#shes like. nya you are on a level i could never dream to be. this guys level is below heels

[destinysbounty]

hello i am here to make you talk about avery more. please answer at least 3 of the following:

what are three(+) songs you think describe avery?

what are three(+) songs you think avery would listen to?

who are the three canon characters she's closest to and why?

who are the three canon characters she dislikes most and why?

what's her favorite animal + has she ever had any pets?

if she existed in a no-powers/modern au, what job would she end up with?

what's her go-to drink at a restaurant? how about with at-home meals?

is she more of a morning person or night person or somewhere in-between?

how tall is she in comparison to the ninja?

if she had to fight one of the ninja, who would she pick and why?

(If anyone would like to see some really good art of the aforementioned OC Avery, alongside @oracleofdiscord's OC Estrella, check it out here!)

Who are the three canon characters she's closest to and why?

Lloyd: Avery is a time traveler from a post-apocalyptic timeline centuries into the future, where all the OG ninja are dead/gone and Lloyd is an old, wizened, and immortal ninja teacher. Future!Lloyd didn't like talking much about his past, not wanting to dwell on painful memories, so until she got thrown into the past Avery didn't even know any of the other ninja even existed in the first place. She had a pretty complicated relationship with future!Lloyd, struggling to connect with him on a deeper level due to both of them putting up emotional walls because of their respective traumas/baggage. But now that she's stuck centuries in the past and Lloyd is the only familiar face left in her life, Avery is making a much more concerted effort to connect with and understand him.

Pixal: Avery was thrown into the past circa s4, so she initially only knew Pixal as "that one AI chick that lives in Zane's head". But during s9, Avery joins the Resistance and becomes really close to the surviving ninja, Pixal especially. Her life lived in a post-apocalyptic future has given her the unique qualifications to know exactly how to survive in the wake of the SoG's insurrection, experience that proves vital to the Resistance's efforts. This put her and Pixal in a position of protecting the others, something that fostered a deep bond between them. Pixal would put up a strong front for Nya and Lloyd, but with Avery should could be vulnerable and open about her grief over "losing" Zane. And in turn, Avery opened up about her own losses and traumas as well. The two of them became extremely close during this time, and although she's never acted on it Avery may or may not be harboring an eensy-teensy crush on Pixal.

Jay: Avery and Jay...understand each other, so to speak. Both of them are victims of Nadakhan, both of them having learned the hard way how he can twist your hopes and dreams against you. Centuries after the Teapot of Tyrahn was lost, Avery foolishly tracked it down and used it to wish for an elemental power of her own (since she was insecure about being future!Lloyd's only student without powers). And since Nadakhan is an asshole, he gave her an incredibly broken power that causes her physical pain every time she uses it. That is to say, she can control/produce a highly corrosive acidic substance, but she isn't immune to its effects. And although she's learned how to control it in a way that minimizes the damage done to her body, it's still left a lot of scars on her hands and arms. Jay sought out her help as part of the Ninja Replacement Team, during which time she confided in him about the origins of her power (while leaving out the time travel stuff). Avery and Jay aren't exactly besties - their personalities are just similar enough for them to find each other extremely annoying - but they do also understand each other's trauma in a way that gives them a very profound connection. It also helps that, like Jay and Nya, Avery also remembers the erased pirate timeline. She would ideally be close to Nya for those same reasons, but the tiger widow venom looks visually very similar to Avery's acid and seeing Nya die from it was extremely disturbing to her. Avery's always been afraid of hurting people with her powers, hence why she tends to push people away, but with Nya that ambiguous fear feels a lot more real.

Who are the three canon characters she dislikes most and why?

Ronin: in the Shadow of Ronin video game, Ronin uses an artifact called the Obsidian Glaive to alter and erase memories, and even create false ones. Although it was destroyed during SoR, someone from Avery's future timeline was able to put it back together. One by one, Avery's friends and fellow students were warped, their minds twisted and manipulated by false memories, with the intent of turning Lloyd's own students against him, until only Avery was left. In fact, it was one of these memory-warped students that actually threw Avery into the past in the first place. During the events of SoR Ronin uses the Obsidian Glaive to give the ninja amnesia, and Nya calls Avery in to help with the situation. The moment she sees it in Ronin's hand, she kinda goes feral on him and tries to acid-splash his face off. Although they're able to keep the peace and work together when the situation calls for it, things are still extremely tense and awkward between the two of them.

Nadakhan: for reasons explained above, Avery really, really doesn't like Nadakhan. Her efforts to defeat him in the future were very similar to Jay's efforts in s6, and the entirety of Skybound absolutely decimates her mental health because of it. Avery doesn't have many fears, but she's absolutely terrified of Nadakhan.

Time Twins: at the end of s7 they got lost in a time stream, and ended up far in the distant future - the same future Avery comes from. They are what caused that world to become a post-apocalyptic wasteland, and also restored the Obsidian Glaive to use against Lloyd and his students. They're the ones who turned Avery's friends against her, which likewise resulted in her getting thrown into the past. But since she never told the ninja about her origins, they didn't think to clue her in to their adventures during s7. When she found out after the fact that they'd fought the Time Twins without her, she got really upset about her missed opportunity. To this day, she still fantasizes about getting her revenge on the Twins.

If she had to fight one of the ninja, who would she pick and why?

As mentioned above, she and Jay are extremely similar - similar personalities, temperaments, traumas, tendencies to cope with humor...but the problem is, they're a bit too similar. And because of this, they are very good at annoying each other. She would fight Jay without hesitation, especially during his late-season uwu softboi era. She can and will throw hands with him at the slightest provocation, and he feels much the same about her.

Thanks for the ask!

[razzle-zazzle]

Five times others noticed something off about Cole + one time it was explained

3083 Words; Coleverlord

Something was wrong with her son.

Lilly couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment she realized it, but something had changed since that disaster of a boating trip. Cole had been more quiet, lately, had been listless and almost eerily pensive at times.

Lilly didn’t like it. It was unnerving.

They never should have gone. It was supposed to be a fun outing for the three of them, a four-hour tour off the west coast alongside some other passengers.

It ended up being a ten-day stay on an uncharted island. It ended up being Lilly in charge of a group of people not quite accustomed to wilderness survival as they waited for rescue to stumble upon them. It ended up being exhausting, and draining, and the exact opposite of a fun outing.

And then they’d finally been found, and finally arrived home—

And now something was wrong with Cole.

It wasn’t what one would expect in this situation, either. Cole wasn’t sick, wasn’t running a fever, nor was he injured—no, it was none of that.

But there had been a drastic change in his behavior, and Lilly didn’t like it. It felt like there was something in her home, something that never should have been let in but had come in anyway, and that something was pitter-patting down the halls with steps eerily similar to her son but just so slightly off.

“Mama?”

Lilly jumped at her son's voice, caught off guard. She was in the kitchen getting herself water and trying to sort through this awful feeling she had. Her seven year old son was standing in the doorway, hand gripping the frame.

Despite the moonlight streaming in through the window onto his face—or maybe because of it—he didn’t seem quite real. Something about the way Cole was holding himself was just… off.

“Yeah?” Lilly shifted uncomfortably under her son’s stare. Something was definitely wrong with this child. Just him standing there in the doorway had the hairs on the back of her neck standing up.

Cole took a step forward. “Had a bad dream.” He murmured.

Lilly set her water on the counter and crossed the kitchen, wrapping her arms around her son despite her instincts telling her to be wary. “Oh, baby, it’s okay,” she lifted him up, bracing him against her hip to hold him more easily. “Do you wanna tell me about it?”

Cole buried his face in Lilly’s shoulder. “Don’t remember.” He mumbled.

Lilly hated that her first instinct here was to set Cole back down again. Hated that, for all that her son was right here and seeking comfort, part of her was convinced it wasn’t him.

Cole was still clinging to her, though, so she returned to the counter to finish her water, holding him close the entire time.

She’d have to tell Wu about all of this, about this unsettled feeling she had, but—

That could wait until the morning.

+=+=+=+=+

Cole had a really weird presence.

Jay didn’t really mind that Cole could sometimes be a little… off. Cole was Cole. Besides, Zane was also weird, but he was no less their brother; the same applied to Cole.

But for how sweet Cole could be, there was still something… unsettling about him. Something that had Jay’s arms erupt into goosebumps whenever Cole was around. And that was after several months of knowing the guy—when they’d first met, Jay couldn’t even look at Cole without his stomach tying up in knots.

It probably wasn’t really anything to worry about, but Jay couldn’t help but wonder why Cole had such disconcerting vibes. And it wasn’t the same as Zane’s uncanniness, because at least when Zane acted uncanny it didn’t put Jay on edge the way Cole sometimes did.

Jay knew Cole… or maybe he only thought he knew Cole. He was probably just being paranoid, but he couldn’t help but wonder sometimes.

He really hoped he was just being paranoid.

+=+=+=+=+

Cole was certainly… odd.

But that was fine. Zane was odd, too. They were both a little odd, but their family still loved them for it.

Sure, Cole’s tendency to occasionally stare westward was unusual, but Cole was Cole. It was when Zane started keeping track of it that things got… interesting.

As they traveled around searching for the Fang Blades, Zane noticed that Cole didn’t stare exactly westward. Rather, it seemed that the angle changed depending on the latitude, as though Cole was looking towards a certain location in particular rather than just out west in general.

So Zane conducted an experiment. Whenever he noticed Cole zoning out to stare west, he tracked the location and angle as best as he could.

Zane collected this data over the course of several days. When he was finally satisfied and had the free time to do so, he found himself a map, a ruler, a marker, and a compass.

It was time to record the data.

“Hey, Zane,” Jay greeted as he came into the room, “Watcha doing?”

“Recording data.” Zane responded, another crisp line appearing under his steady hand.

Jay came over to look at the map over Zane’s shoulder. “Kinda looks like you’re just drawing lines on a map, buddy.”

“That is what I am doing, yes.” Zane drew another line, extending it out until it intersected with the first. Since Jay was still watching, Zane elaborated, “I am marking down the directions of Cole’s… ‘trances’, as it were.”

Jay hummed consideringly. “Looks like they all converge at a certain point.”

Zane nodded. “Yes, it seems they do.” He added the final line, then capped the marker and set it and the ruler aside to survey his work.

Ten lines, crisp and neat, from ten different starting positions. Ten lines that all converged on the same point off the west coast.

There was nothing at those coordinates other than ocean, at least, there was nothing on the map. It was very puzzling.

“Wait.” Jay pointed at a small island just a few degrees north of the intersection. “What’s that?”

It was the only charted island for miles. Small, nondescript, and uninhabited. But it was also the closest thing to the intersection, and probably their best bet for answers outside of directly asking Cole.

“I’ll have to look into it.” Zane made a mental note to do just that as he stood up and began to fold the map.

Jay grabbed everything else. “Here, I’ll help.”

Zane nodded. “Thank you.”

+=+=+=+=+

Nya liked to think she was good at noticing the little details.

And she was! Whether it be the small details of her mech’s innards or the little things her brother did when he was stressed, Nya was really good at noticing small details.

Which was probably why she had noticed so many odd things about Cole. To be fair, a lot of things Cole did or said were just plain odd—and there was nothing wrong with that—but there were some things he did that just… felt off, sometimes.

So yeah. Nya noticed the small things, paid close attention to the boys and their habits and their moods. Paid attention to the small details of their faces, like the way Jay’d stick out his tongue when he was concentrating, or how Zane’s brow would furrow when he was deep in thought; how Kai’s eyes crinkled when he smiled—

And how Cole’s eyes seemingly changed color every so often, for seemingly no reason. How that dusty, tawny brown that looked so much like the sunbaked earth around the shop could suddenly shift into a deep violet. How sometimes it almost looked like his eyes were glowing in certain lighting. How it definitely wasn’t a trick of the light, no, his eyes definitely changed color.

Which was probably not normal.

Then again, their sensei was technically part dragon and had slitted pupils, so maybe Cole’s magical color-changing eyes weren’t that out there.

It was just a little unnerving, to look at Cole expecting those gentle eyes and see foreboding violet. Almost like there was something else there, something lurking behind those eyes. Something that shouldn’t be trusted.

But Nya didn’t like to think that way about Cole, so she just noted that his eyes changed color sometimes and moved on with her day.

She had more important things to stress about.

+=+=+=+=+

Kai didn’t like this.

There were a lot of things about this island that Kai didn’t like, but the way Cole had been acting since it rose was most definitely on the top of the list.

Cole was always pretty weird. And that was fine! What was unsettling was that he was acting differently from how he usually did.

First, they sail out to this random little island in the middle of the ocean because Garmadon somehow managed to get himself marooned out here, and was demanding they come and pick him up. Then, Cole disappears into the jungle with Jay and they trigger something that makes the island rise, revealing it to be some big evil mega island from Misako’s old texts. It didn’t help that Cole didn’t seem at all bothered by this.

Ever since then, Misako and Wu and Garmadon had been furiously discussing whether to stay and explore or leave immediately, and Kai was pretty sure Misako still had her weird grudge against Cole because he’d overheard her calling him a “problem” again, so Kai was staying away from that argument.

And so the ninja were cautiously poking around the edges of the jungle after having moved the Bounty back out to the new coast, and Cole—

He wasn’t acting like Cole.

He’d been muttering, too quiet to make out any of the words, and he’d go silent if you came closer. He stared into the jungle a lot, sometimes zoning out so bad that not even Jay’s bad jokes could snap him out of it.

All in all, Kai was very unnerved. And an unnerved Kai was an angry one, snapping at anyone who came near.

His stress levels weren’t helped by the fact that last he’d seen Cole, he and Lloyd had been wandering into the jungle. Kai had followed, but he’d lost track of them what seemed like hours ago.

So now the whole group was on an island Misako didn’t want to be anywhere near, Cole was acting like he was possessed and had disappeared with Lloyd for unknown reasons, and Kai was lost in the jungle.

“Amazing! Incredible!” Kai kicked at the dirt at his feet, “Oh, this is just perfect!” He had no idea how to get back. Great. Fucking wonderful.

The jungle had no response for his tantrum, just a few faint bird calls and wind rustling the leaves.

Kai huffed. He wasn’t going to be finding Cole and Lloyd anytime soon, so he should probably try to get back to the beach and tell everyone else what he knew. Of course, being lost would put a damper on it, but Kai was reasonably sure he could figure out where he was.

He looked at the trees surrounding him.

He just needed a little more height.

+=+=+=+=+

Lloyd was pretty sure they were lost.

When he voiced this concern, however, Cole just replied with a chipper “oh no, we’re definitely getting closer!” that wasn’t reassuring in the least. So Lloyd continued to trudge through the jungle after Cole, hoping he’d at least get an explanation for why Cole felt the need to drag him along to… wherever they were heading.

Another leaf smacked Lloyd in the face. “Are you certain we’re not lost?” He asked once more. “Because I’m pretty sure I’ve seen the same tree more than four times already.”

Cole didn’t say anything, just took Lloyd’s hand to help him up a small ledge. They continued their little trek, the jungle slowly thinning out and becoming a mountain.

“It’s just up here.” Cole said. He’d been unusually quiet up until this point.

Lloyd looked up at the rock face that Cole was suggesting he climb and groaned. But Cole was already ascending, so Lloyd swallowed his complaints and got to climbing. It was strenuous and sweaty and exhausting and if Cole was only dragging him up here to show him a killer view or some shit then Lloyd was going to scream, but he’d let himself be led out this far so he was going to climb all the way to the top, dammit.

Gasping and aching in ways that shouldn’t be possible, Lloyd hauled himself up onto the top, flopping over onto his back to catch his breath. Why did killer views have to be so hard to get to?

Cole was already moving, striding towards whatever he’d wanted to show Lloyd. Lloyd blearily turned his head towards Cole, not prepared to see anything in particular—

Oh.

That was definitely… something.

A big metal… thing sat proudly atop the stone, with a whole bunch of gears and rings and big metal balls on the end of rods like some mad scientist’s evil machine or something.

Lloyd pushed himself up into a sitting position while Cole approached the metal abomination. “Am I gonna get an explanation, or… ?”

Cole stopped, still facing towards the Big Metal Thing. “It’s the Celestial Clock.” He said quietly. “It’s supposed to count down to the final battle.” Now that he said it, Lloyd could see something that looked vaguely clock-like near the center of the rings.

Lloyd frowned. “It doesn’t seem to be doing a whole lot of counting down.” Which was a relief. Lloyd would like the final battle to maybe just not happen, please and thanks.

“Yeah.” Cole stepped forwards, tracing his hand gently along one of the rings as he moved towards the center of it. “Because it hasn’t been activated yet.” He stopped at the center and put his hands on a helmet Lloyd hadn’t noticed before. “But if you remove the Helmet of Shadows…”

Lloyd stood up very fast. “Uh, Cole, what—”

“Do you trust me?” Cole’s voice cut through the air like a knife. Lloyd stopped where he stood.

“Lloyd.” Cole still didn’t turn around, “Do you trust me?”

“I—” What was the right answer here? What was Lloyd supposed to do?

“Yeah, I—I trust you.”

Cole picked up the helmet and stepped back, his back still to Lloyd. With a grind and a groan, the clock started moving. “Then you won’t worry about this.”

“But the final battle—”

“Isn’t happening.” Cole snarled. “The clock is going to run down and nothing will happen because there isn’t going to be a final battle. We are not fighting.”

Lloyd took a step back. Okay, this was definitely starting to cross the line into Not Okay. “Cole?”

All the tenseness in Cole’s shoulders dissolved. “I’m sorry.” He murmured. “You’re not talking to Cole right now.”

At that, Cole—or rather, Not-Cole?—turned around, helmet still cradled in his hands. His eyes were a brilliant, glowing violet—no iris, no pupil, just pure, deep violet that had Lloyd’s instincts screaming at him to flee from.

Immediately, Lloyd assumed a defensive stance. “What are you? What did you do to Cole?” He demanded, green lighting in his hands.

Not-Cole laughed, an eerie, broken sound. “Relax, Lloyd, I don’t intend to hurt you.” It took a step forward, but stopped when Lloyd stepped back. “Or did you not hear me when I declared that there would be no final battle?”

“You better start explaining,” Lloyd snarled, “Right now.”

Not-Cole nodded. “That is why I brought you up here, yes.” He sat down, helmet still in his lap, and gestured for Lloyd to do the same.

Lloyd dropped the stance, but stayed standing.

Not-Cole sighed. “Alright, let’s start with an introduction. I am the being known as the Overlord. I came about not long after the First Master created Ninjago, as a counterbalance to his light and order.”

Lloyd processed this, turning it over in his head. “Okay.”

The Overlord nodded, then continued. “The First Master and I engaged in a battle for control of Ninjago. What was going to be a stalemate turned in my favor when I created the Stone Army, so the First Master split Ninjago in half and sunk my half, leaving me bound to it.” It traced Cole’s hands along the edges of the helmet, gaze fixed on Lloyd.

Lloyd frowned. “So, what, you possessed Cole when we got here? Is that it?”

It chuckled. “You’re correct, but your timing is off. My vessel first arrived on this island years and years ago, when a freak stroke of luck resulted in a ship washing up here.” Cole—no, the Overlord—sighed wistfully. “I wanted off this island. My vessel was sympathetic enough to let me in.”

Lloyd tensed. “So you’ve been controlling Cole for years, then.”

“No.” Cole said, eyes suddenly back to their normal brown. “We share this body.”

“Cole.” Lloyd put his hands on Cole’s shoulders. “Are you really, truly okay with this?”

Cole nodded, sincerity in his eyes. “Made It promise not to fight you.” He muttered.

And then his eyes were violet, though not the fully obvious, solid violet of moments before. Just the irises.

“There won’t be a final battle.” It said, “That clock will count down to nothing.” It stood up, still holding the helmet. “And nothing will happen.”

Lloyd walked over, standing beside It. “How can you be so sure?”

“My vessel was never supposed to end up on this island. I was never supposed to leave it. And look at us now, sharing a single body.” It strode forwards, Cole’s arms spreading out to the sides in an sweeping gesture as It stared out into the landscape below them. “Destiny has been defied once.” It turned towards Lloyd, extending a hand. “So why bow to such a shitty destiny if you don’t have to? Why submit yourself to a fight none of us want when it’s not even necessary?”

It gestured towards the clock, which was still ticking down. “Just wait. Nothing will happen when the clock hits zero, because there won’t be a final battle. Destiny has no power over us.”

Lloyd watched the clock tick down for a moment, processing what the Overlord was telling him. Could he really trust it?

But then he remembered his father telling him that he was proud of Lloyd, as well as all the things his dad tried in order to stop the prophecy from coming true.

“Alright.” Lloyd made his decision.

“Let’s defy destiny.”

[miraculous-ninjabird]

Posting this older work at the request of @rosiehunterwolf

No I don't have anything else context wise for you, sorry

No Working Title

Rating: T for swearing and tw

This is Angst.

TW for: panic attack, mentions of pain/injury, mentions of body modification

Word count: 1862

Summary: Lloyd wakes up after a dangerous showdown with his father that ended badly. Something isn't right, he knows it. He's just not sure what. It doesn't help he can't remember what happened

The first thing that Lloyd becomes aware of is the pleasant sound of singing. The melody is unfamiliar, but soothing. It reminds him of a memory he can’t quite fully grasp. Just a fuzzy feeling of warmth, and safety. It’s a feeling he feels the need to cling to with all his might. A large part of him wants nothing more than to stay just like this.

Another, smaller, part of him is telling him he should do...something. But he is tired. So incredibly tired. He would much rather stay as he is, comfortable and listening to the unfamiliar song.

If he had been in charge, he would have stayed as he was forever. Unfortunately, his mind was being incredibly uncooperative and it was becoming harder and harder to focus. There was still something… Lloyd tries desperately to remember what it is. His brain short circuits and in the end he gives up, allowing the music to lull him back to sleep.

When Lloyd comes to for the second time, he is more aware. Soft voices are arguing above him. A throbbing pain makes itself known to him, pressing behind his eye. He makes an attempt to blink, and instantly regrets the choice. Doing so causes the pain to morph from something moderately uncomfortable into a white hot searing sensation that, for a terrifying moment, completely overtakes him. It starts to fade quickly enough, but it leaves him uncomfortable and upset. In an effort to distract himself, he focuses on the conversation above him.

“Please. It’s been three days. You have to take care of yourself Kai,”

“It’s at least partially my fault this happened. I’m not leaving until I know he’s gonna be okay,”

“I’m not going to get into the fault argument since we’ve already been there. But we know he’s stable. I’ll be here the entire time. Nothing is going to happen. Just six hours. Sleep, eat, shower.”

“I can sleep and eat without having to leave,” Kai counters weakly. Even in his hazy state, Lloyd could hear the exhaustion in his voice.

“We both know you won’t do either of those things.” Nya pushes gently. “I can count on one hand the number of times you’ve left that chair for something other than the bathroom in the last week. That’s not good for him or you. You won’t be any help to Lloyd, now or when he wakes up, if you can't at the very least take care of yourself. The last thing we need is both of you out of commission.”

There was a pause, followed by Kai grumbling his agreement. Lloyd struggles with himself, making an effort to do anything to let Kai know that he was here. A movement. A sound. Anything to reassure Kai that he is here. He feels himself slipping back into unconsciousness. He tries to fight it, but as the soft singing from before resumes, he knows he’s lost. Barely a moment passes before he sinks into the darkness once again.

When he comes around for the third time, he is actually able to open his eyes. He is once again met with a stabbing pain, but this time it is more bearable. Blinking slowly, his vision begins to come into focus. Something about it was off but he couldn’t quite put a finger on it. All he knew is it was making it difficult to think and even harder to focus. The harsh lights do little to help.

The room he’s in is unfamiliar. Sparsely decorated with dull grey walls, there isn’t really much to look at. An empty chair is placed next to the bed with a blanket folded neatly across the back. There is a sink in one corner, and another door leading to what he assumes is a bathroom. He is alone.

As Lloyd struggles to push himself into a sitting position, the door slides open. Nya steps in, steaming mug gripped tightly in her hand. She looks up, starting in shock when she sees Lloyd. The mug slips from her grasp, shattering on the ground. She hardly seems to care as she rushes to his side.

“Lloyd!” She cries. “You’re awake? Since when? How are you feeling? Is there anything I can get for you?”

“Urghhhhhhh,” He groans, not quite able to quite form a coherent thought. Nya pauses her questions, seemingly realizing Lloyd wasn’t ready for that yet. Strong arms reach out, helping to settle him into a comfortable upright position. The lights are still too bright. He presses his hands into his eyes in an attempt to relieve the pain. It feels wrong, in a way. The skin under his one hand feels far too cool and strangely...metallic? That couldn’t be right. He must be imagining things.

“Is something wrong?” Nya taps his hand gently, bringing his focus back to her.

“Lights,” he murmurs.

“Oh! Let me fix that…” she gasps. There is some shuffling and the lights dim to a more acceptable level. He lowers his hands and squints. This he could deal with.

“Better?” She asks, and Lloyd nods. Nya gives him a smile. “How long have you been awake?”

“Since...a minute or two ago?” He blinks rapidly as one half his vision blurs strangely, almost like tv static. “Something is wrong with my eye. I can’t quite...I don’t know. It’s all blurry and weird.”

Nya’s smile drops instantly. She reaches out, grabbing both of his hands, fixing him with an intensely worried look.

“Lloyd, how much do you remember?” She presses gently. Lloyd racks his brain.. He remembers going to visit his dad, but the events afterwards are a terrifying blank.

“I...I don’t know,” he whispers. “I can’t remember anything from after I got there.”

Nya lets out a soft ‘oh’. The look on her face tells him there is something he should be remembering.

“Not to scare you or anything but…” She steps away, retrieving a hand mirror from the sink and handing it to him. Lloyd takes it, looks, and immediately drops it. He stares at the wall for a moment before hesitantly picking the mirror back up, studying the reflection.

“What the fuck. What is that? Nya. Tell me right now that I’m imagining things. Fuck. This can’t be real,” Instead of two completely normal matching human eyes, he has...whatever this is supposed to be. His left eye is now entirely black except the iris, which glows an eerie green color. Matching green lines etch the side of his face, extending up into his hairline and across his cheek. WHY DOES HIS EYE LOOK LIKE THAT? What the fuck happend to him?

As he stares, his vision once again starts to blur. Panic surges through him as he realizes what he is looking at. He has a robot eye. An honest to god robot eye that he has no memory of whatsoever. Someone had cut his eye out and replaced it with this monstrosity. Why can’t he REMEMBER?! Desperately he tries to recall something. Anything really. He comes back with nothing. Just one giant empty blank. There had to be something. You don’t just wake up one day with a robot eye and not remember it.

Out of nowhere, a thought strikes him. His eye. It looks just like Zane’s had. The lines carved across his face look just like the ones running up and down Skylor’s arm. The glowed the same shade as everything in his father’s stupid base. Did that mean…?

An uncomfortable constricting feeling takes root in his chest and he lets out a strangled gasp. No no nonononononono this couldn’t be happening. Stupid stupid stupid! He would never...but his dad. His thoughts begin to spiral as he desperately tries to stop himself from piecing things together. He no longer wants to know. Don’t think. Don’t remember. It’s too much. It’s all too much.

“Lloyd. Breath,” Nya’s voice cuts through his panicked haze. As she speaks, he becomes aware of the fact he has not, in fact, been breathing. He takes a gasping, shuddering breath. His lungs don’t like that and he devolves into a fit of coughing. The mirror is plucked from his grasp and firm hands squeeze his arms with just enough force to drag his mind back to the real world. Nya speaks again.

“Look at me.” He obeys, turning his gaze on her. She opens her arms, a silent gesture. Lloyd doesn’t hesitate, flinging himself at her with what limited strength he has left and pressing into her. With a start, he realizes that he is crying.

“You’re scared. I would be too. I wish I could tell you it was all a dream,” She murmurs softly. “This is undoubtedly strange and scary for you. There’s no avoiding it.”

Strange and scary? Life altering and utterly terrifying seemed more appropriate terms. Waking up missing part of his memories wasn’t a thing he really knew how to handle. Unexpectedly becoming part android was not something he was equipped to handle. Theorizing his father was responsible was NOT something he wanted to even think about handling. Not in the slightest. How was he supposed to move on from this?

Nya seemed to sense he was spiraling. Maybe the fact he has started to tremble uncontrollably had given it away

“Hey, hey. I wasn’t finished. You may be experiencing something horrible, but you aren’t alone. I’m here. Kai is here. The others are all here. Whatever happens. We are here to support you.” Nya pulls him tighter, pressing a light kiss to his forehead.

Lloyd doesn’t really know what to say. There isn’t really anything he can say. He finds himself clinging to her like she is a lifeline. His head is throbbing, and he finds himself feeling drained. Nya’s arms are warm and comfortable, but it’s not enough to drive off the fear. It clings to him, worming its way into every dark corner of his mind. He wants to scream, but the best he can get is a choked sob.

In response, Nya starts to hum. Lloyd recognizes the tune immediately. It was the same one from before. He latches onto the sound with everything he has. The effect was almost instantaneous. When focused on the soft notes, the panic fades to the background. It was still there, but more manageable than before. Slowly but surely, he starts to feel like he can breathe again. His whole body relaxes into Nya’s embrace. Maybe if they could just stay like this...

It’s only a few minutes before Nya hears the soft sound of snoring. Looking down, she sees that exhaustion has won out and Lloyd has once again slipped into unconsciousness. That was a relief. She’d screwed that up big time. Next time he woke, she would make sure to tread more carefully. And when Kai came in to relieve her, she would have to make sure to update him on the situation. He would undoubtedly be mad, but she wasn’t about to leave a panicking Lloyd to go wake him up. Looks like things were going to be far more complicated than they’d originally thought...

[morromasterofwind]

free as the wind

Holy cow! Due to personal reasons, it’s been over a year since I have wrote anything Ninjago related. Glad to be back. I think I’ve done this sort of concept before, but never really liked the execution of it. So, because “screw the rules” and “we make them”, I did it again. I felt Inspired™ and went with it. It is a peek into Morro’s head between S5’s ending and DOTD. Summary: Who was he, really? Guess he had all the time in the world left now to figure it out.

AO3 Version

(Fic below cut)

Sometimes, he wondered what made him so different from the ninja or from Lloyd. He didn’t really deserve to be with them or have what they did, anyway. Not after everything. Maybe that’s it. Maybe that’s why it hurt to see them with Wu. Maybe that was why he feared them. Why he envied them.

Really, it’s a dumb question to ask.

He just considers himself fortunate to be freed of the Cursed Realm. How was it even decided that he would go there after he died? Since when was ambition a crime against humanity? He was a child. He just wanted to get out of those caves and go back home. He never wanted to die alone.

You could argue his second experience with death was far more warranted. He probably wouldn’t debate you. He leveled a village. He stole someone’s body and, essentially, tortured them. What he did in death as a result of his ambition was far worse than anything he’d done in life. It was hard. It was so hard. He wanted to acknowledge his misdeeds. He knew, somehow, that what he’d done was not justified. But the justifications still ran rampant in his mind. He couldn’t get rid of them.

This was Wu’s fault. If he hadn’t opened his mouth, I wouldn’t have ever had to believe I was more than some kid who lived on the street. More than a person who would never amount to anything and would always be looked over. Someone who lived with the trash. Who lived off of the scraps in it. Who meant nothing and would be remembered by nobody. I wouldn’t have died before I could really live. I wouldn’t have been cursed and subjected to the excruciating years with The Preeminent.

But you don’t believe that. Wu gave you enough of a purpose. He helped you stay alive and gave you everything. He made you the master of the wind. You would have never known your own power and strength without him. But you never really did know, did you? You were too busy chasing someone else’s. You got greedy. You tossed aside yourself because that wasn’t good enough. When faced with the reality of who you were, you didn’t like it. You wanted to be something...someone...else. What did Lloyd even do to you, other than exist?

He couldn’t fully accept either view. He wondered if he’d ever settle on a “truth” and stick with it. He wondered if he’d ever have a place where he belonged. Somewhere to call home. The monastery wasn’t for him. The Cursed Realm wasn’t, either. Would the Departed Realm be? Probably not.

But that’s just like him, isn’t it? The wind. It never stays in one place. Sometimes, it’s soft. Others, it rages and makes itself known.

