FemShep and Garrus Vakarian (Shakarian)

Rating: PG-13 (with some tossed F-bombs)

Summary: Their awkward, badass journey through saving the galaxy and accidentally falling in love

INTERMISSION ARCHANGEL- 40 Days 

Twenty days on Omega, and somehow he ended up spending most of his time at a shithole bar, not knowing what to do with himself.

In a sick twist of fate, the day after he got on the station the old Normandy crew sent him 1,000 credits. Apparently, word of Kaidan and Liara got out, Shepard won the dating pool, and they thought it best to send her winnings to him. They probably thought it was a funny way of remembering her.

Garrus just found it an easy way to accomplish nothing, knowing his bank account was padded with his dead friend's winnings.

It was his fifth night in a row at Afterlife. He didn't know what he was doing here anymore. If he just wanted to sulk it out and then head back to Palaven or the Citadel, he should've left by now. Or if he planned on staying, he should've found some crusade to get his dumb ass distracted. But he wasn't building anything here, he was just drinking and wasting away in limbo.

Finishing his glass for the night, he didn't mind drinking alone very much. And as long as he kept it to one drink, he didn't start imagining her across the table. It was just enough booze to slosh away some of the emptiness, but not enough to start losing his mind. Wasn't the worst way to kill time.

But then an eager looking turian slid in the chair across from him and he hated it.

Okay, drinking alone was fine, minus the persistent grifters. Dude started talking before Garrus could tell him to fuck off. "Don't see ex-turian military around here often, not without a shiny new merc job or some secrets to keep."

"I don't give a shit about whatever you're selling, so-"

"Not even a little bit, Garrus Vaklarian?" He stopped trying to stand and sat back down, glaring at the guy. He didn't like where this was going. The mysterious turian just smirked. "I see I got your attention."

"What the hell do you want?"

"Back-up. I might've gotten myself a one on one with a krogan captain for the Blood Pack in ten minutes, and I don't feel like having my mandibles ripped off."

Garrus was trying to wrap his head around it all. His new taste for ryncol wasn't doing well for his brain. "One, why the hell would you do that? And two, why do you know who I am?"

"I'd love to say weeks of intel, but really? I've seen you a couple times here. Took me a little while to realize you're the one from the Battle of the Citadel vids, who helped take down Saren. Could use some heroism on my side."

"Okay, but you still didn't answer question one."

"I'm not a huge fan of the merc groups, period, but this Krogan's been trying to expand his territory into my old neighborhood. If my favorite restaurant has to start paying dues, we're gonna have a problem."

"With that dumb answer, I guess we're back to augmenting the second question. Why me? You could hire decent shots all over this station."

The guy was trying to seem casually, but Garrus could see the way his feet kept bouncing. All his fake confidence was relying on lies and adrenaline. Regardless of the underlying tells, the turian said, "Well, let's just say I'm a bit strapped for cash, so I was hoping you might do it for free. Also, I always prefer more than just a decent shot."

Laughing, Garrus was a little impressed with the quads on him. At the very least, the exchange was getting more amusing than annoying. "And what makes you think I'll help you?"

"A turian quitting their civil service position to chase down an unconfirmed rogue, turian spectre? That's a hero type. And hero types can't resists offers like mine."

That's when all the talk he was spinning stopped amusing Garrus. He leaned back forward onto the table, trying to keep the pop-up thoughts about green eyes and target practice out of his mind. "Yeah, well that's who I used to be."

Finally, the turian switched tactics. The veiled swagger fell and his shoulders slumped. He leaned closer to Garrus and went for the ole' classic: begging. "Just this once, okay? And after I'll leave you alone."

He was really itching to say no, but something in the back of his head was curious how much trouble one Krogan really could be. He'd definitely taken down scarier things in his time. And what better was he doing?

Hell with it. Maybe this could be his litmus test, break whatever funk he was in. If he felt good helping someone, great, he could use that. Make something of it. If not? Get his ass off this station, because it clearly wasn't doing much for him. Even if Omega treated Shepard's name like a hex, his brain dragged too much of her around. No matter Sol's intel, he there was one big problem with trying to run from her ghost: him.

Pushing off the table, he gave the guy a shrug. "Fine. Now, where the hell are we going?"

His new turian friend probably didn't mean to, but his face lit up and he nearly tripped over himself standing. He did a decent job pretending it didn't happen, though. Straightening himself, he nodded towards the far exit. "Out there and a few alleys back." Garrus nodded and followed him.

Once they were outside, though, he took a stop at a vending machine and grabbed some water. The second it dropped down, he popped the cap open and started chugging. His companion looked slightly horrified, saying, "Why are you inhaling that water bottle like it's oxygen?"

As the last drops fell, he threw away the bottle. "I was drinking ryncol." It was 100% placebo, but that alone made him start feeling a little better. Or maybe it was just the blood pumping from knowing he might get to pull out his sniper in a few minutes.

He hadn't done any target practice in weeks.

Though he started walking again, the turian gaped. "Why?" But as Garrus started walking faster, wanting to get somewhere, accomplish something, it was like the guy could smell his boiling blood. "Spirits, are you gonna get me killed?"

Garrus laughed at the thought. "If Shepard didn't kill me, neither will a Blood Pack krogan."

"Do you mean Saren?"

"No."

They walked down the next few blocks, and nothing seemed more illegal or sketchy than the rest of Omega was. They even got to pass a raving Batarian prophet, and that still didn't feel all that insane. He'd really gotten used to Omega, hadn't he?

All of a sudden, his walking buddy stopped in a slightly dimmer alley, where a few lights were out and no one was waiting for them. Garrus was hoping that he was just lost or looking for a right door to give a password, but the longer the other turian itched at his face, Garrus realized things were probably going to get complicated.

Garrus gave the guy the benefit of the doubt. "Is this the right place?"

"Yeah, I was supposed to meet him right here... five minutes ago."

Before Garrus could say anything about it obviously being a set-up, and that the krogan probably just wanted him dead, he could hear a weapon gearing up. Shoving the new guy down to the ground, he pulled out his sniper. While this wasn't exactly the best way to get back in the fight, he had to admit it felt damn good to hold in his hands again.

"Why didn't you gthink this was a set-up?"

"Let's just say being on the "good guy" side of this is new to me."

"Great, I always dreamed of a back alley firefight with an ex-merc." Glancing over their cover, he could clearly see three vorcha at the other end of the alley, probably two or three more he couldn't see. They always travelled in fairly large numbers, even for a small hit.

Next to him, the other turian asked, "Really?" Though he clearly whiffed the safety protocols of this meeting, he pulled out an SMG and was doing good work suppressing the Vorcha. Garrus had to give him that much credit.

But that didn't excuse his question, and he rolled his eyes. "No, this is hardly my favorite place to get murdered."

"What, do you have places you'd prefer?"

"For practicality? Gun expo or military base. For style? Gardens, electronics stores, antique shops, but only if they're classy."

Even though he seemed caught off guard and a little stressed, the guy laughed. "You're insane."

"What else did you expect? A healthily functioning ex-Spectre hunter?"

"You got me there." They downed one of the Vorcha, and another was at least down for the count because Garrus got a good shot straight through his leg, but the other three that they'd seen were still putting up a fight. His shooting buddy said, "On your left." Garrus swiveled and got a headshot on one of them while he was trying to get in for a closer shot.

Then the guy asked, gesturing to the gun, "Do you bring a sniper everywhere?"

"Yeah. This is my favorite gun." Garrus got the another Blood Pack goon when it popped its head out to check for them. But just as he was going to tell the other turian to close in on him, the final vorcha came out from behind the corner, holding his shotgun to the head of a civilian. From the looks of him, a shell-shocked shopper. Lowering his gun, Garrus said, "Fuck."

"Drop your weapons or I kill him."

The other turian stood up without even thinking about it, letting his SMG clatter to the ground. Garrus was looking between the two, trying to calculate what made the most sense. But seeing someone scared, he started wondering what Shepard would do. The bigger surprise was that for the first time in over a month, thinking of her didn't hurt so bad. Before he could get lost in the feeling, his shooting partner toed him. "Vakarian, drop the gun." He growled, still not quite sure how to handle the situation, but did.

"Good, now-"

After taking even a second to look at the vorcha, he realized none of them had a chance if they let him call the shots. He remembered the Blood Pack members he'd fought while on the Normandy; prisoners weren't their speciality. Taking a page from Shepard's book, he pulled out his pistol, used his visor for quick aiming, and shot. The vorcha dropped, leaving a mortified hostage standing in front of his corpse. Garrus told him, "Get out of here."

Guy didn't have to be told twice.

As he picked his sniper back up, the turian asked, "Where'd you learn to do that?"

"The most terrifying woman with a pistol in the entire Galaxy." Lucky for Garrus, the guy let him leave it at that.

They walked up to the last vorcha left, his leg bleeding. "You tell your boss that he better watch his ass around the wards, or he'll be dealing with us." For a second, the vorcha just stared at them, but then Garrus added, "Go!" And the vorcha didn't need to be told twice, either.

It wasn't geth ships and Reapers, but for a minute there, he felt like himself again. The person he was with her. Sure, that still fucking stung, but it didn't feel empty. It was the first thing that didn't feel empty in a long time.

Next to him, the turian chuckled. "That was pretty forward, assuming I want to team up with your crazy ass again."

"Says the man who begged me to help him." Holstering both of his weapons, he was ready to walk back onto the streets. They didn't need to fight everyone on Omega tonight. But walking side by side with this turian, his wheels started turning. He didn't want to lose this feeling. This was the closest he'd felt to her, to himself, since before the Normandy's destruction ripped all that away from him. He tried to act casual, but he knew what he was offering wasn't casual. It was fucking life or death. But maybe that's what made it feel right, like what he should be doing. Garrus asked, "What if this wasn't a one time thing?"

They walked out of the alley, and his new friend seemed to think it was a joke, his adrenaline-boosted shoulders still shaking a little. "What, asking me on a date here?"

"I'm serious. You were right, the mercs run these people into the ground. Let's do something about it." The turian stopped dead, next to him. Maybe Garrus was reaching, and maybe this was crazy, but... "I'm game if you are."

"Serious?"

"Serious."

He couldn't really make out his face, if he thought Garrus was talking out of his ass. And he didn't really look too sure of himself when he finally looked at the sniper, but he started to smile. There was a fire there in his eyes that Garrus could see growing. "Alright, I'm game, too."

"Good." Just as they started walking again, Garrus found himself in a situation so untactful that it was almost Shepard-like. Maybe that was a good sign. Scratching his head, he asked, like an idiot, "Since I just agreed to risk my ass with you, what's your name, anyway?"

"Lantar." The guy extended his hand and Garrus shook it. And when he did, it felt good, like he was finally doing something with his life again. Maybe things were starting to look up for him, even without Shepard. He already got one guy to join his own, reckless crusade. The turian named Lantar finished off with, "I'm an ex-informant for the Blue Suns, Lantar Sidonis."

///

OH BOY I was such an asshole writer about avoiding his name til the end.

I'm sure quite a few of you figured it out before we got there, but I'm still hyped about doing it.

Anyway, much thanks from my patrons:

Danyell Jones

Amy Connolly

If you want to support my stories (and a future of being fandom trash on Twitch with y'all) please check out my patron options in my bio or on these sites:

Twitter: Steph_Marceau

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[kazkazoozoo]

No Promises Ch2

Pairing: Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Felicia Hardy/Michelle Jones (one-night stand), Michelle Jones/Harry Osborn (unhappily married)

(warning: this story contains angst and extramarital affairs.)

Inspired by Izmeny (TV Mini-Series 2015)

Read on AO3

Michelle has heard enough lies to tell them apart from the truths.

For example, many people would say that they believe marriage is the epitome of romance. That people get married because they’re oh-so in love.

Which she knows is not always the case, to say the least. She herself can attest to that.

She didn’t marry her husband because of love. In fact, she doesn’t think she has ever loved anyone.

She said yes when Harry proposed to her because she wanted a family.

And he did give her one. He’d even given up his own family to make that happen.

He was willing to do anything for her, so she thought she’d be a fool to not take advantage of that and let the opportunity slip away.

She would have felt guilty about her impure motive if the “I love you” that he said to her in his proposal didn’t turn out to be another blatant lie.

Michelle knows next to nothing of love, but she’s pretty sure that if you love someone, you’d at least care about them.

He never asks how her day went, whether she’s hungry or not, or what book she’s reading.

She has never once orgasmed during sex with her husband.

But she doesn’t mind all that much about his indifference. She’s incapable of loving and caring so why should she want those things from anyone, anyway?

Besides, she’s got Peter, who knows how to make her scream using his tongue only. Peter’s enough to make up for what she doesn’t get from Harry, to keep her sexually satiated.

And that’s exactly why she has once again found herself waiting for him in his empty apartment.

She’s been breaking her own rule quite a lot lately—probably has something to do with Harry’s increasing rate of absence from home.

She made the rule of not staying outside overnight because she’s afraid that Harry wouldn’t even care to ask where she had been. She figures that won’t matter if he’s not even at home to begin with.

It’s almost midnight. Peter’s still out there somewhere patrolling. It’s been three hours since their last text exchange.

The little grey bubble on the left side of the screen of her phone reads:

I’ll be back soon

So far, she can’t tell whether it’s a lie or not. Three hours isn’t long at all by Peter’s standards.

She puts down her phone after checking it for the sixth time tonight, then huddles under the blanket on the couch in front of the huge flat screen that’s glowing eerily with blue light in the dark living room.