Come to think of it, the ninja were also like their elements. What he knew of them from Lloyd and his own experiences, at least. Cole was the foundation their team stood on. The earth. Kai was passionate and ignited that in his team during their worst moments. Not smothered out easily. Persistent. Fire. Jay kept his team on their toes and also lit up the dark...just in a different way. His excitement was contagious. He was a bit silly, yes. But underestimate and assume too little of his abilities, and he’d strike with a vengeance. Lightning. Zane was cold and unforgiving towards his enemies, but just the refresher his team needed to take away the heat of battle. Ice. And his...least...favorite...because she scared him...Nya. She was versatile and incredibly quick to adapt to any situation. Fluid like water. Maybe destiny wasn’t too crazy after all.

There’s something else that he forgot his beloved wind was: free. If this was the role he was bestowed after all, then he refused to let anything dictate who he was and the direction he would travel from now on. Not his doubt. Not The Preeminent. He’d never be the type to submit to destiny, because it could never hope to contain him. Not in its wildest dreams.

But maybe, just maybe, he could work with it.

[gwenbrightly]

Never A Perfect Moment pt3

Finally finished this bohemoth of a fic... Enjoy some Kailor this fine evening!

“You’re sure the flowers aren’t too much?” Kai questioned, fiddling with his hair (for what must have been the hundredth time in the past five minutes). He stared at his reflection as though it could provide the answers he sought. His visit to the hospital had to be perfect. If he messed this up... he’d never forgive himself. From the doorway, Nya shot him a bemused look. How he could be so confident sometimes, yet act like a total wreck now, would always be a mystery to her. She gave her answer, slipping into the cramped bathroom to stand next to him,

“She’ll love them.”

“What about my hair? Does it look okay?” he reached for the hair gel, but his sister rolled her eyes and used her good hand to swat him away from it.

“You look fine. Leave it alone before you end up looking like some sort of rabid porcupine.” Ugh. What was it with people comparing his hair to animals?

“You could always be like Jay and just… not bother to style it at all…” Lloyd’s suggestion floated in from nearby.

“Hey!” the master of lightning cried indignantly, “I’ve been home less than a week and this is how I’m treated?! That was a low blow, greenie…”

“I missed you, I promise. But seriously, you need a haircut or something.” Lloyd told him, earning a glare. They probably all needed one, if they were being totally honest.

“Somehow, I doubt your commentary is helping Kai.” Zane observed.

“Probably not… Honestly, Kai, you gotta stop psyching yourself out over this.” Cole added, joining the conversation. Over the past few days, Kai had questioned the wisdom of being so open about his feelings for Skylor several times (even if it had really been mostly due to his panic over nearly losing her). The others had become surprisingly invested in it, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about it. Giving up on retrieving the hair gel from Nya, he joined the others in the living room.

“Says the guy who’s more interested in food than girls.” he mumbled, seating himself on the couch.

“Pft… I just haven’t found someone who appreciates cake as much as I do.” the master of earth insisted. The others shared a look.

“Either way, Cole does have a point. You and Skylor have been through a lot together. Surely this can’t be any worse?” Zane offered, giving Kai a comforting pat.

“Indeed. It’s obvious you two are meant for each other!” agreed Pixal. He calmed at this, knowing she didn’t say such things lightly. Not since she had come to realize the full effects of the perfect match incident. The nindroid had felt terrible about the heartache caused by her actions, often keeping her observations about her family’s love lives to herself.

“Thanks, you guys. I dunno why I’m so stressed out over this.” Admitted Kai with a sigh.

“Everyone feels a little nervous when they tell the person they love about their feelings for them,” Nya told him, “it’s a big step.”

“Just be yourself, and be honest, and everything will work out just fine... I learned that the hard way.” Jay piped up. Having experienced his fair share of hiccups when it came to his romance with Nya, he knew that the master of fire needed to hear this advice. His girlfriend nodded in agreement.

“You got this.”

“Definitely!” Lloyd encouraged.

“Heck yeah I do,” The master of fire said, confidence growing, “Now where are the keys?”

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

“You have a visitor, Miss Chen.” the voice of Marc, one of the nurses frequently tasked with caring for Skylor, called softly, his voice seeping into the rather bizarre dream the master of amber was currently having. A bright red porcupine vaguely resembling Kia was battling snakes made from living noodles. Bits of chow mein flew everywhere with each chop slash. The scene faded away once she registered that the person calling to her actual existed and wasn’t just a figment of her imagination. What a confusing dream… where had that even come from?

“Huh?” she replied with a pained groan, struggling to prop herself up on her pillows and wishing she could just go back to sleep. Exhaustion was hardly a new concept for the master of amber, but she was pretty sure she’d discovered a new peak level of tiredness that hadn’t existed up to a few days ago. The drug induced haze she’d been experiencing had finally worn off, leaving her with a deep-rooted lack of energy, and memories of unrelenting pain that continued linger even now that she was on the road to recovery. And an abnormally overactive imagination, it seemed.

“Your ninja friend is here to see you again.” Marc explained, distracting her from any further desire to question her strange subconscious, “Do you want me to leave you two alone?”

“Oh... um... Yeah, that would probably be… good.” Skylor replied, cringing inwardly. She’d been dreading this moment since she first became lucid enough for him to describe the events of Kai’s previous visit. While the nurse hadn’t been present for everything that occurred, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know what else she might’ve let slip.

“Hey.” the master of fire greeted awkwardly from the doorway.

“Hey...” she murmured back, smiling weakly.

“I, uh, brought you some flowers…” he stated, holding out a rather large bouquet as he approached her bed.

“Wow… thanks, Kai… That was really sweet of you!” the redhead commented appreciatively. Kai placed them on the table next to her and pulled up the nearest chair.

“I figured you could use something to brighten this place up a bit.” this hospital room was anything but homey.

“It was definitely needed…” Skylor agreed. Having been raised in the colorful environment of her father’s island had given her an appreciation for beauty, if nothing else (years of trauma and manipulation aside). She’d quickly grown tired of staring at the stark, clinical whiteness of her surroundings. It would be a relief to return to the comforting warmth of her apartment once she was finally well enough to escape from this place.

“So…. How are you?” he asked quietly, glancing at her face, which was still far paler than it should’ve been, “I mean, you look much better than the last time I saw you but...”

“I’m… healing, I guess?” she said with a small shrug, relaxing onto her pillows a bit, “There’s still some pain, and I’m so exhausted that I feel like I could sleep for the next 50 years... But I feel way better now than I did for a while, there…”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah. I never want to go through anything like that again…” Skylor told her companion. Absorbing Garmadon’s powers had been a terrible idea in hindsight, even if it had saved her friends. Nothing could have prepared her for the resulting pain and illness.

“I can’t blame you. It was all pretty horrible… Finding you in such bad shape? Was terrifying... We – I was so scared I was gonna lose you…” admitted Kai, sobering. They were quiet for a moment as memories of the events leading up to this day washed over them. This really had been a close call. Skylor shakily reached out, catching one of Kai’s hands with her own. Giving it a squeeze, she broke the silence.

“H-hey now, you can’t get rid of me that easily… but thanks. For everything. The doctors say if you hadn’t acted so quickly, things might’ve ended very differently. I… I’m glad you made it back okay.”

He returned the squeeze without hesitation.

“Me too, Sky. The thought of never seeing Nya, or Lloyd, or Pix, or you again was… unthinkable – there was never a doubt in my mind that I…. I had to get home somehow… There were so many things I never got to say, and I couldn’t just...”

“Give up?” she finished for him. He nodded.

“I know how you feel. Seeing the Bounty being crushed on live TV nearly broke me... it was devastating to think I’d lost so many people I cared about in one awful go. I came so close to just... losing hope completely, but then, sitting there in my apartment, waiting for the nightmare to just be over... I realized that if you were strong enough to go through losing your parents, your brother, and your master, all at different times, and still come out of it okay in the end...” Skylor’s voice cracked as she spoke, “I could face this, too. Even if it felt like I had lost everything. Because that’s what you’d have wanted me to do. And somewhere out there, Lloyd and Nya were hurting just as much as I was.”

Fingers still intertwined with hers, Kai gave the redhead’s hand another squeeze.

“Wow - I didn’t realize... C-can I ask you a question?” the master of fire asked tentatively.

“Of course.” she answered. Inhaling deeply, he looked into her eyes searchingly, and began to speak.

“The other day when I was here, you were a little out of it, but... you said that you were in love with me-”

“I - yes. I am. Have been for... Well, pretty much since we first met, actually. And I wanted to tell you. I was just...” Skylor interrupted, frantically praying this wouldn’t backfire on her.

“Waiting for the right moment?” he suggested, with a sheepish smile, “Yeah, I... I’m in love with you, too, Skylor. So if you were worried that maybe I was just joking that time back on your father’s island... I wasn’t then, and I’m not now.”

The master of fire scooted as close to her bed as he could before continuing.

“I was scared of messing things up for so long that I nearly missed the chance to tell you how I felt completely. But now? I just wanna be with you. I wanna talk to you on the phone until 3am and drive everyone else crazy with all our obnoxious inside jokes! I wanna go out with you and not be too much if a coward to call it a date and bring you flowers whenever I happen to be near the restaurant! I love you, Sky, and I’m so sorry it took me such a long time to tell you that to your face.”

“You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that.” the redhead replied, eyes bright. She looked so happy it made Kai’s heart burst with affection. Gently, he used his thumbs to wipe away the tears that had gathered in her eyes.

“Mmm. Actually, I’m probably sure I actually do,” he insisted, voice thick, “Meeting you was one of the best things that’s ever happened to me... And I kinda just really wanna kiss you now…”

“Oh? Well, what’s stopping you?” Skylor inquired, looking at him in a way he’d never seen before.

“Absolutely nothing.” he replied, emphasizing each word as he leaned in. She laughed as she met him halfway.

“Wow... I should’ve done that a long time ago.” Kai mumbled against her lips when they finally parted again. The redhead hummed quietly in agreement.

“Soo... I guess we’re together now?”

“Yep. It’s official. You’re stuck with me.” he said with a grin. She lightly punched his shoulder. They smiled at each, still only inches apart.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” she replied before kissing him again.

___________________________________________________________________

Day by day, Skylor’s health flourished, as did her relationship with Kai. He visited her whenever he could, staying for several hours; the rest of her ninja family, along with June and Chad also visited multiple times, ensuring that she was never bored or lonely while stuck in her dreary hospital room. Flowers, stuffed animals, and boxes of candy brightened her surroundings, though she eventually had to insist that Kai stop bringing her gifts every time he showed up. Their first date was a trip to the hospital cafeteria on the day the doctors deemed the master of amber strong enough to leave her bed. The hamburgers and fries weren’t perfect, and neither were Kai’s increasingly cheesy pickup lines, but after having waited so long to simply be together, neither of them cared. They stayed there, laughing hysterically over dumb stories, and tossing fries into each other’s mouths (and missing a large fraction of the time) until one of Skylor’s nurses finally came to drag her back to her room, insisting that she needed her rest. She slept better that night than she had in a long time.

Finally, the date of her release from the hospital rolled around, and not a moment too soon. Skylor was beyond ready to finally go home. To say she had gone a bit stir crazy wouldn’t have been a lie. Sitting on her bed, the suitcase June had brought her already packed, she smiled when her phone vibrated, signaling an incoming text.

Kai: Hey, stranger! Just pulled into the parking garage!

Skylor: Can’t wait to see you, fire boy :)

Kai: Be up before you know it!

The redhead leaned backwards and stared up at the ceiling, sighing happily as she read her boyfriend’s messages. It felt so good to know to know with absolute certainty that Kai loved her. And that she’d be leaving this place in a few short minutes. True to his word, the master of fire quickly arrived outside her room.

“Guess who?” he sang, swinging the door open. Skylor scrambled off her bed, greeting him with a soft kiss.

“Hey, Kai.”

“Hi. You look good today.” Kai complimented holding her at arm's length. She rolled her eyes.

“I mean, I'm in desperate need of a shower, and look like I haven’t seen the sun in years, but I'll take it.”

“So, you ready to get oughtta here?” the master of fire asked, grabbing the suitcase.

“Please,” Skylor told him, “if I never see this place again, it’ll be too soon.”

“Alrighty then. Let’s get you signed out before the doctors change their minds.”

“Good plan.” She stated, following him out the door and into the hallway. Jen, the nurse who practically lived at the front desk, already had the release forms ready for Skylor when the duo reached the waiting room.

“Congratulations, Miss Chen! It’s nice to see you doing so well. You just have a few papers to sign, and then you can be on your way.” The woman announced cheerily. Skylor quickly scanned the paperwork before grabbing a pen. She carefully signed her name to each dotted line, relishing in the feeling of freedom that came with it.

“Everything looks good to me,” Jen remarked, “Just remember to stay hydrated and take it easy for the next couple of weeks or so. We don’t want you ending up back here too soon, now do we?”

“Noted… thanks for everything!” The redhead smiled weakly.

“Of course. Now, I’m sure you’d like to get outta here. That boyfriend of yours looks like he’s starting to get antsy.” observed Jen, nodding towards Kai, who was staring longingly towards the exit.

“He looks even more anxious to leave than I am.”

“He’s probably thinking about the night you were brought in… I was here, you know… The guy was absolutely devastated. It was obvious how much he cared about you – physically tried to fight the nurses when they took you back without him…” The nurse recalled, clearly pleased that they were a couple now. Skylor blanched at this.

“Oh… I… No one had told me that… I- you’re right, I should probably get going.”

“Have a nice evening!”

“You too!” Skylor called over her shoulder as she headed for Kai.

“All set?” Her boyfriend asked.

“Yep. Let’s go home and have a quiet movie night and a nice meal that didn’t originate from the hospital cafeteria.” She begged. They exited the waiting room and stepped into the elevator that would take them to the level the parking garage was on. Watching the floor number meter count down, Skylor leaned against Kai’s shoulder, which, she had discovered, was the perfect height for a head rest.

“You doing okay?” He asked, noticing how quiet she’d gotten. She burrowed into him.

“Yeah, m’fine. Just… thinking.”

“About what?”

“Kai, did you seriously fight the nurses when they wouldn’t let you come back with me?” Skylor questioned, stepping out of the elevator, Kai close behind.

“Well yeah, but don’t worry, Lloyd wasn’t very supportive of me wanting to burn down the entire wing in revenge…” he joked, which earned him a look.

“Okay, so maybe it wasn’t the best idea ever, but I stand by my choices.”

“You really are one in a million.”

“And I’m all yours. Me, my awesome fire powers, and this minivan Nya hooked us up with.” Kai stated, pressing a button on his key fob to unlock their ride, which they had just arrived at. He opened the door on the passenger side and helped her climb in before getting in himself.

“I’ll try not to fall asleep on the drive home this time,” The redhead assured him, referencing their trip to the zoo that had occurred not long after Skylor had first taken over her father’s restaurant. He laughed, turning the key in the ignition,

“I wouldn’t blame you if you did. Your body is still healing from everything it got put through.”

“As romantic as the image of you carrying me into my apartment and tucking me into bed is, I’m pretty sure we’d both end up back in the hospital if you tried that so. Think I’d better stay awake if it’s all the same to you.” Skylor commented with a wink, “And besides, it shouldn’t be a very long ride.” Kai nodded. Their vehicle turned a corner.

“The colossus somehow managed to miss your entire neighborhood, so the streets should be pretty clear.”

“That’s good. So… how’s the gang today?” Asked Skylor, knowing how hectic life had been for them in the wake of Garmadon’s defeat. Getting the city back on its feet entailed a lot of hard work, and they had all seemed exhausted whenever they came to visit her.

“Zane declared our food stores too measly to cook a decent meal with and took Pixal on a shopping spree this morning at 5am, and Nya’s more than a little jealous that you got released from the hospital before she gets to be rid of her sling, but other than that, everyone seems to be holding up okay.” He answered lightheartedly. She stifled a giggle.

“Somehow, I’m not surprised by any of this.”

“My family does have a flair for the dramatic.” the master of fire admitted readily. He himself was no exception, as he’d proven time and time again (he was still being lectured by Lloyd and Nya for his stunt with the colossus).

The duo continued to chat as Kai drove along the streets of Ninjago City, enjoying how easily words flowed between them. They reminisced over past adventures and discussed Wu’s progress in rebuilding the Monastery of Spinjitzu. They occasionally stopped talking to sing along with whatever song was playing on Kai’s playlist, sometimes competing to see who could butcher the lyrics the most horribly. Time passed quickly. Street signs flew by. And soon, they were pulling up in front of the master of amber’s home.

“Sweet freedom!” Skylor exclaimed, shakily climbing out. She inhaled deeply; somehow the air here felt different, fresher, lighter, than that of the hospital, or even the warehouse the resistance had taken refuge in. Kai bit back a laugh when he saw her face.

“Welcome home, Sky.”

“Home,” She agreed, “It feels like a lifetime since I left, but at the same time… like it was only seconds ago…”

“A lot of things have happened since then.” He said, reaching to shut the car door, which Skylor had neglected to do in her excitement at having arrived.

“Yeah, I...” The master of amber paused when she heard the strains of the song Kai’s phone was playing. The music was much quieter without being played through the car’s speakers, but she could still recognize the lyrics.

“Is that... Shut Up and Dance With Me?”

“Uh, yeah. It is.” Kai confirmed, pulling the device from its stand.

“You wanna...?” Skylor started, hesitantly. She glanced at him, shyly. He raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t hard to guess what she was thinking.

“Dance with you? In the middle of the sidewalk? Sure, I mean, you only live once.” Kai relented with a grin. He pulled her onto the grassy area that lined the sidewalk, more than a little concerned his girlfriend might topple over if they weren’t careful.

“Just tell me if you need to stop, okay?” She nodded and took his hands.

Oh don't you dare look back

Just keep your eyes on me

Kai spun her gently, smiling as her face lit up. She pulled him into a spin of her own, harder, faster, than before.

I said you're holding back

She said shut up and dance with me

They stumbled around the stretch of greenery, laughing as their movements grew increasingly clumsy. Finally, the two collapsed next to each other, breathing hard.

“If my neighbors didn’t think I was crazy before, they definitely do now!” Skylor gasped, cheeks flushed. She looked so alive.

“Worth it!” Kai breathed. He leaned over to kiss her.

“Maybe there’s no such thing as a perfect moment, maybe things never line up exactly how we want them to. But right here, right now? I’d say we’ve gotten pretty darn close to perfection.” She told him before allowing herself to be wrapped in his loving embrace. No matter how much chaos life threw at them, Skylor knew they’d be able to handle it. Together.

[aweebwrites]

Celestial Influence 8- The Beginning of the End

The sun peaked over the distant horizon, filling the realm before it with light, scattering the darkness as it always does each morning. Wu breathed in a deep breath, filling his lungs with the cool morning air from his place meditating atop the Monastery's roof. He opened his eyes slowly, a smile tugging his beard upwards. Today promises to be a good one.

"Heeeya!" He glanced down into the courtyard, finding one student already hard at work in the training yard.

He promises to be quite the fighter. The boy was quick to use a front handspring to get out of the way of the machine's fist as it spun.

"Ha! You're nothing!" The boy grinned at the bot. "Ninja go!" He yelled, using Spinjitzu to charge at the machine but the move soon became unstable, his use of it not quite mastered as yet.

He yelled as he ended up thrown towards the robot that immediately smacked him in the face, sending him flying back. Wu winced as he took a hard fall then hopped off the roof, landing silently on his feet then approached with his hands behind his back.

"Your form was perfect but you are too hasty. Too cocky." Wu says as he reached a hand down to help the boy up.

"Sorry Sensei. I'll do better next time." Jake says as he rubbed the back of his head then dusted off his orange gi and Wu smiled at the youngest member of his new batch of students.

"I'm sure you will." Wu says, ruffling the young teen's hair before walking away. "You remind me of a student of mine. The master of fire." He says and Jake perked all the way up at that.

To be compared to the master of fire, his favourite ninja Kai himself! Now he was even more determined to pull this off.

"Ninja go!" He yelled, jumping right back into practise.

Wu chuckled soft then headed inside the monastery for tea. No surprise when he found it already made for him and another student of his already waiting.

"Nelson. Good morning. I see you're up early." Wu greeted, taking a seat from across the leader of the team, clad in his purple gi.

Not that he realised that yet.

"Yeah! I'm an early riser and I know you really like your tea so I just-uh through I might as well do something productive with the extra time, you know?" He says sheepishly.

"Why not join Jake with training?" Wu queried, taking his cup of tea and taking a sip.

"Ah… Right…" Nelson says sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.

He hadn't thought of that. He was still riding off the high of being sought out by Lloyd, the green ninja's master personally. Yes it was a year ago but he's so excited to become a ninja!- er. Continue being a ninja.

"He hasn't got over the kiss up stage, that's why." Antonia says as she walked by in her grey gi, a half eaten apple in hand.

Nelson sputtered and she laughed then took another bite. Wu hid his smile into his cup. He's long gotten used to his new students'... Quirks. Antonia was the strong yet level headed one of the group. More than all of the ninja, she syncs with Cole.

"And where are you off to this morning?" Wu asked her.

"To test out the new bots." Was all Antonia says then walked out into the training yard.

"What?!" Wu looked towards the hall leading to their rooms where Gene was now standing half dressed in his indigo gi, panic in his eyes. "Don't break them Antonia! I spent three whole days on those!" He yelled as he rushed out after her, struggling to put on his glasses as he did.

Gene was the genius of the group and the builder. He's as eccentric as Jay is.

"What's will all the commotion?" Sally asked as she carried breakfast to the table, an apron over her yellow gi.

"Gene's trying to save his robots from Toni." Nelson told her and she hummed.

"He might already be too late." She says and just then, Gene's cry of dismay came. "Yeah. Too late." She reiterated then headed back to the kitchen for the other plates.

"I'll help." Nelson says as he got up, following behind her.

Sally was by no means level headed but she was more stable and critical in thinking than them all. Much like Zane.

"Is that breakfast I smell?" Wu was unsurprised by Brad walking into the dining space in his pajamas and half asleep, apricot gi thrown over his arm.

He seats himself across from Wu, yawning as he scratched his arm, his hair ruffled all over. Wu huffed quietly.

"And good morning to you too Brad." Wu spoke up and the boy jolts, as if he hadn't seen him there the whole time.

"Oh uh, good morning Sensei." He was quick to say, as sheepish as he was.

Wu only nods at him, pouring himself another cup of tea. Brad had a tendency to use a mean front to hide his true self, considering it weak and embarrassing. He uses shows of superiority and usefulness to make himself feel worthy though unnecessary as it was amongst his brothers and sisters here. It's a trait he's also seen in Nya. 

"Nel, go get the others." Sally says as they brought in the last of their meal in.

"Roger." He says, setting the plates down and heading out. "Guys, time to eat!" He called but was ignored by Gene whining over his broken bot, Antonia snickering at him and Jake training with all he's got.

He sighed then paused to think.

"No food means no energy which means no energy to train Jake!" he called out and the brunette whipped his head around to look at Nelson, considering.

"Alright!" Jake yelled back then turned off the machine, running past him.

"Come on Gene. I'll stop by Borg Industries today and see if Cyrus has any spare parts for you." As spins the words were out of Nelson's mouth, Gene's head snapped up.

"Can I come with you?" He asked seriously and Nelson laughed but nodded.

Somewhere along the line, he's become a sort of casual friend of both Cyrus Borg and his daughter Pixal also known as Samurai X: Ninjago's greatest defender. Sure she's backed by the Elemental Alliance, but she's the Ninjago chosen green ninja. The title didn't sit right with Nelson. Yes, he's grateful for her years of service but… There's only one green ninja.

"You alright?" Nelson blinked back to the present and focused on a concerned looking Antonia.

"Yeah. Don't worry about it." He smiled at her. "Let's go eat." He says, turning back to the inside.

Antonia watched him go, not completely believing him but deciding not to push it. Wu had seen the whole happening from his seat thanks to the open concept of the Monastery the original ninja had left him. He looked down into the green of his tea. How long has it been? How long as it been since the ninja have disappeared, taking his brother with them? Wu brings the cup to his mouth and sipped. A few months and it would be 8 years. While he realised it on the night it happened, Ninjago realised after a few months. Their consensus was unanimous: they were all glad they were gone. By then, the elemental masters started calling themselves the Elemental Alliance and had all been equipped somehow with the ninja's gifts. Whether it be new swords and weapons, armor, vehicles, mech amd even items to ward off evil. It made fighting easier for them. None of them offered a thanks for the items they suspiciously then eagerly accepted. The Ninja were fine with that. It sparked fire in their usually humble old Sensei's heart however.

He's learned to come to terms with this realms inability to see the bigger picture. It was difficult but as their former Sensei, he had to remain humble. They celebrated, thinking the ninja gone forever. That was far from the truth. Wu knew what happened to them. Not where they were but certainly what happened to them. They came to him in his dreams, told him of a need they couldn't control and bid him farewell. The loneliness that came was as painful and sharp as it always was. But knowing they weren't truly gone as the rest of Ninjago believed lessen the blow. He glanced out the opened Monastery doors at the pillar in the middle of the grounds, holding a gold dragon on top and the six symbols of the ninja in the ground around it, their colours faded to dark gray with their inactivity. He longs for the day their colours returned.

"Sensei?" He opened his eyes to see all six of his students looking at him with varying degrees of concern. "You alright?" Nelson asked again and wu nods, setting his cup down.

"Yes. Just a little lost in thought. Now eat, all of you. You all have a long day of training ahead of you." He told them and the only one to perk up was Jake.

Wu smiled at their mixed reactions.

For now, he had new company. He can be patient.

_________

"Sensei! Gene and I are heading into New Ninjago City for a bit!" Nelson called over his shoulder as he headed out to where Gene was waiting in his Aerial Assault Jet.

"Very well but make sure to come back in time for evening training!" Wu called back and Nelson ran over, hopping into the dark blue jet Nelson wouldn't have believed he made if he hadn't watched him work on it for weeks.

"Sensei says to be back in time for evening training." Nelson says as he slipped his seatbelt on, leaving Gene to start the jet up and shut the hatch.

"Ugh. Why are we even training so hard? It's not like we get to fight bad guys often. Samurai X and the Elemental Alliance have that covered!" Gene complained as he brought the jet airborne, steering them towards New Ninjago City. "It's not like we're the chosen ones. We're just replacements. And not even good replacements at that!" He growled, irritated.

Nelson frowned.

Honestly? He's had similar thoughts before. He could never replace Lloyd or any of the ninja. No-one can. But he didn't accept Sensei Wu's offer to become Lloyd. To become like him, yes but not to be him. He just wanted to do his part for the good of Ninjago. He looked across at Gene as he frowned.

"Why take Sensei's offer if you felt like this then?" Nelson asked and Gene froze then hardened his gaze.

"... It was either this or the orphanage." Gene says quietly and that surprised Nelson.

Orphanage? But Gene had a father. He was one of Ninjago's recurring villains, one of many who stepped out of the shadows when the Ninja disappeared. Then that meant… Nelson looked down into his lap, at his fingers that were laced together as Ninjago flew by below.

"... I'm sorry for asking." Nelson whispered and Gene shrugged it off.

"Forget about it. It's the past. We're here." Gene says and Nelson blinked in surprise.

"Already?!" He sputtered as he looked around and indeed, New Ninjago City was right in front of them.

"What's the point in having a slow jet?" Gene grinned as he headed towards Borg Industries, touching down on the landing pad on the roof. 

Nelson hopped out as soon as the hatch was open then blinked in surprise to see Pixal herself standing there. He smiled as he walked over to her.

"Pix, hey!" He greeted cheerfully and Pixal's expression changed subtly.

"Hello Nelson. Please call me Pixal." She reminds him lightly and Nelson winced.

"Right, right. Sorry." He apologised.

"That's an interesting aircraft. It's quite fast from what I've seen." She says, looking towards the jet as Gene walked over.

"I made it myself. I haven't decided on a name for it as yet so I've settled on Aerial Assault Jet. Or AAJ for short." Gene says proudly.

"Impressive." Pixal complimented. "What brings you two here?" She queries.

"We were hoping to pick up some spare parts for Gene's projects if you guys have any." Nelson says, tucking on his heels.

The truth is, he's never asked them for something like that before. Gene usually gets his parts from the old abandoned junkyard in the Sea of Sand. He only knew Cyrus personally through his time as a mail carrier in training when the mailman came to the paper route insisting he needed help. Mr Borg had always had a lot of mail that Nelson was unfortunate enough to deliver. He started offering him a moment to rest before continuing his route and would eagerly answer his questions on anything he was working on. Pixal was always there too. Mainly just watching. Now that he remembers, it was… A little creepy.

"... I'd have to ask my father. Follow me." She says, coaxing them over to the elevator.

Both boys shared an eager look before following after her.

"You both came at an opportune time at least." Pixal says once they were in the elevator. "Right now, we are updating the tower's factory. While we usually recycle parts, there's a high chance you may be able to gather a few pieces." She told them as she hit the button for the factory.

"You mean I could get pieces of the very same factory that brought Ninjago into the technical age?!" Gene says excitedly and Nelson laughed to himself at his excitement.

"Indeed." Pixal nodded and silence fell over the elevator.

"... How is Sensei Wu?" She asked them and both Gene and Nelson shared a confused look.

"He's ok! We're heading back to train with him after this!" Nelson told her with a grin.

"I see…" Was all she says, confusing both boys.

Before they could ask, the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. Both boys awed at the inside of the large factory. Sure Gene has been here before when he was much younger but it's nice to visit when the machinery weren't trying to kill him. Pixal walked in and they followed behind, looking around in awe as the tower workers inspected and removed certain parts of the factory, mainly the robotic arms and the convertor belt.

"Father." They looked ahead once Pixal spoke and they saw as Cyrus perked up then turned around in his wheelchair. 

"Pixal! Ah. I see you have company!" He greeted warmly as always and Nelson grinned while Gene stared wide eyed at the Cyrus Borg, right in front of him!

"Long time no see Mr. Borg." Nelson greeted, walking over to shake his hand.

"Indeed. Being a ninja is a busy job after all " Cyrus says light hearted and Nelson nods then glanced back at where Gene was fidgeting with his glasses.

"I'd like you to meet my friend Gene. He's a pretty smart guy and really looks up to you." Nelson says, gesturing to Hehe who sputtered at the introduction, face going red.

"Ah. Now that's a familiar name." Cyrus says and Gene's eyes widened in surprise- but then he hung his head, remembering his father us a pretty wanted villain who put him up for adoption the moment he decided he wanted to always be good.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but…" Cyrus began, rolling closer to the boy. "You were the child who presented an exceptional piece on thermodynamics, were you not?" He asked and Gene blinked in surprise.

He heard of it? Better yet, he read it?! Despite it being false?!

"Y-yes but my thesis was incorrect." Gene says with a frown, not quite sure he's awake.

"Indeed but it was an astounding piece. I could hardly believe a child of your age had written it." Cyrus says then smiled wider as he took both of Gene's hands. "It doesn't matter that it was incorrect. What does matter is the knowledge gained from it." He says gently, giving both of Gene's hands a squeeze.

The teen looked down at the man before him, at a real genius who thought his most embarrassing and regretful piece was actually worth something. Gene's eyes watered. He squeezed his eyes shut then nodded at him.

"Thank you." He told Cyrus, unable to cry the tears that wanted to be shed.

Some habits back in his days of being evil are hard to break. No matter how forced and traumatizing they were. Cyrus saw this and decided against asking.

"So what brings you ninja here?" Cyrus asked, glancing over at Nelson as he walked over.

"We were hoping for any spare parts you might have. Gene's gotten pretty big on the mechanical side of science and likes to build things." Nelson explained and Cyrus grinned.

"You've come at the perfect time then. We're completely replacing the robotic arms of the factory and upgrading the rest. If you'd like, you can have the arms of the machinery, wiring and motherboards included." He offered, releasing Gene's hands to roll over to the closest one. "They don't have any damages or anything, I've just come up with a more efficient version that needs less repairs over time." He says, patting the large mechanical arm's base. 

"Woah, really?!" Both Nelson and Gene spoke at the same time.

They looked at each other and Nelson grinned as Gene gave a semi reluctant smile while adjusting his glasses.