She has already watched a whole bunch of murder documentaries in the past few hours, so she turns on the news just to switch things up a bit.

Nothing particularly interesting appears on the news. Not that she’s looking for a certain superhero who dons a red full-body spandex suit swinging between the buildings and saving people, no.

She just wants something—or someone—that can keep her mind busy so she doesn’t start contemplating how stagnant her life has been.

So she waits.

For one hour.

Then two hours.

And three hours have passed, but Peter’s still nowhere to be found.

You alright?

The message she sent an hour ago is still unread.

Her intense glare can burn holes through her phone if she were able to channel her irritation into actual laser beams.

The calming and relaxing effects of the apartment have faded by now. She’s getting crankier by the second and her desire to get laid is almost completely replaced by her desire to get a restful sleep.

If she’s not getting any tonight, then she might as well go home and sleep in her own bed, alone.

Because her motive for coming back to this apartment well after her job of interior designing was done is pure.

She doesn’t come to Peter again and again because she’s always worried that he might hurt himself fighting some supervillain. She didn’t learn how to stitch up a wound nicely just because of that one time he came back all bloody and it really scared her. She’s not trying to be a haven of peace for him or secretly hoping he’d trust her enough to confide in her.

All she wants from him is sex, and nothing more.

She wants to believe that these are all the truths. Because the alternative is that she loves other people more than they’ll ever love her, and that feeling really, really sucks.

§

The engine is rumbling and the headlights are on. Her car is all set and ready to take her home.

But Michelle’s been sitting behind the wheel for a good ten minutes, her body unmoving yet her mind unsettled. Every part of her body is buzzing with an unknown fear for an unanticipated future.

Somehow, it feels like the universe is trying to warn her against a storm that’s coming after her.

She’s afraid to make a move, but she doesn’t want to go back to where she was, either.

She’s drowned in her own thoughts until a sudden, loud bump startles her, followed by her car door being forcefully opened and an unfamiliar figure sliding into the passenger seat.

“What the-!? Get out of my car!” Michelle shouts at the person while discreetly reaching for the pepper spray she has in her bag.

That person turns to look straight into her face. Half of their face is covered in a mask and she can barely see in the dark, but she manages to make out the shape of their red lips twisting into a smirk.

“You mind if I borrow your car for a day or two? It’s kind of an emergency.” The woman’s voice is husky and breathy, sort of like a combination of whispering and panting.

“Actually I do mind,” Michelle’s voice is trembling due to the surging adrenaline, “and don’t make me say this again: get out.”

Her assertive statement is still hanging in the air when the woman’s arm moves at a surprising speed and agility, aiming at her airway.

Luckily, Michelle has seen that coming. She blocks the attack before locking the woman’s arm with one hand and pointing the spray at her face with the other.

The skills she learned from Peter does have some use, it seems.

The aggressor appears to be impressed, musingly laughed at herself.

Meanwhile, Michelle registers a scent of blood and she notices the black full-body suit that the woman’s wearing is torn at her thigh. A dribble of dark red liquid is slowly oozing from the wound.

Michelle winces at the sight. It reminds her of that time Peter came back in such bad shape that she was petrified for a good while.

“You’re bleeding. I think you should go to the ER.” Michelle says in a rather calm manner.

“No!” The woman hisses while putting pressure on her wound with her free hand.

Michelle sees how hard she’s trying to hide the discomfort from her expressionless yet ashen face and the droplets of sweat strolling down her forehead.

Then MJ says something that surprises the stranger as well as herself.

“Tell me where you want to go and I’ll drive you there.”

The woman’s whole body jolts as they look into each other’s eyes.

“How do I know if I can trust you?” The woman frowns.

MJ chuckles self-mockingly.

That’s one of the questions that she asks herself every now and then.

“Well, if you can’t trust me then my answer’s not gonna be very helpful, is it?”

The woman wars with herself until the sound of the siren can be heard from a distance. She then starts giving directions without further delay.

MJ drives her through the dark streets, mind blanking out and shivers crawling along her spine.

Driving a stranger who’s very possibly on the run to an unknown destination is dangerously thrilling.

And maybe that’s why she’s willingly doing this. Maybe that’s what she’s been longing for—the thrill.

That must be why she enjoys having sex with Peter so much. It gives her the strongest kind of thrill.

To MJ’s surprise, the woman leads them to an upscale apartment complex instead of some sketchy discarded warehouse that she imagined criminals would use as their evil lair. Given that the building has an intricately designed entrance upon entering the underground car park, she supposes the building does offer a great level of security and privacy a criminal needs.

The woman is hesitant when MJ gets off the car and offers to help her out.

But there’s something so confident and convincing about the way MJ carries herself that enables her to have her way almost all the time, including this time.

MJ supports her by her waist until they’re inside the woman’s apartment. She escapes MJ’s grasp and launches herself onto the U-shaped sectional sofa, then proceeds to fumble inside the drawer of the coffee table.

Being an interior designer herself, MJ’s interest is piqued more by the tasteful arrangement of the apartment’s living room than whatever the woman’s doing.

Her attention drifts away and she starts examining, analyzing and comparing the style with her own work. It’s more contemporary and polished compares to the industrial style of Peter’s apartment, but the artworks scattered around the space are raw and feral—reflecting the owner’s personality, she guesses.

“I don’t sleep with people on a first date, so this is your cue to leave. And don’t even think about paybacks, I don’t have cash.”

The woman’s flirty joke intrudes on her thoughts, bringing her attention back.

“I don’t want your money,” MJ says coolly.

“Then what do you want?” She sounds more defensive than earlier.

What do I want? Why am I even here?

MJ doesn’t know the answers. The only thing she’s certain is that this isn’t how the night was supposed to go.

Somehow her life always takes unexpected turns and leads her further astray.

MJ shrugs, “Nothing.” From her, at least.

“Then leave already.” The woman stands up and tries to shove her out the door, but stumbles in pain.

The way she’s limping reminds her of someone. MJ lurches forward to catch her out of instinct.

“Are you okay? Here, let me take a look at that.” MJ speaks softly.

“I’m fine. I can take care of myself.” The woman groaned, annoyed.

Still, she doesn’t push MJ away. MJ sits next to her on the sofa after helping her this time and takes a better look at the wound.

The cut isn’t too deep. She knows how to clean up the wound and close it with stitches.

“I can help.” MJ nods at her wound.

The woman’s frown deepens. She’s genuinely confused by MJ’s actions.

“Why are you helping a stranger?”

Why would anyone volunteer to help a stranger? MJ wonders that, too.

Is she trying to be a better person? Perhaps she’ll deserve better if she’s more like a certain friendly neighborhood superhero? Maybe, just maybe, for once in her life she wants to know what it feels like to be wanted and needed?

MJ doesn’t know the answer, so she only repeats:

“Let me help you.”

MJ’s persuasive eyes strike again. The assertive yet vulnerable quality of her tone makes it hard to resist her pleas.

She can make people fall under her spell easily, if she wants to.

Despite how defiant the woman has been, she does not prove that statement wrong.

She lets MJ clean up the dried blood, sterilize the adjacent area and suture the wound closed.

MJ’s maneuvers are skillful and precise, but her touches are gentle and careful, making the woman shivers involuntarily.

The treatment is completed, and that’s where MJ’s help is supposed to end.

But she doesn’t want to go back to that empty home just yet.

The woman’s about to remove her legs off of MJ’s thighs, but MJ holds her in place.

“You need help to get the spandex off?”

The woman arches her brow.

“You’re not seriously trying to get into my pants, are you?”

MJ stares at her. The woman’s face goes pinker the longer she holds her gaze.

It arouses her for some reason; she remembers how Peter gets easily flustered every time she teases him.

She was upset that her night didn’t go accordingly: she didn’t get what she wants from Peter tonight.

But who’s stopping her from having sex with someone else? Harry’s her husband, but he doesn’t care. Peter’s her favorite lay, but they don’t have contractual obligations to obey the monogamy.

“What if I am?”

MJ’s hand wanders around her thigh, carefully avoiding the wound. The woman squirms nervously under her touch, anticipating.

The texture of her spandex differs from Peter’s suit; her muscles are firm, but softer than Peter’s; the pitch of her quiet moans is higher than Peter’s.

But she’s here, and MJ can feel she wants her.

The woman gives in to her teasing, grabbing onto her shoulders and crashing her lips to MJ’s.

MJ kisses her back. Everything feels wrong, but it feels good to be wanted.

And that’s all she wants for now.

[jafndaegur]

Chapter Two: I Just Got Your Messages

One | x |

Sun Hee.

Sun Hee not Sunnie.

Sun Hee.

She kept repeating that to herself over and over again. On the plane ride, she whispered it to herself. While she stood hours in the custom’s line, that’s all she could think of. At checkpoint and check out, again that was all she could mutter to herself. She was intent on rewriting herself to forget the dumb gamble she’d bet and lost. This would be her knew start. And by golly she was intent on making sure it was her best restart even. Afterall it’d been more than a month since the competition—it was time for her to move on.

Sun Hee pulled out her phone and checked  the time. She’d been eager to surprise her parents with this visit. She’d been extra careful to make sure that no tabloids or reporters had followed her flight. If nothing else, she didn’t want her parents know that she was coming because there would be far too many questions beforehand.

And right now she couldn’t handle those.

As she was towing her suitcase along, she stared down at her phone screen just a moment too long. Sun Hee slammed into someone else and fell backwards while her phone flew forward out of her group. The person she had bumped into also crashed to the ground, a low groan coming from them. Sun Hee immediately scrambled to their side, apologizing profusely. It was a man with an unusual shock of white hair—it was almost as unnatural as his eyes, the brightest blue she’d ever seen. He was wearing one of those cloth medical masks over his mouth, and he seemed to lean toward an edgier style with his crimson top and black hoodie. What with his spiked bracelets and painted black nails, she knew exactly what brand she could suggest for him to shop for—

“You should probably watch where you go,” he crooned, standing up and wiping off his leather pants. “You’ll never know the types you’ll run into.”

Laughing nervously, Sun Hee sheepishly scratched the back of her head. “Yeah, it was my fault for not paying attention.”

His eyes roamed over her form before he reached down and picked up her phone and another phone that had landed right next to it. That must have been his. He handed her the phone that wasn’t his own, his hand lingering near hers just a little bit too long.

“Be careful out there,” he chided with a singsong voice, before waving goodbye and disappearing into the crowd.

Sun He watched him go with a bit of a dumbfounded expression. Maybe her Korean was just rusty, but she could have sworn that his tone had been threatening. What a crazy guy. She shivered and walked away toward the bus station.

When she almost reached the station, her phone buzzed. Taking note of the the bus arrivals and departures—it wasn’t due to arrive for another ten minutes—she sat down on a nearby bench. Turning her electronic device on, Sun Hee was surprised to see a notification for an application that she didn’t even know she had. In bright gold letters, its only title was “Messenger”. Frowning, she opened the app and was taken to a single text strand.

Hello? Is anyone there?

Now after having been in a publicly exposed job of some renown (not much but some) Sun Hee knew never to answer sketchy texts. It was just a rule of thumb. More often than not, the unknown number would be a scam or some sort of a trouble on the other end. Still, it was odd to her that there was no number—only a name: “Unknown”.   

Please, if there’s anyone there, answer! Please answer me!

Biting the nail of her thumb, Sun Hee hesitantly went over the decision in her head. She’d been making a lot of decisions lately, so it would seem.

Hi. I’m here. She finally responded.

The text back was almost immediate. Oh thank god! I was sending texts out for over an hour and I never heard back from anyone. I’m so glad you responded.

What’s the problem? Sun Hee asked, her eyes watching the screen suspiciously.

I’m headed back to Seoul—I’m an abroad student—and I came across this phone at the airport. When I opened it to look for some contact information, all I found was this messenger, and an address.

An address? Sun Hee echoed. You’ve got to be joking.

I wish I were.  Unknown seemed completely upset about the situation. It’s a downtown Seoul address too. My flight got delayed so I won’t be there for at least a few more days… and I’m sure that whoever lost this phone really needs it back.

Nope, nope. Sun Hee felt her anxiety spike. I don’t like where this is going.

You wouldn’t happen to be in Seoul, would you Sun Hee? Whoever it was seemed particularly hopeful.

Technically Incheon. She responded curtly, hoping that Unknown would get the message of  “I’m not gonna do it so drop it”.

That’s so close! Unknown’s response almost seemed to come in simultaneously with her last text. Could you please please please go to the address to see if the owner of the phone is there?

Are you crazy?

No! It’s in downtown Seoul, so there’d be plenty of people around you. You’ll be perfectly safe, come on! Won’t it be great to help someone out? It’s almost like a quest!

A quest…

Sun Hee stared at the phone for a minute. Unknown did have a point. If she were in any sort of danger, it would be easy to go get help. Plus, she’d lived in New York for years now and could proudly call herself a New Yorker. She knew how to take care of herself.

If it’s sketchy, I’m leaving right away. Before she could think twice and regret the decision, she sent the message.

Unknown responded with repeated gratitude, hearts, and the address.

Sun Hee showed the bus driver when the transportation arrived, and asked if his route went close. He shook his head, and told her that the area was better to get to by train. He then explained to her the directions: go back into airport and from there she could find the train station—it would be able to take her to Seoul city from there. Take the express train, pay for the ticket, wait for the arrival—and she would get where she would need to.

The train-ride itself was refreshing. The scenery flittered by her window in beautiful verdant smears of colors. His eyes were always this green, this alive. Sun Hee thoroughly enjoyed herself, hands pressed to the chilled window, watching the blurred landscape. She figured once she could make the run to the address, she would go to her parent’s—maybe take them to dinner. She’d have to watch her funds though. The plane and train tickets had cost almost all of her monthly allowance, and she would need to be frugal if she wanted to have her own place in the next few months.

“We’ll see,” she told herself. “We’ll see what all will fall into place.”

She was pleasantly surprise to find that she had not thought of Dominic—liar—or her shop, or her old life since arriving at Incheon.

When she arrived at Seoul, she walked to the address, shocked at how close it was to the train station. Still, Sun Hee kept a watchful eye on her surroundings—making sure that no one was tailing her or that she always stayed with flow of pedestrians. Her Noogle Maps’ directions led her to an apartment complex at the heart of the city. When she entered the apartments, the stylist made her way through the lobby to the elevators. She entered them and traveled all the way up to the top floor. There were people walking in and out of the hall. They greeted her and she in turn greeted them. Overall, the place was incredibly friendly in atmosphere. Perhaps Unknown was a real and friendly person too. She’d misjudged him.

The ringer on her phone tolled.

Did you make it? Unknown asked.

I just got here.

He responded back with what almost seemed like excitement. Oh fantastic! Do you see a number lock on the door?

Sun Hee looked at the door and spotted the keypad above the door handle. Yes I do.

Great! Here’s the combination! Leave a note or something to tell the owner of the phone you were there.

Almost without thinking, she almost typed in the combination before pausing.

What’s wrong? Unknown asked.

Shouldn’t I knock first?

Unknown sent a smiley face. You’re right! I was being too eager about finding the owner. Knock first.

So she knocked on the door, once, twice, thrice.

But no one answered.

She told so to Unknown.

Go ahead and open the door,  Unknown said, slowly.  You’re doing a good deed for them after all. You’ll practically be their hero.

I don’t know about that, Sun Hee sighed. But she did want to get this over with—she was tired of this worrisome NCES vibe that she was getting. What with this tracking address down, finding a person of interest. She was so over it and ready for food and maybe a nice nap.

So she typed in the code.

The door light turned green. It was unlocked. She stepped in hesitantly and called out a weak hello; no one answered. Nobody was home. What a relief—she released the pent up breath she’d been holding.

Looking back to her phone, she was going to tell Unknown she would leave a note with his contact information and then go on her merry way. But the chat room was gone—and instead a new chatroom with five other people opened.

If you liked this chapter! Please consider buying a Delicious Coffee! Thanks for reading^^

[tobns]

SNOWED IN: A (Tragic) Christmas Story — part four.

In Which Our Only Hope Rests On the Least Helpful Person We Know

After the unexpected police presence on the doorstep, the rest of the day is uneventful in comparison.

Most of it comes from the fact that Josh, Jackie and I corral everyone else in the house to living on the trigger that the cops could reappear at any moment to whisk us all away in handcuffs after Josh’s terribly executed attempt of playing it cool. Jen’s also kept to her word that she wouldn’t meddle anymore, which has become our Walmart brand of Christmas miracles – after getting twenty-six inches of snow holding us hostage, knowing that Jen isn’t going to force us all into another come-as-close-to-Jesus-as-we-sinners-will-ever-get meeting against our will. The vibe in the house has shifted over to the more tolerable end of the spectrum, no more fears of Dayo wielding a butcher knife with Alexander as its target or Jackie flying off the handle altogether lingering out in the open. We just spend the day coexisting rather peacefully, which is all I can ask for, I guess. At this point, asking for anything has only backfired on us: we ask to leave, we’re entrapped in a predicament that probably won’t see us on the road until New Year’s. I ask for things to go over smoothly, things explode.

As ridiculous as the last few days have seemed, I understand the sentiment Jen had in wanting to see this through with some sort of success as the outcome. Nostalgia has never been something I’ve been able to escape, and being back with my old group of friends has reawakened all sorts of longings for how things used to be. That’s the sucker punch nostalgia always brings: it makes you miss the things you know you can never go back to, and down the black hole you’ll go either trying to get over it or bring it back with your bare hands.

Maybe Jen has done her job, effectively dragging me over to the dark side.

Christmas is tomorrow, and the most festive thing that we’ve done thus far is having a dinner where we were actually able to converse with one another without any underlying hostility on paper plates with little Christmas trees on them. Part of me is waiting for the other shoe to drop, Jen rounding up all of us to go caroling or do a dramatic reading of the Christmas story, but it never happens. I go to sleep still anticipating something to happen, even though nothing does.

And then I’m finding myself awakened.

“Isabelle,” a voice softly summons me, and the not-so-gentle shaking following after it. “Yo, Izzy.”

I stir, limbs slinging as I sit upright in bed. “What?” I grumble, the back of my hand colliding with what I assume is another body as I kick the sheets out of the tangle they’ve formed around my legs. Standing over me in the dark is Jackie, Jack, and Dayo, all of them fully dressed and staring at me expectantly.

“No,” I yawn, shaking my head. “I am not going to help you all prank Alexander. Go back to bed, Scooby Gang.”

“The time for fun and games is over,” Jackie whispers. “We’re blowing this popsicle stand, Fuhrman.”

“We’re doing what?”

“Leaving,” Jack repeats in a hushed voice as he does the honor of clarifying for me. “We’re leaving.”

I drag my hands down my face, heels of my hands rubbing at my eyes. “Did you people forget that there are like, two feet of snow on the ground? Are Santa’s reindeer going to pull us back to the Big Apple and wherever the hell Dayo’s planning to go?”

Jackie, who’s sitting on her knees on the bed, leans back onto her ankles and stares up at Dayo. “I told you she was gonna be grouchy.”

“He was what, expecting me to be a ray of sunshine?”

Dayo frowns, arms folding over his chest. “Okay, I don’t know what you did with baby Izzy, but I want her back.”

“Come back in about seven hours,” I tell him, pulling the blanket around my kneecaps up a little higher as I go to lay back down. Jackie catches me before I get nestled back under, a hand wrapping around my wrist.

“Oh no you don’t, Fuhrmie,” she whistles. “I told you I was gonna Prince Charming your ass and ride you out of here on a white horse as I saved you from Ludwig’s grubby little paws. I’m seeing this thing through.”

“You are ridiculous.”

“I’m simply trying to preserve your innocence.”

“My innocence left me a long time ago, Emerson.”

“Okay, can we please stop discussing sex and just hit the road already?” Dayo interjects, the irritation rising in his voice. “The more distance we put between us and this place before the ass-crack of dawn when Jennifer wakes up, the better off we are.”

I card a hand back through my hair, shoulders slouching. There are so many flaws in the logic they’re throwing my way that I’m beginning to wonder if this is all just another caffeine-induced dream, and that I’ll wake up any minute to the tune of Jackie telling me to get my leg off of her torso. “And again, I raise the question of how are we supposed to get out of here? There are two feet of snow on the ground. We didn’t exactly go for the snowmobile section at the rental car service.”

Jackie and Dayo both point to Jack, who raises his hand. “I’ve been outside for the last hour hauling a path down to the driveway and moving all the snow on our car over to Alexander’s.” My eyebrows furrow – for every one question I get answered, they raise about three more, and all of this trying to nail down what their plan actually is is draining. I finally decide to shut up and go along with it, before Jackie decides to haul me over her shoulder fireman-style and drag me away against my will.

“Fine,” I huff, kicking the covers out of my way. “But I’m going as is. We’re making a break for it, not heading to the long-lost Mockingjay premiere.”

Jackie smiles as she scoots away from my body. “Even better. We don’t have time for you to be your extra ass self.”

Scowling, I shoot her the middle finger and hop down off of the bed.

Dayo offers me a blanket to throw around my shoulders before we sneak out the back door – apparently, Jackie has packed my bag for me, already loaded up in the car. I don’t know when in the hell they had time to do all this, so I guess the saying still rings true: once you’re a member of the Hunger Games gang, you never sleep again.

We go tiptoeing out the front door, Jack bringing up the rear and making sure no one else’s eyes follow us out the door. It’s even colder outside than it was the night before, and I curl up to Dayo, forcing him to drag me along behind him since I don’t feel up to walking. He all but picks me up and throws me into the backseat of the car, sliding in beside me.

“Are we sure this is a good idea?” I say through a yawn, bundling my blanket tighter around me. “I mean, what’s the plan from here? So far, all I’m seeing is us making it out of the driveway and then meeting the very, very obvious roadblock.”

Jackie glares at me through the rearview mirror. “Since when do you need to know all the details?”

I stare back at her, bewildered. “Um, since the first day we met.”

She sighs. “What’s the harm in a little spontaneity, Belly? We might make it to the airport, we might make it to some sketchy Super 8—”

Dayo leans over the console, twisting his body around the seat as he interrupts Jackie. “Yeah, we’ll sleep at the Super 8 when I see Jesus descend down from heaven.”

“—we might sleep on the side of a road in a snow bank,” Jackie rectifies, her eyes cutting at Dayo. “Point is, live on the edge. Make that your New Year’s resolution for 2018 or something.”

I roll my eyes at her as Jack brings the car to life in the quietest way he knows how – which, of course, is loud enough to wake up the whole damn state of Colorado as he accidentally hits the alarm button while trying to turn the keys in the ignition. “You moron!” Jackie whisper-shouts, like that’s going to keep anyone from hearing us make our getaway, swatting at Jack’s arm. “Hit the damn button!”

“What button?” Jack responds.

“The one that shuts this thing up!”

I peel my back of the backseat, leaning forwards. “Oh yeah,” I say dryly, shooting Jackie a thumbs up. “Spontaneity really is fun.”

“Fuhrman, I will slice and dice you.”

“Jackie, help me!”

Jack and Jackie fumble for another minute to get the keys out of the ignition in the hopes that will stop it, then hitting the unlock button on both of their doors and the keys before finally the alarm stops on its own. They glance back at us, both of them flustered in the face and not because of the wind chill. “Okay,” Jack says after a pause, taking the moment to catch his breath. “Let’s try this again.”

Dayo visibly winces as Jack goes back in for the ignition, inching the key towards the slot with bated breath. He sticks it in, waiting for the alarms to sound once again, but nothing happens. “Hallelujah,” he sighs.

No sooner do the words roll off his lips does the alarm goes off again.

“Goddammit!”

This time, instead of rushing to find the magic button that will shut this vehicle up, Jack just leans back in the seat with both arms folded over his chest, glaring at the steering wheel as he waits it out. Jackie buries her head in her hands. Dayo and I exchange glances, and I simply draw my knees up to my chest. I get the feeling we’ll be here for a while.

The alarm stops blaring after what feels like an eternity, Jack moving to turn the key in the ignition. The third time must always be the charm, because this time it starts up without a hitch, engine purring to life. “Now we’re in business,” Jack declares smoothly.

“Yeah, only after we woke up the entire world.”

“They’ll mistake us for Santa,” he dismisses, taking off the brake and moving the gear shift into reverse. I snort.

“I think you meant Satan.”

Jack creeps down the edge of the driveway in the path he has quite literally shuffled out for himself to follow, Jackie serving as the eyes in the back of his head so he doesn’t accidentally hit Jen’s mailbox. Dayo’s on his phone, presumably looking up flights, and all I can do is shrink farther back into the upholstery of the seat. Where Jackie’s sixth sense is her intuition on whether something is right, mine is the intuition on whether something is bound to go horribly wrong. My spidey senses tingle the whole way down the sidewalk.

We get turned out at the bottom of the road, and sure enough, the snow returns to a height of two feet tall. For a moment, Jack sits there and stares at the road as he tries to decide what the best course of action is. I want to suggest that going back indoors is a grand idea, but I get the feeling Jackie is one step away from gagging me with the blanket, so I stay quiet.

“What are you waiting for?” Jackie asks, looking over at her boyfriend. “Step on the gas and let’s go!”

“Jackie,” he says very calmly, like he’s explaining all of this to a child. “There are two feet of snow on the ground, and we are in a rav4. I know you struggle to practice the virtue of patience, but I need you to at least pretend you can.”

She groans, slouching down a little farther in his seat. “Dayo, please tell me you’re having luck finding us plane tickets.”

We begin to inch forward little by little, the speedometer not even hitting five miles an hour as Jack starts plowing through the snow in the direction of the main road. Dayo gives the slight nod of his head as he looks back up.

“Yeah, I think so. There are still a few seats left on a layover flight to Dallas, it’s leaving from Denver though—"

In unison, Jack, Jackie and I all reply: “Keep looking.”

His eyebrows knit together, but he doesn’t question it any. He returns back down to the phone, scrolling mindlessly through the possible flight options.

My train of thought leads me to dozing off, my head falling on Dayo’s shoulder and him tolerating my curled-up body taking up almost the entire back seat because Dayo is still the best big brother any girl could ask for. It’s all too easy to nod off, especially since Jack has demanded not only patience from Jackie, but silence as well, so he can concentrate.

I stir back awake, hardly even realizing I’ve done so until I blink and see that we have stopped moving entirely, sitting in the pitch black of the middle of the road. Jack and Jackie are arguing in the front seat, and Dayo has taken to wrapping his leather jacket around his head in the hopes it will drown out their voices.

“What’s going on?” I mumble, stretching out my arms. Dayo might be a great big brother, but he is a terrible pillow.

Dayo does a double take when he hears my voice added to the mix, lifting up one of the arms of his jacket that has covered his face and rolling his eyes. “We’re stuck,” he catches me up to speed.

“We are not stuck!” Jackie quickly retaliates from the front seat. Jack groans.