"Yes really." Cyrus says with a laugh. "They're a little big however. I can arrange transportation if you'd like. Nothing makes me happier than fueling the minds and opportunities of the young." He says cheerfully, his radiant positivity contagious.

"That would be amazing!" Gene was quick to say, today already feeling like the best day of his life.

Oh who was he kidding? It is!

"Perfect! While we're at it, I can get you…" Cyrus trailed off once Pixal walked past them, a suspicious look on her face.

All three watched as she headed to where almost all of the workers have gathered: one if very few windows in the factory.

"What's with the commotion?" Nelson asked, watching Pixal also climb up to where the high window was.

"Is it me or does the outside look darker than I recall?" Gene asked, spotting it through a higher window.

"Maybe it's rain?" Nelson suggested, confused still.

Just then, a loud, thundering roar echoed, shaking the building with its might, sending the workers into chaos and panic.

"... That's not thunder… And this isn't rain." Cyrus says, completely daunted by the familiarity of that roar as Pixal rushed over. "The Overlord." He whispered before she could say it.

She gave a dreaded nod.

"We have to get you and the rest of New Ninjago City out of here immediately." Pixal told him and no sooner than she said that, was there a loud sound equivalent to an explosion, throwing them all off their feet and causing Cyrus to be thrown out of his chair, hitting his head against the assembly line on the way down.

Seconds later, there was another, louder thud that had pieces of the ceiling breaking.

"We have to go, now!" Pixal yelled, pulling both boys up then her father, sparing a moment to gasp at his unconscious state and the small trickle of blood running from his temple.

She sets him in his chair, fastening the seat belt on it quickly. They took off into a run then, Pixal leading the way with Cyrus in front of her. She lead them to the emergency exit, glad they kept the factory on the first floor. The moment the door pushed open was the moment they could hear loud flapping, putting even more fear into their hearts. Nelson looked up once they were far enough away from Borg Tower and never felt as terrified as he was, looking to where over half of the tower was missing, the upper half of it now laying collapsed behind the base of the building. Worse still was the massive black dragon hovering over the city, the dark clouds he brought with it covering the city with a negative atmosphere.

"I-I-I don't understand! How?! Zane destroyed the Overlord years ago! How can he return? Why now when the only people to have defeated him twice are nowhere to be found?!" Gene yelled, spiraling into a panic attack.

"We don't need the ninja." Pixal says chin tilted up determinedly. "Take my father and leave the city immediately. The Elemental Alliance and I will take care of this." She says then without giving them a moment to respond, she ran back into the almost completely destroyed building.

"We have to tell Sensei Wu immediately." Nelson says as he pulled down his hood.

He then took Cyrus by the chair, and taking off into a run, Gene stumbling then catching up with him.

"Then save our own skins!" He yelled, pulling his hood down too and Nelson shook his head.

"No! That's not want ninja do. We'll come back and we'll help evacuate the city-"

"Are you crazy?!" Gene yelled, cutting Nelson off. "Forget what ninja do or don't do! If we come back here, we could be killed! What's the point of being a ninja if you don't live long enough to actually be one?!" He yelled over the terrified screams of people.

"And if we don't, a lot of people will be killed because we'd be cowards! Are you really on with that?!" Nelson snapped at Gene who looked stuck.

"Ninja…" Both boys looked back once they heard the sole word, loud and growling.

They both immediately regretted because now, the Overlord was focused on them, flying towards them on massive wings.

"Oh heck, oh heck!" Nelson yelled, running even faster with Gene who was starting to lose his breath.

"W-wait! This is good! We can lead him out of the city! Pixal and the Alliance are in their way so they'll get to us before he does! Hopefully!" Gene panted out and Nelson considered before nodding, liking the plan.

"Alright! But we can't have Cyrus with us!" Nelson yelled over the flapping of wings getting closer and closer.

"The mailman!" Gene says after a moment of looking around, seeing the elderly man hiding behind his parked truck.

Nelson spotted him too then looked down at the unconscious man before him.

"Sorry about this Mr Borg." He says then turned the wheelchair abruptly and shoved, sending Cyrus rolling down the one-way, right into the mailman.

"Here he comes!" Gene all but screamed, looking back at the opened maw getting closer to them filled with sharp teeth.

"Follow me!" Nelson yelled then took an abrupt turn, Gene skidding on the turn but managed to make the turn, missing getting eaten by an inch.

There was an angry growl before the massive dragon was on their tail again.

"How long will you be able to keep running? You only delay the inevitable!" The Overlord growled after them and they rounded another corner but this time, the Overlord was able to keep up without pause.

"We can't keep this up for much longer! I'm already running on fumes!" Gene panted out, limbs and lungs burning.

"We've gotta push through! Just for a little longer!" Nelson panted out. "The Sea of Sand is just- Woah!" He yelled then he was suddenly swept off his feet.

Both Nelson and Gene grunted as they were crushed together, back to back in the talons of the Overlord who've finally caught them.

"What's the matter Ninja? It's not like you pests to run. I was looking forward to your shocked, dying faces as I killed you immediately. Though chasing you like the vermin scum you all are was indeed satisfying." The dragon purred, wide maw dangerously close to the duo.

"I think he's… Mistaking us for… The Ninja!" Nelson wheezed out against the pressure on his chest.

"We're… Not them!" Gene yelled out and the Overlord narrowed his overcast, glowing magenta eyes at them.

"What trick is this?" The large dragon hissed and Gene flinched back once a large feeler brushed over him.

The Overlord growled then, eyes narrowing at them.

"You aren't the Ninja! Where are they?! I will seek my revenge!" He roared at the terrified duo.

"We don't know! They disappeared years ago!" Nelson was quick to say and the large dragon narrowed his eyes at them then snarled in irritation, sensing no lie.

"How disappointing. But it only serves to make my true goal easier." The Overlord chuckled.

Nelson and Gene yelled, finding himself soaring quickly through the air from where they were tossed aside. The desert was rushing quickly towards them both- when suddenly, they were caught by a blur of gold-white.

"Are you two alright?" Relief washed over the two when Wu's voice caught their ears.

"Sensei! Boy are we glad to see you!" Nelson says, relieved as he managed to sit on the back of their Sensei's elemental dragon.

"Sensei, is it me or is the Overlord dragon… Bigger than I remember? He even has four legs this time." Gene says, holding onto Nelson as their Sensei brought them down to the edge of the city.

"Yes." Wu sighed, looking troubled. "Not only has the Overlord somehow managed to return, but he's stronger than ever before." He says solemnly, looking back to the city.

"You-"

"If I can't have Ninjago… No-one will!" The Overlord's roar was loud and echoing, no doubt able to be heard from miles away.

Just then, a sound similar to thunder started up. They all looked to the sky confused- then horrified when several Wyverns, bipedaled dragons came down, their eyes a bright glowing red and their bodies as black as night. They weren't as big as the Overlord was but they were close enough. Yet again, the Overlord had an army but this one they could tell would be his toughest yet.  It hit them all then, what the Overlord's true intentions were.

"No. He can't destroy Ninjago… Can he?!?!" Gene asked, panicking anew.

"We won't give them the chance." Wu says firmly. "The others are already in the city aiding the evacuation. I want you two to join them." He told them quickly.

"But what about you?! And the Overlord?!" Nelson protested.

"I will take care of the Overlord. There's one thing I can use to defeat him." Wu says then flinched at the sound of increased chaos starting in the city. "Go, now!" He ordered them, taking off with his dragon, being immediately chased by a group of the smaller black dragons.

"Let's go!" Nelson says, taking off with a run- only to stop when his footsteps were the only ones he heard.

He looked back at Gene where he stood in place, watching him as he visibly shook.

"Aren't you terrified?" He asked Nelson with a small, trembling voice.

Nelson smiled at him.

"Absolutely." Was his answer, watching as surprise passed Gene's face. "You're not the only one who has thoughts like that. To not want to die. To save yourself. It's perfectly normal. But I can't let myself run away from this, from the lives being lost this very instant. If I could do something, anything to help out, even if I wasn't a ninja, I would do it in a heartbeat, no matter how much my brain screams at me to get away, that I might die." He says, clenching his fist and Gene saw it shaking, as much as he was.

"I won't think bad of you or look down on you if you decide to take off but I am going in there and I am helping my friends and the people of Ninjago." Nelson told him then whirled around, taking off again.

His heart was pounding in his ears, watching the dragons destroy the city with beams of red from their maws that dripped dark matter, explosions and screams echoing as they spread out through the city. He could barely hear them over his racing pulse. He raced towards the collapsed building blocking the road and peered inside as he passed to make sure no-one was inside. He had to keep going, had to help everyone evacuate. He flinched once he heard a very close explosion then looked up wide eyed as the building next to him began to crumble. He ran as fast as he could but he had already been running from the Overlord for a while added with training earlier. His body hadn't had enough time to rest. He looked up in time to see a large slab of concrete falling directly towards him. Heck! He was gonna-

"Ninja go!" A racing dark vortex snatched him out of the way of the concrete's way, coming to a stop at a safe distance.

Nelson panted heavily, sitting on the ground in shock.

"Are you alright?" He looked up to see Gene checking on him.

He couldn't stop the wide smile that pulled at his lips even if he tried.

"You came…" Nelson whispered and Gene huffed, reaching a hand down to help him up.

"Of course I did. I may be a ninja out of convenience but even so..." Gene says as Nelson took his hand, using it as leverage to stand. "Ninja never quit." He smiled and Nelson grinned, nodding.

"Ninja never quit." He repeats, engraving the words into his heart, thinking now, he truly understand the gravity behind those words.

"Help!" Their heads snapped up at the close cry, eyes immediately searching the area for the source.

"There!" Nelson pointed out, seeing someone's legs kicking from under a pile of rubble.

They rushed over, Gene stopping Nelson before he can help.

"Wait. The debris fell on them in a unique way, giving them enough space to breathe and to not be completely crushed. We have to be careful or else we'll disrupt that and they'll be crushed." Gene warned quietly as to not let the victim hear and struggle even more.

"Don't worry. We'll save you!" Nelson told them then looked over the large slabs of building resting precariously over them.

He then noticed the largest slab resting on top was keeping the space too small for them to just crawl out on their own.

"If we can get rid of this, they'd be able to get out on their own." Nelson says, gesturing to the piece he meant.

"But we aren't strong enough to move it. And if we tamper with it without getting it off right away, it might fall over and crush their lower half." Gene warned.

Nelson thought for a while before he had an idea.

"Do you trust me?" He asked Gene who looked wary now.

"I do." He answered without pause but knew whatever their stupidly courageous leader had in mind would be insane. "What do you have in mind?" He asked critically and Nelson only grinned.

_______

Wu somehow managed to stay out of sight of the Overlord as he headed for their only hope: the golden armor. It was no surprise that the building was abandoned but he was glad for it. It meant that they had gone looking for safety, increasing their chances of survival. Now that he had the armor on his person, atop the back of his elemental dragon as he struggled to out maneuver the dragons that have locked onto him. The ground was too obstructed and the roofs were exposed. His best bet was to travel by dragon but he had to distract them long enough to get a clear shot. 

He had to take care of this as quickly as he could. He fears however, that he alone, even with the aid of the golden armor, wouldn't be able to take this upgraded Overlord. But he must try for the sake of all of Ninjago. He continued to try and shake the dragons but they were avid fliers and kept on his tail, shooting at him. Suddenly, one was hit and it screeched then vanished. All at once, the offending dragons were being shot down around him. He looked to the source of his help and wasn't surprised to find that it was Pixal in her mech.

"The Alliance and I will clear a path! You take the Overlord down- and fast!" Pixal yelled from her mech and Wu nods once.

He then flew his dragon towards the Overlord's massive back from where he had settled in the heart of the city, blasting everything in his path with the magenta beam coming from his mouth. Two aircraft's came in then, distracting the Overlord as more attacks rained on the black dragons. He had a clear shot now. He had to put everything both he and the armor had into this.

Meanwhile, Gene ran as if his tail was on fire, jumping from rooftop to rooftop as a black dragon chased after him.

"I never agreed to this!" He yelled as he ran back to where the meet up point was, skidding down a fire escape suddenly to avoid being eaten and to throw the dragon off on his location.

The dragon hissed as it looked down on the alleyway for him- then flew in once a purple clad figure ran out towards the main road.

"You did an amazing run Gene!" He yelled back at his ninja brother then ducked out of the way of its sharp claws.

It started to grow annoyed it seemed and gathered energy in its mouth.

"That wasn't part of the plan big guy!" Nelson yelled then looked around quickly.

He swerved out of the way of the building pile and the person trapped beneath it, towards the building blocking the road not too far away then dropped once the time was right, allowing it's destructive beam to hit the collapsed building, the impact breaking it into two and clearing the road enough that any person could climb their way over safely. He didn't have a moment to spare however. He rolled out of the way of the taloned feet grabbing after him then ran again, back to where the trapped person was. He had to time this just right. Gene said climbing over it will slow him down and the dragon will be guaranteed to strike then.

Here comes the moment of all their efforts! He quickly began climbing onto the large slab the person was under then glanced back- only to yelp seeing the dragon diving in, seconds away from taking him instead.

"Ninja go!" He yelled, using his Spinjitzu to get out of the way.

The dragon grabbed the concrete slab instead of him then, lifting it off and away. Nelson grinned as Gene ran in, helping the person out as Nelson watched the dragon fly away- only to loop around and began flying back, with the concrete slab.

"We need to go! Now!" Nelson yelled and Gene looked back then paled, tugging the rescued man along.

"Quick! We need to hide!" Gene yelled as he looked around.

"Over there!" Nelson pointed out the mostly destroyed building with the first story mostly untouched.

They darted over with their rescue, diving into the building just in time for the dragon to drop the slab of concrete, blocking the way in. They heard it land then as they retreated as far into the building as they could.

"It's most likely going to blast the building. With all the rubble on top of the already unstable roof, the building will complement collapse!" Gene warned and the man looked at him terrified.

"I got rescued to be buried again?!" He yelled, panicking.

"No way. We're Ninja. We always find a way out of sticky situations like this." Nelson reassured then glanced around the room, beaming once he spotted a way out. "There. An emergency exit sign." He pointed out and they ran to where it pointed, towards the back of the building.

"See? We're alright." Nelson says as he pushed open the door, all three of them coming out.

"U-uh… Nel… son…" Gene managed to get out and the purple ninja looked at his fellow ninja, seeing bun looking up.

Nelson looked up too then paled to see the dragon there, waiting for them, mouth holding a beam of dark energy, ready to hit them.

"Oh pop rock." He whispered and the dragon snarled.

Before it could hit them however, a sudden blast of fire had it shrieking as it withered into dark shadow then nothing. Nelson's heart picked up. That fire! Could it be?... A figure walked to the edge of the building then jumped down.

"You kids alright?" Nelson felt disappointment fill him upon realizing it was just Skylor, master of amber.

"Yeah. We are." Nelson nodded.

"The Alliance has this from here. You take this civilian and get to the east exit to the sea of sand with the rest of your friends. We have an evacuation craft waiting." She told them, scouting the area, remaining unphased by the near constant rumbling of the ground from the continuous attack against the city.

"But-"

"No buts." Skylor told Nelson sharply, all but glaring over her shoulder at him. "This is too dangerous for your level right now. Remember, none of you are chosen ones and we're not asking you to be. Wu might have put great expectations on you but there's such a thing as over achieving. Just look at the original ninja." She told them and her words did sting.

"I can't afford to waste more time here with you. There are still people to be rescued in there. Take the civilian and go. Now ." She told them sharply before floating off into the air further into the ruins of the city, pulling out a sword.

"We can't just leave! She can't rescue everyone by herself!" Nelson yelled, face red in anger.

"How about we get this guy to the evacuation point then we make a plan to help. It won't do us any good to rush into the city without one" Gene says, placing a hand on his shoulder and Nelson gave an angry sigh through his nose but nodded.

"Yeah, alright. Let's go." He agreed much to the man's relief.

_____

The Overlord turned around as Wu focused his energies, figuring out that he was being distracted for a reason. He chuckled low once he spotted Wu, spotted the golden armor he adorned.

"Son of the First Spinjitzu Master. I must say, I'm surprised you are still around while your students have all vanished. You should have vanished with them." He hissed, using his tail to flick away the pesky aircraft trying to regain his attention as he watched the old man become enveloped in the armor's golden energies.

"You should have never returned! And I will make sure you never will again!" Wu yelled, his eyes glowing gold as he urged his now fully gild dragon faster.

"By all means… Give it your best shot." The dark dragon purred, spreading his tattered wings.

That simple statement sent alarm bells off in Wu's head but he can't afford to lose his resolve. He yelled as he held his brightly glowing fist back as he got closer to the Overlord's face then threw his punch and all the energy he's mustered up from both himself and the armor, hitting the Overlord dead on. Just like the first time, there was a huge explosion of gold power, the force of it enveloping both Wu and the Overlord. Pixal hunkered down to ride it out, Chamile and Karlof doing the same in their own mechs. 

At the evacuation point at the outskirts of the city, Antonia, Brad, Sally and Jake stood in awe, watching the massive explosion of brilliant energy. Jake looked around once he heard footsteps then gasped once he saw Gene and Nelson running over.

"Gene! Nelson!" He yelled, running to meet them halfway then throwing his arms around them both. "I'm so glad you guys are ok!" He says in relief and both boys smiled wearily, hugging him back.

"Guys! Sensei Wu did it!" Brad yelled as he ran over.

They looked towards the huge ball of energy and their smiles simultaneously fell, noticing it's expansion slowing down drastically- all of them paling when it began to reverse, the energy being sucked in. Inside the massive ball, Wu struggles against the sudden force sucking all of the energy he exerted in- and more. He yells when the energy left him all at once, the brightness of it swirling into the Overlord's open maw. Darkness immediately returned to the land as the Overlord chuckled, watching as Wu fell, holding a paw out to catch him but not to help. Never to help.

"I've absorbed the golden energy once, what made you think I couldn't do it again!" The Overlord laughed at Wu as the Sensei struggled to even move, feeling the exhaustion in his very core. "I've evolved past the level of golden power! Nothing you or anyone can do will stop me!" He roared then threw the old man up.

Wu weakly flailed, finding himself without tether and without the energy to summon his dragon. That turned out to not matter. He was hit hard by the spiked tail of the Overlord, the sharpness of them ripping into his side and back as he was sent plummeting to the ground. His students watched helplessly from the desert as their master came barreling through one, two, three buildings, breaking off the edge of a roof then landing with an explosion of sand further out.

"Sensei!" They yelled as they ran over, hearts pounding with fear for their teacher.

Jack got their first then gasped at the sight of him, beaten and bleeding out, his breaths coming out in harsh gasps.

"Nonono! No! Sensei!" He yelled, tears pouring down his cheeks as he tried to put pressure against his wound with his bare hands.

"That won't do. All of you, give me your hoods." Sally told them, coming to kneel next to him.

They did so quickly and she compacted 4 of them, using the other two to tie it against his side tightly, keeping her nerve as he grunted and groaned in pain.

"Hell be ok, right? Right?" Jake asked Sally as he shook but Sally kept her mouth pressed thin, not wanting to give him false hope.

"Come here." Antonia says, pulling him up and hugging him close, keeping his face away from their teacher in that state. "Wu's a tough guy. Don't worry." She whispered, glancing at him as Jake gripped her gi.

"Sensei…" Nelson whispered on his knees, holding his hand, teeth gritted tightly.

Nelson blinked, looking at their Sensei's pale lips once they moved again, trying to say something it seems. Nelson swallows down his grief then leaned over, putting his ear to his Sensei's mouth. The team watched quietly as he did, wondering what he was trying to say. Nelson's eyes widened and he sat up. He then reached into their Sensei's robe and pulled out a picture. Just then, Ash and Shade who were supervising the large escape aircraft came running over.

"Damn. He got himself banged up pretty good huh." Ash huffed as he held a cloth gurney in hand. "As it stands, he's the best chance we have of taking down the Overlord so we have to get him fixed up. Luckily, we have a whole hospital staff on that ship. They'll fix him up." He says, walking into the impact crater and they stepped back, allowing both he and Shade to load him on carefully.

"Not bad for a couple of kids but it's bet you 'ninja' leave things to the Alliance." Shade says, clearly looking down on them. "Now get on the aircraft you'll be left behind." He told them, gesturing to the flight with engines ready for take off.

"No." Nelson said as he stood.

"If you're planning on going back into the city-"

"We aren't." Nelson says, cutting Ash off. "We have our own mission to do and it's not in the city so you don't have to worry. You do your thing and we'll do ours." He told them, keeping his chin up stubbornly.

"... Whatever you want kid." Ash huffed then he and Shade took off with Wu.

"What mission? Where are we going?" Brad asked Nelson once they were gone.

Nelson gripped the picture in hand tightly then looked to the others.

"They keep saying we aren't the chosen ones… But now, we are." Nelson whispered then held the picture out so they could all see. "This is Sensei Wu's request, our mission. The golden power couldn't stop the Overlord. So now, it's up to us to find the only ones who can. From this moment on, we start the most important and crucial mission we've ever had." He told them and they all looked wide eyed at the picture of their Sensei and the original ninja after they had gotten their new powers.

"Starting now; we have to find the Six Gods of Ninjago at all costs."

[garmadragon]

i never got around to finishing the semi-human power headcanons thing, but i DID write them out, so I’m just going to plop them here in case I actually don’t ever get around to finishing that series~

these are copy pasted from my notes app, so, they’re not pretty haha, but there’s a big ol pile under the cut

more on kai and lloyd because i already did them but i have more

If kai gets sick or uses too much power he coughs embers like a dragon.

He can’t keep a phone battery Good for long because it overheats so much..... it’s annoying

For lloyd: energy is BOTH destruction and creation. He can handle/do both, but too much of either isn’t compatible with his systems as it upsets his internal balance. Lloyd IS balance. Garm’s destruction fire stuff tilted the balance so far his power was drained and “destroyed” until the balance returned inside AND outside of him. And in Garmadon. So, if he got in a fight with his dad again, he could feasibly lose them again. Wu’s creation power in excess could overload his power entirely and cause a massive release of energy to restore the balance (if Wu ever attacked him). How long that takes is unknown.

Nya is very susceptible to the outside temperature, but knows how to power through it. That said, it takes a while for her to get too hot or too cold — it’s gradual — but when it hits she hates it so much.

Water is in everything. Including people. And she’s very good at knowing where the nearest source of water is. Thus, she’s not fun to play hide and seek with. She and Lloyd and Jay (but Jay’s a little less perceptive if you aren’t moving at all). Which means the three of them have a hide and seek competition, of course.

Was weirded out because she couldn’t sense where ghosts were.

She doesn’t have gills..... per se. but she can hold her breath underwater for an unnatural amount of time. Plus, she can go really deep. She’s not aquaman though, no fish talk. That said, she’s also unnaturally good at fishing.

Is not fazed by any level of activity?? Kind of an adrenaline junkie. She just has so much stamina. She and Lloyd will run marathons. (Or they would if they wanted to)

Isn’t scared of injury. She can will the blood back in her body. She knows medical stuff so she knows this PROBABLY isn’t a good idea but she’s gonna do it anyways!

I mean she WOULD have a green thumb if she wanted to care for plants.

like Kai, Zane can’t get cold. Like, for a WHILE down the scale. And though it takes some serious heat, he can overheat, which does weird stuff to his systems.

Zane doesn’t have human lungs, and doesn’t need to breathe, but does anyways to circulate air through his system. That’s why when he’s “out of breath”, he sounds like a human when they’re like that, because he’s trying to cool down. His new form has some features that rely on air (like speaking!). He doesn’t breathe through his mouth though — he has little vents on the sides of his neck and if he needs to he can open some near his ribs. It looks neat in the winter.

He is a supercomputer, which means he needs rest, which means he needs to sleep. He does dream, but it’s more like file processing than imagination.

Zane is endlessly frustrated that he can’t come up with a logical or formulaic pattern for his elemental power. It was given to him, he doesn’t know how he does it, he just does.

Jay’s power, like Lloyd and Kai’s, can build up if not used or diffused for a long period of time. He can get staticky. And chatty- talking actually lets some of that energy go!

He hates being underground so much. Being in the sky really high up? That’s where it’s at

jay voice i’m going to take wisp to play in the lightning you wanna come

Jay burns electrolytes fast. He’ll chug Gatorade to the point that someone should probably tell him water is good too (nya does this by blasting him in the face). Heck, everything on him is fast — fast metabolism, breathing, heart rate, his brain goes faster than his mouth sometimes, so it’s hard to get what he wants to say across.

He and Cole love music! They’ll sit there and just hum and listen. You’d think he likes EDM but he really likes the oldies like jazz and things that sound like they were recorded off an old 30s radio. Yeah Cole likes rock.

cole doesn’t like flying..... that much..... it feels like he’s lost in a different country and doesn’t speak the language.

Speaking of speaking, the earth sorta talks to him. Moreso than the other elements “talk” to their masters — the earth is huge and alive and dead and wise, and it speaks in croaky whispers. He talks back, sometimes. Since becoming a ghost, he can hear it better.

Like most elemental masters, when using a lot of power at once, his eyes glow.

His lava arms ACTUALLY ooze lava. I say ooze very literally — through cracks up his arms. Kinda hurts, kinda doesn’t mind.

Kids can crawl up him like he’s a jungle gym and he’ll just. Walk around normally. He’s immovable if you want to try and knock him over.

Cole can eat anything. Like, it just Doesn’t faze him.

He’s not dead! But he’s sure not alive really either!! There’s definitely a body, boys! That’s not his anymore!!

[unimpressedperson]

Jackpot | pt. 3 [FINAL]

(Found this picture in @youthstuffs , thank you for posting it)

Genre: Fluff and Crack, I guess…

Warnings: None

Pairing: Kim Namjoon x @taesbetch , Kim Namjoon x Reader

Word Counting: 8.5k

Synopsis: Nya spent her whole life in Las Vegas, she would never imagine that local knowledge would ever be useful. However, her vision changed when Kim Seokjin appeared and introduced her to a few friends, film producers, whose needed guidance through Las Vegas underrated places for a movie. She agreed in working for them, and in that moment none of their lives would ever be the same. What happens in Vegas, not always has to be kept in Vegas.

A/N: Heeeeeeeey Nya!! Finally the last chapter! The oneshot has originally 20.958 words, so I decided to split it in three chapters. It’s the final one. The closure of this rhapsody (am I cocky, lol?), yeah. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing, ‘cuz it was fun talking about RPDR, movies, Vhope, Jeon Seagull, Namjoon, you, Dragon! Yoongi au spitting fiiire oooh, Star Trek references, etc :) Forgive any grammar mistakes.

- x - x - x - x -

Yoongi knew it. He fucking knew it in the moment Namjoon began contending about some girl willing to guide them through Las Vegas. He saw back in then that something would rotten up during the process. Nothing could ever go soft and swift, every damn time, Kim Namjoon would come up with some drama, or Hoseok and Taehyung would fight, or the pipes from their filming location would BUST IN GEYSERS FROM EVERY WALL AND FLOOR.

He could gain money by showing off his auguring powers. At least from some dumb folk like Namjoon.

They worked together for 10 years. A decade living through ups and downs, but what kept their Cinematography Company moving and succeeding was the timing. Namjoon directs a successful movie, then gets involved with someone, breaks up and directs a shitty movie. It was a cycle in which Yoongi never complained and watched happening time after time. In 10 years, Kim Namjoon proved to be a genius and that he acknowledge the romantic vicious cycle, never defying it by getting involved with someone after almost breaking their business.

In situations of risk like these, Yoongi takes over his Spock role and always gives good advices to Captain Namjoon. It was his Vulcan power, after all. The Enterprise never bankrupted precisely because everytime one of the bosses made a bold move or a bad decision, someone would soothe it with a better idea or stopping before happening.

This time, though, Namjoon was being a stubborn bitch. Yoongi considered the idea of poisoning him and keeping the whole company under his name and charge.

Oh, he really pondered and even searched for undetectable poisons, but their 10 years story spoke louder than the homicidal side of Min Yoongi.

Kim Namjoon and Min Yoongi met whilst working. They were producing the songs from a  soundtrack, after so many nights of writing and playing instruments, sometimes all by themselves, their similarities brought them closer. A beautiful and honest friendship blossomed, nurtured with honest, curses, talent, humor, sarcasm and a lot of partnership.

Eventually, their dreams became way too big and only working for a company wasn't satisfying them. With their savings combined, Namjoon and Yoongi registered a firm called “Enterprise Inc.”. They had the name and ideas, but only when Taehyung and Hoseok appeared that their machine began working.

Independent movies were becoming a trend, so their company grew and more people got hired to different task. Jimin, Jungkook, Emerson, Jade, Taylor, Shmaillah, Zariah and Robin were now part of their big family. They treated each other like relatives.

However, since not everything happened smoothly, Namjoon also had his flaws. Unfortunately, his passion and volatility affected financially their business and finances. Kim Namjoon loved loving, but his kind of love changes fast and finishing a relationship always turned him into a grumpy man.

His longest relationship lasted 1 year and a half, with an author and professor of Creative Writing at London Institute of Art, Barbara. Unfortunately, their break up made Namjoon extra unbearable, to a point where the actors hired would quit and the filming had to be stopped. His mood swings almost led Enterprise to declare bankrupt.

Of course Yoongi dated, actually he's been officially living with Emerson for over five months, but his personal life never affected the professional. Home feuds stayed at home, even because his girlfriend worked as head from the Enterprise's Marketing and Advertising department.

After discussing, they slept for four hours. Yoongi always valued his sleep and would rest whenever (and wherever) possible, but their argue made the atmosphere inside the room unbearable. Namjoon couldn't sleep as well, he knew Min was right, but and if he allowed himself getting closer to Nya, then doubtlessly at some point would end up falling for her. Namjoon was an assumed romantic mushy, but with a volatile heart.

They went to the buffet, dragging a sleepy Jungkook and an awaken Hoseok jogging, dancing, humming and texting his boyfriend, also animated and sending copious audios thrilled with the last night events. Even though it was already noon, people having breakfast could be seen all around.

— I can see a whole bunch of people with last night’s makeup smudged. Walk of shame, guys. - Jungkook murmured after drinking a whole mug of coffee.

— You walked in the hotel with someone else’s skirt, smudged makeup and cummed pants in a brown paper bag. Walk of shame, bro. - Yoongi grinned and stared at Jungkook.

— Last night was nuts, wasn’t it? - The younger one asked, sipping from his second mug. - We started in a bar and end up in a Ball. What the fuck, I love my life.

— Yeah. Crazy night. - Namjoon disassembled himself from the conversation with a sweep of hand.

Jungkook could feel the tension around. Namjoon and Yoongi were clearly pissed at each other, and it was palpable around. The air was borderline toxic with so much electricity. However, Jeon could rightfully guess why. In his time working for Enterprise Inc., that same negative energy surrounded them plenty of times before. Currently, everyone knew their financial situation, since two actors decided to leave the project in order to get away from Namjoon and his bad temper, and one actress who broke contract after being casted to a bigger production.

Min Yoongi and Kim Namjoon were great egos and minds. Working together represented war and success. They bickered, yet found ways to reconcile and respect each other’s differences, at least during toil days of finishing every detail, since both were also meticulous with lighting, angles, planning thoroughly even colours and shades. In fact, Jungkook graduated in cinema, but most of his practical knowledge was obtained by watching his bosses.

For a matter of fact, Jungkook could have chosen to remain in Korea and work with K-Dramas, movies or even MVs. Their cinematography industry was in constant growth, Jeon would never actually be unemployed, mainly with his fame as an idol. Even though his payment wasn’t the highest one, residing in London wasn’t impossible or uncomfortable, he could be classified as a wealthy lad, since the fame acquired during his boygroup years still paid him for image copyright licensing.

Jungkook was so famous in Korea, that every film produced by Enterprise Inc. sold like water on desert. Their film grossing came 6% from Seoul only. His stardom reached such a level that Jeon Seagull was mentioned beside great names like BIGBANG and Super Junior.  

When Jungkook became 25 years old, his biggest fan club in England during a whole month sent 25 roses to the Enterprise Inc. building daily.