“Yes, we are, Jackie! Unless you can suddenly will this car forward with your mind or the tornado comes to take us all to Oz, then we aren’t moving another fucking inch!”

I look over at Dayo for more explanation. “Where are we?”

“We’re about ten miles from Jen’s,” he says. “But it took us about forty minutes to get here. I don’t even think we hit the main road.”

“I don’t think we did, either,” Jack adds. “We’re still the only fools on the road.”

“We did not make it this far just to…quit!” Jackie snaps. Jack reaches over, resting a hand on her shoulder rather patronizingly.

“Jac, babe, we didn’t make it that far to start off.” She very quickly swats his hand away, wiggling away from it.

I sit up a little bit, adjusting the blanket around my shoulders. Somehow, we’ve also compromised heat all in the name of this little escape excursion as well – it is just as cold in this vehicle as it was when we got in. “Okay,” I begin. “So, just throw the car in reverse and head back to Jen’s. Problem solved.”

“We tried that,” Jack tells me. “And even if it had worked, Jackie all but pushed the gear shift back into drive against our will. It’s like she just wants to break the car and make me pay a fee for it.” As the words fall out of his mouth, dripping in sarcasm, he turns give Jackie a look. She shakes her head, waving her hand around in dismissal.

“We are not stopping now,” she repeats forcefully. “There is only forward. That’s the only option, other than wading our way through ten miles of snow on foot back to the house.”

“We cannot walk,” Dayo quickly insists.

Jack nods. “We don’t have anything to protect ourselves from any possible bears—”

“Jack, I swear to god—”

“I can just call somebody back at the house,” I offer up, reaching for Dayo’s cell phone. “And they can come get us.” Jack points back at me, our eyes meeting in the rearview mirror as he gives an affirmative nod.

“That. That is a great idea. I nominate we do that.”

Dayo, Jack and I all look at Jackie as we wait for her to give us some sort of sign that she won’t kill us if we go through with it. She stares blankly into space for a few moments, before throwing her hands up in exasperation. “Fine. FINE. Call one of the knuckleheads, but when we start the new year on literal house arrest, don’t say I didn’t try to save our asses.”

I go through all of Dayo’s contacts, stopping once I get to Josh’s number and hitting the call button. I bring it to my ear, hand violently motioning for Jackie to stop her under-her-breath mumbling so I can hear. It rings once, twice, three times, and then cuts straight to voicemail. “Asleep,” I deduce as I return to the list, trying Leven instead. Her phone doesn’t even ring, just gives me the same message that she’s had since 2011. I go for Amandla, only to get the ‘this number is out of service’ spiel. I shoot Dayo a look at that one – the least he can do is delete obsolete phone numbers, instead of planting false hope.

I sigh as I click out of the phone app, sifting back through the list of contacts to see if there’s anyone else I can call. I’m almost ready to lead our small parade on foot back to the house before the idea pops in my head. It’s a bad idea, an idea that I’m sure no one, including part of my conscience, will agree with, but it’s this or freeze to death. I will be damned if I go out like this, and on Christmas at that.

So, I dial the number that I still have memorized from years and years ago, waiting with bated breath for the line to click.

After the third ring, when my heart is beginning to drop into my stomach at the disappointment that we’ve really gone and done it, stranding ourselves here in the least imaginable condition ever, there’s the sound of the line connecting and a shuffling noise that follows. “Mm, hello?”

I can’t help but to exhale in relief. “Oh, thank god,” I breathe into the phone.

“Wait, Belle? Why are you on Dayo’s phone?” Alexander’s voice is scratchy – I’ve most definitely woken him up.

Jack and Jackie have spun around in their seats, staring at me, and Dayo’s looking at me expectantly. I make the very deliberate decision to drop no giveaway hints as to who it is I’ve gotten ahold of almost right away. “Um, long story,” I say, looking back at them. “Listen, I may or may not be in trouble.”

“Trouble?” he repeats, and there’s more shuffling that follows. “I’m on my way up to your room, gimme a second to get my baseball bat.”

My face falls, and I roll my eyes. “Yeah…about that. I’m not up in my room.”

“Wait, you aren’t?”

“No,” I answer.

“Then where are you?”

My fingers have locked onto a stray piece of hair, absentmindedly twirling it around. “Um,” I start, my voice rising an octave. “Just get in your car and follow the tire tracks?”

“Follow the ti—” He stops mid-sentence. “Let me guess, Jackie.”

“Ding ding ding.”

He sighs. “I’m heading outside now. I’ll be there in a few.”

“You’re a lifesaver.”

“Just for this, I’m going to ask that you save my life when Jackie realizes that I’m the one you’ve summoned to rescue you.” With that, the line goes dead. I pull the phone away from my ear, holding it back out to Dayo.

“Well?” Jackie asks. “Did you get ahold of someone?”

“Yeah,” I reply, purposefully avoiding all eye contact with her. “Yeah, they’re on their way to come get us.”

Jack lets out a long sigh of relief, slumping down in his seat with a hand resting over his heart in gratitude. Jackie, however, isn’t as pleased to learn this revelation – in fact, her eyes narrow into slits as she leans a little farther over the console.

“Isabelle,” she begins slowly. “Why are you suddenly being very vague and using rather non-descriptive pronouns? Who did you call?”

I start to shrink back into the seat, drawing my blanket a little closer around me as if it will save me from the inevitable hell that’s about to come raining down on me. “Let’s just remember that we are very blessed,” I squeak. “And that we should be grateful we got ahold of anyone to come rescue our stupid asses to begin with.”

“Isabelle…”

“So blessed, in fact, that it should not matter who comes to get us, but that we’re all together, that we have our health, and that’s all that matters on this fine holiday.”

“Did you call Ludwig?”

“Maybe?” I peep. Jackie groans loudly, spinning back around and slamming back into her seat. “He was the only one that would answer! It’s not my fault Dayo doesn’t keep his phone numbers updated.”

“I’m just gonna take my chances with the bears,” she announces dramatically, reaching for the door handle.

“Oh, come on, Jackie, get a grip.”

“Me? I’m not the one who he’s fucked over time and time again, Belly, that would be you.” Our eyes meet in the rearview mirror. “I know you don’t like hearing this, but you’re oblivious.”

“And I know you don’t like hearing this, but you’re more obsessed with Zander than I am,” I fire back. “He had shitty girlfriends who didn’t like me, big deal. He says stupid things – have you seen who you’re dating, no offense Jack.” His hands lift in mock arrest. “I’m just…being nice to him! I’m not dropping my panties for the man. And even if I was, I’m twenty, Jac. You don’t have to play mama bear anymore, you know that, right?”

Her face falls a little, settling into a genuine frown, and I instantly feel horrible. She’s about to cry. “I know I don’t,” she says in a small voice. “But you’re still fourteen and baby Izzy to me. I like protecting you and using Ludwig as my punching bag. It’s what I’m good at.”

I offer her a smile, leaning forward and resting a blanketed hand over hers on the console. “I know you do, but I can take care of myself, and you can use him as your punching bag without using my honor as your excuse for it.”

“He’s still in love with you, Jingle Bells,” Dayo pipes up. “Jackie wasn’t kidding when she said his type is the discount Isabelle – he’s not gonna dare breathe a hint of that in your direction, because all he wants to do is make sure you’re happy, and he thinks that that’s leaving you alone. Even when he wants otherwise. It’s why he goes for the lookalikes, and I can guarantee if you showed him half a sign, he’d drop all of that in a heartbeat. You’re what he wants, after all.”

I begin to lose a little bit of the sentiment of the moment, throwing my hands up. “Okay, when did my love life suddenly become an open conversation?”

“When you became too oblivious to see what the hell was happening in it,” Jack adds.

I sit up a little straighter, staring at him defiantly. “Let’s discuss the life and times of Jacquelack, shall we?”

Jackie glances back at me, a devilish smirk stretching over her lips. “Oh no,” she sings gleefully. “You’re getting defensive, which means this is about to get good. Let’s go back to Alexbelle.”

“Let’s not and say we did.”

She turns back around, her eyes widening a little when she finishes giving me a quick once-over, processing all of my body language and I guess connecting back onto our similar wavelength to read my mind. I can’t help but to feel a bit like a zoo animal, cowering back as the heat begins to rise in my cheeks. “Oh my god, Belly,” she breathes out incredulously. “You really like him, don’t you? Oh my god!”

“Please go back to slandering his very existence,” I beg, wincing. “I miss it already.”

“Why didn’t you say something to me?”

“When?” I retort dryly. “While you were trying to replace the Grim Reaper and put him six feet under yourself, or when he was sitting six inches away on the car ride to Jen’s?”

“Hey, I could have talked you up as I tried forcing snow down his esophagus. It was a prime opportunity.”

I roll my eyes. “Oh yeah, because that’s the time every girl wants to be brought up – when the guy is on his death bed.”

“Okay, can we please refrain on the girl talk?” Dayo requests.

“Dude, hell no,” Jack deters before Jackie or I get the chance. “I need all the details I can get so I can milk every last cent out of Amandla when I tell her I won the bet.”

“The bet?!” I screech.

Like magic, headlights begin to appear in the back window. Jack claps once, springing out of his seat. “What do you know!?” he announces all too enthusiastically. “Prince Charming has come to save us after all.”

Jack jumps out of the car before I can lunge over the console and thwack him, popping the trunk to retrieve all of our bags. Dayo gets out as well, leaving just me and Jackie to stare at one another. She hasn’t looked this excited since the announcement of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

“What are you gonna do?” she whispers.

“Nothing,” I hiss through gritted teeth.

“Like hell you will. I need something good to come out of this hellacious nightmare, Fuhrman.” She reaches over, resting a hand on my kneecap. “Just this once, you get a free pass – I’ll pretend that I can’t see Alexander’s tongue going down your throat. However, I draw the line at groping. Do that behind a closed door.”

My eyes widen, and I start swatting at her. “Insufferable.”

Her lips pucker as she blows me a kiss. “Don’t make me tell Jack to go pick some mistletoe.”

As she gets out of the car, I call after her, “He wouldn’t go find any anyways – he’s not venturing off this road without any bear repellent!” The majority of my statement falls on deaf ears as she slams the door, chuckling darkly the whole way.

I’m now beginning to remember the downsides of hanging out with my former costars, changing my mind entirely. Nostalgia be damned – if I never see these people again, it will be too soon.

Taking a deep breath and assuming it is now or never, seeing as how the chances of my audience disappearing is on the latter side of that, I push the door open, and kick it out so I can hop out and not compromise any of my blanket bundling. The snow comes up past my ankles as my feet sink into it, and I do my best to pick up my legs and move forward.

Jack grabs my bag out of the trunk before I get the chance to grab it, thus eliminating my only opportunity to get away from Alexander without talking to him. There’s a mischievous glint in his eyes as he walks past me, nudging me with his elbow. My face falls into a scowl as I move to punch him in the shoulder.

Alexander is leaning up against the side of our car, moving to push the trunk down once Jack slides out of the way. I stand there, feeling rather obsolete as I try to figure out what the hell to do with myself. The smart idea would be to just shuffle past him and hop in his truck, but I can feel Jackie’s eyes burning holes in me from the other side of the windshield. Knowing her, she’ll be more than happy to fill Blondie in if I don’t do it myself.

“So, why were you trying to make a break for it?” Alexander asks me.

“To be fair, I was dragged along against my will. Apparently, Jackie’s taking our whole package deal status to the next level these days.”

He nods slowly, arms folding across his chest. “Surely you had to know it wasn’t going to go well.”

I shrug. “I tried to tell them.”

A beat of awkward silence passes over us, the sound of the car door shutting as Jack clambers inside the cab, leaving me and Alexander as alone as we can be. “You weren’t trying to get away from anyone in particular then?” he asks, seeking some sort of clarification.

“No,” I answer soundly. “Besides, why would I want to leave when there’s heat at the house?”

His voice lowers a little, one of his hands coming up to scratch at his neck. “Good, ‘cause I just…I really hope you know how sorry I am about that thing the other day. Having your trust is worth so much more than a thousand dollars to me, Belle.” It’s a very good thing the wind has decided to pick back up again, giving me valid excuse for the redness rising in my cheeks.

“It’s okay,” I say quietly.

Alexander reaches into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet. He opens it, turning it around and showing it to me – for a minute, old habits die hard and I swear he’s about to show me a condom, but instead, it’s just the inside of his wallet. Credit cards, drivers license, the corner of a one-dollar bill peeking out of the top, a picture of me dressed in Jen’s mom’s clothes saluting the camera and the smile on my face hard to ignore—

Oh.

He smiles as my eyes land on it. “I told you I’d put it in my wallet,” he discloses. “I always wanna have that on hand when I need a good laugh.” I get the feeling that there’s something else he’d like to say in addition to that, but he doesn’t. He simply stops, folding his wallet back up and shoving it back in his pocket.

“Zander?” I say suddenly, his eyes lifting up to mine. “You, um…you know that thing Jackie said yesterday? About the knockoff Isabelles?”

It’s Alexander’s turn to go red in the face, and I can tell that he wants for the ground to swallow him whole. “I—look, about that,” he stammers out, doing his best to pull an excuse out of his ass.

“Yeah, about that,” I repeat teasingly, taking a step closer to him. “Are there any knockoff Isabelles currently in the picture?”

He chokes out his reply. “Uh…no, why?”

One of my shoulders falls in a nonchalant shrug. “Well, you know what they say; name brand wins every time over the generic one.”