Although, even with fame and constant proofs of how influential he still was, Jungkook felt good by being treated like a younger brother. No one gave him a special treatment or rolled out a red carpet whenever he walked around. Once, after having a small party at Yoongi’s place, he vented with his hyungs about fame and all, Min Yoongi stared at him blankly and said placid:

— I couldn’t care less about your idol life and shit. For me, you are Jeon Jungkook and works with film editing, you can even sing whilst doing your job, but it will never earn you a golden star.

It worried him watching his hyungs and main inspirations brawling, probably over Namjoon’s love interest in Nya and how it would affect his work. Also, Jungkook knew about money problems and thought about offering some cash to help and stabilize their finances, however everyone knew Yoongi would rather sell a kidney before accepting any loan.

— NOO!! - Hoseok yelled and punched the table, cell phone still on his other hand and eyes furiously staring at the screen. That unexpected behavior startled everyone.

— What happened? Did someone die? - Namjoon questioned, genuinely worried.

— No! But someone is about to! Taehyung finished watching The Umbrella Academy without me! I'm going to kill my boyfriend! - Hoseok declared and began typing furiously.

- x - x - x - x -

Nya felt an apprehension in the air, like something was off. Namjoon and Yoongi barely looked at each other, definitely not a subtle change from their past behavior. It could be only a hangover, or not. Well, she wasn’t in such position to question them.

Whilst Namjoon and Yoongi were silent, Hoseok and Jungkook were jamming to whatever played on the radio, creating choreographies out of blue and pulling the grumpy men. Maybe in a common day things were like that, very balanced: two neutrons and two protons.

Their last demand was going to thrift shops, and places selling wigs. Their desire was an order, so Nya chose “Opportunity Village Thrift Store” and Honey’s favourite place to buy wigs.

The ride to Opportunity Village seemed to last forever. Namjoon wanted to talk and have fun along with Nya, Hoseok and Jungkook, but Yoongi could consider it flirting and throw a homeric tantrum. Oh, he would die out of embarrassment.

Arriving was a relief. Yoongi stretched his legs and stared at Jeon. Before leaving the hotel, they decided that having Yoongi always sitting on Hoseok’s lap wasn’t fair, so using their best tool of democracy (a.k.a rock, scissor, paper) the last ones would play to decide who would flump and who would be flumped. In conclusion, maintaining a Jungkook steady during a car ride isn’t comfortable.

Opportunity Village Thrift Store looked huge. Garment tracks, clothing rails, huge baskets and hampers with colourful fabrics and shoes. It felt like a paradise and a warzone. Namjoon seriously considered the idea of diving in one of them, only to test how it feels like, but kept a composed behavior.

Nya got in and pulled a huge pink coat from one of the baskets, throwing it in Yoongi’s direction, whose first reflex was to deviate, watching the fabric becoming a puddle on his feet. He picked it up and dressed. Understanding it as an ice-breaker, everyone else decided to have their fun exploring what the store had to offer.

— I’m gonna pop some tags. Only got 20 dollars in my pocket. - Hoseok began singing happily, getting out from the fitting room with a huge ass fur coat covering down his knees, pink glasses and platform shoes.

Jungkook was with his body halfway in one of the baskets, but after listening the fitting room’s door opening, he stood up using a baseball cap, a t-shirt made of black tulle with Xs covering the nipples. Hoseok never behaved discreetly, but seeing him all dressed up and singing Macklemore, it made Jeon cackle and sit on the ground.

— You look like an asian version of Elton John on a budget! - Jungkook managed to utter between guffaws.

Before Jungkook died out of laughter, Namjoon showed up with a brown ushanka covering his lilac hair, white jacket with voluptuous shoulder pads and a brown clutch. Jung was about to pronounce something, when Kim opened a huge and glittery fan that was hidden inside the jacket’s pocket.

— You look like a cheap version of Adam Lambert, Jeon. - Namjoon sounded serious, but a quirk dimpley smile took over his features.

Everyone laughed and looked around for Nya, since Yoongi was anything but undercover with his bright pink coat, sitting on one wooden bench close to the fitting rooms, he typed something on the cellphone, a deadly serious face, not even paying attention to all foolery.

The woman emerged from the third and last fitting room. She was using a dress made of golden sequins, her cleavage in evidence and left leg standing out of a opening. Namjoon, Jungkook and Hoseok shut up and stared at her in awe.

— Can someone please make a joke so I will feel less embarrassed? - She muttered, cheeks getting warmer and redder with their eyes laying on her stunning figure.

— Nya, Big Bird from Sesame Street called. - Yoongi pronounced without looking at her, still typing and unfazed. - He wants his drag queen dress back.

They got back to laugh until tears were streaming down their faces, even Yoongi giggled a little. Everyone went back inside a fitting room, dressing back their own clothes and going out, looking for more funny outfits.

…

Namjoon and Nya would never understand or feel able to explain how, but somewhere between laughing at a pair of ugly ass shoes and grabbing more stuff to try on, they found themselves making out inside one fitting room. Sitting on the ground, her legs straddling him and his hands cupping her ass, their mouths connected and only separated looking for air (or taking turns in kissing necks), lips moving in sync and desperately grinding against each other.

After a few minutes swirling tongues and trading saliva, they stopped gasping for air, foreheads touching and now fingers intertwined, laying on Namjoon’s lap. Nya smiled and gave him a quick peck, without saying a word. They agreed in making out without pronouncing syllables, got there and began smooching, not a single sound needed.

Namjoon moved his hands and posed them on her waist, smiling whilst staring and decorating every feature from Nya’s attractive face. The dimples, oh those dimples, she held his face and began kissing those goddamn cute details. Namjoon moved his face a bit, getting back to peck her lips passionately.

— I don’t want to leave this fitting room ever again. - Namjoon whispered watching Nya hop off his lap and sit beside him, laying her head on his shoulder, a long arm enveloping around hers.

— If we are going to do something else, then we gotta leave. - Nya murmured and caressed his clothed knee, making small heart shapes there.

— I like the way you think. - His free hand lifted her chin leaning a little to kiss there again.

Before they could even think about continuing the make out session, a loud knock on the door was heard, startling them. Namjoon froze on his spot when a deep voice was heard, most specifically Yoongi’s voice.

— Kim Namjoon, why is Nya inside a fucking stall with you? - He sounded pissed off and it scared even the woman.

— W-who told something about Nya being here? - Namjoon questioned, trying to keep his cool.

— Who told me? A blue bird appeared to tell me. - His sarcasm sharp and killer like a knife, as always. - I COULD HEAR SOMEONE WHIMPERING FROM THE FRONT DOOR! AND IT WAS YOUR WHIMPERINGS!

Looking around, Namjoon tried to find another exit other than the door, in vain of course. Nya noticed Yoongi’s frown when he saw they kissing the day before, but would never imagine how against making out with her. By the way, why did Min even cared about it? Well, she didn’t understand, but Kim’s reaction surprised her: Glancing around desperately, fidgeting and anxious.

Did Yoongi carry a gun with him after all?

— Namjoon, you know I wouldn’t care about your romantic life, if you were capable of dicking down someone without falling in love and ruining our business! - Yoongi scolded profusely, words spitted like fire. The small man had flames inside his belly, always keen to burn whoever dared to cross his path and stumble. When their partnership became real and moneymaking, Namjoon’s creativity and intellect lost ground to Yoongi’s audacity, geniality and incredible honesty. Everyone in a meeting could witness how Min grows talking about money, market and tactics on getting attention, the same way Kim shrinks. 148 IQ points, tall and intimidating, but the business head looked like a human Hamtaro.

Indeed, Namjoon felt rickety closer to Yoongi. Who wouldn’t? Although their partnership equally shared in 50% of profit between them, who always controlled their accounts and hired people was Yoongi. Kim Namjoon was creative and smart, but Min Yoongi was ferocious, visionary, not afraid of facing bigger companies and calling attention to their work. Success depends on many more aspects than a well produced movie, knowing how to speak with business man, sell their product and spread their name. The universe knows Enterprise Inc., Mr. Spock always the mind, Captain Kirk their face and voice.

Namjoon wholeheartedly respected Yoongi, which was a mutual feeling.

It’s not like Yoongi was perfect and never made mistakes during their ten years career, running a filming company and producing polemical content.

Seven years ago, Min Yoongi dived from head to toe in a project about korean idols selling girls around the world, promoting prostitution and drug dealing. The movie was a mixture of documentary and fiction. Purposely or not, apparently the villain portrayed resembled a lot a certain manager from some big entertainment company and they were sued. Back in then, drowning in debts, Namjoon sat down and studied similar cases, learning with someone else’s past equivocation, he based their marketing on that judicial situation.

In the same way his sharp tongue and bold behavior made them big, Yoongi also caused a lot of trouble by saying something offensive. Once, Min Yoongi argued with a group of australian entrepreneurs, owners from a huge farm with mines around, a collaboration organised with Seokjin’s help was being discussed. Maybe joking about their political bias wasn’t the best choice of icebreaker, ‘cuz when they found themselves, Mr.Smith was red in anger and punching the table stopping himself from whacking Yoongi’s face.

However, Yoongi was right, Namjoon falls in love way too easily. Perhaps it was loneliness, or his massive levels of empathy. Fearing the loss of his company, Min Yoongi felt the grip and patience held along their trip fly away in the moment Jungkook and Hoseok appeared, but Kim and Nya were nowhere to be seen. Whimperings inside one stall, it was the last straw.

Nya and Namjoon got out the fitting room, red as beets. Yoongi had a hand covering his face, pissed off and trying to control his voice volume, not wanting to cause a stir.

— Why do you care? What happened of so serious? - Nya raised one eyebrow, still confused about Yoongi’s reaction about them making out. He would be sane to complain about public display of affection, but not the whole idea of someone kissing another human being.

— Namjoon is a workaholic, but also has a huge problem with loneliness. -  Yoongi slid the hand down his face and stared at her, dead opaque eyes. - Every single time he gets attached to someone and breaks up, who deals with his tantrums and childish behavior, grumpy face and irascible humour, believe me, wouldn’t be you, it would be me, our hired actors, and of course our ring of friends. He gets unbearable.

— But we are not dating or in love, if anything ever happened, it wouldn’t leave Vegas. You are overreacting. - She was clearly embarrassed with the whole situation, when did she expressed any feeling of passion? Nya flirted with Namjoon and mentioned sex, but never said anything about dating, falling in love, or whatever.

— Yoongi, you are being irrational. I’m not in love, we are just young, horny and getting along. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. - Namjoon backed up Nya, pissing the hell off of Min, who took a long and deep breathe.

— Exactly! What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, but you know who else will be staying in Vegas? Us. We’re coming back in a month and if you dick her down now, you will probably want to get another dose after. I want you fully focused on working in ‘Fierce’, not splitting your thoughts between tortuous falling in love and doing your job properly. - The shorter man spat, again fire coming off his mouth.

— I’m focused! I’m having fun, but also analyzing every place we’ve been to!

— Oh, you are focused, right? Focused like a fucking cannon under a drunk man’s watch! - Min Yoongi snapped, if he ever worried about not causing a stir, then it disappeared like Namjoon’s rationality. - Do you know what I was doing whilst everyone tried on clothes? I was trying to resolve some of our location renting problems and checking how the filming for our other projects are going. - He got closer to Kim, poking one of his long fingers against the taller one chest. - By the way, did you make any contact with Enterprise every since we landed in Vegas? Did you check your phone? Did you worry about anything other than inserting your dick in somewhere or someone?

— No, but… - Namjoon suddenly felt small and shrinking more and more.

— That’s what I thought! Your whole focused ass is whipped and willing to lose everything we fought for, all for one night stand with some random one!

— Shut up! - Nya yelled, flustered and vexed, stepping closer to Yoongi. - Don’t you dare referring to me as if I’m not here. Don’t you ever treat me like someone random, trivial. I’m not a random someone, I’m the one guiding you around Las Vegas for free. It may not be something as big as filming a movie, but it’s also helpful. - She poked Yoongi’s chest, he gave one step back, their discussion drawing attention from people looking around, Hoseok and Jungkook showed up. - Your posh ass can be rich, or the owner from a company, but don’t you dare talking about me like a brainless person, someone incapable of fucking with someone without growing fond of that person! Your friend can be sappy and weak minded, but I am not. You don’t know me, Min Yoongi.

— We better leave before anything else is said, right Joon? - Jungkook asked, pulling Yoongi by one arm in the door’s direction.

— Yes, please, I don’t think I can keep on guiding you guys, I would say I’m sorry, but it is not true at all. - Nya seemed gloomy, but also frustrated. They were discussing sexism and pre-concepts in a movie, but Yoongi’s opinion about her seemed far from awaken. Maybe it was more about Namjoon and his past relationships, but why couldn’t Min consider her vision? A relationship necessarily has to have two sides, and both agreeing with their terms. Even if Kim fell in love, nothing would ever happen again if Nya did not fancy it.

Women do have voices and their standpoint should be taken seriously.

Maybe Yoongi wanted to protect both parts from heartbreak or unhealthy obsession, but what a problematic way of showing his worries. Why couldn’t he just ask for Nya’s opinion? It’s not fair or right.

Nya watched them leaving, Yoongi frowning and Namjoon in shock, both being dragged down by Hoseok and Jungkook. Everyone inside the thrift shop staring at them, dividing their glances between Nya and the group.

- x - x - x - x -

Whilst packing their bags again, Yoongi checked his pocket list of goals for the travel. He concluded that everything needed was basically sorted, places chosen and their owners actually liked them, which would make it easier to bargain better renting prices. Their casting situation and debt with Nya could be solved within days and a few phone calls, since while Namjoon was flirting, Jungkook and Hoseok were doing some bullshitery, Min gave his cellphone number to a no number of people.

Staring at Namjoon and his gloomy eyes felt heartbreaking, but Yoongi knew that it was the right thing to be done. Kim needed to keep his head on the game. They only had one chance, and oh boy, Min Yoongi would hold it with claws and teeth.

Nya was a bewildering creature and, after filming everything, Yoongi would totally invite her to their premiere, however in order to actually having a Premiere, they first had to rent places, cast people, transport their shit, direct, film, edit, and first of all, not declare bankruptcy. Namjoon should’ve know better, acting like a horny teenager would be the death of them.

The lilac-haired man wished things could be different, but Yoongi was correct and sane: Kim Namjoon would never know how to balance a relationship with work, at least not without slipping at some point and getting hurt.

Namjoon was aware of his workaholic condition. All of his relationships got to dramatic endings after spending hours in a row inside his office, studio or even at home, but with a notebook almost morphing into his lap. Every single one of his past girlfriends were very understanding, and accepted that working represented over 80% of his life, routine and thoughts, but being pushed into the background felt tiring. Namjoon hurted himself so many times with that and promised to change, which never happened.

Let’s face it, his fate had nothing to do with a successful love life.

Truth be told, but never convinced. Namjoon thanked mentally Yoongi, he saved Nya from a very frustrating life beside him.

Hoseok and Jungkook didn’t dare to say a word from hotel to airport. No one felt the need. Silence seemed adequate and anything else would only trigger into bickerings. There was no energy or disposition to raise voices and argue.

Silence and rain, those words defined their travel back to England.

- x - x - x - x -

— Zariah finished the filming of “Beast”. She sent the files to Jimin and Jungkook, but I think they will need my help, since Jeon is stuck with all those sequential cuts Yoongi made during “Je M’appelle Carinè”, and Park is simultaneously working on the sound effects for our first animated short-film “Poundcake”, and in… Oh Jimin is recording the soundtrack to “Fierce”? I’m proud of him. - Taylor, a short, chubby young lady, with short brown hair and sparkling eyes, was standing in front of Namjoon’s office table, staring at her iPad and checking every information, whilst he stared blankly outside the window. - Should I keep on working as your secretary? Or can I help Kook and Chim Chim on editing “Beast”?

— What? What did you just say? - Namjoon looked at her, blinking fast and slowly getting back to reality. - Sorry, Tay. I lost myself in my mind again. It’s been happening more often than I would like to assume.

— That’s alright. - She pulled a chair and sat in front of him, placing the iPad on her lap. - What’s bugging you, Joon?

Namjoon gazed again outside, eyes oscillating between shining and getting opaque again. Where should he even begin with? His mind was hopping from thought to thought, concern to concern, and somehow, even filled with preoccupations, Nya always danced between daydreams and awaken nightmares. Despite trying his best to forget and move on, the lady with a contagious smile, beautiful eyes and the smoothest skin ever seen found her way back to divagations.

Enterprise Inc. wasn’t placed in a huge building, actually, they placed had to place a billboard outside to indicate where the firm resided. An ancient building about to be demolished, that’s why Namjoon and Yoongi could bid a whole four floor building for such a bargain. With its structure, the duo fixed some details and reformed every flat, turning into different studios. Every deck had a specific department: first video editing and animation (recently inaugurated by Taehyung and Hoseok after finishing their online animating course), second reserved to audio (both recording and editing, Yoongi built his office there) and characterization accessories, third filming studios, last everything related to managing (marketing, advertisement, Human Resources, Management, and of course, Namjoon’s office). No one would ever imagine how proud Kim and Min were of their achievements, every award and nomination resulted in motivation. They were succeeding, from the bottom and going higher.

Imagining himself waking up and heading to somewhere else, other than the building made of red bricks and black doors, that thought scared the shit out of Namjoon. He would never cooperate or live happily after declaring bankrupt and having to shut down his business, at least not after conquering so many prizes, awards, incredible movies under his name. No, closing doors would never be an option.

— Taylor, I know everyone is aware of how ramshackle is our financial situation. Those projects, “Beast”, “Je M’Appelle Carinè”, “Poundcake” and “Fierce”, are our last string of hope. That’s why we are rushing to finish and release them. - Taylor nodded, in fact, everytime Namjoon and Yoongi argued behind closed doors, rumours around the office were spread. - Specially “Fierce”, we are investing every dime left in that. It’s probably our most expensive and laborious movie, but we count on it to keep us working for a few more months. Two weeks ago me, Yoongi, Hoseok and Jungkook went to Las Vegas and rented places to film, but something happened there.”

“See, our guide, Nya, is the most dazzling creature alive. Not a single soul ever made me feel so impressed in my whole life, yet I can’t get attached to her. Not before finishing the filmings for “Fierce”, it would make me lose focus and possibly fuck everything up. It’s not my intention, but I can’t get her out of my head. Whenever I stop and think, she is there, dancing through my worries and thoughts.”

— Joon, why can’t you talk to her? - Taylor pushed her glasses down the nose bridge and raised one eyebrow. - It seems like by avoiding Nya, you are focusing in nothing else but her. Maybe this time your romantic curse was casted differently. You are not dating her, perhaps the vicious cycle is broken. Also, being unable to think about anything else won’t help you directing.

— I don’t know… - Namjoon pouted and laid his head against the wooden table, leaning the forehead there.

— When the filming to “Fierce” will begin?

— In two weeks. - Namjoon mumbled without raising his head, but now facing his brown walls. - We casted some american actors and actresses, our luggage is being packed, Yoongi made deals with every place to film, rented a house for the crew and us.

— You have two weeks to decide whether you want to invest in something with Nya, or not. It’s up to you. - Taylor made a flourishing movement with one of her hands, whilst standing up and staring again at the iPad. - Now about the “Beast” video editing...

— Go help Jimin and Jungkook. - Namjoon dismissed her and got back to his thoughts.

- x - x - x - x -

— Namjoon, you know I hate to accept when I’m wrong, huh? - Yoongi had an U shaped pillow around his neck, resting peacefully on a comfortable seat, whilst Kim typed on the notebook, adding some reminders on the script to himself. - But I think you should call Nya and ask her out.

— What? Why? - Namjoon turned his head and stared at Yoongi's unfazed face.

— You never had to take notes on scripts in order to work right. You are way a fucking genius, with 148 IQ points, had written masterpieces and composed glorious songs. - Min said without looking at his friend, but placing a hand on his knee. - In the past month you barely talked during reunions, you've been unfocused and divagating, also I spoke to Emerson, and she mentioned a certain talk you had with Taylor. Man, you need Nya and it's insane. You spent less than 24 hours by her side and now living without talking to her seems like a punishment. I don't understand how and why, but if contacting her during our permanence in Vegas will cheer you up, then I'm 100% supporting you. We need our leader, our main director.

Namjoon got back to typing without delivering a single sentence, Min’s hand still on his knee. Suddenly the space between their seats felt tinier, they were way too close and He needed to absorb Yoongi’s new position on Nya’s awe. Indeed, having his approval on looking for her was amazing, but how? During their trip to Las Vegas Min Yoongi said harsh things, leaving right after. Upon weeks of silence, even having Nya’s phone number saved, Namjoon never made effort to apologize, keep in touch or whatever. He respected Yoongi’s opinion, but his spitted phrases and dark tone made both parts highly uncomfortable.

He wanted and decided that looking for Nya was part of his plans whilst filming in Las Vegas, but embarrassment spoke louder and clearer. Namjoon wanted, but had no balls to accomplish it. At least not after remaining mute whilst Yoongi spat mean words at her, he could’ve defended their situation, stand up and put Min on his place. Well, what happened was far from ideal.

All Namjoon could think about, even before hearing Yoongi’s concerned and caring words about his mental state, was Nya, and what were the chances of her accepting to go on a date with him. Namjoon despised the idea of Nya evicting him.

Unlike Yoongi thought, Namjoon wasn’t in love before. It took him an array of nights stalking Nya’s Facebook page, checking her Instagram and reading how passionate her friends seemed to feel. Now, he felt obsessed and slightly uncomfortable with the idea of being dumped.

Nonetheless, Namjoon decided to pull himself together, grow a pair of balls and try. ‘No’ is a possibility, risking won’t harm.

Trying to gather some courage, the lilac haired man opened a new Word file and named “Captain’s Log”, getting in full Star Trek mode, he was Captain Kirk afterall.

“Captain’s log. Stardate -303753.640. We are arriving in the dusty and hot atmosphere of Las Vegas, a city located in the middle of Nevada, a state from United States of America, North America, one of the seven continents from planet Earth. My Vulcan friend, Mr.Yoongi, possessor of a great logical intellect is encouraging me to look for a human partner in our new location, specifically someone already acknowledged by Enterprise as homo sapien sapien, formed by carbon and XX chromosomes, turning it into a fascinating woman named Nya by her genitors. After our last expedition through Las Vegas, the relationship development between Enterprise’s Captain, yours truly, and terrestrial local resident Nya were harmed by Mr.Yoongi’s behavior towards her. Nevertheless, I’m willing to change our perspectives and get another chance.”

- x - x - x - x -

Saturday. A boring afternoon ghosting over Nya’s body, sitting on her couch along with Alexa. They were watching something about wildlife in Taiwan forests on National Geographics, a bowl with caramel popcorn between them and cups of mint tea. The curly-haired woman stared around her living room, noticing how the yellowish painting was peeling and slowly showing stripes of the white paint under it. Basically, her walls looked like an albino zebra. The purple sofa comfortable and everything else seemed pretty fitting, not needing to be replaced or moved. Oh, she was proud about her good taste in decoration.

Boredom hit Alexa like a truck and a deep grunt left her throat, almost scratching its way out. She grabbed the remote control and began zapping through channels, looking for something more interesting than animals mating or bullying each other.

— We should go out. You look like a mushy potato in that set of sweats. Is it yellow because you’ve been copiously using that for the past four weekends, or is it the original colour? - Alexa snorted, trying to combat boredom with jokes. - Honestly Nya, what the fuck happened? You explained something about Korean entrepreneurs, but as far as I know you’re not eager in investing on stock market, so I don’t know why their business would affect you. Did you get involved with one of them?

— No shit, Sherlock. - Nya mumbled and took a sip from her tea, trying to gather some words without sounding grumpy. - I have nothing to do with their business, but see, they hired me to guide them through Las Vegas. I’ve done that once before for one of their friends, the Seokjin guy I told you. Remember?

— Seokjin? The cocky and rich film producer? I remember him, he was funny and immensely confident, literally, I’ve never seen someone so sure about his looks. - Alexa kept her glance on the television. - Big dick energy at its finest.

— Yeah, him. - Nya avoided talking about Namjoon and cia, but now, completely alone with her best friend, it seemed like a good moment to vent. - One of the film producers I accepted to guide, he was funny, interesting, smart and a very good kisser, although, apparently someone deeply confusing. Like, I felt interest on him, but never said shit about being in love, unlikely what Yoongi understood and took as the gospel truth, his friend could cherish me with a thousand roses, but I would never date him and then break up, even because it takes more than 24 hours wandering around sin city and a good fuck for me to enamor someone.

“I don’t know how are the girls they know and usually go out with, but I’m not innocent. We don’t live in a book from Jane Austen. They claim to be so woke and liberal, discussing pre-concepts, sexism and homophobia on their scripts, but behaving and thinking like Mr.Darcy. Did they ever consider a scenario where women have voices and opinions? A scenario where I can easily say no and continue my life? See, I’m not hurt because I’m fancying Namjoon, but because from the moment they introduced themselves and their ideas, they seemed like progressivists, looking for equality, open-minded guys, willing to fight our biased society with their movies. However, Yoongi insinuating that Namjoon and I would ever date or engage in a long-lasting romantic relationship, without even considering my perception on it all, the possibility of the woman only looking for a good fuck. He literally throw a tantrum in a thrift shop about it, calling me some random one. The delusion hurt me.”

— Uh girl, I’m sorry about it. That Yoongi guy really assumed some fucked up things about you. - Alexa turned to stare at her friend, who didn’t spare a look from the television, even though she wasn’t actually watching it, only avoiding eye contact. - But you went through several deceptions along life, why is that different? What happened lately that you remain thinking about them? Or him?

Nya got tired of staring at nothing and met Alexa’s brown eyes, thick and beautiful eyebrows. She took her cell phone and found the long text Namjoon sent a few hours before, throwing it to the friend, keen to understand everything surrounding her grumpy aspect.

“Kim Namjoon [03/31/2019, 8h34min]: Hey Nya.

Sorry taking so long to contact you. I couldn’t find words apologizing my behavior four weeks ago. Unfortunately, there is nothing I can say now. I could’ve defended you, Yoongi acted like a jerk and said some hurtful things, which I don’t agree 100% with. I wasn’t in love back in then, but I understand his side from this story. Yoongi is worried about our finances, which I was the responsible for fucking up. Let me explain it all, expose the situation we unintentionally inserted you in.

A few months ago I broke up with an incredible woman who taught me a lot, but also couldn’t bear my working schedule and how I always set her aside. The career I built along with Yoongi always goes first, it’s my main priority, and I never learned how to balance ‘working Namjoon’ with ‘dating Namjoon’. The result of that break up was a moody me, who brought hell to surface and made two of our casted actors quit, they couldn’t deal with my humour (beside one who quit after receiving a better role somewhere else). It really cost us way too much, since they received for working day and we couldn’t ask their payment back. Also, when the infamous movie was released, the numbers were low and barely covered our bills and paychecks, media and critics criticized it harshly.

However, what happened is a vicious cycle which I’m stuck in. It’s one of the certainties from life: death, the ones most adaptable to change will survive and that I’m fucking up a relationship and then ruining a movie. Yoongi always found a way to contort it and put us back, saving our finances, but this time the loss was gigantic. Our company is solely relying on the success of ‘Fierce’, and a few other projects we will be releasing.

I’m not trying to find excuses for everything Yoongi spat to your face, he was rude and unnecessarily loud, but I’m begging you to consider his side as well. We are not up to losing our company, it’s our deepest fear. Min Yoongi and his stone cold heart is trying his hardest to get our butt off bankruptcy. I guess inside his head, he is willing to drag me away from anything considered as a distraction.

Now, enough of Yoongi and our financial trouble. Let's talk about feelings.

Yeah, I'm a lonely man and tend to get attached pretty easily. However, I wasn't in love with you. Nya, you seemed like someone really interesting and attractive, I'd rather chew my feet off than leave Las Vegas without kissing you. You are smart, independent, proactive, empathetic and friendly. Within hours being guided by you through Vegas, we saw how passionate you are about people you grew surrounded by, how you care deeply about them all and are willing to give up on money in order to help them.

By the way, our deal is still up and we casted your friends (Carol even gained a solo scene where she dances and Sasha got lines). Hopefully they already told you, but if they didn't and you are suspicious of my word, get in touch with everyone you introduced to us.

Continuing…

I wasn't in love with your back in then, but after two weeks thinking about it all and checking your social media (sorry about it :S), I grew fond of you. Everyone seems to love you so much and your heart is so big, couldn't help and now I, Kim Namjoon, am fancying you as well.

I'm not hoping to gain your mercy, but am willing to try and get your sympathy back. Would you go out with me sometime? Not in a romantic way, if you don't feel comfortable.

Again, I'm sorry about how it all began and hope we can fix it.

I'll be staying in Vegas for a while.

Thank you. Bye :) “

— First of all. Did he deadass structured the text like an e-mail? - Alexa looked up from the cellphone in time to see Nya grinning. - You are considering the idea of accepting his invitation? Girl, I ain't gonna tell you what to do, but that Namjoon doesn't seen to be a jerk, he could've just gave up, but he insisted and apologized. Did he actually casted everyone you asked to?

— Yes. Two weeks ago I received a text from Carol and Sasha, they thanked me and all. Tio Diego is also renting his bar for their movie. They also chose Paris as the main filming place, casting Honey too. - Nya felt divided, hoping on Alexa's opinion to define what should be done. - I'm still a bit hurt for what happened, but they proved their integrity by casting and renting everything and everyone I suggested. Namjoon apologized, gave me Yoongi's point of view and invited me to a date, giving me the option of saying no or defining if it's romantic or not.

— Nya, I don't see a plausible reason why you would say no. - Alexa’s hand snaked between them and landed on the other woman thigh. - You are only trying to find excuses because you are stubborn. If you want to, then go, get dicked down and you don't necessarily have to head back to him ever again. Even though he assuredly grew fond of you, it doesn't mean you obligatory have to engage in an actual relationship.

Nya huffed and slapped Alexa’s hand off her thigh. She hated when the girl with wavy black hair was right, and unfortunately Alexa seemed to never be wrong.

- x - x - x - x -

The night sky was clear and the air cool, wind making leaves from trees huff against each other and a chill run through everyone's spine. However, Namjoon felt sweat bidding down his forehead, anxiously shifting from one foot to another and resisting the urge to bite his nails.

The lilac-haired man was standing alone in front of Devito’s, same dining Nya took them the first night. His white t-shirt covered by a thin plaid shirt, jeans and white Converse, outfit plained specifically to seen laidback, since Nya chose the place and said it wasn't a fancy date. She was a ten minutes late and Kim had this crazy thought culminating in his mind, where she probably gave up and would call at any moment to dump him.

With 15 minutes of delay, Nya showed up dressed casually with a black Iron Maiden t-shirt, brown corduroy coat, skinny jeans and Vans. Her curly hair free and adorning the whole picture, no makeup, except for a cherry coloured lipstick. Flawless, Namjoon felt like his legs were made out of jelly and would collapse. His guts contracted in the same moment butterflies attacked his stomach. His mind hazing and suddenly his vocabulary vanished, being resumed by the extensive plethora of words pronounced by someone 2 years old, basically “bluh”.

The first half hour from their date felt weird. No one knew what to say, so small talk almost defeated them, but Namjoon decided to insist. Between eating burgers for dinner and dying out of embarrassment from going out in such situation, Kim decided to thank Nya.

His grateful words somehow touched Nya's heart. He sounded so sincere and whipped by her presence, that keeping the attitude of someone offended seemed pointless. Alexa was right, Namjoon liked Nya.

Goddamnit, Alexa.

Like a chain of gratitude, Nya thanked Namjoon for remaining faithful to his promise of casting her friends. He blushed and sipped on his fizzy cherry drink, grinning slightly, dimples marking their presence and reminding the woman why she thought Kim Namjoon was such a heartthrob beforehand.

Those dimples. Goddamnit, dimples. How can you be mad at someone desperately fluff with such a cute face? Nya wanted to stay loyal to her belief and hard feelings, but Namjoon's polite behavior, lovely face and insistence made it specially complicate.

Goddamnit, Namjoon.