With that, I pull myself up on my tiptoes, encasing him in my blanket and bring my lips to his. He’s happy to meet me halfway, hands clutching my hips like they’re a newfound lifeline as he hoists me up out of the snow, my legs wrapping around his waist. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t imagined this once or twice or a couple of dozen times back when I was fourteen, the heat fogging up all of my thoughts and Alexander being the most gorgeous thing I’d ever laid my eyes on – if only I could jump back in time, pat little Isabelle on the head, and tell her kissing him is just as magical as she’d imagined. Even if the surrounding environment is less than ideal, the both of us leaning against Jack’s rental car in below-freezing weather.

I don’t know how long we stand there like that, Alexander’s lips on mine (it wouldn’t surprise or bother me if the cold has frozen them together) and the upper half of him wrapped inside of the blanket with me, my arms tight around his neck. It comes to an abrupt end at the sound of the car horn echoing out in the night, the two of us pulling apart only to see Jackie hanging out of the driver side window, hand still firmly laying on the horn.

“Alright, pass expired!”

[teawood]

Dear black podcast fans:

So I may be starting an actual play podcast (a RPG campaign, modernish setting in this case) with some friends, and I could really use any character advice you’d be willing to chuck at me.

I would really like this character to be a girl (which I am), on the autistic spectrum (which I also am), probably bi (which I also am) if that ever comes up, and a person of color (which I am not). Preferably black, if only because I’m more familiar with the sketchy tropes and with black criticism of media than I am for anybody else. I’ve seen the conversations that get had about race in TAZ and Wolf 359 and so forth, and I can’t help that any character I create for this is going to have to be played by a white woman, but making her white too doesn’t exactly make that problem go away - and the plan is to have canon character designs, so even if I wanted to I couldn’t go the “imagine whatever you want” route.

She (and her entire family, since GM is also white) are gonna have to talk white-girl style like me because uh, anything else seems like a really hella bad idea. And this is not ever going to be a story about Being Black because that’s not my story to tell, and also I would suck at telling it. But since this kind of show is basically improv, I want to know the details of her life backwards and forwards so I don’t have to make too many things up on the fly (/make them up wrong).

I’ve been doing a shit-ton of frantic research in the past week or so, and I’ve been semi-following these dialogues for years in various fandoms, so I think I know most of the basic pitfalls to avoid. But here are some questions for you:

Does anything about this so far make you uncomfortable/jump out at you as a red flag? (and if the answer is “all of it,” that is 100% acceptable and helpful and I will appreciate you saying so)

What are aspects of your daily routines/family life/friendships/etc that you never get to see reflected in stories, esp. sci-fi/fantasy podcasts?

What are the things you absolutely do not want to see somebody like me bringing up?

What crap frustrates you the most when white people write about black characters, or about black girls/black young adults in particular?

Anything else, like literally anything, it doesn’t have to be long or fancy or whatever, I won’t pull respectability politics on you if you have strong feelings

Also like, if somebody wants to essentially alpha read/help me set up this character/listen to episodes and tell me how to do better, I would be indebted to you forever.

(Reblogs to signal boost are also super appreciated; I don’t have much tumblr clout and the likelihood of nobody at all seeing this is... fairly high)

[wasabi-duck]

soccer player jungkook

okay so believe it or not this request has been sitting in my inbox forever and i need to do something before my feelings eat me alive so lemme go on about this au which you know is a fave of mine

the request never specified which sport so guess what i’m gonna pick

wow surprise, it’s soccer!!

you’re looking for some fun fun ways to get in shape right?? like all your friends go to the gym or whatever but that really isn’t your style okay so you’re like, maybe a young adult sports league would be wild,,, sign me up

a lot of the stuff isn’t very appealing like softball?? where’s the fun in that?? do you even do that much exercising??

i played softball so i can say that okay

and like that league is always dominated with old beer dads and you’re like no thanks,,,

most people younger, and like more your age, you realize, end up in the coed soccer league!!

which is wild, you can get down with that

even if you’ve never played soccer, you wonder how hard it can be

after all the flyers say this is supposed to be a casual league right?? so what’s the harm

you’ll get to meet new people right and exercise at least twice a week, probably more, so it’s worth a shot!!

none of your friends are willing to join the soccer league though,,, they rather stay boring and be at the gym

you decide to sign up regardless though because hey, what could it hurt to try??

you send in your application and money and whatever

you’re like time to brush up on my soccer skills

so you do what any normal person would do and you watch every single world cup, both mens and womens, so you can get a hang for the sport itself right? and also figure out some rad techniques to use when you’re actually on the field

after that you’re like man i should try to go out to the park and practice my baller skills

so you go to the local park and you’re like okay let’s start with the basics…

and you go for juggling and if you play soccer you know that’s not basic

if you don’t play soccer, juggling is wild and you use your feet and knees and legs and chest and whatever to keep the ball in the air and from touching the ground for as long as you can!!

you’re like wow i bet this will be easy!!

okay the problem is that this isn’t very easy

and you end up kicking the ball super hard and it soars across the park and you’re like! oh yikes!

and you hear someone curse and groan and you’re like Oh YiKeS

you race over to where you think you kicked the ball and there’s two dudes standing there and the one is in hysterics and the other one is rubbing the back of his head

the laughing one is really tiny and his hair is black and he’s pale and he’s dressed in a sweater that’s way too big for him

the other one is god?

no wait jk it’s jeongguk

you don’t know that yet though

he’s standing there, glaring at you, and he looks actually really offended??

cute though like he has war of hormone era hair because i’m writing this and i do what i want

you start to apologize profusely and you’re like unsure of what to do??

like should you hold him or should you get the ball or like idk what do people do in this situation??

“omg im so sorRY!! i was practicing for this league im joining right and-!!”

“wow, you a goalie or something?? kind of a good punt you got there.” and he’s smiling now and he doesn’t look very offended anymore and it’s really a nice look on him

“uh n-no, actually-”

the other guy speaks and he’s like “come on kook, we gotta get to hoseok’s place before he beats us up for coming to his preseason ritual occult sacrifice”

“party. the word you’re looking for is party, yoongi”

“same thing”

jeongguk nods at you though and he gives you this little wink, then tosses your ball back and you’re so flustered that you almost drop it tbh

“catch you later?” and he gives this cute wave then he's off!!

and you're like oMG how embarrassing!!

you don't really think much about him though! because he he's a random boy you almost gave a concussion, nothing intense like that

but then

then kids

you show up to the first night of practice for your team

you're kinda nervous because you don't know anyone and like wow sketchy because you're alone

you're carrying your water bottle and soccer ball

there's too many people there's probably twenty people and you're probably one of the youngest here??

and you're like yikes panic modE ACTIVATED

nobody even pays you any mind and you're like maybe i can slip away without anyone realizing i was even on the team to begin with

but then

“hey, you know nobody can hold the ball but the goalie right?”

you spin and low and behold, it's the boy you nearly wrecked with the soccer ball a few weeks ago!!

your face heats up because boy is in a tight shirt and some shorts and his hair is pushed back on his forehead by a hairband and you're!!!

he laughs and gives you this cute bunny smile and you're like wow i'm so glad i decided to sport for once

he sticks his hand out and you awkwardly drop your stuff to shake it and he’s all !!!

“i'm jeongguk! but you can call me kookie! that's what everyone here calls me. i'm the captain, nice to meet you again”

and you're like wth the captain you look like you're seven or something but then you look at those,,, toned muscles again,,, and you're like yah that makes perfect sense

he asks you your name and you tell him and you guys are about to talk more but then six more guys come running over and jeongguk is like !!!

you recognize the small tiny one from before

jeongguk is like “these are my best friends!!”

he points to the one with linebacker shoulders and the pretty face “that's jin, he plays defense but he prefers sitting on the sidelines and playing nurse when needed!”

he points to a tanned boy with narrow eyes and a boxy smile “this is taetae. he plays middie, with jimin…”

he points to a blind boy with chubby cheeks and an angelic smile and he waves at you!!

there's one boy with a really big smile and he's jumping excitedly and before jeongguk can talk he's all “i'm hoseok!! i play midfield too!’ i'm not very good but it's fun!!”

and the little angry one is like “hoseok stfu you're amazing okay.”

jeongguk rolls his eyes “that's yoongi. he plays defense too.”

then he points to another tanned boy with sharp features and big dimples and he's like “that's namjoon! he's on defense too, funny huh??”

and you're like wth where is the offense,,,

and jeongguk shrugs kinda “i'm the goalie”

because i feel like everyone would assume he's offense, like the star scorer right?? but nah jeongguk is a really humble kid and he's really someone i think who does a lot of work behind the scenes to make everything fun together smoothly

also flexible and agile and nimble because dancer can you see it because i can

they all ask you what you play and you're like uh whatever they need me to play i guess,,,

you're assuming it'll be offense or something but nah,,,

because guess what jeongguk already has the hots for you and he's like wow do we need someone else on defense i think we do,,,

anyway practice starts and as the night goes along you're like is jeongguk even real??

because he's running drills like a professional and he's also super sweet and kind to everyone and he always pushes everyone to work their hardest!! and he's always willing to offer helpful critique when he sees fit

but he's also super willing to let others critique him

tbh he starts practice with indian runs though

so basically everyone is in a line and you're running, and the person in the back runs to the front, and then that person yells next or whatever, and the new person in the back rubs to the front, and you just keep going

you're like running for what seems like years and you and yoongi keep whining about your very near death and tbh you're pretty sure seokjin is about to cry

but jeongguk is going strong and the sweat is dropping down the face but it's such a natural look for him? like he belongs out here on the field??  

you wanna rub it in your friends faces that you've met the most beautiful wonderful perfect human ever but you won't

oh btw jeongguk pushes everyone hard but he's always asking if anyone needs a water break and tbh seokjin does after every drill

but like even the older members of the team really respect and love him and it's so endearing you can tell that the team really functions like a family

you actually love going to practice every week because at first he's like once a week until we get into the swing of things!!

you really get close to jeongguk’s friends especially, especially especially yoongi and jin, they baby you tbh,,,

the three of you always get scolded for slacking but tbh jeongguk is too afraid of seokjin to yell at him much and he has such a soft spot for yoongi,,, and you,,, so you guys get away with goofing off a lot

one of the traditions every practice, is at the end of the night to finish off practice with a shoot off

so it's like y’all stand in a line and wait your turn, then stand at the penalty line and shoot on jeongguk

he promises anyone that can win against him some candy bars of their choice!!

nobody ever wins

the only one that ever gets close is yoongi because jeongguk is too busy cooing over him to pay much attention

ahaha no hoseok and taehyung plus some random people have some pretty good shots and jeongguk actually has to put up effort to block their shots??

you're not the first one to get out but you definitely don't make it to the final rounds

you usually end up sitting at the goal post with namjoon and jin, because the others are still in it to win it

one of these nights, namjoon is like,,, “i'm glad you're on this team. jeongguk, yah he's captain, but he never really personally interacts with anyone but us. he likes you.”

which isn't a lie

like you guys have a drill and jeongguk is like “whenever someone is on you, make sure you use your body to block them out. use your body to protect the ball.”

and he's like wow time to demonstrate this,,,,

hoseok shoves you forward and jeongguk gets so red and he just stares at you dumbly before he just kinda “you good sure it?”

and you're like haha sure how bad can it be

well kids lemme tell you

it's bad

like i remember playing and my ass was all up on someone as i was trying to shove them away with my rear?? i was good at it though because i'm extra aggressive tbh yikes like imagine yoongi and namjoon goofing off though

anyway jeongguk keeps the ball at his feet and he gives you this smirk like come and get it

you're like um !!

because like he's basically

and you're !!!

because muscles oh yIKES

you kinda go up to him and try to kick the ball out from between his legs but that doesn't work

you don't wanna get up on him though yikes

so you kinda try again and he rolls his eyes!!

he turns to face you but jimin kicks a ball at his feet and jeongguk trips and both of you go toppling down

can you tell i live for this cliche

everyone, even the older people, ooh and ahh and hoseok and jimin are holding each other and squealing

jeongguk stares at you with wide eyes and god the first time since you've met him, he looks nervous??

he quickly pushes away from you and you're like omG OMG OMG

ready to die

jeongguk calls a water break and everyone starts giggling like kids

he helps you up and he refuses to make eye contact and he just kinda looks down as you dust yourself off

he won't look at you for the rest of practice

yikes !!

okay but imagining picking out jerseys !!

it's wild because everyone has their lucky numbers (jeongguk’s is thirteen)

and everyone is squabbling over what they want and jeongguk grabs one and tosses it at you

your brows furrow in confusion and you kinda

you unfold it though and it's, believe it or not, number one

he kinda brushes by you and leans close for just enough time to whisper “because you're my number one”

and you are!!

you do end up playing defense, and you play sweeper, which is the defender closest to the goalie when you're playing a diamond defense

so basically you're the last line of defense before jeongguk and at first you're like shouldn't we put someone,,, good here??

and jeongguk gets all offended like are you questioning my judgment as coach do you want to run laps or something

but you guys have a really good dynamic!!

like he knows when to let you do your own thing but he also feels comfortable in asking you to either go and attack or let him get it

you two always chat when the ball is down at the other end of the field!!

probably flirt more than anything and the other defenders just gag especially namjoon and yoongi

okay but

your team is amazing?? like probably the best in the young adult league?? you guys are on the way to win the championship

which is wild for jeongguk because he's a super competitive person so he's like yes time to gO

worst part of the season because jeongguk thinks in order to win it's time to push yourself past your limits?? is like practice even practice anymore?? nah you just run for years on end

in games leading up to the tournament he gets a lot more controlling with plays and he's a little high strung during games??