Their body language clearly showed how the unsolved business led to a huge amount of sexual tension, Nya could bear it masterly though. Talking about everything and nothing at all, that's how Namjoon decided to speak his mind. What's the point of sitting and awkwardly pretend there is not an elephant in the room? Well, let's excuse it and set the pachyderm free then.

— Nya, I don't know if you are ever going to forgive me for not standing up for you, or whatever… - Namjoon's hand slipped swiftly closer to Nya's, touching her pinky but not holding it, avoiding more of an intimate contact.

— It's not that you didn't stood up or defended me, see there is so much more. Did you guys ever consider the idea that, I don't know, I could easily not want something serious with you? - She allowed his pinky to snake from her side and lightly take a hold of it. - I'm not mainly mad at you, disappointed with both Yoongi and you, though. For guys claiming to be so open-minded, then why is it so hard to assume I don't want a relationship? That I'm glad having something unofficial and leaving? Fuck, you make it so hard to believe you are an hypocrite.

— I'm not an hypocrite. I do believe in women's sexual freedom and ability to choose partners without necessity of commitment. I'm shitty at not getting attached, it doesn't mean that everyone else is also suckers for love. - His gaze was no longer on her eyes, but staring down to his own lap. - Indeed, we discussed my side, claiming I’d fall for you and ruin our project, but never considered your opinion, the possibility of you wanting nothing related to me. We behaved in such a sexist way, I’m profoundly sorry.

Their order arrived, someone almost spinning on her calves. Burgers and fries, so much cheese melting down the seeded bread. What a vision. If the conversation wasn’t in such an uncomfortable place, Namjoon would probably declare his passion for the juicy and greasy food in front of them.

The chit-chatting kept its slow pace. If National Geographics decided to make a parallel between their behavior and animals socializing, then they were trying to mingle, like Taiwan birds, Nya and Namjoon were singing in order to attract each other, hoping to link and connect. They got along once, why was it so hard to do it again? What wasn’t being said? Who was holding the cat inside the bag?

— I think I’m fancying you. - Namjoon finally took the cat out of the bag, or it could be a mice, ‘cause within seconds the elephant sitting on their conversation got up and left. Gone late, pachyderm.

— What? - Nya lifted an eyebrow. - I don’t know why I’m surprised, you said it in the message. Sorry, keep talking.

— When I closed all deals and rented everything we needed for the filming here in Vegas, my friends and my crew was all like ‘Heck yes, Vegas! Strippers, gambling, money, casinos, yaay!’, and even trying my best, the hardest, to focus on working and directing a masterpiece this script deserves to originate, all I could think about was you. - Namjoon decided it would be appropriate to look at Nya, she seemed unfazed, which made him nervous. - Travelling hours in a flying sardine can to see Nya! No one, except for the boys and Jin knew who you are, and kept on questioning me why so much anxiety and excitement over seeing you. And not even I understood. Working and wondering about what you could be doing really messed with my head. Nya, you messed with my head!

— Ok, Namjoon, it’s a lot of information. - She didn’t spare a look, he felt intimidated, but Nya’s behavior never showed any insecurity. - I don’t fancy you, but it doesn’t mean I cannot grow fond of you at any moment. However, in order to see it happening, you’ve got to insist. If you really want to be with me, then you’ll need to stick along, we’ve got to go out more, in different places. We can totally link up and have great sex today, but it won’t guarantee another row. Got it?

Well, Namjoon felt relieved. Nya was far from being mad at him. Oh, he remained willing to go out, as long as she was there.

In the end, if Nya and Namjoon’s story was something elaborated by Jane Austen, then it would be Sense & Sensibility. Nya and her sense changed how Namjoon dealt with his sensibility, breaking a vicious cycle, where engaging in a romantic relationship without previous thinking ruined all logical thoughts and mature behavior.

The end.

[dekinswritings]

L1-L1 WH80 - Chapter 3, Sunshine Cloud

"Tastes like old chocolate milk with its good smell intact. Some say it tastes like caramel too..."

VA-11 HALL-A AU. HonoUmi, light RinPana

Word count: 5.6k

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[Ao3] [FF.net]

“Are ya sure you’re up to bartend tonight? I can give ya some more free time if-”

“I’m fine, thanks, Nozomi.” Umi gave her boss a smile. “I was just shaken a little last night.”

“Yeah, Rin-chan and I watched the security footage after you left. Never seen anyone lash out that bad in a while,” Nozomi said as she finished opening up the bar. “Poor Nicocchi, she must have a lot of things on the back of her mind.”

“Nicocchi?” Umi repeated as she helped Nozomi turn on every appliance in the bar. “Do you mean Nico?”

“Mhmm!” Nozomi plugged in the jukebox and began to browse the music library. “That’s the name I’ve given her,” she explained as she scrolled through the music before finding what she wanted.

Umi stopped as she was walking to her mixing station to listen to the music her boss had chosen. “Is that…”

“Yup! It’s one of her songs.” Nozomi grinned and turned to Umi. “Pretty romantic for someone of her looks. Whaddya think?”

“It’s… not what I expected from her,” Umi admitted, listening for a few more moments before she continued preparing the bar for opening hour.

“Well, it’s one of her more adventurous songs. Her usual stuff is probably exactly what you think it is,” Nozomi cleared up and waited for the song to end before she made her way to her office. “If ya need somethin’...?”

“I let you know,” Umi finished. Pleased with her employee, Nozomi walked into her office but not before giving Umi a thumbs up.

“U-Umi-chan!”

There was a first time for everything, Umi thought to herself as she saw a very agitated Hanayo right by the entrance of the bar.

“Hanayo, is everything alright?” Umi was compelled to ask. Whatever had the Lilim like this did not seem to be an immediate danger, so the curiosity got the better of her.

“A-Amazing news! Look!” Hanayo was not making too much sense to Umi, but before she could inquire as to what the amazing news were, Hanayo had put down her phone on the counter.

On her phone’s screen was what seemed a very pink blog post. Taking the phone to get a better look, Umi was surprised to find it was Nico’s blog, featuring the photo that she had taken with her last night. Umi frowned, did she really look like a dork? She thought she looked fine in it.

“Nico-chan blogged about Lily White! She talked about Rin-chan, you, and even me!” Hanayo explained with excitement as Umi scrolled through the post. The post itself was not too long, but it did dedicate a whole paragraph about them. And then were the photos: a selfie she had taken with Hanayo and Rin, photos of the autographed glasses, one of the jukebox, and photos of her drinks. When had she even taken those?

The Lilim had done her research, the correct address was there alongside a good route to get there using the few landmarks in the area. What perplexed Umi the most was that there was no mention of the scuffle she had with Maki, not even a hint about it.

“Isn’t it amazing?” Hanayo was still starstruck about being featured in an idol’s blog post.

“I’m more amazed that she didn’t mention anything about last night,” Umi admitted.

“Huh? What happened last night?”

“Nico had a fight with another customer. She ended up ranting about how bad it was to be an idol,” Umi explained as she handed back Hanayo’s phone. “I never imagined she had it that bad.”

“Oh…” Hanayo pouted and fiddled awkwardly with her phone. “Yeah, the idol industry is not that great… I do my best to not think about it. I-I know it doesn’t help anyone but…”

“Nico would be happy to hear that you love her music,” Umi reassured her and began to input a recipe in her mixing station. “She’s very passionate about it.”

“I-I’ve always loved idols, since I was little. Most of them are CH1A King models, which look so pretty and have amazing voices too.” Hanayo put her hand on her chest and let out a nostalgic sigh.

“Don’t you have some CH1A parts too?”

“Yes, a CH1A voice modulator. It, um, helps with calming down children. Especially when I have to babysit them,” Hanayo explained. “Idols always sing about happy things like love… Whenever I felt sad, my caretaker put on idol music. They’d always calm me down.”

“Would a Fluffy Dream do that too?” Umi asked as she placed the green cocktail in front of Hanayo. “It’s on the house.”

Hanayo gasped briefly before looking at Umi and smiling at her. “T-Thanks. Yes, I think they help.” The Lilim gently raised the glass and took a long sip out of it.

Idols were a comfort for Hanayo and Umi was not about to take that away from her with whatever Nico had talked about last night. Instead, she could do what she knew did best: serve her regular her favorite drink. She could also change the topic while she was at it.

“We had a police officer yesterday too,” Umi began. Hanayo glanced at Umi and put her drink down. “She was the weirdest NTPP officer I have ever seen.”

“What was so weird about her?” Hanayo asked curiously. Umi smiled, the gloomy air around her now gone.

“Orange hair, blue eyes. She was loud, but not Nico kind of loud, er, I mean…”

“I know what you mean. I was with her two nights ago.” Hanayo giggled.

“She also was very open and friendly. Perhaps to a fault in her line of work, a police officer with those traits sounds…” Umi went silent, trying to find a word that was on the tip of her tongue.

“Too good to be true?” Hanayo’s offer was accepted with a nod from Umi’s part. Hanayo hummed and looked down at her half-empty drink for a moment. “She seems like a nice policewoman from a movie or something.”

“She said she was coming back too, I hope she becomes a regular,” Umi commented as she wiped her mixing station clean. It was not particularly dirty but she was not going to let it become so.

“Oh?” Hanayo perked up with a smile, one Umi did not see very often. “Was she that good?” she asked with a playful tone.

Umi felt her cheeks quickly burn up and she shook her hands and head. “N-No! I-I did not mean anything like that! T-That’s shameless!”

“What’s shameless?!” Rin’s voice rang across the bar, the second bartender making her entrance by taking a leap and landing with her hands on Hanayo’s shoulders.

“Umi-chan is,” Hanayo replied quickly before leaning back to Rin, who responded by leaning more on the Lilim’s back.

Umi gasped, words failing to escape her throat for a brief second “A-Am not!”

“Umi-chan stuttered! She is shameless-nya!” Rin declared and pumped her fist in the air before laughing, Hanayo joining her soon after with a soft giggle.

“Rin!” Umi’s loud and stern voice silenced both of them, Rin hiding behind Hanayo with a wary look. “Start working already.”

Rin nuzzled Hanayo for a moment and stuck out her tongue at Umi before walking to her mixing station. Umi sighed and resumed her cleaning in an attempt to clear her mind.

“Sorry about teasing you, Umi-chan,” Hanayo apologized. “It’s rare to see you interested in a client, and even more rare to get to tease you,” she explained. The giggle made it hard to believe that it was an apology.

Umi took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “I-It’s fine, Hanayo.” The Lilim made it very hard to stay upset at her, and Umi understood there was no malicious intent behind her playful teasing. “Would you like another drink?”

“Um… I think I’ll have a Fringe Weaver.”

“Fringe Weaver, coming right up.” One Adelhyde and nine Karmotrine. All aged and mixed. “Here you go.” As Hanayo took it, Umi had to wonder how many of these could she drink. People would usually knock themselves out by their third or fourth Fringe Weaver, but Hanayo had shown levels of alcohol tolerance that she had not seen in anyone before. Seeing her drink with Nozomi again would be interesting if not for the absolute mess they had made in the process. Come to think of it…

“Hanayo, if you don't mind me asking…” Umi paused, only continuing when the Lilim had looked at her, “what's the most you have been drunk?”

“Did Nozomi-chan make you ask me that?” Hanayo tilted her head.

“No, my own curiosity did. And the Fringe Weaver I served you,” Umi admitted.

“Well… it might've been a year ago or so? Last November, I think.” Hanayo reminisced.

“November? Ah, Rin’s birthday. That was also the night we found out who had the weakest alcohol tolerance among us as well,” Umi noted. Still, she did not recall seeing Hanayo particularly drunk that night. “Did you drink that much that night?”

“W-Well…” Hanayo brushed her hair to the side and blushed. Had the Fringe Weaver started to affect her? “I-I kept drinking at Rin-chan’s apartment after I escorted her home.”

“You did?” Umi looked at Rin, who had all of her attention set on her phone. “I didn't figure Rin as someone who insisted on making others drink after a night of doing just that.”

“She didn't,” Hanayo spoke meekly, her cheeks growing brighter in color. “I-I asked her for drinks that night. I-I needed some more alcohol in me to work up the courage to… t-to…” Hanayo found herself unable to finish her sentence, a mad blush taking over her face.

“To?” Umi repeated, confused.

“T-To… um… n-nothing. I-I don't think I have enough alcohol in me to talk about that night!” Hanayo blabbered out before drinking the rest of her drink in one swift swig. “I-I'm heading over to Rin-chan’s!” she said before quickly getting off her seat and walking to the other side of the counter.

Umi had to wonder what had Hanayo done that night to get so flustered that she could not have told her. Maybe she threw up at Rin’s apartment? That certainly would have been embarrassing.

The metal door sliding open, Umi looked back at the front entrance. “Welcome to Lily White, how can I- oh. I haven't seen you in a while. Welcome back, Eli.”

“Umi, good evening,” Eli greeted back as she sat down in front of the bartender. “An assignment had me leave Neo Tokyo for a week. Ended up going from Neo Kyoto to Okinawa III.”

“Sounds like a wild goose chase,” Umi joked and offered Eli a sympathetic smile.

“Tell me about it. At least the pay was good, although I did have to demand a higher bounty. Managed to catch that defector alive,” Eli explained and smiled with a hint of proudness. “Bonus which I plan to invest in a Sunshine Cloud, please.”

“Not a long-flight jetpack?” Umi asked as she started to prepare Eli’s drink. Two Adelhyde and two Bronson Extracts, on the rocks and blended.

“That can wait, and I'm still a long way off before I can afford one.” Eli shrugged and then, with a small smile on her, pulled out a bag. “I brought you all souvenirs too.”

“Oh, you didn't have to-”

“I insist. When would be the last time I passed by Okinawa III-”

“No, really. You didn't have to,” Umi repeated herself coldly and handed Eli her equally cold drink. “Nozomi and Rin have been late almost every single day for two weeks now.”

“Oh come on, give them a break.” Eli waved her hand once and took a sip of her drink, letting out a pleased sigh after doing so. “I've missed these.”

“You spoil them too much,” Umi mumbled and crossed her arms. “Keep it up and no one will know you as the cold hearted mercenary you sell yourself as.”

“H-Hey!” Eli protested, her cheeks pink with embarrassment. “I-I'm only like this with you guys and my little sister,” she mumbled into her glass before taking another sip.

Umi smiled again. “And I appreciate that side of yours. Last thing we would need is having that professional side of yours take over your social one.” Only once had she seen that side, when one drunk client got particularly aggressive one night. Never had she seen Eli’s piercing cold eyes or the client she spooked out of the bar again.

Eli nodded as she kept chugging down her drink. Nozomi once told her that Eli drank ten Sunshine Clouds in a single night and now she was starting to believe it. Once she had finished it, she wiped her lips clean and looked at Umi with excitement. “Do you want to see your gift?”

“Sure.” Umi was not about to decline this girl when she had eyes as excited and expectant as those.

Eli placed the bag she brought with her on her lap and rummaged through it until she took out a book and handed it to Umi.

Umi took the book and glanced it for a moment before looking back at Eli to see if this was a joke. When it was clear it was not one, Umi looked back at the book. “Impress your friends with over fifty serving hacks and tricks: Spectacle Bartending,” Umi read in a monotone voice.

“Don't you like it?”

Umi inspected the book up and down, cover, back cover and spine and read the small blurb on the back cover as well. “Well....” Umi opened the book and flipped through the first few pages.

“I’ve never seen you perform any tricks when you serve your drinks, so I thought you might wanna learn a few. Might earn you a few more tips, you know?” Eli nodded as she explained her reasoning.

“I don’t mean to be rude or unappreciative but…” Umi began, noticing visible worrisome in the mercenary. “I-I know most of these tricks,” she confessed as she finished skimming through the book.

“Then why haven’t I seen you perform any of them?” Eli tilted her head to the side.

Umi leaned closer to Eli, Eli reciprocating. “Because of her,” Umi whispered and pointed at Rin. “If she saw me setting a drink aflame, she’d burn down the whole bar trying to do the same,” Umi explained and leaned back.

“You don’t have much faith in her, do you?”

“Not for theatrics,” Umi answered with a tired voice. “You could give this to her though, I’m sure that with proper instructions and not just monkey see monkey do she’d be able to do it.”

“Would you like Rin’s souvenir in its place then?” Eli asked, pulling out a small Maneki-neko.

“I’m fine, Eli. You can give both of them to Rin.” Umi reassured her with a smile. “How about another drink?”

“Sure, I’ll have another Sunshine Cloud. Wanna see what I got for Hanayo?” Eli asked excitedly. Deciding to humor her, Umi nodded, and Eli began to go through the bag again. She pulled out a box two boxes of confectionaries, labeled as ‘Shelf-stable Okinawa III rices cakes’. “One for her and one for Nozomi.”

“I’m sure they’ll like them. They’re both a bit gluttonous when it comes to these kind of things,” Umi pointed out as she put down Eli’s second drink. Eli nodded in agreement and put everything back into her bag before taking the first gulp from her drink. Umi would have had advised her from drinking it so quickly, but the Sunshine Clouds she prepared for Eli were non-alcoholic, so Umi did not bother.

“Eli, I have a question about Hanayo…” Umi glanced to the side. The Lilim seemed too busy chatting with Rin to notice her name being spoken.

Eli put down her drink and wiped her lips clean. “Hm? What is it?”

“Hanayo was about to tell me she needed to be inebriated to do something at Rin’s apartment after her birthday party, but she did not seem to want to tell me what happened,” Umi explained before she quieted her voice more. “Do you know what happened?”

Eli blinked twice as if dumbfounded, before laughing briefly. Umi frowned, confused by the whole situation.

“You really don’t know what happened?” Eli asked with a smile that Umi could only be described as teasing.

“I wouldn’t be asking if I knew?” Umi was not sure why Eli would even ask that. The fact that Eli only laughed again only made her wonder why she would not tell her what happened.

“I don’t think I’m in the position to tell you about that,” Eli explained and finished her drink. “Did I miss anything interesting in my absence?”

While Umi did not appreciate the change of subject too much, she was not going to be rude to not follow the conversation. “Well, we had an idol show up two nights in a row. Then said idol got in a fight with a doctor,” Umi retold her last couple of nights as she began to clean Eli’s previous glass.

“Idol? Seems like I missed out,” Eli commented as she played with her empty glass by spinning it in place.

“She seems intent in coming back, despite the argument she had with that doctor. If the doctor decides to come back too, hopefully it won’t happen when the idol is here too.” Umi put away the cleaned glass and continued, “and there was this police officer…”

Eli stopped the glass and looked up at Umi. “Was everything alright?”

“Yeah, she just came for a drink. Said she was off duty. She was also… very pleasant.”

“Oh? How come?”

“I’m not sure how to explain it. It was like… she irradiated warmth and positivity?” Umi struggled to find the words to describe her once again. “Having her around made the world feel a little bit better, if that makes any sense.”

“Ohoho, really?” Eli propped her elbows on the counter and rested her chin on her hands. “Did you get her name?”

“Yeah, it was-”

“Honoka Kousaka, presenting for off duty!” Honoka let everyone know of her presence with her big announcement and somehow finish Umi’s answer.

“Is that the one?” Eli chuckled.

“Yes, that’s the one,” Umi replied curtly. “Welcome back, officer,” Umi greeted Honoka once she reached the counter and took the seat next to Eli’s.

“Nuh uh, that wasn’t our agreement, Umi-chan,” Honoka answered disapprovingly and accompanied with a shaking finger.

“Er, welcome back, Honoka,” Umi reluctantly repeated, to Honoka’s rejoice.

“Told you I’d be back. A good officer always keeps her word!” Honoka said triumphantly.

“What about the bad officers?” Eli’s question quickly deflated Honoka’s pose.

“Well… uh…”

“At ease, officer,” Eli gave Honoka a smile before offering her her hand. “I’m Eli, a friend of Umi’s.”

Honoka laughed briefly and smiled back at Eli. “Name’s Honoka. And officer’s only when I’m on duty,” she explained as she shook Eli’s hand. “Prosthetic? What happened to your arm?” Honoka asked curiously, taking a closer look at it.

“Well, nothing in particular, really. It’s just more convenient to have a mechanical one in my line of work,” Eli explained as she let Honoka inspect her hand, figuring it was simple curiosity.

“And what’s your job?” Honoka asked interestedly, bringing the hand closer to her face and slowly inspecting it with her thumb.

“She’s a mercenary for hire,” Umi answered for her friend.

“And what’s a bounty hunter doing with Class 5 and 6 barrels at her fingertips?” Honoka asked, tightening her grip on the robotic hand.

“I-I have the permits,” Eli explained as she tried to pull back her arm to no avail. “I don’t have them with me right now, officer.”

“Oh, really?” Honoka squinted her eyes at the nodding Eli before finally letting go. “Well, I’m off duty anyways. You might wanna carry the digital certifications with you if you don’t want some other officer taking your arm away though. And call me Honoka!” She finished with a gleeful smile.

Eli smiled back and nodded. “Okay, Honoka. Would you like a drink? It’ll be on me, as thanks for the advice.”

“Really? Sure!” Honoka nodded. “I’ll have whatever you have then.”

“Two Sunshine Clouds then?” Umi asked, Eli nodding in return. After blending the mix, Umi poured it on two different glasses and handed them over.

“Thanks.” Eli smiled and was quick to take a long sip. Taking notice of what she was doing, Honoka did the same and sipped as long as Eli did. Umi sighed as both of them finished their drinks at around the same time in a single swig, the officer only taking a few more seconds. “Not bad, Honoka. Did you like it?”

Honoka tapped her chin in thought for a few moments before shaking her hand from side to side. “It was so-so, I guess,” Honoka commented and shrugged, much to Eli’s dismay. “Here, let me treat you to a real drink!”

“N-No, it’s fine, Honoka-”

“I insist! It’s the fair thing to do. Umi-chan!” Honoka signaled at the bartender, despite the fact that Umi was already looking at them. “Two big Beers!”

Eli’s pleads went unnoticed and shooting Eli an apologetic look, Umi began to prepare the drinks. Eli sighed dejectedly as Umi poured the two Beers into their large glass mugs. “T-Thanks, Honoka…” Eli tried to smile as she stared nervously at her drink.

“Don’t sweat it, Eli-chan!” Honoka grinned and patted Eli in the back before chugging her Beer.

Eli’s eyes went back and forth between her own Beer and Honoka, and with a deep breath, she took the beer and started chugging on it too. The mercenary’s face gradually became redder with each gulp, and she only set down her drink once Honoka did so too, at which point Honoka’s was almost empty and Eli had downed about half of hers.

“Whoa, you’re redder than a traffic light, Eli-chan. You alright?” Honoka asked. Umi sighed once again when Eli tried to take another sip but defeatedly put down her glass. “This isn’t a competition you know?”

“B-But…” Eli mumbled quietly. Honoka leaned closer to hear her better but was taken aback when Eli suddenly stifled a sob. “Y-You made it look fun and then you bought me a drink and it would’ve been rude to say no!”

“Whoa, she’s full on crying.” Honoka rubbed Eli’s shoulder in an attempt to cheer her up.

“No, she’s not,” Umi quickly pointed out.

“A-And then Umi said she didn’t want my gift! She thinks it’s useless!” Eli pressed her face on Honoka’s shoulder and hugged her before starting to bawl out more tears and getting Honoka’s shoulder wet.

“Now she is.”

“Umi-chan! How could you do that!” Honoka protested as she hugged Eli back. “There there Eli-chan, Umi-chan’s just a big meanie,” she spoke softly and rubbed her back.

Umi rolled her eyes and shook her head. This was why Umi never added the optional Karmotrine in all of those Sunshine Clouds. Eli had always been her client who got drunk the fastest until last night, when that doctor showed up.

“Fine, Eli. I’ll take the book. I lied, I know some of the tricks in that book, not all of them,” Umi admitted. She still considered that Rin would get more out of said book, but she did not want to deal with Eli’s drunk crying.

Eli sniffed and let go of Honoka to wipe her tears away. “R-Really?” She asked meekly.

“Yes, really. I’ll perform one of the tricks for you sometime too.” Umi’s promise seemed to finally cheer her up as Eli gave her a small smile.

“Can you do one now?” Eli asked, getting Honoka interested too.

“Yeah yeah! Do one!” The officer nodded in agreement.

“R-Right now? I don’t know if I can…” Umi trailed off once she saw tears well up in Eli’s eyes again. “Okay, fine. Just one, okay?” Once Eli nodded excitedly (and Honoka too), Umi crouched down and reached out for a novelty item she had not used in years: a Moai statue head shaped glass. Both Eli and Honoka seemed impressed already by the novelty glass.

Flaming Moai. One Adelhyde, one Bronson Extract, two Powdered Delta, three Flanergide and five Karmotrine. All mixed. Umi never understood why the BTC decided to keep this drink as part of some ‘secret menu’, as it was the only drink not included in standard BTC recipe books. If one were to ask Umi, it was not even that great of a drink. Mixing the drink once the fourth Karmotrine was added, Umi poured the mix into the glass and carefully added the last part of the alcohol on top of the mix. Opening one of her drawers, she pulled out a long lighter and put its end right above the mix.

“Stay back, unless you want your eyebrows burnt,” Umi warned her clients, and with a trigger of the lighter a flame bursted out of the drink, getting ‘Oohs’ from both of her impressed clients. Before either of them could reach out for the drink, Umi hit a metal spoon on the counter, getting their attention. “Let it burn for a few more seconds, the fire will change the spiciness of the Flanergide into sourness,” Umi explained.

“Can I blow on it?” Honoka asked after a few moments passed by. With Umi’s approval, blew out the fire on the drink.

“I-I wanted to do that!” Eli slammed her hands on the counter, making both Umi and Honoka jump in surprise, and before either of them knew what happened Eli started crying again.

“E-Eli-chan! I’m sorry!” Honoka’s apologies fell to deaf ears and Eli kept crying her eyes out.

Tired with Eli’s drunkenness, Umi sighed and raised her voice to a yell. “Nozomi! Eli’s drunk again!”

“Comin’!” Nozomi’s faint voice came from the back of the bar. The owner of Lily White soon came out of her office and smiled at the sight of Eli crying. “Thanks Umi-chan, I’ll handle it from here. Sorry about the trouble,” she apologized both to the bartender and her client. “Come on, Elicchi,” Nozomi whispered once she got to Eli’s side. “Don’t ya wanna have some chocolate puddin’?”

Eli shook her head and sobbed once more.

“What about havin’ a call with your sister? I’m sure Alisa would love to see your face!” Nozomi’s second offer earned her a small nod and with Nozomi’s tug and guidance Eli got off her stool and followed Nozomi back to her office.

Once gone, Umi let out a long and alleviated sigh.

“S-Sorry for getting her drunk…” Honoka apologized and looked down at the bar floor.

“Don’t worry about it,” Umi mumbled as she took Eli’s empty glass and began to wash it. Once Umi noticed that her flashy drink went untouched, Umi looked up to see a still bummed out Honoka. “Hey, Honoka.” Honoka slowly looked up, and once they made eye contact, Umi offered her a smile. “It really was nothing, this always happens with Eli.”

“I-If you say so…” Honoka mumbled as she poked the novelty glass.

“Don’t let your beautiful face get ruined with a frown, Honoka. You brighten up this bar whenever you smile,” Umi said as she finished wiping her glass clean and set it aside.

“R-Really? Oh, um, wow.” Honoka laughed nervously and scratched the back of her head. The officer was not sure if the heat in her cheeks was the alcohol or something else. “T-Thanks, I guess.”

“Your next drink will be on me if you finally decide to cheer up,” Umi offered with a smile.

Honoka perked up and nodded with excitement. “You got a deal, Umi-chan!” She grinned and brought the Flaming Moai closer. Unsure where to hold it from, Honoka decided to just grab it from the bottom with both hands and chugged down the drink from where she could drink it the most comfortably.

“So? How is it?” Umi asked curiously. She had not made one in years and could not help but to wonder if she got it right.

Honoka put down the glass and pushed it towards Umi still half full. “Not really my style, but it was alright! You made it, Umi-chan, so of course it was great.”

“C-Compliments won’t get you any free drinks, Honoka.” Umi crossed her arms.

“But my smile will apparently! And I want…” Honoka tapped her chin, thinking about her next order.

“A Beer?” Umi assumed as she began to prepare it.

“A Piano Woman!” Honoka nodded before turning to Umi. “Yeah, one of those please.”

“Not a Beer?” Umi asked as she resetted her mixing station and began to prepare the new drink. Five Adelhyde, five Bronson Extract, two Powdered Delta, three Flanergide and three Karmotrine. All mixed and aged.

“Well, you said I could get whatever I wanted, so I got the most expensive one,” Honoka explained and swayed side to side like an excited child. “Never had one of these before either, so there’s that too.”

“Bigger price tag doesn’t always mean better taste,” Umi pointed out as she poured the light blue drink onto its glass and handed it over.

“Even better of a moneysaver if that’s the case then.” Honoka smiled before taking a cautious sip.

“Well? How is it?”

“Well…” Honoka let the aftertaste settle before giving Umi another smile. “It kinda reminds me of this bar!”

“Of this bar?” Umi repeated for clarification.

“Yup! It’s pretty sweet, and it makes me happy being here. I don’t have to worry about getting shot in broad daylight!”

Honoka’s explanation put Umi on a short and topsy turvy roller coaster of proudness to worries. “O-Oh…” was all Umi managed to say.

“And I get to hang out with a handsome bartender! What’s there not to be happy about?” Honoka giggled as she took another sip.

“Well, that part of getting shot sounded dreadful,” Umi pointed out.

Honoka paused for a moment and then laughed. “Umi-chan! You’re looking at your glass half empty. Life’s always a cup half full of things to be joyous about!” Honoka exclaimed and raised her drink.

Honoka’s lack of concern unsettled Umi. Was she not supposed to be a police officer?

“Like this Piano Woman right here. Rather than bumming out about almost having finished it, I’m just happy I got it for free,” Honoka finished explaining and drank the rest of it.

“I… suppose that’s a refreshing way of looking at things.” Umi had to admit that it was difficult to stay upset at such optimism. Honoka’s bright outlook towards life was a rarity nowadays, and one that should probably be protected under international law.

“And if things don’t pan out…” Honoka sighed and put down her drink, staring at it for a brief moment. “You just gotta hold out until they do.”

“... Honoka?” Honoka’s quick shift in demeanor confused Umi. She leaned a bit closer in an attempt to get a closer look at her expression.

Needless to say, Umi was startled when Honoka suddenly lifted both of her arms and groaned. “I just want a promotion!” She complained out loud before slumping on the counter. “Six years in the force and I’m still a traffic control officer,” Honoka groaned. “All ‘cuz I don’t want to join the others to extort money from some local businesses. Can I get another Beer?”

“One Beer, coming right… up…” Umi nodded and began to prepare Honoka’s next order, albeit somewhat uncomfortably. Umi had heard of extortion from the NTPP before, but how far did that kind of corruption run in the force for Honoka not get any kind of promotion in six years? “E-Extortion money?” Umi asked as she put the Beer in front of Honoka’s face.

Honoka sat up and sighed before taking a long sip from her drink. Huh, not a chug.

“Yeaaah, I’m not supposed to talk about it,” Honoka mumbled and propped her cheek on her hand. “NTPP’s been doing all sorts of shady stuff for years now, even before I joined it. Extortion money, planting evidence, heck, even money laundering for the commissioner and the mayor,” Honoka explained and sighed. “Kinda sucks the magic out of the being the good guy, y’know?”

“Why did you decide to become a police officer then?” Umi felt compelled to ask.

“It’s kinda dumb and embarrassing, but if you wanna know, I’ll tell you.” Honoka chuckled awkwardly and thumbed her glass as she spoke. “I grew up watching cartoons and movies where the good guys always beat the bad guys and saved the day. I wanted to be like that too! Bust some evil doers and save the innocent!” Honoka smiled nostalgically before taking a chug from her Beer. “Kinda gets your hopes and dreams crushed when on day one out of the academy you’re asked to join some senior officers to thrash a local salon because they didn’t pay their ‘protection money’. As far as I know, we’re supposed to be the ones protecting them from people who do that kind of stuff.” Honoka sighed and began to chug her drink.

“Honoka, I-”

“But that’s why I have to strive to be better!” Honoka raised her mug in the air enthusiastically. “Get people to trust the force, not fear it! Be a role model for children and an example for my coworkers!” Honoka grinned and made a ‘V’ sign with her fingers to Umi. “And I still get my bonuses each month! See, Umi-chan? The glass is always half full!”

Umi chuckled and smiled. “Yes, I suppose it is.”

Honoka’s smile did make everything in Umi’s life appear half full.

A/N: Thanks to @master-thief-gray-shadow and @bcheddar13 for betaing this chapter!

Sorry this one took a bit longer, the summer heat has left me somewhat lethargic.

[silver-ninja-of-the-tides]

Silver and Gold 4--Not Just a Tournament

Chapter 9--Traces

Summary

Fractured once, then fractured again. Four of the heroes of Ninjago have hung up their ninja gear and vainly started anew. And they’ve convinced themselves that they’re not going back.

But as Lloyd and Janet try to piece their team back together, a mysterious invitation to a massive tournament tells them that Zane is alive.

Bonds will be tested. Suspicions of everything they know and don’t know will arise. It all goes down at the Tournament of Elements.

(First chapter)

Zane’s POV

I couldn’t hear anything, and there was nothing to see but the dark. It was as if I no longer existed in any world, real or imaginary. Everything had remained that way for a very long time, long enough for me to think my position was permanent. That is, until my system rebooted.

Opening my eyes, I found my vision full of static, but ultimately it cleared. I felt . . . different, and I wasn’t exactly sure how I was different, or whether or not I liked this difference.

“Zane?”

There was a Nindroid like me standing in front of me with bright green eyes, her expression void of anything but concern. Both of us were standing in what appeared to be a factory.

“Pixal?” I asked cautiously.

“Yes. It’s me, Zane.”

Her smile brought a pleasure to me, and we both embraced.

“I’m so glad you’re back.”

“And I as well. But . . . where are the others?”

“They are mourning the loss of you.”

“The . . . loss of . . .” My memory bank brought up my sacrifice to protect everyone. Oh. That’s right.

“We must tell the others that you’ve returned.”

With my hand in hers, we were about to leave the area when my sensors indicated something foreign. I gently tugged her hand, and she stopped to look to me.

“What is it?”

“Something’s here.”

Both of us scanned our surroundings for any signs of what I had sensed.

“I am detecting a single presence within the—”

Pixal was rudely interrupted with the power being shut off in the factory.

I prepared myself to face this enemy. “I know you’re here. There’s no use in hiding.”

Turning my back to Pixal, I narrowed my eyes as I searched for any sign of movement.

An alarm went off in my system, and I jerked my attention to the rails above me. Suddenly Pixal cried out behind me, and I whirled around as she was receiving an electric shock. “Pixal!”

Catching her, I immediately noticed a foreign device on her back. Merely moments later I received a similar shock, and I tried to reach behind me. The force of the device amplified, and my systems began to shut down. As my consciousness started to fade, I managed to catch a man with a straw hat and a bionic eye patch in the dim light, towering over me.

“Who . . . are you?”

I fell into that same darkness again, and I vainly willed myself to wake up. I needed to wake up to help her and warn the others.

But . . . strangely I don’t remember who they are. Do I really know them? And wasn’t I alone?

A chill passed over me, and I could hear the wind howling. Finally opening my eyes again, I found myself no longer where I was.

Wait.

Where was I before? Was I not here the whole time?

I took in my dark and snowy environment as I stood up. Perhaps I might be able to find someone out here.

As I began walking, I couldn’t shake the sense of cloudy confusion. Something isn’t right. Where was that place I was at? Who are “the others”? And who was she? She looked similar to me. Or at least, I think she does.

Suddenly the ground began to crack underneath my feet, and I had little time to react before I fell through. I crashed down into some sort of small icy cave, and a part of me became detached from me quite literally.

Standing up, I reconnected my arm, and the sound of a disturbed creature bounced off the cave’s walls. Piercing blue eyes glowered at me from within the shadows, and it revealed itself to be a chained winged beast as cold as ice. I felt trapped as the beast closed in on me, and it roared right at me.

I desperately looked for a way to escape, and I found the hole from which I came. Perched outside of that hole was a falcon, and it appeared to be speaking to me.

“Zane! Are you still there? If you can hear me, wake up. You need to wake up!”

I swallowed in some air as I found myself in yet another area that was far less inviting. My wrists were bound by chains, and the room was extremely dark. “It was only a dream . . ."

“It’s amazing you dream. I’ve always wondered what it’s like. You’ve always been special.” I . . . don’t recognize this voice.

“Where am I? Who’re you?”

“I’m . . . Pixal. A friend. And you’re in danger, and have to get out of here. Your memory drive is out of sorts, and your Elemental Power—”

“Elemental . . . power?” I began to tug at my restraints.

“You’re a Nindroid, Zane, a Ninja. And your friends are here to save you. But they can’t do it all. You have to remember who you are.”

I briefly shook my head in a vain attempt to clear it. “Friends?”

“Remember, Zane! You saved your friends and then rebuilt yourself. There are things about you that you don’t understand, that you have yet to discover. But if we’re ever going to get out of here, you have to remember.”

My head began to clear, and I finally identified the owner of the voice. “Pixal . . . We are . . . compatible?”

“Yes, Zane. Yes we are.”

                                                         * * * *

Nya’s POV

“Sure Jay’s cute and funny and I’m always laughing around him but . . . everything’s about him and . . . he never takes me seriously.”

The light at my left dimmed.

“More light, please.”

“Right. He never takes you seriously,” Sensei repeated as I tightened a pipe.

“Then there’s Cole. He’s handsome and I suppose I connect with him on a deeper level but . . . everything’s so serious with him, y’know what I mean?” I held a hand out. “Socket wrench.”

“Young emotions are . . . complicated.”

I raised the tool to the pipe only to stop. “Sensei, these are needle-nose pliers. I asked for a socket wrench. And could you at least try to impart some wisdom?”

“No way. I’m not sticking my finger into that beehive.”

The door to the Samurai X cave slid open, and I spotted Misako’s and Ryan’s shoes.

“So, got those supplies you asked for,” Ryan reported, holding a box.

“Any word?” Sensei asked.

“Nothing,” Misako sighed.

“Nothing on my end, either,” Ryan said.

“It’s been days and still no word from Garmadon or the Ninjas. I’m worried.”

“As am I,” Sensei replied. “It’s time we broaden our search.”

“Well then,” I said. “It’s a good thing I made a mobile base in case the Destiny’s Bounty was ever out of commission.” With a few button presses, the floor to the base opened up. “I call it, The DB Express! Mmh, not married to the name.”

“You know, the more eyes out on the field, the better it’ll be for everyone,” Ryan said.

“I appreciate the help, but I think I can manage on my own.”

“Let me guess. You think I’m needed here.”

“Well . . .”

“I’m more useful out there, Nya. And besides, I can track Janet and Destiny quite well.” Of course you can.

I studied Ryan’s face for a bit as he patiently awaited my reply. Maybe a two-man mission wouldn’t be too bad.

Eventually I caved with a sigh. “All right. Hop in.”

“Find my family, Nya,” Misako said.

“We’re on our way!”

                                                         * * * *

Destiny’s POV

Everyone was up bright and early for breakfast and ready for today’s challenge. Well, most of us were. Some of us were still in PJs.

“This isn’t a fighting tournament,” Lloyd said as we waited in line for food. “It’s an alibi for Chen to steal everyone’s powers. But we still don’t know why.”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Kai asked. “Chen wants to destroy New Ninjago City. I dunno what it is, but that place has had a string of bad luck.”

“I’m not so sure,” Cole argued. “From what Sensei G’s told us about ‘em, I have a feeling it’s something far more sinister.”

“That makes two of us,” Janet said from behind me.

“And may I remind us we still don’t know where Zane is,” Jay added. “Which is why we all need to take care of our first rounds to give us more time. Ah—don’t look at me. I’ve already moved on.”

“And you’ve moved in pretty well, too,” I quipped, eyeing his getup.

“Your opponent got himself kicked out,” Cole remarked.

“Eh heh heh. Either way, it’s my day off.” Jay held his tray toward the cook. “Extra creamy biscuits, and don’t skimp.”

I rolled my eyes as he and Cole continued to bicker. “They’re never gonna stop, are they?”

“Well if they don’t I’ll make them stop,” Janet said. “And you know no one wants that.”

“Tell me about it.”

Turning around, I saw Cole rudely turning his nose up at Jay, to which he replied with, “I dropped it first!”

“Did not!” Cole snapped.

“Did too!”

Their arguing eventually made a mess of juice and biscuits on the floor, and Janet and I carefully went around the two.

“This tournament will test them, Lloyd,” Garmadon said. “Either find a way for them to make peace, or neither of them will move on.”

Just then the speakers played a gong being struck, and Master Chen’s voice spoke through them.

“The Tournament of Elements continues,” he said. “Fun time! Would the following masters please make their way to their assigned arena: Speed, Gravity, Smoke, Nature, Mind, oh and last and hopefully not least . . .”

“Huh. Maybe we all got the day off,” Jay commented.

“Fire!” Janet and I glanced to each other. “Remember, only one can remain!”

The cafeteria erupted into murmurs and chatter. Well this is great.

“Looks like we better finish up if we wanna make it in time for the first match,” Lloyd said, and I felt a pair of eyes on me.

“We’ll catch up with you guys in a minute,” Cole said. As the team followed Lloyd to a spot, Cole glanced to me. “Did you talk to him?”

My eyes flickered to Kai. “Right. That. Well, uh . . .”

Letting everyone else leave Kai’s room, I hung around for a bit as he started to slip off his disguise.

“Hey Kai?” I called.

“Hmm?” he said.

“I, uh . . .” I stayed silent for a few seconds too long, and the longer the silence stretched on the more concerned he looked. Just say it already! Do it! “Just . . . keep your head on straight. Wouldn’t want you doing anything stupid.”

A wave of calm passed over him. “Heh. Don’t worry. Nothing can stop this guy!”

I laughed a bit, but his eyes didn’t match his words. “Night Kai.”

“Good night . . .”

I turned to take my leave as I strained to keep my shoulders from tensing.

“Hey uh, Des?”

I turned around, and it was like he lost all confidence.

“Actually never mind. It can wait.”

“All right . . .”

Cole frowned a bit, but otherwise he kept quiet.

“Call me a chicken but I can’t do it. And I don’t think he’s having it easy, either,” I said.

The Earth Ninja glanced to the team’s table, and I followed his gaze to Kai stealing a glance over at us. Immediately he turned away with hunched shoulders. “Well you’re right about one thing. It’s something you can’t rush in to. And only you guys can handle this.”

“Yeah . . . only us . . .”

(First chapter) (Next chapter) (Previous chapter)

[eloquenceassassinated]

Hey! I was wondering if I could get a "DVD commentary" of Grass Whistle chapter three from "Really, should he be surprised that the guy who raised Zane turned out to be pretty awesome?" to "Technology has progressed in leaps and bounds since I last remembered it." I loved this part so much! Or, if you're feeling like sharing, commentary on the whole chapter, because it's amazing.

LOOK EVERYBODY SOMEBODY ASKED ABOUT MY BABY *COUGH*

FF.net is being a bother and not letting me upload any new documents to Grass Whistle, so in lieu of that, I’m going to take advantage of my little Ninjago writing kick to answer this lovely little ask!

VERY LONG RAMBLING BELOW THE CUT

Funny story - a big part of my journey into stanning Dr. Julien was the realization that everything that made Zane my favorite ninja is, in some way, all thanks to his dad. Lloyd is making a similar discovery here - Zane, who is a fantastic ninja and a great big brother and always willing to do the right thing, is an apple that hasn’t fallen far from his metaphorical tree.

Man, oh man, do I love the line “you were made to protect those who cannot protect themselves”. This post by @drjulien will only make you love it more. As far as headcanons go, I teeter on the edge between “DR.JULIEN TOTALLY KNEW HE WAS CREATING THE NEXT ICE NINJA HE KNOWS MORE THAN WE THINK HE DOES ILLUMINATI CONFIRMED” and “Dr. Julien found a weird power source that accidentally created the next ice ninja because science”. I write in such a way that I never show favoritism towards one or the other. Whether Julien knew that Zane would be the next ice ninja or not, it was Zane’s choice to pursue that path in the end. Dr. Julien is so proud of his son. So freaking proud.

On top of being a proud dad, Dr. Julien is also a kooky dad.

yes i know the gif is from the movie but it’s funny so fight me

Lloyd is a big kid, and he still pouts like one. My friend Candaru summed up best his frustration in this fic: “He wants to help and be noticed by the adults but he also doesn’t wanna fight his dad!!” It’s humiliating to him to sit on the sidelines when he’s supposed to be the green ninja, the most powerful one of the bunch. Dr. Julien understands his feelings of being ostracized, but he’s also heard how Misako and Wu address Lloyd (especially in the conversation in the Bridge the chapter before). He’s a robotics engineer. He knows that the central mechanism of a machine needs to be protected in order to run fewer risks of damage. He can see the wisdom in protecting the most important component in saving Ninjago - but that doesn’t stop him from feeling for this boy.

Okay, but bragging time - the reveal of the red mech was my favorite segment of this chapter to write. If you watch the show, you’ll see that one of the Stone Army’s war tanks has the caterpillar treads on these back legs that act like they’re on a spring mechanism. Lloyd’s been in “danger alert mode” for so long that as soon as he hears a sound similar to those “legs”, he’s ready to spring into action to protect Dr. Julien.But it turns out to be Nya. I always ask myself the filler questions when writing fanfiction: “Okay, but how did that thing get there?” In the show, Nya’s mech was ready for the boys in the back of the driller vehicle, and Dr. Julien and Lloyd were working on the latter, so obviously they would have seen the former at some point. The red mech looks like it’s of a different make than the driller, and kind of has that “Nya” flair - I don’t know how else to describe it - so I figured that she just built it herself, and the boys built a compartment into the driller vehicle just to be ready for her. So I wrote that in.

It’s been a long-standing headcanon of mine that Dr. Julien became good friends with (and unofficial Science Dad to) Jay and Nya after the Overlord was defeated, fostering their love of machines with his own. This is his first introduction to just how freaking talented Nya is. And boy, is he impressed. Lloyd is still a little kid and loves cool looking machines that can beat up bad guys. On the other hand, Dr. Julien is an old nerd who is BLOWN AWAY that someone as young as Nya could show so much expertise as to create something more flexible, sturdy, and powerful than his Juggernaut in such a limited time, with so few resources. 

Nya, for her part, idolizes Dr. Julien a little bit. She’s built enough machines herself to be able to grasp just how much genius had to go into building Zane, especially with a lower level of technology than is now available. I imagine she hadn’t really known how to approach him (and probably reasoned that it wasn’t as important as saving Ninjago), but the fact that he recognized her talent first is more than she could ask beyond her wildest dreams. senpai noticed me, etc., etc. lol

And yes, Dr. Julien is definitely serious when he says he wants to learn about new technology from Nya. He’d been cooped up in a workshop in a tree for several decades…and then he was dead for a little while…and then he was cooped up in a prison for who knows how much longer. Technology would have been marching on for a long time without him. He’s come to terms with this by now, so it’s not so much a matter of what he’s lost as it is navigating the possibilities in this exciting new world.I imagine he picked up Borg tech pretty fast too after this. A big part of working with technology is constantly learning; I have that on authority from my dad, a computer programmer. Dr. Julien knows this, and he’s too humble to try to get around the system. If these young people have something to teach him, he’s all for learning it, and as quickly as possible.

Lloyd, for his part, is just enjoying the banter. I imagine that he’s used to being talked around, pushed away, or put down by adults. To see some healthy, friendly interaction between a new adult and one of his friends is calming and reassuring, as well as just a lot of fun. Because they’re nerds. He’s categorizing Dr. Julien in whole new ways every time he sees how the doc treats one of his friends, and this one is another positive mark.

Thanks again for sending this ask! If anyone is interested in my fic, the first chapter is here! If anyone is wondering what this “DVD commentary” stuff is, this post should clear it up for you. Feel free to spread the fun and answer asks about your own fics!

[razzle-zazzle]

Happy Birthday @entersomethingcreativehere​! As promised, here’s some stuff for the Silent Song AU!

1644 Words

Zane was, for the first time in recent memory, cold.

Not because his cell was particularly cold, or because his elemental powers had been taken, but because of the complete isolation of his situation. No guards came to check on him, no mastermind came to interrogate him, and nobody came to feed him—because he wasn’t human, didn’t need to eat or drink.

But there was more to it than that, Zane knew, if the dream that had been haunting him during his time here was any indication. He couldn’t quite remember anything before his imprisonment here, and that emptiness carried with it a lingering sense of cold.

He was missing something, something important, and without that something, Zane had no comfort with which to warm himself in this cold, empty cell.

His throat tightened, the mechanics of his body acting to simulate a human response to his feelings. His face pricked, but there were no tears to cry. Just cold emptiness.

FSM, Zane wished he were anywhere other than here.

If only he knew what “anywhere other than here” was even like.

+=+=+=+=+

Pixal was a blessing—no, more than that. She was the earth and sky, the sun and moon, the stars and the cosmos.

Of course, remembering brought its own troubles. It gave him people to miss, and from that, a reason to cry. And, even worse, it came with the knowledge that the others would not be coming for him—for all they knew, Zane was dead.

“Zane, I’m detecting alarming levels of distress. Are you sure you’re alright?” Pixal’s voice cut through Zane’s thoughts like sunlight through clouds, and Zane felt all the better for it.

“I’m fine.” He said softly. “But thank you for your concern.”

“If you say so.” Pixal’s voice dripped with doubt, but she did not pry. Zane was thankful for that.

Zane returned to his musings, the weight on his shoulders lighter than before. It was a pleasing thought, the reminder that he wasn’t alone. That, even if the others never came for him, he would not have to rust alone, with nobody to talk to.

Still, what Zane wouldn’t give to see his friends—no, his family—again. To hear their voices, hold their hands. To watch Cole draw again, making something out of nothing with only a pencil and paper. To hear Kai’s boisterous showboating, only for him to get shown up by Nya. To see the way Jay’s brow furrowed when he’d hit a particularly puzzling snag in his last invention, the way he slowly figured out the problem. To take care of Lloyd again, for all that the boy forgot to care for himself. To train with Nya again, trading blows on the deck until they were both exhausted.

Zane’s throat tightened again, his thoughts wandering to how the ninja were doing in his absence. Did they mourn him? Move on? Or were they still grieving, grieving someone who wasn’t even dead, who needed to be rescued, not mourned?

“Zane,” Pixal cut in, a warning tone, “are you certain you do not want to talk about what’s troubling you?”

“I am...” Zane began, only to trail off. “I would like that.”

“It is your family, isn’t it?” Pixal asked. “You miss them.”

“I do.” Zane paused, trying to find the words. “I do not find reason to believe they will come for me, and that—that scares me.”

Pixal hmmed comfortingly. “We were both brought to this island for a reason, Zane. Perhaps we shall reunite with the others yet.”

It wasn’t the most comforting thing to hear, but Zane smiled all the same. He really wasn’t giving the others enough credit, was he? He needed to trust them.

They would come. They had to.

Zane didn’t want to believe otherwise.

+=+=+=+=+

Tap tap tap.

Zane stirred at the sound of tapping, his gaze landing on the door of his cell. There was someone there—why was there someone there?

Curious, Zane stood up, coming as close to the door as his chains would allow, trying to peer out through the bars. “Who—” Zane froze.

Because there, peering into Zane’s cell with shadowed eyes, was Cole. There, with tears in the corners of his eyes, was Cole. There, with a wide-eyed smile, was Cole. Cole, crying softly as he lifted a hand to meet Zane’s through the bars. Cole, with bandages peeking out from under the collar of his prisoner uniform. Cole, covered in flour, the white dusting his face and clothes reminiscent of morning frost.

“Cole!” Zane nearly shouted, wanting to break down the door and embrace his brother. If Cole was here, then he’d lost the fight with Jay. But that also meant that Cole could rally the other prisoners, take Chen’s operation down from within.

Except, on a second glance, Cole didn’t look so good. His lip had been split, and his cheek was bruised. The flour that had so cutely decorated his face before only served to show how tired he looked, and Zane wanted nothing more in that moment than to hold his brother, to make whatever had caused that haunted look in his eyes to go away.

“Cole…” Zane said, more quietly.

Cole said nothing, simply resting his forehead against the bars with a smile.

The guard yelled somewhere up ahead, sounding annoyed. Cole stiffened. He began to pull away.

“Cole, wait—” But he was already gone.

“Something was most certainly wrong there.” Pixal’s voice was succinct, as though talking about the weather.

Zane stepped back from the door. “He didn’t say a single word.”

Pixal sighed. “There were bandages around his neck. Something happened, and I’m not sure I like any of the possibilities.”

Zane sat down. “He didn’t say a single word. Why didn’t he say anything?” Did I do something wrong?

“Zane.” Pixal warned, but Zane didn’t listen. What had he done wrong? Why didn’t Cole say anything?

Desolate, Zane curled up in the corner of his cell, trying his damnedest not to cry.

His efforts proved futile.

+=+=+=+=+

Cole tugged at the bandages around his neck, wincing as they rubbed against the raw skin of his scars. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes. He rubbed at them, trying to even his breathing before he started to choke again. Cole gave the cell containing his brother another glance, wishing he’d had more time to just stand there and see him.

“Zane” He’d wanted to say, “It’s so good to see you, you tin can!” He’d wanted to laugh, to reassure his brother with a promise of escape. Wanted to yell at Zane for having gone missing for so long, for leaving them all with nothing but his memory. Wanted to hold his brother’s hand and say “I’m here for you. We’re here for you.”

But I can’t. He thought bitterly, absently running his finger along the bandages. FSM, his throat hurt. Every breath felt like sandpaper, but at least he could still breathe.

“Walk faster!” The guard in front yanked the chains holding the prisoners together, causing the whole group to stumble. Right.

Cole gave his brother’s cell one last glance before falling back in line. It was fine. Everything was fine. He knew where Zane was.

Now he just needed a plan.

+=+=+=+=+

Cole grimaced as he coughed up blood. Dammit, not again.

Standing on shaky legs, he walked over to the door of his cell, pounding against it to get the guards’ attention.

Sorry Zane, I don’t think I’ll be able to bust us out today.

+=+=+=+=+

“Cole, wait—” Zane didn’t understand why Cole was insisting on such a fast pace. Had his escape plan really been so impromptu?

Cole grabbed Zane’s shoulder and pulled him into an alcove, where they sat down to rest.

Now that they had a moment of peace, Zane hoped to get the answers he wanted. “Cole,” he began, “You haven’t said a word since we reunited. Why?”

Cole blinked owlishly, giving Zane a kind of “is it not obvious” look.

“Zane, I think—” Pixal began, but Zane wasn’t listening.

“Please,” he pleaded, holding Cole’s shoulders imploringly, “Are you angry with me? Was it something I did? That I was missing for all this time?”

Cole took Zane’s hands in his own, giving Zane a decidedly melancholy look. He undid the collar of his uniform, giving Zane a clearer view of the bandages around his neck. Slowly, gently, he tapped the bandages, then shook his head. And again.

Oh. Oh no. Oh no.

“I had a hunch that this was the case.” Pixal’s tone was clipped. Zane realized he probably owed her an apology, but pushed that thought aside for now so he could embrace his brother. “Oh my—Cole—I’m so sorry, I should have realized, oh my—” Zane pulled away from the hug to look his brother in the eyes.

“Cole,” he said, more calmly now, “Who?”

Cole shook his head, as if to say “don’t worry about it”. But Zane was unfettered. He needed names, now.

“Cole,” Zane’s tone was ice, “Who did this to you?”

Cole glanced away, his hands beginning to spell out a name.

Zane wasn’t aware that Cole knew NSL—true, the ninja had learned basic signals for when they had to be absolutely silent, but nothing beyond that—though it seemed Cole’s knowledge only extended to the letters. That was fine, Zane could teach him more later.

“Clouse…” The name was familiar, but Zane couldn't quite place it. He supposed he’d figure it out later, when he wasn’t in the middle of an escape attempt.

Speaking of which—

“We should probably get moving.” Zane stood up, “The sooner we get out of this maze, the better.”

Cole nodded and stood up. Grinning, he took Zane’s offered hand.

Zane smiled. In his head, he could feel Pixal’s joy as well.

They weren’t alone. Not anymore.

And with that, they had hope.

[dimensiontripperhibiki]

Let It Burn (42/?)

Next chapter of LIB, hope you guys enjoy! :) Warning(s): Sexual scenes, some angst.  “Are you sure about this?” Eli asked apprehensively as she stepped into Honoka’s bedroom behind her. As much as she wanted to be able to spend time with Honoka and Umi she was worried that if she got too close to Yuki she might somehow hurt her. “Eli-senpai!” Yuki exclaimed brightly as she looked up from the book Honoka had given her to read. She was never really allowed any when she was with Sonoda. Certainly not any new ones. She scrambled to her feet and rushed toward Eli, her arms going around the blonde’s midsection in a strong embrace. Eli winced, expecting to feel cold but she didn’t. She realized in surprise that Yuki must have put her gloves on. Having made no such effort herself, she hugged the girl back as best she could without touching her with her hands. She wondered vaguely how the heat from her body wasn’t hurting Yuki. She looked to Honoka who nodded with a small smile. “She’s been asking for you all morning.” Honoka pointed out quietly. “I think she’s taken a liking to you.”

“She’s been asking for you all morning.” Honoka pointed out quietly. “I think she’s taken a liking to you.”

Eli glanced down at Yuki in surprise and watched as the girl pulled back to look up at her, her silver eyes shimmering. Eli couldn’t help but smile at how adorable the girl was. Honoka ran her hand over Yuki’s auburn hair and smiled softly when the girl leaned into her. It was clear that she hadn’t had much human contact. Positive human contact at least. “Just don’t steal her away from me, okay? Eli-senpai is mine too. She has all the girls falling for her...” Eli rolled her eyes, a blush coloring her cheeks as she felt Honoka’s arm slide around her shoulders. “Can I see your gloves, Yuki?” Yuki nodded in response and Eli crouched down as the small girl held up her hands. She looked closely at the gloves on Yuki’s hands, recalling how it hadn’t hurt when the girl had touched her. “Rei-san gave them to me!” Yuki exclaimed excitedly. “She said they would help me keep control of my ability better than the other ones.” “I think they have the same material as mine.” Eli said observantly. “Hmm?” Yuki innocently tilted her head. “Why don’t you wear yours?” “Because usually I can control my heat.” Eli explained simply as Yuki lowered her hands. She didn’t stand up just yet though, preferring to be eye level with the girl when she spoke to her. “When I was younger I used to...burn people without meaning to but I managed to control that. It’s just that with you, you’re sensitive to my ability. Just like I am with yours.” Yuki nodded, a serious expression on her face. “Maybe you could wear your gloves when you touch me? So you don’t have to stay away anymore.” “That’s a good idea.” Eli said with a soft laugh. She got to her feet, her heart skipping a beat when she noticed Honoka beaming at the two of them. “What?” “I just love you.” Honoka said with a slight shake of her head. “So what do you think? Can we keep her? Please?” Eli felt a hand grasp at her sleeve and looked down at Yuki who stared up at her with a puppy dog expression “Please?” “Fine, we can keep her.” Eli grunted as the two simultaneously hugged her, one from the front and one around her shoulders from the side. She couldn’t help but smile to herself though. She was relieved that Honoka was happier. She had worried she would never see her like that again. “I’m going to have to ask Rei to help me with those gloves before I can come back for real though. You know that, right?” Honoka sighed and Yuki looked up at Eli. “I heard Honoka-san and Umi-san saying they missed you last night.” She said innocently. “They said they couldn’t get warm without you.” “Yuki!” Honoka chided gently, her face turning red. “I think it’s cute.” Eli said with a soft smile. “I’m surprised Umi said it too though.” “What? Umi loves you!” Honoka said with a roll of her eyes. “And she’s gotten used to you being there when we sleep. You’re like a furnace, you warm the whole bed up.” Eli frowned suddenly in concern and looked down at the girl hanging onto her. “Does that not hurt you? The rest of my body being so warm?” Yuki shook her head in response. “No.” Eli gave a sigh of relief. She wasn’t sure how that worked but she supposed it was a good thing that she wasn’t doing anything to hurt Yuki inadvertently. “That’s good. When I get my gloves we can practice control together, okay?” Yuki beamed at that. “Eli-senpai is going to teach me?” “And you’re going to teach me.” Eli said with a nod of her head. “We can teach each other.” Honoka reached out and ran her hand over the top of Yuki’s head, mouthing a silent ‘thank you’ to Eli.   ----- Rin grabbed the towel she had left in the entranceway as the door slammed shut behind her. She had taken a few laps around the city as way of training. She needed to get faster and soon, otherwise they were all screwed. Even more so than they already were. Hearing a jingle she turned to see Hibiki picking up her backpack from the floor. The girl was wearing a grey hoodie and black shorts but as Rin watched, Hibiki removed the hoodie, exposing her black sports bra. Rin’s gaze shifted to Hibiki’s shoulder blade. There was a tattoo there. A thorn rose. It was beautifully drawn, Rin noticed as she stepped closer. “I can feel you staring at me.” Hibiki said without turning around as she stuffed her hoodie into her bag. “If it’s the tattoo I got it in England last year.” Rin blushed. “I wasn’t staring…” “Oh really, speedster?” Hibiki turned around with a smirk. Rin’s eyes were drawn to Hibiki’s full chest. She had been sure the girl was flat chested like her. "Did it hurt?" "Like a bitch...but I'm used to pain. And before you ask a friend of mine did it. Though she did teach me.” “She did?” Rin asked curiously. “What would you think suits me?" Hibiki seemed to think about that for a moment. “A crow with a chain of lightning around it.” Rin frowned "Crows are bad luck." "You're a crow” Hibiki shrugged in response.”Bound to the ground. But you want to break free.” Rin shook her head. “Nah, I like cats.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I like your tattoo though. It’s pretty.” “Thanks.” Hibiki smiled softly. “But I guess it’s kind of meant in a tragic way too. It reminds me that no one can ever understand me...or get close to me. Do you ever feel that way, Rin?” Rin thought about that for a moment before nodding. “More now than before, I guess.” “It’s tough being an outsider.” Hibiki remarked, dropping her bag back to the floor. “Who said I’m an outsider?” Rin frowned, a bit defensive. That hardly seemed like a nice thing to call someone. “Aren’t you? It’s just the impression I get.” Hibiki said with a shrug of her shoulders. “Your friends all seem to have groups. But you’re not really in them. Like Riko. It’s…” She paused, noticing Rin looked a little crushed by the comment. “Oh hey, I’m sorry. Look, what do I even know? I’m new here.” Rin shrugged her shoulders. “You seem smart though. Like Umi-chan, Maki-chan and Hanayo-chan.” “You are too. You just keep it to yourself.” Hibiki remarked thoughtfully. “That’s the impression I get anyway.” Rin gave a sheepish laugh and rubbed the back of her neck. “I just run fast.” “Just run fast?” Hibiki echoed skeptically. “You saved my sorry ass.” “By running fast. It’s easy when you’re a lot faster than the other person.” Rin said casually. “Besides, it seemed like you had a plan.” “My plan was you coming and whisking me off.” Hibiki smirked, shrugging her shoulders. “I told you, I knew you would come.” “You’re really pretty, nya.” Rin’s eyes widened as the words left her mouth. “NYA. I…” She clapped her hand over her mouth in case anything else she didn’t mean to say escaped. She didn’t know where that had come from. Hibiki smirked at the embarrassed look on Rin’s face. “Must be my delinquent charm. So you like the bad girls, huh?” “N-No, I just…” Rin stuttered nervously. “I don’t know why I said that, nya.” “Relax, it’s fine.” Hibiki said, shaking her head in amusement. “Life’s too short to not tell girls you think they’re pretty. It’s funny though, considering all of the hot girls you’re surrounded by.” “Huh?” Rin tilted her head in confusion. “How is it fine that I want to push you against the wa-” She cut herself off again. “NYA, I did it again! Maybe I’m dreami...ow!” Rin flinched as Hibiki reached behind her and pinched her. “You pinched my butt!” “You were asking if you were dreaming.” Hibiki grinned, shrugging her shoulders. “Guess not.” Rin lightly pushed Hibiki and taking it as a challenge, Hibiki pushed her back. “Getting physical, huh speeds-” Hibiki grunted as Rin tackled her to the floor, using her ability. She locked her legs around the girl’s waist and flipped them, easily pinning her hands to the floor. “Well that wasn’t very nice.” Rin growled and using all of the strength she had, she flipped them again. “You’re annoying me. Why do you have to be so...pretty and so cool?!” Hibiki smirked up at Rin, letting the girl hold her in place. “Why don’t you let your instincts tell you? Let that inner cheetah out.” Rin gritted her teeth. “I’m so frustrated and you...you…” “What?” Hibiki asked, raising an eyebrow. Rin closed her eyes and leaned down, letting her instincts take over as she pressed her lips to Hibiki’s.