okay but it's your last game before playoffs

and you're playing your rival team so everyone is already on edge!!

even you because jeongguk is so stressed he looks like he's about to pull out his hair and you just wanna kiss his face and make it better

but nah, you just chew your lip and stare and jimin and tae tease you for your crush

okay but this team

this team plays dirty

like tripping and pulling jerseys and shoving and it's always a mess when you play them

refs usually call things but today NOTHING is being called and jin is already nursing three minor wounds from the sidelines

okay heads up jeongguk's rival is on this team and it's this haughty butt cheek person who always tries to score on him and thinks they're the shit but really aren't and isn't actually as good a player as everyone builds them up to be anywAY

you're always saving the ball before it even gets to jeongguk and people are getting annoyed with that

really annoyed

second half has just started and you're going to block the ball when jeongguk’s rival comes up and rams you to the ground

you can't stop yourself from hitting the ground, hard

everything goes black and you feel like you're nonexistent for a few seconds and you can't tell if your eyes are opened or closed?? nothing makes sense and you can't make anything out at all

somewhere in the background you can hear cursing and yelling but you're just laying there, senseless

jeongguk loses it okay, downright loses it

his rival can trash him, and trash his team, and be a prideful can of anchovies, but they are not allowed to ever lay a hand on you

he runs up to the kid and he grabs the guy by the collar and he's like “man what the hell are you thinking?!”

and the kid just smirks and shrugs and jeongguk loses it and socks the kid in the nose

hell breaks lose

everyone is screaming and chasing each other around and jumping on each other's back

jeongguk hurries over to you and picks you up in his arms and he carries you over to jin who immediately starts to go through concussion protocol

you three sit there and watch as hoseok tackles someone to the floor and as tae starts a screaming contest with someone else

jeongguk is so so so worried he's asking jin if you're gonna make it and jin is like,,,, honey they're awake,,,

you laugh but then wince because yes your head does hurt, very badly

jeongguk hands you his water bottle and forces you to drink because it's supposed to help

he then lets you rest your head in his lap as the brawl continues

you guys get kicked out of the tournament

that's okay though

you guys have your own scrimmage to celebrate the end of the season

your head is better by then

the scrimmage is wild and jeongguk cheats by picking you up and carrying you off to the sidelines whenever you dribble and try to score on him

the night ends with the shoot off,,,

you and yoongi are the only two left believe it or not and yoongi misses on purpose,,,

competitive jeongguk won't lose no matter who it is though,,,

you poise yourself to shoot and jeongguk smirks and you're like wow lover boy!!!

you aim and fire but before he can block it, jimin and hoseok pull him off to the side so you do make the goal!!

and everyone is screaming and cheering because wow jeongguk has been defeated!!

he kinda stares at you in shock before running over and pulling you into his arms

“instead of candy how about i take you on a date huh?”

you laugh and nod “hershey kisses sound nice too though…”

his eyebrows shoot up and he kinda !! before leaning down and kissing your lips very softly

the end i love my son

[ecotone99]

i need an explanation, the curiosity is killing me

I’m in 7th grade. (so ill let you take a guess at my age) i live in a small rural town in Georgia, I’m not going to mention the name of the town just for privacy issues. i go to a relatively small middle school where everybody knows each other, so whenever there is a new kid people usually will approach you and attempt to create a camaraderie. I don’t really talk much, and I’m one of the few kids who is excluded from a lot of the more social events that kids in my grade will hold. I was always into more alternative music (bands like tool and nine inch nails) but i never really had the balls to get into the style. Just because of how conservative the town is. and my fear that i might get bullied/judged. the farthest ill go is skinny jeans converse shoes, and maybe the occasional band shirt. I’m probably the only kid in this damn town who actually has good taste in music lol. everybody here listens to country or hip hop. Two music genres i despise. I have always been looking out for other kids who might be into the same stuff I’m into. but i can never find anyone who i could bond with music over. the closest I’ve ever come is with my best friend. but he’s more into the cure and PULP. you know, the 80s new wave gothic stuff. but i like some of it so we can sometimes talk about it without disagreeing too much. Now with all of this background information out of the way, i can tell you about the strange series of events that have been happening since the begenning of last semester. It was during bus call, and i was walking to my bus: when i saw what i assumed to be an 8th grader i have never seen before. He was really tall, like- taller than anybody i have ever seen at this school! had long black straightened hair. The ends were dyed green, and he had on what looked like one of those REALLY expensive, slim fit, form fitting leather jackets. He also had on extremely skinny denim jeans that were black just like his leather jacket and his doc martens. (doc martens were a pair of boots i had been begging my parents to get me for a while. but they’re so expensive that no matter how many A’s i make they still won’t budge.)He also had a messenger bag slung over his shoulder. He was walking incredibly fast. like abnormal fast. Thinking back now it was probably because of how tall he was. his long legs enabeling him to take long strides. he was looking straight forward and was somehow managing to walk through the large crowd of kids with ease. but the way he walked. i already mentioned that he was walking fast. but it wasn’t like he was afraid he was gonna miss his bus. it was more like he didn’t want to be seen by anybody. and he was doing a damn good job at it too. nobody seemed to notice him, which is strange considering how if there was somebody at my school who stood out as much as he did. and if they were NEW, kids would have been pointing and staring and even calling him names. but strangely enough, nobody seemed to be doing that. i didn’t want to miss my chance to interact with this kid who i honestly though looked super dope. so i impulsively exclaimed “I LIKE YOUR JACKET DUDE!” But i guess he didn’t hear me because he just sped right by me while putting his earbuds in. i contemplated dashing after him just to try and create conversation. maybe get a social media. but then i would really be risking missing my bus. So i didn’t bother to pursue him. that next day during school, i looked everywhere to see if i could find him again. but during lunch (which my class shares with a couple of 8th grade classes) and during class change, i didn’t see him once. then during bus call i didn’t see him either. i asked a couple of 8 graders that rode my bus who i talked to sometimes, if they had seen the new goth kid. none of them knew who i was talking about. Which was incredibly odd. considering what i said earlier about everyone knowing everyone. and you would think that a kid who stood out as much as “mystery goth kid” would draw intense attention to himself. Then about a week and a half go by, i see him again. During bus call. walking super fast to get to his bus. i was in a different testing class for 7th period, so i was out in the bus lanes hella early because the class was right next to the doors that lead outside. and there he was: dressed EXACTLY the same as last time. Then i realized why i had been missing him. He would always get out to the bus lanes super early. and speed walk to his bus. Why he did it doesn’t make sense to me. it was like he didn’t want to be seen by anybody. This only further peaked my interest. A few days later, after not seeing him. i saw him for the first time in the school building. it was 7th period and our class was coming back from a presentation in the cafeteria. we walked by the library. i looked over through the large windows. and there he was, sitting there by himself: on a laptop. i assumed it was his laptop because our school only had stationary computers. What was also odd was that 8th grades 7th period was in the connections hallway. and there were no connections classes in the library. so what the hell was he doing there? I decided i would investigate. so when we got back to our class i told my teacher i had to go pickup a textbook from the library. she gave me permission but told me to take my backpack with me, considering that the bell was about to ring. But by the time i got to the library he was gone. I honestly don’t understand where he could have went. maybe back to his connections class? idk. but when i went over to the couch where he was sitting (yes we had couches in our library.) i looked around, and in the cracks in between the coushins, there was a flash drive. i looked around to make sure nobody would see me TOTALLY steal (what i assumed to be) his flash drive. but it was the end of the day, so there was nobody in the library except for me and the librarian. who was distracted by something on her computer. I snatched up the flash drive and took a good look at it. it was one of those “geek squad” brand drives. I inspected it some more. Now i don’t know a whole lot about technology, but i do know that 512GB is probably a lot…

The bell rang and i dashed to my bus. anticipating going home so i could see what was on the flash drive. By the time i got home, i had already locked myself in my room (just in case there was anything sketchy or inappropriate on the flash drive, my parents wouldn’t see it. lol) What was on it both confused me, and intrigued me. There was an MP3 file, titled “I Get Along Without You Very Well” i played it. it sounded really old. like 1940s slow jazz old. It was mostly piano with a man with such a nice voice singing. (i later looked up the song and found it to be written by Chet Baker” After listening to the first 20 seconds of the song i opened up the folder that was beneath the mp3 file. the folder was titled “SPILL INTO YOUR BODY” and the only thing in it was another mp3 file titled “brokenfingernail.mp3” i played it. it was a very short audio clip of somebody saying (and i quote) “This is whats known as a disaster bag, this is used by the coroners office to pick up victims of the…accidents…of the…freeway.” i Couldn’t tell if the audio was from a movie or something. but it also sounded INCREDIBLY old. like maybe it was also from the 1940s. Why mystery goth kid had a flash drive with a shit tone of storage on it, and only 2 files…i have no idea. But its summer now and schools out. I haven’t seen him since that day at the library. if anyone has any explanation to this this disappearing goth kid, his flash drive, or its contents: Please explain.

submitted by /u/AENIMA666 [link] [comments] source https://www.reddit.com/r/shortscarystories/comments/c6nixx/i_need_an_explanation_the_curiosity_is_killing_me/ via Blogger https://ift.tt/2XaiaAy

[recentanimenews]

Eureka Seven: Hi-Evolution Q&A Panels with director Tomoki Kyoda

In the spirit of Hi-Evolution's "remixed" chronological order, the following Q&A sessions with the director of Eureka Seven: Hi-Evolution, Tomoki Kyoda, will be presented out of order. You may have caught my preview of Eureka Seven: Hi-Evolution, but there was plenty more information Kyoda had to offer about his movie. Over the course of several Q&A sessions, he provided information about the philosophy film trilogy, the production of movie 1, his career, and some interesting hints regarding what comes next. The first set of questions were delivered immediately following the world premiere screening of Hi-Evolution on Saturday while the second rewinds to Tomoki Kyoda's focus panel on the previous day.

Did you pay any special attention to the mecha action?

Eureka Seven is a very over-the-top story. In order to make an over-the-top movie to work out, you have to be realistic in certain ways. For example the scenes such as the spectacular explosion of the battleships were made possible by the recruitment of super animators such as Hideki Kakita and Takashi Hashimoto.

Can you tell us more about Acperience 7?

If you look up the Acperience, you won't see it in the dictionary because it comes from a german techno group called Hardfloor. Dai Sato and I have been big fans of them since our youth and we asked them if we could use their composition Acperience 1. They said “no, let's do something completely new” and they wrote a new one for us called Acperience 7. The original parts for the compositions only went from 1-5. They skipped over 6 and went directly to 7 to keep with Eureka Seven.

The scene with Adroc. Did that make you more emotional as you watched the film?

Yes, the scene with Adroc is the beginning of it all, so it’s meant to be very meaningful to all three movies. After you’ve seen the 3rd Eureka Seven movie and go back to watch the Adroc scene, it’s meant to be meaningful in a new way.

Other than that, do you have any other favorite scenes?

During the pre-titles everything is memorable to me, but especially Adroc’s first line. It was delivered by voice actor Toru Furuya. He was very spot-on.

Can you tell us a little bit more about the last half? Such as the monologue by Renton and the play back/play forward construction of the film?

Eureka Seven was always going to be a story that spans two generations. The part with Adroc is very serious and heavy and thus I wanted to make the part that’s 10 years hence, the story about the child, Renton, be much more light and calm. It’s a more comedic story and so we found this composition.

How is your impression of the music?

My original intention was not to feature techno sound in the movie, but after hearing the recording I felt it would be appropriate to use Hiroshi Watanabe’s sound. This would be the piece that strung Eureka Seven from 12 years ago into and the new film together.

Do you have any other favorite scene from the last half?

I like the dogs...

The other thing is that I really meant this movie to make sense as part of a trilogy. There are parts in the latter half of the movie that might be frustrating or cryptic on first view. They’re really meant to make sense and be much more sympathetic after we go through all three parts. That’s my intention and something I really put my heart into. The composition will really make sense when all three parts are released, so I hope you’ll come along for the ride.

After the credits there was a teaser for the second movie--can you talk a little bit about it?

We are currently in pre-production for the part 2 movie and a lot of you may have been wondering “where is Anemone?” You can there will be a lot of Anemone in part 2. I haven’t decided if part 2 will be just as light-hearted in style as the teaser. So that hasn’t been fixed yet. For each part of the movie, we go through a codename for the title. The working title for part one was Renton Seven. Part 2 the working codename is Anemone Seven.

PLAY BACK: 27 hours before Eureka Seven: Hi-Evolution world premiere

What is the best way to watch Hi-Evolution?

The best way to watch it is without any spoilers at all. The best way to understand it is that one of the primary characters in Hi-Evolution will be Renton’s father and Renton will be following in his father’s footsteps.

Hi-Evolution is the story of Renton and him transforming from boy to man. It’s something pretty common in anime these days, usually featuring a harem of girls, but that’s not gonna happen in this story... Everything he has will be destroyed so only the future is something he can look forward to and build for himself.

What sort of audience do you want to watch this?

Our intention was, of course, to accommodate and reunite with the audience who watched Eureka Seven 12 years ago but there will be new people, perhaps some who weren’t even born at that time, who are welcome to discover Eureka Seven as a new show. Those are the two audiences that we intend Hi-Evolution for.

Can you tell us a bit about the music?