---- Future Honoka was halfway down the stairs when she heard voices coming from the kitchen. She faltered slightly, having been on her way there to get some tea for Nozomi. The empath was still working with Chika while also trying to get Kotori to open up to her more about what had happened to her. She didn’t usually get headaches but so much use of her ability had been enough to bring one on. Honoka faltered for a moment, not especially wanting to run into anyone. As immature as it was she much prefered spending her time solely with Nozomi. Taking a deep breath, she braced herself before she walked into the kitchen. Honoka and Eli were there, standing near Yuki who was sitting on the counter, swinging her legs back and forth. “Don’t you think this is a bit much?” Eli asked as Honoka squeezed ketchup onto the omurice she’d just finished cooking. It didn’t look too bad, considering Honoka had made it. “No, she deserves to be spoiled after...you know.” Honoka said as she drew a smiley face with the ketchup. “Mmm!” Yuki chimed in, her mouth full of rice. “Honoka-san said I can have whatever I want!” “Honoka.” Eli said disapprovingly. Honoka gave a nervous laugh as she turned to Eli. “I can’t help it, I just…” She trailed off as she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She glanced in that direction, her expression souring when she saw her future self. “Come on, Yuki. Let’s go and eat upstairs with Umi-chan.” Yuki nodded and let Eli help her down from the counter. Honoka picked up Yuki’s plate and guided her to the door with a hand on her back. Yuki faltered at the sight of future Honoka, her brow furrowing slightly in confusion. She glanced between Honoka and the older girl but she didn’t have time to question it before she was being ushered from the room. “That’s brave.” Future Honoka murmured as she watched her past self leave. “I wouldn’t trust myself with a kid, nevermind her.” “Honoka knows what she’s doing.” Eli, who hadn’t moved to follow Honoka, said. Future Honoka snorted in disbelief. “No, she doesn’t. I know how she is, remember? How I was.” Eli heaved a sigh. “Do you have to be such an ass all of the time? She’s trying. What is she supposed to do, tell the kid to go back to where she came from?” Honoka raised an eyebrow as she hopped up onto one of the stools in the kitchen. It still caught her by surprise how nice the Minami household was. It made her think of a time when things were so much simpler. “You seem annoyed.” “I’m not annoyed, I just don’t like that you constantly have something to say about my girlfriend.” Eli said as she turned to take Honoka’s dishes to the sink. “She’s been through hell the past few weeks but she’s trying. She’s trying to drag herself out of it. If I had lost Arisa I don’t think I could do that.” “Yes you could.” Honoka disagreed quietly, recalling how Eli had acted after Arisa had died. “In my future Nozomi-chan dragged you out of your darkness kicking and screaming. I helped after but Nozomi-chan did all of the work.” Eli paused, confused by the strangeness of the comment. “Why would you tell me that?” “You mentioned it.” Honoka said with a shrug. She watched as Eli turned to frown at her. “Before you get any ideas, I’m not telling you you should get back with Nozomi. She’s not available.” Eli managed a small smile at that. It was rare to hear Honoka admit her relationship with Nozomi. “I’m glad. You make her happy.” Future Honoka scoffed and looked down at her lap. “For now.” She bit her lip for a moment, gathering her thoughts. “She’s too good for me, you know.” “What?” “Nozomi.” Honoka clarified, looking up. “She’s always been the best of all of us.” “You don’t have to tell me that.” Eli muttered, crossing the room to lean against the counter near Honoka. “You obviously love her. Did you not feel that way about her in your own time?” Honoka shook her head. “Nozomi-chan was one of my closest friends but I was in love with Kotori-chan. And...Eli-senpai. Though I never admitted it…” Eli watched Honoka closely, noticing the flash of pain across her face. “Is that why you’re so angry with Honoka? You’re annoyed that she did?” “Jealous, you mean?” Honoka tipped her head back and sighed. “Yeah, I guess. And angry with myself for putting Eli-senpai through what I did. She really loved me. Probably a lot more than you love your version of me. But I ignored how she felt. I pretended I didn’t notice.” Eli tried not to take offence to the comment about her future self loving Honoka more than she did. From what Future Honoka said, it could be true. Eli consoled herself with the thought that it was because that version of herself had had more time with Honoka. She was sure she would only love Honoka more with time. “You were with Kotori.” She said hesitantly after a moment of silence. “You can’t blame yourself for not being able to answer my...her feelings.” “I should have. She died without knowing how I felt. I would give anything to…” Honoka paused as if realizing how much she was telling Eli. “Anyway, yeah. I envy her in a way. My past self. So that’s why I don’t like her, besides the fact that she’s useless.” Eli rolled her eyes. “So you’re calling yourself useless?” “I let all of my friends die. What else would I call myself?” Honoka retorted pointedly. “Besides it’s not like she has any love lost for me either. She blames me for her sister dying. Not that she’s exactly wrong about that. I did change the timeline.” Eli couldn’t argue with that. She had known almost from the start that it was meant to be Arisa who died. That Yukiho has been alive in Future Honoka’s time. “You must understand her on some level though. She’s you. You’ve lived through this.” “No, I haven’t.” Honoka frowned at the suggestion. “Her life is completely different to mine.” Eli watched contemplatively as Honoka hopped down from the stool she was sitting on and crossed to the cupboard, taking out a cup. “What are you doing?” “Nozomi has a headache so I’m making her some tea.” Honoka answered with a shrug of her shoulders. “She’s been using her ability a lot today, with Chika. Not that she’s getting anywhere. It seems like a waste of her time.” Eli stared at Honoka as the girl heaved an annoyed sigh. “You really confuse me sometimes.” She mumbled, shaking her head. It was confusing, yet sweet at the same time, that Honoka could be so cold toward everyone else and yet so warm toward Nozomi. “You know what the best cure for a headache is though, don’t you?” Honoka turned to gape at Eli in surprise but the blonde was already leaving the room. ---- Rei looked up from the chart she was reading over and cast a glance over at You and Chika. It was times like this when she was at a loss for answers but knew what she would need to do to get them that she wished she had access to actual hospital equipment. An MRI machine would have been more than helpful so she could figure out if there was anything going on physically with Chika’s brain. It was frustrating, not being able to do anything to help. She watched as You ran her fingers gently over the top of Chika’s forehead, idly brushing her hair aside. Their closeness reminded her of Maki and Kotori and she frowned at the thought. She wasn’t sure what was going on with her daughter and Yume’s. She knew they had been spending less time together since Kotori had gotten back. She couldn’t help but worry that Kotori was pushing Maki away. She knew that losing Kotori would be devastating to her daughter. It had been the first time they had been separated too. She could only imagine that now that Maki was so attached to Kotori it would be a lot worse. She was torn from her thoughts by the door flying open. She looked up in time to see Rin and Kotori drag the young man who’d brought Kotori back, into the room. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she lowered the clipboard in her hands. “What’s going on?” “We know how to fix Chika-chan, nya!” Rin exclaimed excitedly, letting go of Raven’s arm. “Kotori-chan figured it out.” “You did?” You’s excited exclamation sounded at the same time as Rei’s more skeptical response. “Yes. Well I think so.” Kotori answered. She glanced over at Chika, flashing her a small smile. “Hey, Chika-chan. I’m sorry I haven’t been to see you, I’ve been...preoccupied.” “No, it’s fine.” Chika said quickly. Even emotionless she knew that she shouldn’t be insensitive toward Kotori so she kept in mind the way she would usually act had she been able to feel anything. It felt fake but she supposed it was better than doing anything to upset her. “H-How are you?” Kotori gave a meek shrug in response. “I’m fine. More importantly I think I have...or rather Raven-kun has a way of helping you.” Rei looked at the young man who seemed to be avoiding looking specifically at her. “What do you mean? How could he help her?” “With his ability.” Kotori planted her hand on Raven’s back and gave him a gentle nudge toward Rei. “Tell her.  You don’t have to worry, I told you she’s not going to try to…” “Melt my brain.” Raven provided when Kotori trailed off uncertainly. “Like the other redhead.” “He means Maki-chan.” Kotori explained, glancing toward Rei. “Right.” Rei said slowly, still struggling to figure out what the three of them were trying to say. “So how do you think you can help Chika?” “I think I can give her senses a kickstart.” Raven answered, glancing over at Chika before he turned his attention back to Rei. “If we find a way to make her feel some kind of pain, I can intensify it and make her feel it a hundred times stronger. I think that might help. Or Kotori does at least.” “Wait, wait…” Rei held up a hand, struggling to keep up. “Are you saying you have an ability? Kotori told us you were a guard.” Raven looked to Kotori in confusion. “You told them I worked for Sonoda?” “Ah, yeah. But in my defence they wouldn’t have taken the news that you helped torture me well. Especially my mother.” Kotori said, stepping forward. “He tortured you?” Kotori froze at the sound of Maki’s voice. She sounded hurt. But mostly, she sounded furious. She slowly turned in time to see Maki walk into the room, her fists clenched as she headed for Raven. “Oh crap…” Raven muttered, quickly backing up. “Whoa, Maki wait…” Kotori quickly put herself between Raven and her fuming girlfriend, holding her hands up. “It’s not as simple as that, okay? It’s complicated.” “You told me he was just a guard.” Maki growled, her gaze flitting to Kotori. “You told me he didn’t do anything to you.” “Look, let’s just...go and talk about this okay?” Kotori glanced at Rei who was staring at them with a troubled look on her face. “I’m sorry, Rei-san.” “It’s fine, I can take it from here.” “No, I want to know what he did to you first.” Maki refused to budge, staring intently at Raven instead. “I want to hear it from him.” Raven winced. He wasn’t sure hearing it from him would make it any easier. He glanced at Kotori and though she looked worried, she nodded. “Right, um...my ability is to amplify senses. Pain, mainly. Sonoda usually used me to…” “I want to know what you did to Kotori!” Maki cut him off sharply. “Well the guards and Sonoda were torturing her. Cutting her and beating her, you know?” Raven shifted uncomfortably under the weight of Maki’s furious stare. “I just made it hurt more the first couple of times. It’s not like I wanted to! I didn’t have a choice, Sonoda...” “There’s always a choice.” Maki growled angrily. She glared at him once more but recognizing that she wouldn’t be able to do what she wanted, she turned and stormed out of the room. “Sorry.” Kotori apologized before she hastened after Maki. Raven watched them go before he turned back to Rei. He winced as he noticed the furious expression on her face. “I guess you’re gonna yell at me too?” “People here are very fond of Kotori. Including myself, given that she’s my daughter’s girlfriend. “You’d do well to understand that this won’t help anyone like you. But we’ll talk more about that later. For now, let’s focus on Chika.” “Right.” Raven agreed quietly. He glanced at Rin and she gave him an encouraging nod. He sighed in relief. Kotori had explained the situation to her so she didn’t seem to be angry with him. “So can you feel anything at all?” Chika shrugged her shoulders and squeezed You’s hand. “I can feel You-chan touching me but I can’t feel anyone else.” “We think it has to do with how close they are.” Rei said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Right.” Raven glanced between the two thoughtfully. “If you don’t mind me asking, what are you to each other?” “She’s my girlfriend.” You answered strongly. “Ah, got it.” Raven winced, reminded of when Kotori had told him about Maki in the facility. He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. “Is there anyone else at all? Anything you can feel without...your girlfriend being involved?” Chika shook her head. “No. Why?” Raven glanced hesitantly at Rei before he turned his attention back to Chika. “She needs to hit you as hard as she can and then I’ll amplify the pain to give your senses a kickstart. Hopefully that’ll work.” “That’s never going to happen. My ability is super strength, I might kill her.” You said quickly, a panicked look on her face. “I can’t hit her.” She looked to Chika who seemed to be considering her options. “Chika-chan, I can’t hit you.” “Can’t you just hold back a little?” Raven cut in earning himself an angry look from You. “Sorry. I’m just saying. It seems like this is the only way.” “As much as I hate to admit it, I think he’s right.” Rei said reluctantly as she glanced between the three of them. “It’s worth a try. It seems like we’ve exhausted all other options besides surgery. And I’m not exactly equipped for that. I can heal her right after though.” “You-chan.” Chika spoke softly, looking up to meet You’s syes. “It’s okay, you can do it. I trust you not to hurt me too much. Just try not to tap into your ability too much, okay? It’ll be fine.” You anxiously bit her lip. “I don’t know...what if I can’t hold back? What if I hurt you too badly and Rei-san can’t heal you.” “I trust you.” Chika said again. “Please, You-chan. I don’t want to be stuck like this forever. I want to feel again. I know you won’t hurt me more than you have to.” “O-Okay.” You said nervously. She couldn’t stand seeing Chika the way she was and she knew that Chika hated it. “I’ll do it. If you’re sure you want me to.” “Thank you.” Chika said softly. She slipped off the bed and took a step back, waiting for You to get up too. She looked over at Raven. “So what does she have to do? Just hit me?” “Sure, I guess.” Raven answered hesitantly. “Just make it hurt.” “It’s definitely gonna hurt…” You muttered. She clenched her fist at her side. “How should I hit you? I mean where? I don’t want to hit you in the face.” Chika frowned. “Well you can’t just punch me in the arm.” “Well I don’t want to punch you in the face!” You exclaimed, her voice a little higher than usual. “W-What if I just hit you in the side or something? Wait no, that could mean internal bleeding. Damn it.” “What about breaking her arm, nya?” Rin suggested brightly. “That won’t kill her but it’ll hurt a lot.” “No! Are you crazy?! I-I’m not breaking my girlfriend’s ARM!” “You-chan, calm down. Just hit me in the face and get it over with.” Chika said, taking a step closer to You. “Rei-san will heal me afterwards and it’ll be fine.” “I-I don’t think I can…” Rei sighed and ran a hand over her face in frustration. She understood You’d misgivings but hesitating wouldn’t help. Chika echoed Rei’s sigh. “Just do it, You-chan. Please. I need this so just…” You raised her fist and hit Chika hard across the face, sending her not stumbling to the side like a punch from an ordinary person would, but flying across the room. Chika hit the side of a bed and slid to the floor. “Chika-chan!” You made to rush toward Chika but Rei grasped her arm. “It’s best you don’t see it until I’ve healed her.” Rei pushed You toward Raven. “Keep her here.” “Sure, I’ll try.” Raven said as You stumbled into him. He grasped her arm though he was sure he wouldn’t be able to do anything if she decided that she really wanted to move. “If it makes you feel any better I’m pretty sure that would have worked.” “It doesn’t.” You muttered as she watched Rei kneel down next to her girlfriend. “Is she okay?” “She’s fine, you just knocked her out.” Rei called back. “Give me a second to heal her.” You waited anxiously for a moment as Rei lapsed into silence. Just as she was about to ask what was going on, she heard Chika groan. She pulled away from Raven’s grip and hurried across the room, crouching down next to Chika. “Chika-chan, are you okay?” “Yeah, my head hurts though…” Chika muttered, pushing herself into a sitting position. Her eyes sprung open in realization. “Wait, my head hurts!” “So it worked, nya!” Rin turned to Raven with an excited smile. “You did it!” “Guess I did.” Raven said, smiling sheepishly at her. He hadn’t been sure it would but Kotori had seemed convinced when she’d brought the idea up. “ Chika pinched herself to be sure, wincing at the pain. “I can feel!” She looked at You and emotion washed over her. Like she was feeling everything she’d missed out on. “Thank you, You-chan.” You threw her arms around Chika in relief and embraced her as tightly as she could. ---- “I didn’t think Umi would be the type to spoil her kids.” Eli commented as she stepped over to Honoka, laying a hand on her shoulder. Honoka flinched, having not noticed Eli approaching. She herself had been leaning against the doorway to the living room, watching Umi with Yuki. “And I didn’t think you’d be so strict.” Honoka teased, relaxing under Eli’s touch as she watched Umi press a glass of chocolate milk into Yuki’s hands. Eli smiled softly at that. She understood Honoka and Umi’s desire to make Yuki happy, especially after they’d learned the kind of conditions she’d had to live in. “Is she okay?” “Better now.” There had been a bit of an incident with Yuki earlier when the young girl had taken a bath. There’d been a loud bang somewhere in the house and Yuki started freaking out, turning the water icy cold, almost freezing it. Eli and Honoka, who had been waiting outside had burst into the room and Eli had tried to get close but without any gloves to act as protection from the cold, she hadn’t been able to and she’d had to fall back in pain. Honoka was ashamed to admit that she hadn’t been much use either, freaking out herself at the fact that Eli was in so much pain and that Yuki’s bath had been slowly turning to ice with the girl in it. Umi had heard them yelling though and had rushed into the bathroom, breaking the ice forming around Yuki with her fist and scooping the upset girl up. She’d consoled her after and Yuki had refused to let go for a long while. She was still sticking close to Umi now, seemingly comforted by her presence. Eli kissed Honoka’s cheek before she stepped into the room and made her way to Umi and Yuki who were both sitting on the couch. Honoka watched as Eli placed a gloved hand on Yuki’s head and the young girl leaned into it with a content sigh. Eli sat next to Yuki on the couch and the girl shuffled closer to her, pursuing the gentle warmth that emanated from Eli’s body. It was puzzling to the blonde, that Yuki seemed to have no problem at all with her warmth, just the heat that tended to radiate from her hands. She supposed it was because she had control over her body temperature, she just had to be careful not to let her temperature get too high. As Yuki’s eyes fluttered shut, her grip on the glass in her hand loosening, Honoka walked over and took it from her. She set it down on the table and knelt down in front of her. Gently, she took Yuki’s smaller hand in her own. “We’re here.” “We’re not going to let anyone touch you.” Umi chimed in, gently brushing Yuki’s hair from her face. “Or hurt you.” “Or make you cry.” Eli said in a whisper, feeling Yuki’s grip on the front of her shirt tighten in response to Umi’s words. “You’re safe with us, we promise.” Honoka reached out with her free hand, taking Umi’s and lightly tangling their fingers together. The three of them watched in silence as Yuki dozed off in Eli’s arms. “It’s only been a week since she got here and I love her so much already.” Honoka said softly as she watched Yuki sleeping. “I don’t know what I would do if we let anything happen to her. If Umi-chan hadn’t…” “Don’t beat yourself up over that.” Umi said quietly, giving Honoka’s hand a light squeeze. “You panicked, it’s not your fault.” “And I was just as bad.” Eli added reassuringly. “I probably distracted you. Besides, Umi was there. She’s always going to be there. That’s what the three of us do. We’re there for each other.” Honoka managed a small smile at that. “She’s ours, right? We’re not going to let anyone take her away from us.” “Never.” Umi and Eli vowed in unison. “Good.” Honoka said in relief. She let go of Umi’s hand and moved into a more comfortable position on the floor, leaning against Umi’s legs instead. “I love you.” “I love you too.” Umi and Eli once more spoke at the same time, neither asking which of them she meant. To them it was obvious she was addressing both of them. They shared a small smile of understanding. -----

Rin bit her lip as she focused on the wall in front of her. Holding out her hand, she narrowed her eyes and focused on what Hanayo had told her to do. “You can do it, Rin-chan.” Hanayo encouraged from Rin’s side, her eyes glued to Rin’s hand. “Remember all you have to do is vibrate at the natural frequency of the air around you and your cells will be in an electrified state, letting you pass through the object. Just connect with the air around you…” Rin sighed and lowered her hand. “I don’t get it. I’m much better at running fast, nya.” “You should be able to do this.” Hanayo frowned, at a loss. They had been trying for weeks to get this right and Rin still wasn’t anywhere near succeeding. “I don’t understand how you can phase through things when you run but not when you’re still. This should be easier. Right, Maki-chan?” “Huh?” Maki, who was sitting at the desk she’d set up in the spacious room, looked up. She had been staring at a record of Rin’s phasing attempts as well as her recent speed for the past twenty minutes without taking anything. “Yeah, sure.” Hanayo threw her hands up in disbelief. “Well at least your speed is improving, I guess.” “I don’t need to phase like this, nya!” Rin protested as she wandered over to Maki’s desk. She hopped up onto it and sat cross legged, earning herself a disgruntled look from the redhead. “I can just run really fast if I need to go through anything.” Hanayo opened her mouth to protest but she knew there was no point. Rin wasn’t one to be dissuaded from doing things the way she wanted to do them. “Have you noticed anything off about Kotori lately?” Maki spoke up bluntly before the issue of Rin’s phasing could be continued. “You’ve spent more time with her than me since she got back.” “Eh?” Rin’s eyes widened when she noticed Maki was looking at her. “Uh...I don’t think so. Kotori-chan seems okay!” “Okay?” Hanayo frowned, tilting her head. “Is that all? Not...scared?” Rin shrugged her shoulders. “She seems fine. Maybe she just doesn’t want to talk about it, nya.” “Even with me.” Maki muttered. She sighed and leaned back in her seat, rubbing at her temples. “She’s keeping secrets from me, I can tell. She lied to me about the Raven thing, about what happened to her in there. I didn’t think she’d ever lie to me.” Hanayo bit her lip for a moment, wondering whether she should really input her opinion. It wouldn’t be a popular one, she knew that. “Maybe it’s a secret that needs to be kept. Nico-chan has been upset with me lately for keeping secrets from her, especially about what the three of us are doing.” “It’s different, Kotori is my girlfriend.” Maki pointed out with a frown. “Keeping secrets about work is different to keeping secrets about being tortured in Sonoda’s facility! She should be able to trust me with this kind of thing but it seems like she’d prefer to be around that guy than me.” “Raven-kun is nice.” Rin pointed out with a shrug of her shoulders. “He was stuck in Sonoda’s facility just like Kotori-chan was, nya.” Maki growled in frustration and leaned forward, burying her head in her hands. “I just want her to trust me. I know she’s not telling me everything about what happened. She’s acting like everything is fine and I know it’s not but I don’t know what to do to help her. Damn it.” Hanayo made her way around the desk and gently patted Maki’s shoulder in an attempt to soothe her. She disagreed with what Maki was saying but she could feel her friend’s frustration. “Maybe she just needs some time. It’s only been a day, Maki-chan. Just give her some space, may-” “I’m not doing that.” Maki interrupted sharply. Giving Kotori space meant leaving her to deal with the situation herself and that was something Maki refused to do. A tense silence settled between them and Rin cleared her throat. “So uh...I was out running yesterday and as I passed one of the big buildings in the city, I saw my reflection in the glass. But not my reflection.” Maki and Hanayo turned to Rin in confusion. “Huh?” “I mean it was me but I was wearing different clothes to what I am now.” Rin explained, relieved to have been able to change the subject at least. “And I looked kind of dirty for some reason. It was really weird.” “And you didn’t think that was important enough to tell us until now?!” Maki exclaimed in disbelief. Rin shrugged sheepishly. “I told Hibiki-chan and she said it might be nothing. Just an effect of my speed.” “Wha…?” Maki trailed off in disbelief. “I’m really getting tired of these new people coming in and taking everything over. Rin, if something like this happens you need to tell us right away, okay? It could be nothing but it could be serious. You have to tell us. We’re meant to be a team, remember?” “Right. Team Lightning, nya.” “We’re not calling our team that. We’re not calling our team anything.” Maki said with a heavy sigh. “Come on, Maki-chan. We need a team name. Like in the comics.” Rin pouted. She stretched out her leg, almost knocking Maki’s files off her desk. “Ah, sorry. We need code names too! I want to be Quick. Oh, or Raven-kun calls me Speedy. Maybe that can be my ni…” She paused at the annoyed look on Maki’s face. “What about…” “Light Stream!” Hanayo contributed, earning herself a betrayed look from Maki. She shrugged sheepishly. “Yeah!” Rin exclaimed brightly, happy that Hanayo was on her side at least. “Kayo-chin, you can be...Phaser. And Maki-chan, you can be Professor X!” “Eh?!” Maki crossed her arms in front of her chest. “That’s a villain name and those names are terrible anyway.” “A villain?!” Rin laughed at that and shook her head. “That’s not true at all, Maki-chan. Besides it sounds cool...but I guess it’s already taken, nya. Why don’t you think of something then?” “Fine.” Maki huffed in response. “Your code name should be Bolt. And Hanayo’s should be Phase. Phaser sounds dumb. My nickname can be um...Oracle.” “I knew it!” Rin exclaimed excitedly. “You read Batman!” “Ugh, shut up…” Maki muttered, feeling her headache getting worse. “So we’re Team Bolt, right?” Rin asked, glancing between Hanayo and Maki. They both nodded, Maki more reluctantly than Hanayo. “Do you think Kotori-chan would make me a suit if I asked her to?” “I want to say no but she probably would.” Maki sighed, reaching up to play with a strand of her hair. “Just don’t ask her yet. Why do you need a suit anyway?” “One time I went so fast I set my clothes on fire. Besides, secret identity.” “RIN!” Maki groaned. She wasn’t surprised Rin had chosen to keep that to herself though. “Fine, I’ll ask her.” “Oh, maybe I should ask her instead. Kotori-chan needs a superhero name too.” Rin said enthusiastically. “Maybe she could be Invisible Lady or um...Blend. Or Camo.” Maki winced. “Let’s just keep it in...Team Bolt for now, alright?” She stood slowly from her seat, feeling a little bit sick. She realized she hadn’t eaten yet and it was already evening. “I got it, it’s a secret.” Rin smiled warmly. “Oh, my symbol is a lightning bolt with a cat shadow. Because I’m fast and sneaky sometimes.” Hanayo nodded hurriedly. “Mine is a hand phasing through a wall.” Maki rolled her eyes as she skirted around her desk. “Maki-chan’s could be the oracle symbol since she’s obviously a huge Barbara Gordon fan girl.” Rin continued as Maki walked away. “I already regret agreeing to this.” Maki sighed as she left the room, leaving the two to talk about their secret identities. ---- Honoka winced as she gripped her shoulder and rotated her arm. She had managed to goad Nico into sparring with her but she almost regretted it now. Nico was a lot weaker than she was in the future but even now she was quick, resilient and packed a hard punch so she’d managed to get in a few good hits. Honoka stepped into her bedroom, towel drying her still slightly damp hair from her shower and paused when she noticed Nozomi and Maki sitting on the bed. “What’s going on?” She frowned, noticing their joined hands. Nozomi had been talking softly while Maki stared at her anxiously. It was fairly obvious what was going on. “You.” She pointed at Maki. “Out. This can wait until tomorrow, she’s not an emotional sponge!” Maki grumbled as she stood from the bed. “She said she didn’t mind.” “I really don’t.” Nozomi said though Honoka immediately picked up on how faint her voice was. “Out.” Honoka said again, pointing to the doorway. “It can wait until tomorrow at the earliest. Or better yet maybe you should work out your own problems with your girlfriend. Like normal people.” “Yeah, yeah.” Maki mumbled as she made her way toward the door. “Maybe you should put some clothes on.” “I’m wearing clothes!” Honoka exclaimed loudly as Maki left the room, closing the door behind her. “Sweats with a sports bra ain’t clothes, Honoka! Put a fucking shirt on!” Maki hollered through the door before she seemingly walked away. Nozomi chuckled softly to herself as she looked down at Honoka’s attire. She noticed her joggers slipping slightly over her waist, the scars that covered her skin. “Are you like this with all of the people you like?” “Like what?” Honoka asked, making her way over to Nozomi. She climbed onto the bed behind her, kneeling down. “You’ve had enough for today.” Nozomi let out a sigh as Honoka’s hands moved to her shoulders, lightly kneading. She leaned back, closing her eyes. “I just want to help. That feels really nice though.” Honoka smiled and leaned down, pressing her lips briefly to Nozomi’s neck. She continued what she was doing, working out the knots of tension as her fingers slid down Nozomi’s back. “You okay?” Nozomi mumbled. “Yeah, don’t worry. I sparred with Nico. Worked out all of my anger with her. So I’m fine.” Honoka answered softly. “I’m more worried about you right now. You’re overworking yourself.” Nozomi gave a soft laugh in response. “I’m fine.” “Oh really?” Honoka paused what she was doing, earning a groan of disappointment from Nozomi. “You had another session with Chika today. And one with Kotori. And you were just talking to Maki.” Nozomi shrugged. “It’s just talking. No feelings with Maki-chan. She just wanted someone to hold her hand while she talked out her frustrations. It’s a bit awkward considering Kotori talks to me too though...but I understand what she needs.” “And I know that Eli asked you to speak to the kid today.” Honoka continued knowingly. “Yuki-chan. Yeah.” Nozomi frowned, remembering she needed to talk to Rei about what she’d noticed. “It wasn’t anything really. Just a preliminary kind of talk before we get into anything. How did you know that anyway? Are you keeping tabs on me?” “Maybe.” Nozomi laughed under her breath. “I guess you really are into me, huh? If you’re this worried about me.” Honoka scoffed slightly. “Into you?” “Into me. Like you like me.” Nozomi leaned back against Honoka’s front and tilted her head back against her shoulder to look up at her. “Love me?” Honoka smirked and nodded her head. “You know I do.” “Do what?” Nozomi grinned teasingly. Honoka rolled her eyes. “You just want to hear me say it, don’t you?” “Yes.” “Fine.” Honoka leaned down, pressing her lips to Nozomi’s cheek. Her arms went around the girl’s chest in a light embrace. “I love you. Is that better?” “I love you too. A lot. I love that you care so much about me. But I need to keep doing my work. It’s nice to feel needed.” Nozomi said softly. She pulled away from Honoka and turned slightly to face her. “I need you.” Honoka pouted. “So do my friends.” Nozomi leaned in and kissed Honoka softly. “Okay, okay.” Honoka mumbled, a slight smile tugging at her lips. “But you have to promise not to overdo it like you are. I know that your head is hurting right now.” Nozomi raised an eyebrow. “How do you know that…?” “Because my head has been pounding on and off for the past hour.” Honoka lifted her hand, brushing her fingers against the right side of Nozomi’s forehead. Nozomi’s eyes widened in realization. “Wait, am I…?” She hadn’t meant to share anything she was feeling with Honoka. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you could feel that. I’m not trying to.” “It’s okay.” Honoka kissed Nozomi again, lightly threading her fingers into Nozomi’s hair. Running them through, she gently tugged Nozomi’s hair ties out. Nozomi pulled back, remembering something. “Will you do something for me?” “Anything.” Honoka said solemnly. “If I can. Unless it involves speaking to my past self.” “Cut my hair.” Nozomi requested softly. She felt Honoka flinch in surprise and gave a gentle giggle. She supposed it would be shocking. “This hairstyle is more...the old me. The highschool girl who’s in love with her best friend and believes she’ll graduate. That’s not me anymore. I want to change, I want to be reborn.” “You really are an adult stuck in a teenagers body, huh?” Honoka mused, lightly brushing her fingers through Nozomi’s hair again. “I’m almost eighteen.” Nozomi pointed out. “I am an adult. Come on, please? I know you’re thinking about how to say no. I can see it in your eyes.” “Guilty.” Honoka admitted with a small smile. “I’m not saying no, it’s mostly...a suggestion. You should have Kotori-chan cut it. She’s really good at that type of stuff. I don’t want to mess it up.” “You won’t.” Nozomi said confidently. “I don’t want to bother Kotori-chan right now and she’s...I don’t think she’d be able to do it. Um…” She hesitated, not sure how much she should say about Kotori’s lingering weakness in her arms. “Please? I want you to do it. It’s symbolic. It symbolises...I don’t know, our future together. I know you’ve been thinking about it, even if you don’t want to admit it.” Honoka blushed as Nozomi prodded her in the arm. “I guess. In an ideal world, provided we don’t all end up being killed by A-Rise…” She couldn’t help but smirk as Nozomi huffed and rolled her eyes. “We’ll travel but once we settle you can go to college and I’ll get a job. Not that that’ll be easy, considering I didn’t graduate. We’ll share an apartment, maybe get engaged. Who knows. Maybe we could get a dog.” Nozomi felt her heart skip a beat but she didn’t say anything, not wanting to scare Honoka off. “What do you want to work as? In an ideal world.” “Maybe a cop. I’m used to punching the bad guys. I’d be good at it.” Honoka said with a hint of amusement. “I don’t care as long as I’m living with you.” “You’re such a sap.” Nozomi whispered, reaching up to brush her fingers against Honoka’s cheek. Her chest ached with longing for the future Honoka had described. She wished they could have it now. “I want that too. All of it.” -----