In the original tv show we featured a lot of folk music such as Denki Groove. For Hi-Evolution, we wanted to get much more original in the sound track. Myself, and also the screenwriter Dai Sato, have really been influenced by this artist called Hardfloor for this reason. Since Hi-Evolution is not only a story about Renton but also this father, we wanted to go back to our own roots and so we went to Hardfloor and asked if they would do the music for us. We got a “yes” and they made a great soundtrack and that's something that’s been incorporated into Eureka Seven: Hi-Evolution.

The other piece of music featured in Eureka Seven comes from Hiroshi Watanabe. If you go back to the original TV show, he wrote the themes for Charles and Ray. Since Charles and Ray have a much more prominent role in Hi-Evolution, their music was reprised and revised.

The other theme song is provided by Hiroya Ozaki, but since Hi-Evolution itself is a story about father and son and Ozaki himself is the son of another singer, Yutaka Ozaki who was a very talented singer who died young in a tragic way. His story and the story of the Ozakis resonates with the father and son theme in Eureka Seven: Hi-Evolution. It was just so fitting and he has made a great song for us.

For fans of the original TV show from 12 years ago, you’ll find something familiar with Hrioshi Watanabe’s music and, at the same time, the coming of a new film in Ozaki’s songs.

As a director, what was the most challenging project for you to work on?

Eureka Seven: AO

What sort of themes were you looking to explore with the new trilogy that you hadn’t yet explored or old things you covered in the past that you want to revisit?

It may not be something that we couldn’t do, but maybe something we didn’t really explore in Eureka Seven would be the relationship between father and son. Since all three of us, myself, Dai Sato the screenwriter, and character designer Kenji Yoshita have aged 10 years, we probably have changed our perspective and ideas. That could possibly be reflected. At the same time we want to be consistent with what we originally depicted in Eureka Seven.

I do that the central pillar of Eureka Seven is the childhood experiences of Renton and Eureka. I think that has always been consistent in all the works of Eureka Seven. Possibly not in the best way but I do think it’s been pretty consistent.

You previously worked no the RahXephon movies, which were an adaptation of an existing TV series. When you are adapting an existing property how do you plan what ideas you want to retain from the original work while also introducing new elements?

One difference between RahXephon and Eureka Seven is they were made at different times so philosophies and elements will be very different. One of the things that's most time consuming in adapting an existing story is deciding what to focus on. Once that’s done, the rest comes much easier. In the case of RahXephon, it was the relationship between Ayato and Haruka and how Haruka would retain her feelings for Ayato. In contrast with Eureka Seven the relationship is still a work in progress and that’s the difference when we went into production.

Being an animation director, do you give your animators a lot of freedom or do you prefer they stick more closely to the storyboards? Also, do you prefer to make more detailed or more sketchy storyboards?

That is actually one of the biggest evolutions in my own style of storyboarding and directing. I’ve been directing for the past 20 years and started off by doing storyboards and expecting animators to trace out exactly what I did in the storyboard. But, as I’ve learned there are plenty of talented animators who can come up with scenes and draw much better than I, I’ve learned that the best way to do storyboards is to come up with ones that will be inspirational to the animators. However, one thing that my staff has been telling me recently is that I really expect a lot from my animators and really set the hurdle high.

When you draw for 20 years, it’s very natural that you get better at drawing and when you look at my storyboards you get the impression that it might be a little detailed but we like to present it to the animators as a springboard for their own ideas.

In the original Eureka Seven TV series, how much freedom did you give episode directors? Would you say each episode is the closer to your vision are theirs?

The production style of a TV show is different dependent upon the show and the culture of the studio, so what I say now does not reflect every single production. There is one person who supervises the production of every episode and that is the general director. There is then the technical director who works on individual episodes.

The general director's job is to come up with the common underlay that follows beneath each episode. I consider it my job to prepare the ground so the episodic staff and the technical director can do their job. That leads to slight discrepancies between each episode but it’s the animation director to unify all those styles so that everything is consistent throughout the series.

How did it feel to work on franchise as legendary as Space Battleship Yamato and, if you got the chance, would you like to work on more Yamato projects in the future?

The reason why I had involvement with Yamato 2199 wasn’t because the show was legendary or because I was fond of it, but moreso because of director Yutaka Izubuchi. Since I owe a lot to him, he wanted me to work on some part of Yamato. It was really difficult to adjust my schedule and I think I was able to oblige him when I got to do the storyboards for the very final episode and I was very happy. This required both the elements of the show being Yamato and the director being Izubuchi. If neither of those were the case, I don’t think I would have been involved.

As for if I would be interested in working on any other legendary shows, I can’t really come up with any shows that I would find enticing, although in terms of a legendary franchises I would be very happy if I could work on Pacific Rim.

---

Peter Fobian is an Associate Features Editor for Crunchyroll and author of Monthly Mangaka Spotlight. You can follow him on Twitter @PeterFobian.

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[todokori-kun]

(OH NO I’m gonna miss you Queen ;-; hope you’ll have a good week, though! And looking forward to talking again when you get your laptop back <3)

I’m totally over my Hamilton obsession. It’s a fandom of the past for me now. I’m not going to finish those lyrics. You can’t tempt me with something as simple as that. I’ve actually forgotten the next lines-

I WROTE SOME NOTES AT THE BEGINNING OF A SONG SOMEONE WILL SING FOR ME

AMERICA, YOU GREAT, UNFINISHED SYMPHONY, YOU SENT FOR ME!

YOU LET ME MAKE A DIFFERENCE, A PLACE WHERE EVEN ORPHAN IMMIGRANTS CAN LEAVE THEIR FINGERPRINTS AND RISE UP

(so in case you couldn’t tell, me having left the Hamilton fandom was a blatant lie and my tongue is now turning black)

The Queen couldn’t possibly have been a brat. I bet you were the sweetest kid ever :D

See, the thing is, when my sister gets whiny she can be really irritating.

Like, insisting that she’s only played a ‘tiny bit’ when she’s been at the playground for at least three hours now and it’s time to go home and have a late dinner, then continuing to complain about it the whole car ride home (“Evans is mean. Mom is mean. Daddy is mean…”) then refuses to get out of the car when there are other cars behind us (then she whines about how everybody was ‘dragging’ her out of the car when she was trying to put her shoes on), drags her feet as we go into the apartment, says she’s not going to eat dinner…like, not anything too big (most of the time, at least) but really annoying stuff.

And then sometimes it’s like the whole 'I’m not touching you *finger hovers centimeters away from other person’s skin*’ thing. When she’s really mad at me she’ll make motions like she’s going to punch/slap/pinch me and then when I ask her to stop (“hitting people isn’t nice!”) she’s like “I didn’t hit you though! Evans is being mean” and sometimes she starts to cry…OTL )

Evans + smol children:

Kid 1: “PLAY WITH US EVANS” *clings to my hand*

Evans: “-um-”

Kid 2: “Please?” *grabs my leg*

Evans: “I really need to-”

Kid 3: “Pretty please? You’re the best at tag and Monster games!” *hugs and refuses to let go* *puppy dog face*

Evans: “…how can I say no to this…”

*five minutes later*

Evans: “I know I shouldn’t back out of this but please hear me out I’m DESPERATE*

oh dear XD people don’t really bother to close their mouths over here, I think, since if you don’t think it’s rude then it IS more comfortable. It is considered more polite to cover your mouth with your hand when there’s too much food in there, though.

My parents really want to know why I love manga so much, but they don’t usually have time to watch/read anything with me (and besides, my dad doen't like violent stories so…).

Well, she doesn’t like the Rising Sun Flag at all (like I said, over here it’s a really bad symbol. Many people who were hurt by Japan during WW2 are still alive today, like the old ladies who were once sex slaves for Japanese soldiers, and for everyone involved that pain is never going to fade) but she’s still going to try it out just for the story :) she’d probably really have a problem with it if the flag was used in more serious situations, but since it usually appears in comedic moments in the manga I think she’s accepting it as ignorance(?) from the creator.

Yeah, I don’t really like Kissanime ^^;; I’ll try to find Re:Zero on the Korean site where I usually watch things. Or maybe a manga/light novel version, if there’s anything like that? Since the Manhwa Cafe might have a light novel or a manga.

LOL Fairytail is too intimidating. And you know me, I’m too angsty for that series XD True though, HxH is super long…

Killua isn’t QUITE a cinnamon roll (he was still raised by the Zoldycks and trained by Illumi) but he comes close. I mean, even after going through a hellish Zoldyck childhood he STILL doesn’t want to be an assassin and is capable of kindness and emotion towards people who aren’t members of his family. The MC Gon is probably the ultimate cinnamon roll though.

Illumi has issues. The fact that he willingly hangs out with Hisoka should prove that.

The Zoldycks are a BRUTAL family, ok, I feel sorry for all their children. Like, come on. The emotional abuse is just as bad, if not worse, than the physical abuse.

Idk if this was ever addressed in canon, though, but I wonder if Illumi also resents Killua in a way? Since Illumi is the oldest child and was trained since birth to become a perfect Zoldyck assassin, but when Killua was born it quickly became obvious that he was a prodigy and then he was chosen as the heir. Kilua doesn’t even WANT to be the heir, he stabbed his mother and one of his other brothers just to run away from home, and yet he’s still being chosen over Illumi, who was trained for a similar role since birth and just had to silently, obediently step side the moment this tiny baby brother was born.

True, I guess it’s like me shipping Queen Luna with so many characters LOL. Evans/Kimblee is still one of the weirder ships though, like what do we even have in common (answer: ruining lives. And we both….appreciate….art?). At least Scar/Evans had the potential to be awkwardly cute XD

(TYSM though Queen, you’re too kind to me <3)

What have we done now I’m imagining that fight between Kimblee and Ed, where Ed thought he won but Kimblee revealed he had another Philosopher’s Stone- but instead of the stone, it’s

Kimblee: *pulls ball out of pocket* PRIDE! I CHOOSE YOU!

(Imagine Pride making the Pokemon noises though)

I relate to that too. Probably going to relate to it even more when college starts in September(?)…;-;

BUT WHAT IF WE END UP TRIPLE-JINXING IT (idk what I’m even saying now)

I guess it’s just me and my fondness for mix-and-matching colors XD I get bored looking at something with too much of just one color so I like throwing in other colors too…I might get carried away with it sometimes though lol.

TYSM AGAIN. QUEEN LUNA IS TOO NICE FOR ME TOO HANDLE GAH

I’m really glad you liked the Olivier one though ^^

…wow. That was an amazing dream XD Weirdly enough I’ve never had a dream about a celebrity even with all of my fandoms (I did once have a dream involving a few K-pop idols but I can’t clearly remember if they were actually real idols or just characters created in my mind lol).

Don’t worry, Loki will distract you from the lack of long blonde hair with his fabulousness (once again, idek what I’m saying)

Hope you had a good time watching it :D (I’m personally not into Sherlock anymore, though ^^;; the sexist/homophobic stuff was just too much so I dropped it)

Also:

TG’S NEW CHAPTER WE FINALLY KNOW WHO CREATED THE CLOWNS OMG

CLOWN BOSS, CREATOR OF TRAGEDY

HOW DID I NOT SEE THIS COMING

ALSO SHIKORAE=RIO 100% CONFIRMED NOW

SMOL BANDAGED ETO AND TATARA IN A FLASHBACK

ROMA I HATE YOU (SHE’S AMAZING)

MENTION OF THE ORIGINAL ONE-EYED KING

KUROIWA’S GONNA DIE

IF YOMO DIES- I CAN’T EVEN. He’ll be dying at the hands of the chacter I just don’t care about anymore (Mutsuki) for one of my not-so-favorite characters (Touka). NO.

And I watched S1 of One Punch Man on a react channel. I’m obsessed and now I’ve got to read the manga HELP ME

And I finally found real watercolor paper, I can’t wait to paint on it :D

Also, sorry for not sending any asks ;-; i got discouraged because asks get eaten so easily (plus I had so much to say lol)

FINALLY PLAYING CP! I didn’t get Steam though (after reading about it and thinking it through I just don’t think it’s for me ^^;;) so I ended up downloading it. I’ve played all the routes except for Waltz’s, but I’ve only gotten the Good Endings so far. (There’s actually a reason for this: Firstly, I was actively trying to get a good ending because I get weirdly obsessed when playing dating games…since it’s a romance, it feels like a major fail if I don’t get a good ending XD (I know, I’m really weird). And as for the second reason…you usually have to act like a jerk to other characters to get the bad endings and I didn’t want to do that ;-; (seriously, I know they’re just fictional characters and that it’s silly, but I HATE it every time I choose to do something mean and they look at me like they’re so disappointed ugh OTL)).

My thoughts so far:

-Art is amazing! It does look a little off at some points during the game but it’s not very noticeable and other than that, it’s great. The intro looks the best, I think, and the sketchy, simple style used during flashbacks really adds to the ‘fairy tale’ feel. It actually reminds me a bit of Kuro’s art.

-Idk about music, my family’s always around and having my earbuds in for so long hurts my ears so I just turned off the sound while playing ^^;; I did hear a bit of the intro though and it sounded nice.

-I like the history with the Great War and the crystals :)

-The whole concept of Fairytale Curses is really interesting! It was fun to try and guess how the curses worked for certain characters and how they could be broken.

-Rod’s route was probably the most boring because it was too predictable. I guessed that Alcaster(? is that his name? I’m talking about Fritz’s father) wasn’t the real villain, that Mythros was the witch, that MC’s mom was probably a witch, that Rod was in love with Viorica and that Viorica had something to do with his curse, that falling in love with MC would break his curse…yeah. The only thing I didn’t see coming was that MC’s mom was not just a normal witch but the Tenebrarum bearer. However, it was still interesting enough to make me want to play the rest of the game, the romance was cute, and I liked how they handled the whole ‘step-siblings’ thing.

-Rod himself was a bit boring. I don’t think he was badly written, but his personality was a mix of the typical 'stoic’ and 'tsundere’ types so yeah. I do have to give the writers kudos for not turning him into an annoying tsundere, though. I mean, Rod can be a jerk but he didn’t irritate me and I didn’t dislike him.

-Karma/Klaude’s route threw me off because of the whole rose motif. I thought that by 'Beauty’ he meant 'Sleeping Beauty Curse’ XD it didn’t help that he kept talking about being tired and not having had enough sleep.

-I liked his habit of calling people 'darling’; idk why but it’s cute. I also like that he’s the only character so far to actually address MC’s relationship with her mother and what it must have done to her (even if it was just a brief moment). Karma’s personality in general was charming ^^

-I also really, really liked his character design! Even though my favorite color is blue I think characters with a 'Red’ theme (like Grell from Kuro) always look good. It makes them pop and stand out from the rest of the cast.

-But I’m sad we didn’t get to meet his father. The glorious man who calls his children 'Karma’ and 'Llama’.

-I was also a little bit disappointed with Karma at first. From the art I saw before the game I thought he was this cool, powerful swordsman who liked to wear dresses and didn’t care what people had to say about that…turns out he just had to do it because of the curse ;-;

-(Karma’s curse was also a bit confusing to me. Idk, I just think they could have explained a little better why dressing as a woman helps…)

-Rumpel (or rather, Chevalier…but I’m never going to get used to that name. It reminds me of 'Chivalry’ or 'Chandelier’). People don’t seem to like him a lot but I was looking forward to playing his route…he just seemed like a fun guy.

-He turned out to be a very interesting character that I wanted to see fleshed out more. I mean, he started as a 'Shallow, Childish Flirt’ type character, then we found out he’s actually a nice guy, then we found out he’s a DOCTOR (I got spoiled for that before I played his route but still), then there’s the thing with him being too selfless for his own good…I like that they didn’t just turn him into a 'Playboy’ character.

-Tbh I thought he was sweet? *prepares for the hate*

-Also think the whole thing with Bria was handled well. I’m glad that neither she nor Rumpel was made out to be the only victim.

-I wish we got to see more of how Mythros’ death affected Rumpel, though.

-Fritz is a cinnamon roll :) a total sweetheart.

-His route might have been a bit boring, though, because MC spent so much time locked up in the castle..but it got a lot better towards the end, after MC got back to the Marchen.

-I also found Varg really interesting and felt a bit sorry for him. Wish we got to see more of him- especially since it was mentioned that he was created from some part of Fritz’s personality. We never really got to see the 'Varg’ side of Fritz :(

-(wonder if there’s more Varg in the Bad Ending?)

-Also I’m sorry but Fritz’s curse reminds me more of Jekyll and Hyde than Little Red Riding Hood XD

-DELORA YOU ABSOLUTE QUEEN. HOW DARE YOU GO AND DIE ON ME DURING FRITZ’S ROUTE. I THOUGHT I WAS AIMING FOR THE HAPPY ENDING asdlfk;lkc

-(didn’t really care for the mother-daughter relationship with Delora and MC, though, because their interactions didn’t feel that way?)

-MC. I haaaated her at first and I hated her even more because I sensed she was going to get an angsty backstory that would justify her behavior. But she was actually really well written and I ended up liking her a lot!

-Emelaigne and Parfait are sweethearts. (also I like that detail with the shadows around Parfait’s eyes)

-wish there was some more diversity in the cast

-Also female love interests! With a little tweaking we could have Delora! Parfait! Jurien! And if we can date Rod, THEN THERE’S NO HECKING REASON WHY WE CAN’T DATE EMELAIGNE TOO

-It would have been nice if the love interests called MC out on her behavior at some point. I mean, we know why she acts that way but they don’t.

-And if they’d talked about her childhood with her…Hildyr was a terrible mother.

-Speaking of Hildyr, wow. Just, wow. I like that she’s not a flat, 100% evil character and that she does genuinely love her daughter (in her own twisted way), but…yeah.

-Mythros is a slimy rat who was probably aiming for Magnificent Bastard status and failed. (I do feel sorry for him, though. And his design looks good. It sorta reminds me of Vincent Phantomhive)

-Also, random: I renamed MC ever time I played the game. I love naming characters so in any game, if you can rename the MC, I always have to change the original name ^^;; I ended up naming her Theodosia once (sorry Burr, I’m sure your daughter’s nicer than the MC), and then Eliza just for how funny it was (because now I associate the name Eliza with Cinnamon Roll Queens and the MC is anything but).

-Delora, MC and Emelaigne are probably my favs. However…

-The Ultimate Fav is the one and only Mr. Broom. Such development. Much complexity. 10/10. Best character ever.

-And now, the characters I ship Queen Luna with (yes, I absolutely HAVE to do this with every one of our shared fandoms): Fritz and Karma :D it would be so cuuute

-I’ll add my opinions on Waltz once I get the time to play his route :)

-TYSM for introducing me to this game, Queen Luna! I had a lot of fun playing it <3

I AM BACK!!  And I’m emotionally drained again XD Too much human interaction for 1 week. I had some friends over, so I was supposed to be the polite host (even though it was actually my mom’s idea to invite them, so I can ‘be more outgoing’.) 

Right, right, and I totally didn’t force my friends to listen to the whole Hamilton soundtrack and then totally didn’t get this close to singing along to everything. Both of us are over it

I’M RUNNING OUT OF TIME. I’M RUNNING, AND MY TIME’S UP WISE UP. EYES UP I CATCH A GLIMPSE OF THE OTHER SIDE.

Same, same. I just have to think a thought that is also a lyric in the musical and I’m back in hell.

Nope, trust me, I was a little shit. Whenever someone tells me stories of baby Luna, I wanna curl up into a ball and die from embarrassment. I’m not even joking when my parents wanted to take me to get tested for ADHD. And then, suddenly, I found the magic of books and you will not get me to move my ass unless my life’s on the line (and even then I’ll reconsider XD)

Ouch… well, most little kids are like that? I mean, I don’t interact with them a lot (we have a mutual dislike for each other :P), but there’s a reason why I don’t like them. They can be adorable and all, but I just don’t have the patience ^^;;;

I think I’d cry of cuteness if I ever saw Evans with little kids, because that sounds absolutely adorable!!! 

Tbh, the thing I have most problems with is the sound of it, because it gets on my nerves so much ;-; 

Still, it’s really nice they make an effort to understand you ^^ I finally told my mom about my idol obsession today,  and I was so happy when she wasn’t weirded out T^T The thing is, I’m so used to people giving me weird look when i so much as mention anime, and idols are a whole new level of that, that I just don’t wanna tell anyone about it. Hell, it took me 2 months to offhandedly mention it to my parents. 

I think Re:Zero has a light novel? I’m not sure, honestly ^^;;;

Dude, you would not like fairy tail AT ALL. It is 98% tasteless fan service, and I was able to tolerate it for the sake of plot, but in the recent chapters, the plot itself has also become really stupid. Like, if a character dies, no one is worried any more, cause we know they’ll be revived 3 pages later. It became really stupid near the end. But, hey, it’s over now.

In summary: HxH is messed up XD I’m still debating watching it… maybe a bit later, or maybe I’ll pick the manga up ^^ 

Art is a very wide term, so I guess you could say both you and Kimblee do have it in common? It’s just up for discussion which form of art XD I must say, I do like you and Scar better though, because I don’t really think Scar would potentially blow you up if you did anything wrong…

Pride, pride! Pika pride!

All enemies would be terrified of him.

IDK LETS JINX IT AS MUCH AS WE CAN SO HOPEFULLY WE END UP IN A JINX THAT KEEPS HIM ALIVE! And omg I honestly don’t remember anymore if it was a fan comic or an actual manga panel, but it makes me wanna cry every time I think of it (I think it was a comic…) But then again, I don’t wanna spoil anything for you (again ;-;). So, have you read what happened to Bertl last?

Seriously, it was so weird ;-; I usually remember all my dreams, so but I usually dream of anime and other fictional characters (help) and things I thought about a lot during the day. Most of my dreams are crazily bizarre. 

Well, I mean, Loki finally had the decency to wash his hair (I’ve waited 3 movies for that), so I’m more than happy about his part XD

Tbh, I’m not into it too much either, but I do enjoy detective/mystery shows, so why not.

WOW. WOW. W O W. I READ THE NEW CHAPTER. JUST ROMA??? SHE’S 51??? WHAT??? ALSO URIE WHAT THE FUCK?? I THOUGHT YOU WERENT GONNA DIE AND YOURE DAMN NEAR THAT. NOT TO MENTION, Y O M O WHYYY IM NOT LETTING MUTSUKI KILL YOMO, HE SHOULD HAVE MORE SKILL THAN THEM AND SHOULD BE ABLE TO TAKE THEM DOWN EASILY. Also, was that a death flag for Touka that I saw?

I have one thing to say.

ONE PUUUUUUUUUNCH

Seriously, I brought the series with me on an USB to rewatch it during the summer XD

Oh, I hope you have fun with it! And don’t worry about not sending asks ^^

GUESS WHO ALMOST CRIED WHEN SHE HEARD YOU WERE PLAYING CP??? ((If you need more than one guess, I’ll be disappointed XD))

I can’t wait for you to play Watlz’s route. That guy is still my favorite, and I still wanna cry when I think of him XD Trust me, there are FEEELS. HE’s also one of my favorite tropes T^T

Don’t worry, I also always get good endings first and then the bad ones (tbh I do the bad ones for the CGs and achievements. I wouldn’t do them otherwise XD)

The art is honestly one of my favorite parts, especially the character designs! Some of the CG is a bit inconsistent, but it’s still admirable, especially for a free game! 

Trust me, the music is absolutely amazing! If you ever want to hear it, there’s a small sound room or something in the settings and you can always listen to it there ^^

I know the history of the whole world s so creative! I honestly never expected MC’s mom to be the witch crystal (forgot the name lol) bearer, but it was a nice twist!

Yep, Rod is a bit predictable, but it’s still a fun route ^^ He’s my 4th favorite, tho…  Or 5th, I honestly can’t decide…

Karma, my darling ;-; Tbh, I’ve always doubted that he was Beauty and the Beast (because it’s my favorite fairytale If i’m gonna be honest :P), but the whole ‘not now’ and ‘running out of time’ (haaaaamilton) thing gave it away.  The ‘Character calls MC a pet name (darling, love, LITTLE STAR (T^T)) is definitely one of my favorite things ever ^^ But I knew Karma was, well, Karma (aka Beautiful Lady) the second he appeared in the alleyway in the prologue. the hair gave it away tbh I think we should meet Llama in the fan disk coming out soon? I really wanna buy that disk XD

Rump is so much more than he seems. I mean, from what I saw in the prologue, he was my lest favourite, but I think he might be 4th? Still not sure if it’s him or Rod… ((also, don’t get me wrong, just because they’re last doesn’t mean I dislike them! It’s just that I like them the least (sounds equally horrible)))

I love Fritz, but I love Varg more, which is why Fritz’s bad end is the worst for me, personally (vaaaaaaaarg). And I was so sad when he erased himself ;-; Why you do that my dear wolf. 

I KNOW I ALMOST SCREAMED WHEN DELORA DIED WHYYYYYYYYY. Idk, in some routes it does feel like mom-daughter somewhat, but then again, i some routes, Delora is more of that sassy friend.

Yep, i mentioned it before, i really like MC’s growth ^^ It’s nice to see her go from total bitch to just slightly bitch XD 

A whole bunch of extra routes were considered, from what I heard, but they simply didn’t have the time or funds to include them…

Mythros is that guy i wanted to feel sorry for, but simply couldn’t. Especially not after waLTZ’S ROUTE. Fuck you, Mythros.

Oh, wow! Poor Eliza and Theodosia hahah Tbh, I always use Luna in otogames because it’s not my real name (so no embarrassment from the characters calling me by my actual name), but since i always, always use Luna on the net, I’ve kinda adopted it as a second name XD

Mr. Broom best boy 1000/10. I want a route for him.

Awe, thanks a lot!  My faves list looks like this: 1. Waltz (still crying) 2. Karma/Varg 3. Fritz (that’s right, Varg is above Fritz, despite being Fritz) 4. Rumpel, actually 5. Rod.

So I am very very happy to be shipped with (technically) both 2nd best hahah

Honestly, I see you with Fritz, bc cinnamon roll and cinnamon roll! He’d always be the one to makee sure you’re not uncomfortable with something and would melt when he saw you with little kids (despite the fact that you were pleading for someone to help you at the moment XD). Also, you can bet this guy will dedicate so much of his free time to watching you pain. HE’d also try to learn how to paint himself, so he could feel closer to you! Also, time to drown Evans in pastries, it doesn’t matter if she likes them or not, Fritz will buy more or less the whole shop so you can try it. He messes up so badly if you come watch his practice. He is dead. He can’t handle the pressure of you watching (even tho I doubt you’d give a flying fuck if he messed up a step or something) and will just turn red, turn around and call for a break.  Also, you can bet this guy is all about head pats. You learn to have a comb with you at all times XD

Enjoy Waltz’s route and the feels! 

Oh, and I also made Aesthetics for some characters, I’ll post them separately, cause they’re on my phone ^^))