Maki leaned against the doorway to Kotori’s bedroom. The door had been ajar when she got there and Kotori was focused on the journal she was writing in so she hadn’t noticed her yet. She smiled softly as Kotori bit her lip in thought. Somehow Kotori managed to look even prettier when she was focused on something, when she wasn’t paying attention to what was happening around her. Finally, Maki cleared her throat and Kotori looked up sharply, her journal slipping from her hands as she automatically flinched back. “It’s just me!” Maki exclaimed quickly as she stepped into the room. She felt guilty for having accidentally startled Kotori. “Is...Is it okay if I come in? I feel like we should talk.” “Yeah.” Kotori slowly relaxed, reassured by Maki’s presence. She wasn’t sure she was particularly ready for the conversation but she knew they needed to have it. Their last attempt had failed because of how frustrated they had both felt at not being able to communicate properly. “Yeah, of course.” Maki entered the room and closed the door behind her. It was dimly lit but as she stepped forward, closer to the bed, she noticed the scars spread over Kotori’s arms, no doubt leading up to her shoulder. Kotori noticed her looking and blushed, crossing her arms in front of her and trying in vain to use her hands to cover the scars. Maki’s stomach sank in response. She didn’t want Kotori to feel exposed in front of her, or like she was being judged. She climbed onto the bed, sitting on her knees in front of Kotori. As gently as she could, she grasped Kotori’s wrist and pulled her arms apart. Her eyes slowly travelled back down and she felt Kotori take a short, shuddering breath. She didn’t protest though. Kotori closed her eyes for a moment as Maki leaned in. She felt the redhead press her cheek to her bicep and fingers run down her forearm, over the scars Maki could doubtlessly feel there. Soft fingers wandered over the skin that had once been torn. Rei had healed her as best she could but scars still remained from the deeper wounds, the ones that were too old to heal too. Her eyes snapped open suddenly in realization. “You opened a channel between us.” Maki stilled for a second as Kotori’s thoughts reached her. Continuing to run her fingers over the slightly rougher lines of skin on Kotori’s arm, she thought back. “It’s better to talk this way so we have our own space. So that nobody else can hear us at our weakest.” Kotori wondered how Maki had known that was what she needed. “I want to be completely open to you, Kotori.” Maki thought, closing her eyes. She didn’t pull back to look at Kotori, comfortable with sitting as close to her as she could. “I was a wreck when you were gone, I was searching everywhere for you, doing everything I could to break Sonoda’s barrier but it was no good. I was weak and she’s stronger than anything I’ve ever come across. Her defenses wouldn’t let me find you and it killed me. I even smoked a few times because I was so scared. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’m so weak. I want to get stronger. So me and Rin and Hanayo have been training. Each of us with a goal. Mine is to protect you, to be useful. So we’re Team Bolt now.” Kotori giggled at that. “Bolt? That’s a dog’s name, right? From a movie?” “Well I guess it suits Rin even though she likes cats.” Maki thought back, relieved to hear Kotori laugh again. She finally drew back, meeting Kotori’s eyes. “She’s the leader. Hence the team name.” “What about you then?” Kotori asked, happy with the topic being briefly changed. It felt like a conversation she would have with Maki before she was taken. “Ops. And side medic, I guess. But I can still fight. Rin wants us to have code names too. Mine’s...Oracle.” Kotori smiled as Maki blushed and ducked her head. “So lame.” “Hey!” “Maki-chan should be...The Doctor or um...Thinker! Thinker would suit you better.” Kotori thought back in amusement. “It suits you. You think too much.” “I like it.” Maki smiled warmly. “What’s Hanayo?” “Phase. Rin wanted to call you Invisible Lady. Or Blend.” Maki rolled her eyes at the thought of the names Rin had somehow thought up. “Pffft. What about Concealer? That’s better than Blend. We could be like a power couple. Thinker and Concealer.” “Sounds a bit silly.” Maki giggled out loud but she couldn’t deny that she liked the idea. “Want to be part of Team Bolt then?” “It did feel good helping Yuki-chan escape.” Kotori thought with a shrug of her shoulders. “I want to save more of the children they have. But I think I need to find my own team. You, Rin-chan and Hanayo-chan work well together. Maybe I could work with you on a few odd things if you need me?” Maki hugged Kotori and kissed the scar that inched out from under her shirt at her shoulder. “I’ll always need you.” She responded in a whisper. “And if you ever need me I’ll drop everything to help you. I’ll even drag our idiot leader to help.” Kotori hugged Maki back as tightly as she could. “I love you.” She whispered, her eyes prickling with tears. “I love you too.” Maki replied earnestly. She gave Kotori a light squeeze before she drew back, remembering why she’d sought Kotori out in the first place. Their argument from earlier had been short but bad enough that Maki wanted to address it. “I’m sorry I got mad at...Raven. I’ll try to be nicer to him, it’s just knowing that he…” “He did it because they had his sister captured. Or that’s what they told him anyway. He was trying to protect her.” Kotori said quietly. She wished she had told Maki earlier instead of just arguing back. “Most of the people there are prisoners, even some of the agents. You heard what Honoka-chan said about Umi-chan in the future. It was just like that for Raven-kun. He told me that CORPS doesn’t give a shit about their agents, especially the ability users. They just use the person for their abilities. The children they have are trained as child soldiers, it’s horrible.” “Kotori, I…” Maki hesitated for a moment. “You know that’s how it was for me too, right? And Eli and Umi. We trained our whole lives. Especially Umi if I recall correctly. It wasn’t just middle school. My childhood after you left was nothing but training my mind, isolated in my room. Never having friends or kids over to play with me.” “That doesn’t make it right though. Just because it happens sometimes outside of the facility doesn’t mean it’s any less horrible that it’s happening constantly inside...right?” Kotori frowned. Her arms fell back to her sides and she winced slightly. “What’s wrong?” Maki asked in concern, forgetting about their conversation for a moment. “Nothing.” Kotori answered quickly. “I know you had it really bad, Maki-chan. And I feel terrible for...any part my mother and I had to play in you being isolated. If I’d been older, I would have...I would have done something. I don’t know what but I would have helped. But we can help those kids. If we can make a difference it’ll...help, won’t it?” “What happened to me wasn’t your fault.” Maki bowed her head slightly, biting her lip before she looked back to Kotori. “But you’re right. We can stop them from hurting anyone else. Even our future kids.” Kotori’s eyes widened. “Huh?” “Uh…” Maki coughed, her face turning red. “Well my mom has been teasing me to uh...you know, put a ring on it. At least I’m pretty sure she’s just teasing. She really likes you.” Kotori laughed at Maki’s explanation, her own face a bit flushed with embarrassment too. A moment later Maki started laughing too and soon enough the two were in fits of giggles. “Yes.” Kotori managed to say when she finally stopped laughing. “Huh?” “I’ll marry you.” Kotori said simply, dashing tears of laughter from her eyes. “And our children will be free.” “W-Wha…?” Maki wasn’t sure what to say to that. “Wait, you need to let me ask you for real before you give me an answer.” “You already knew the answer.” Kotori reached up and gently cupped Maki’s face in her hand. “I love you, Nishikino Maki. And I want to be with you for the rest of my life, however long that is.” Maki winced. “Hanayo has been rubbing off on you.” She didn’t give Kotori time to formulate a response before she kissed her softly. “You’re gonna live for a long time. I’ll make sure of that.” Kotori smiled and leaned in, kissing Maki once more. Alone with the redhead, she felt more normal than she had since she’d been taken by Sonoda’s men. “Maki-chan?” She whispered against Maki’s lips. She pulled back slightly to look at her. “Will you spend the night with me?” “Yes.” Maki said without hesitation. “Do you mean um…?” Kotori giggled and kissed Maki once more. She was comfortable in the idea that her mother wouldn’t be walking into the room at least. Yume seemed to accept her daughter’s need for space. She pushed Maki to the bed and crawled atop her, straddling her waist. “Let me be on top?” “Yeah.” Maki whispered, staring up at Kotori. Gently, she placed her hands on Kotori’s knees and gently stroked upwards. “I’m all yours to take.” Kotori smiled bashfully and moved her hands to the hem of her shirt. She hesitated, her smile slipping. “Um...I don’t really look the same. I mean, I’m...it’s not too different but with the scars and...I don’t want you to be surprised.” “You’re beautiful no matter what.” Maki said quietly, her eyes locked to Kotori’s. “And I’ll tell you that until I’m no longer breathing. But if you want to wai-” She was cut off my Kotori tugging off her shirt and tossing it to the side. Inadvertently, her gaze shifted downwards. Kotori wasn’t wearing a bra, given that it was getting late. That was the first thing Maki noticed, along with the tempting curve of Kotori’s breasts. The second thing she noticed were the scars. There were three that streaked over her abdomen, like she’d been cut with some kind of blade. Maki wasn’t sure what it was. She was certain Umi would know though. She reached out, slowly, giving Kotori plenty of time to pull away and brushed her fingers over the scars. They were fairly faint and didn’t feel much different to the rest of Kotori’s skin. She felt Kotori’s hands close around the lapels of the lab coat she’d stolen from her mom’s stash and let her drag her upwards into a deep, passionate kiss. “You looking like a real doctor is turning me on.” Kotor mumbled against Maki’s lips. She felt her grip slid on Maki’s lab coat and gently guided her back down to the bed, moving with her. “So it was a good idea.” Maki mumbled back between kisses. “Such a nerd.” Kotori giggled before she effectively shut Maki up by turning the light kisses they’d shifted to sharing into another long kiss that left both of them breathless. Maki loosely wrapped an arm around Kotori’s waist but left the rest to her girlfriend, more than willing to give her control. ---- Nozomi took a deep breath and knocked on the door to the infirmary. She heard a call to come in and opened the door, tentatively stepping inside. Glancing around, she expected to see Chika but to her surprise she didn’t see her anywhere. “Chika-chan’s not here anymore?” “No, we had a bit of a breakthrough this afternoon.” Rei said, seeming happy about that at least. “So she’s not going to have to stay here anymore. She’ll just come for checkups.” “Oh, that’s good.” Nozomi said, relieved to hear that at least. “I’ll visit her tomorrow to check up on her.” “That would be nice. I’ve heard that you’re offering...sessions to anyone who needs it. That’s proactive of you.” Rei crossed to a bed closer to Nozomi and hopped up onto it. She didn’t have a desk in the infirmary so usually she just used one of the beds. She gestured to the chair in front of her. “Take a seat.” “Thanks.” Nozomi crossed to the chair and sat down, her hands in her lap. She wondered if Rei needed to speak to her too. She hadn’t mentioned that she would be stopping by to talk but the redhead seemed keen to continue the conversation. “Um...I’m just helping my friends. Kotori-chan is adjusting to being back and she has some anxiety problems we’re going to look into. Chika-chan too, from what she went through with Tsubasa.” “Of course. It’s understandable.” Rei stared at Nozomi for a long moment. “And Honoka? Are you having sessions with her? She seemed lost after the death of her sister.” “Ah, Honoka-chan isn’t ready for that. She’ll come to me when she needs it.” Nozomi answered with a hesitant shrug. “As for my Honoka, I’m not...helping her like that. We’re in a relationship so I support her like that.” “And my daughter?” “Um...does doctor and patient confidentiality count here?” Nozomi asked hopefully. Rei laughed at that. “That’s fair enough. I’m sure you helping the others will be invaluable after everything that’s happened.” “Thank you.” Nozomi said softly, relieved that Rei wasn’t going to try to pressure her into talking. “I actually wanted to talk to you about Yuki-chan.” “Oh?” Rei asked curiously. As nonchalant as the response had been, Nozomi noticed the hitch in Rei’s voice and the way her hands curled slightly into fists. “What’s the mark on her arm? Why did Takashi-san know what it was? And why did it make you so angry?” Rei looked away and took a deep breath. “I suppose I could give you a brief history.” “Please.” Nozomi said softly, leaning forward, her hands on her knees. “I want to understand. I need to before I can work with her. If she needs that.” Rei sighed. She didn’t want to talk about it but Nozomi made a good point. There was no going back now. “That mark means she wasn’t born an ability user. Rather, she was artificially injected, like me and Taka-kun. Natural ability users are fairly rare.” “Really?” Nozomi asked in surprise. “Yes. Natural ability users, remember? It may not seem like it to you, given that you’re surrounded by other ability users but it’s true. And there’s a reason you’re all together, that wasn’t by coincidence.” Rei answered, trying her utmost to keep her voice steady. “Takai-kun, me and Yusuke-kun were all injected so we could...well…” She winced, pausing for a moment. “I’m sorry.” “No, it’s fine.” Nozomi said softly. She waited patiently while Rei took a few breaths to collect herself. “We were injected so we could mate with the founders bloodline.” Rei said, grateful that the person she had to explain to was so patient at least. “Yusuke-kun escaped but he went on to have two children. Two natural ability users. Honoka and Yukiho.” “So that’s what’s happened to Yuki?” Nozomi asked for clarification. “She was injected to give her an ability even though she was born without one? And so she could continue the bloodline eventually, right?” “So to speak.” Rei said with a nod of her head. “It’s a little more complicated than that but if you wanted to know why Yuki-chan was injected, that’s the reason. In simple terms. Eventually, when Yuki turned eighteen years of age she would be assigned to a male natural ability user within CORPS. Yusuke-kun was originally assigned to Yume-chan but Yume-chan fell for someone from another natural bloodline. Which is forbidden. That’s why Kotori is special, along with Rin and Hanayo. They’re new bloodlines. New bloodlines are usually killed, Nozomi.” “W-Why?” “Because only people within CORPS can be ability users.” Rei said darkly. She stared at Nozomi in silence for a moment. “Do you know why you were found in a burning building?” Nozomi inhaled sharply in surprise. “How did you…?” “Your profile.” Rei answered simply. “You survived the fire but you weren’t meant to. You were supposed to be killed along with your parents, who were both natural bloodlines from different families. You were a new bloodline too.” Nozomi fell silent for a moment, taking everything in. It was a lot, especially the stuff about her parents. “You seem to have a vested interest in Chika.” Rei continued as she watched Nozomi mull over what she was saying. “Given that you’re working with her, I think it would make sense for me to tell you as much as I know.” Nozomi nodded silently. “Chika is a new bloodline too.” Rei started quietly. “But she’s not the start of a bloodline that CORPS wants to get rid of, like you. With her ability, she is the strongest ability user in the world, without question. She just doesn’t fully know how to control her emotions and use that ability to it’s full extent. CORPS want to capture her to groom her, to become a founder. Or head of a section. The goal is that she starts her own natural ability family. A family that would consist of the strongest ability users we’ve ever seen.” “I see.” Nozomi said softly, looking down at her lap. “So...I’m sorry to go back to what you were saying before but my parents were targeted because together, they had me and created a new bloodline. So if they hadn’t had me…” Rei hopped down off of the bed and crouched down in front of Nozomi, meeting her downcast eyes. “They would have still been targeted regardless. Their relationship itself was forbidden, Nozomi. I know what you’re thinking and if you want some advice, you shouldn’t think like that. They chose their own path.” “Right.” Nozomi murmured. She looked up, forcing a smile. “Thank you, Rei-san. I appreciate the information. If you need any help with the infirmary just let me know.” “Okay.” Rei rose to her feet as did Nozomi. “Likewise, if there’s anything you feel I should know, I’m here. Or if you need to talk.” “Thanks. I have Honoka and Elichi though, I’ll be fine.” Nozomi flashed Rei a small smile before she turned and left the infirmary, leaving Rei staring after her. TBC

[xtreme-icecream]

since the weather’s a little sunny with a chance of superhero au on my dash here’s blueprints for an muse+aqours one i made but never shared; ‘tis nearly a year old

Blurb: Once upon a time in Japan’s Capital of Heroes™ (slightly sci-fi Akihabara) there was a team of seven superheroes that the public Idolized (hehe). since i’m reconstructing my memory by pulling stuff out of my ass we’ll call them the Dream Team, and atm they still dont have permanent superhero names but they were Honoka (glorious leader), Umi, Kotori, Eli, Nozomi, Nico and Maki.

They ran a good four years of Justice until one day Super Nozomi went MIA, which was bad because she had a pretty important role in keeping the whole band together. It Was Never The Same Again. stuff went downhill from there--Super Nico and Super Maki handled a lot of the PR after that which made it even worse when they disappeared next. the rumor mill revved up 2 turbo mode, and the public p much thought that the Dream Team’s time was over. a few hopefuls held that they’d get back on their feet somehow, but unfortunately for them especially, the next person to go missing after a heroic deed was glorious leader Honoka.

what was left of the dream team was more than just discouraged, but even after this, they still had to defend Justice. so they kept it up.

As they continued to work, tracking down their old teammates on the side, their biggest fan, Chika Takami from Uchiura (far far from sci-fi akiba) discovers her own set of superpowers, and alongside her friend You, a nearly-graduated sidekick herself, they visit sci-fi akiba to get advice and hopefully lend a hand to her heroes.

the visit goes awry when an evil robot that makes things blow up attacks, but that incident allows Chika and You a chance to join their heroes For Real. from there, the Dream Team (with the help of the Chikafriends) try to rebuild their name

and now for the good, the bad, and the wishy-washy (good vs. bad according to in-universe news outlets and idk genre meta stuff)

The Good Guys

Like any respectable team of superheroes, these guys all work together in the same city, same HQ. (also for Reasons i gave everyone archnemeses so in case everyone has to fight in an epic battle of life or death we know what the matchups are, but also they really do fight each other often and there are personal issues there)

1. Eli: - the new leader, taking the position after Honoka. kinda stressed out since the team’s in a bit of a tight spot as far as public and government approval goes. - she’s kitsune themed not just because i’m unoriginal, but Also because it’s matchy-matchy with shrine-priestess-themed nozomi - they might’ve been a two-person team before joining honk & co. idk - her powers include anti-demon blue fire, Regular blue fire, antigravity (limited to herself, so she can jump kinda floaty), and a spirit sense that clues her in on how her Squad is - manages the team overall - archnemesis:  Super Kanan 

2. Umi: - the second-in-command, even when honk was around - aside from being publicly acknowledged as a superhero and being four years older, she’s basically canon umi groomed for heroism - No secret identity. the sonoda family is a family of superpowerless superheroes that’s been in action since the birth of newspaper - blames herself the most for what happened to honk - her “powers” include archery, swordsmanship, being Umi, and several martial arts. probably can also use a gun if she has to. - Team Chika’s advisor, kind of. she signed up to take responsibility for them - Not ‘Batman With A Sword’!! - archnemesis: Super Dia

3. Kotori - Mom - also Very Super. superhuman strength, flight, fire and wind manipulation, six big strong wings, supernatural senses. she’s a seraph, george - a watcher-type angel, too. generally has some idea of what’s going on in akiba, but she still appreciates surveillance technology bc even she wants to turn her brain off sometimes - the Chikasquad likes to go to her to circumvent Umi’s Iron Fisted Ass. it works 90% of the time - best public approval. very nice to people she saves. spends the most time outside HQ for solo Justice, and sometimes even leaves the city for a bit - archnemesis: Super Yoshiko

4. Hanayo - formerly an apprentice of nico. she joined the team properly shortly after nico went missing, and succeeded her Super Identity even if their powers and uh personality are kinda different - still learning about her powers! learns very quickly though. kind of a natural actually, and would be a grade-A hero if she was a little less shy in front of the news - already a part of the team, but relates to the Chikasquad about being treated like a trainee. she is a cool super senpai - her powers include superhuman strength, speed and senses, regeneration, near invulnerability. very powerful, but the powers only recently stabilized👀 - she keeps rin’s secrets but at what cost - archnemesis: none really; ruby’s kinda her “villainous” counterpart but she’s hardly a villain and they’re even kinda friends 

5. Riko - kinda like maki’s sidekick. not a proper member of the team because her powers are hard to learn and she’s still young and inexperienced - technically ChikaYou’s senior in the crimefighting department, but she’s not looking to be a leader - ChikaYou think she’s good enough to be promoted to proper membership. Riko has Doubts - manipulates Sound. very complicated power like if she’s not careful she could level a portion of city by making somethin loud enough. also she can do stuff like distort her voice, mimic other voices, make noise from out of nowhere, etc. stretch the science a lil i guess - one morbid technique maki taught her is to make a heart beat so loud it kind of explodes and breaks the person’s chest from the inside. Stretch the Science - also, superhuman hearing and some acrobatics skill - archnemesis: Super Maki

6. Chika - Honoka’s biggest fan!!! - more clever than she appears, but also may be a bit too eager to leap into the fray - takes the lead whenever she, You and Riko fight crime, but still thinks they’re better suited to think of strategy and stuff. tends to be in the middle anyway. - hopes to get the respect that will make the Dream Team finally tell her what dark secrets they’re hiding about The Incidents. she can smell a conspiracy - kind of weird powers. flight, fireballs (more like small stars really), small to mid-scale explosions, heat resistance, invulnerability to burns, regeneration. she can survive alone in space too but that’s not coming up anytime soon - archnemesis: Super Honoka, but she has to learn it’s Honoka

7. You - formerly a sidekick to her father (i call him Captain Pacific) she’s now an independent super identity - before chika got her powers they had that dynamic where theyre like ‘Superhero in high school + their normal best friend who knows their secret identity’ and she got this old mindset where she as a super needs to keep chika safe even now that chika has powers and can finally return the favor - also kind of?? rivals with riko?? not romantically, more like city hero vs. small town hero, plans vs. action, etc. these differences are kind of why chika’s the leader - her superhero identity is liger-themed fsr???? i don’t know!! shes not a boat or an anchor in any case. big cats make good superheroes maybe -  superhuman strength and senses, water manipulation, night vision, Buoyancy manipulation (she will make things float in the air if she wants, george). also some special armor. not the type for spandex   - archnemesis: Super Rin (Not because she’s the other nya)

The Bad Guys

like your usual rogues gallery, these guys dont really work together and just wreak havoc independently....... until the big twist that they all really Were in cahoots reveals itself!!! idk if they are tho, the good guys ^ are where most of my brainpower went. theyre numbered but really there’s no order.

1. Nico - in a villainous trio with RinMaki, kind of their leader - her aesthetic now that she’s Evil is assassin-ish which is totally Not nico. the cops will never suspect heehee (she doesnt kill people tho even if she totally can) - her powers include super regeneration (yes Super), super senses, and super strength. also now she has knives n swords n guns. Deadpool nico - for her mundane identity she’s a nico nico neet i think, living apart from her family - archnemesis: Mari, but in an ‘oh fuck not you again’ way kinda

2. Rin - Hanayo’s old friend. she lets hanayo in on the fact that she’s workin on some shady stuff with nickmack but she also asks hanayo to only tip the team off at the right time...... mysterious - currently maki’s schoolmate in her mundane identity. keeps up with schoolwork and crime despite having no life-juggling training with the help of her superpowers - rin is fast in that her neural system works at multiple times the speed of a regular person. fast brain, fast action, a+ coordination and memory skills. more clever than your average rin - also she’s still a star athlete that can parkour with the best of them and recently got her paws on some high-tech hacker/spyware. eventually she even learns to mod it herself - she’s lynx themed get it -leaves villain calling cards. for The Plan - archnemesis: Super You

3. Maki - kinda very sad about leaving her old team, esp riko, whom she was supposed to mentor, but like she wont show it - sure they steal but she still has Money just in case. also she has some houses to hide out in i guess - kind of mission control now. only reveals herself in the most dramatic moments. kind of a big deal - regenerates, can help others regenerate, can straight up manipulate blood n stuff. can also sense heartbeats and make hearts explode (not that she has). Danger danger - archnemesis: Super Riko :(

4. Yoshiko - Died and was resurrected as some kind of pseudo-angel ofc. doesnt remember her life as a human and fsr nothing comes up in investigation either. slightly concerned about the fact that no one who knew her is looking for her and about the lack of such people in the first place - has a bad handle on her powers. her flight and invulnerability do their jobs, but her fires start at bad times and her feathers feel a little more like needles than down and Also they shoot. porcupine bullet wings. her super senses give her headaches. sucks to be her - her flavor of villainy is more like ‘local safety hazard flies again’ - ‘yoshiko’s dead, george. I’m yohane now’  - archnemesis: Super Kotori, whom she’s naturally opposed to fsr

5. Ruby - woke up from some kind of sci-fi stasis with powers, was confused, accidentally blew shit up and got locked up. very stressful beginning for ruby - she’s staying in the basement of HQ while they observe her and try to help her manage her explosive powers. Hanayo, especially, tries to help - vaguely remembers having a sister. also has positive feelings about some ‘hanamaru’ - again her archnemesis is a Friend so

6. Dia - woke up from some kind of sci-fi stasis missing some of her old skeleton and a portion of her spine. she’s part terminator now - on that note she’s got Very Fast reflexes now and among other things, a more efficient circulatory system. doesnt tire easily. also immune to electric shock and is cybernetically connected with her special Not-Adamantium™ sword+armor. most bullet wounds are nonlethal to her. - is looking for ruby. among other things - incidentally her mask is very important to her because her mole as a facial feature is really incriminating. no clark kenting for her - lowkey wanted to be Eli’s right hand man in the past. ended up being enemies with Eli’s actual right hand - archnemesis: Umi

7. Kanan - she’s like if sharkboy was also a waterbender and an eel. aqualad but with more Teeth. u feel - tbh idk what her personal agenda is anymore but she’s kind of a cowboy - buddies with dia in both their identities. inconvenient hiding her gills tho - also they share origin stories but the corrosive vat of radioactive waste or w/e turned her into a fish person instead of melting her from the inside like it did with dia - archnemesis: Super Eli

The Other Guys

the news doesnt know what to make of them. theyre very mysterious 

1. Honoka - honoka’s body is missing (hidden in an evil lair somewhere) but portions of her mind and powers were uploaded into a robot. honkbot gradually gets more honoka-like with every encounter it was with the Dream Team - as a robot, her steel does not melt and no substance on earth can scratch it. probably can crush her tho  - Lots of Fire. breathes fire, shoots fire, flies with fire, kind of a human-shaped tank with flamethrowers. honoka as a fleshy also could not be burnt (but she probs couldnt survive in space) - honoka’s mind does her best to hack the robot. with her mind. - archnemesis: Super Chika ofc

2. Nozomi - knows shit. what shit? only she knows - kind of friendly with yoshiko and tries to help out but yoshiko is equal parts shy and abrasive with people so they dont hang much - telepathic, can see spirits, sometimes gets glimpses of the future. her cards can cut things - the wildest of wildcards. gives tips to Everyone - also leaves contact cards. she can weaponize them tho - no archnemesis

3. Hanamaru - i’ll be frank i have no idea what maru can do but chances are she’s met nozomi - most likely a human burdened with knowledge of super affairs - maybe she remembers yoshiko too. maybe she connects it all - no archnemesis

4. Mari - powers: Money. also her left arm is entirely robotic. she lost it saving kanan and dia from radioactive Death. it’s bulletproof, can shoot things, communicate with her personal vehicles, and has wifi tho - doesnt really involve herself much with stuff going on but she’s biding her time and savings, waiting for The Right Moment. vague - keeps an eye on everyone and everything but especially KanaDia, who have unfortunately split up from her. she keeps them alive tho - actually she’s responsible for turning Dia into Samurai!Terminator. (dia consented to it ofc) - no secret identity! mari ohara being a cyborg is just another celebrity fun fact - archnemesis: Super Nico, who keeps stealing her stuff!! she doesnt mind too much tho

side info: - the Dream Team are also kind of the spiritual successors of Tsubasa, Anju and Erena (we’ll call them the Arisers). Honoka is Tsubasa’s literal successor, but by the time of that succession the three of them has disbanded, mostly bc Tsubasa fuckin Died. - saint snow are probably telepathic parkour artists or someth. also good guys tho. if the plot ever goes to sci-fi hokkaido we’ll see them there - t b h  shion girls academy are their own justice league, and YG international school are international supers who do superheroics in two countries. supers everywhere - Captain Pacific is an international super too - right now it’s no plot just lore

[unimpressedperson]

Jackpot | pt. 2

(Found this picture in @youthstuffs , thank you for posting it)

Genre: Fluff and Crack, I guess…

Warnings: None

Pairing: Kim Namjoon x @taesbetch , Kim Namjoon x Reader

Word Counting: 4.7k

Synopsis: Nya spent her whole life in Las Vegas, she would never imagine that local knowledge would ever be useful. However, her vision changed when Kim Seokjin appeared and introduced her to a few friends, film producers, whose needed guidance through Las Vegas underrated places for a movie. She agreed in working for them, and in that moment none of their lives would ever be the same. What happens in Vegas, not always has to be kept in Vegas.

A/N: Heeeeeeeey Nya!! Finally the second part is on! Late, but not gone. Guuurl! It’s a bit more romantic chapter, yet I used it to discuss LGBT culture more further. I’m really proactive in the LGBTQ+ community and want to talk about it, since I feel a lack of queers characters with voice, personality and opinion on oneshots and fanfics here. Since it’s not properly turned to that public, I tried to mingle the storyline a bit. Hope you enjoy it :) forgive any grammar mistakes.

- x - x - x - x -

It was 3 a.m, whilst some cities around the world were down to nest and rest, Las Vegas wouldn't stop. Nighttime is their time. Everything worked after midnight, entertainment would never lack after midnight. Clubs, bars, pubs, casinos, diners, stores, nothing stopped when moon reached its peak.

Therefore, Nya defined “Paris” as the last stop. Everyone was tired and almost falling asleep. Jungkook bought new underwear at a Walmart, but decided to keep on using his new skirt. Namjoon and Yoongi took a short nap whilst being driven to “Paris”. Hoseok chugged two cans of Red Bull and feeling like his blood turned into electricity, at any moment he could grow wings and fly, or float like a balloon.

Paris was a Drag Queen club. Specifically Nya's favourite. A few from her favourite childhood memories were made there. Sequins, feathers, leotards, wigs, astounding makeup, gorgeous dresses, pump music, lip syncs, dances and fun, a whole lot of fun and caring people looking after a very young Nya. No one would ever understand completely the bond she shared with most performers inside there. They raised Nya.

The cab dropped them in front of a bright purple building, windows fully painted in black, a glass door allowing outsiders to see blinking lights, a woman dressed in suit and tie as door guard, even though a velvet rope could be seen, there was no waiting line.

Nya got closer to the guard and after a few minutes of talking, which neither one of the sleepy men registered, they were allowed in.

Ok, let’s begin with saying what’s a Ball, then the story can keep going.

A Ball organized by and for drag queens is outstandingly different from a School Ball. According to the most entertaining and famous documentary about drag queens in late 70s and 80s, as known as Paris is Burning, Ball is basically a competition where drag queens put together looks based on a previously defined theme. Sewing, glueing, buying and creating, everything can go. There is a runway to catwalk and judges, also they perform lip syncs (some even are included and count points, something in RuPaul’s Drag Race style). The winner receives a trophy or money as prize.

Nya was a clever woman, so she chose specifically a day where Paris had a Ball happening. Nothing screams queer culture as a ball.

When the group got in, a loud music by Nicki Minaj blasted from every sound box, colourful flashlights and spotlights were focused on one corner of the room, where a table covered with a silk fabric, three drag queens (Hoseok recognized one of them as being Jasmine Masters) as judges. One competitor was catwalking with a revealing outfit completed by a tiger leotard, knee-high black boots, a straightened blonde wig and a mixture of pink and black makeup. Stunning.

While Nya marched animatedly going straight to the backstage, Namjoon, Yoongi and Jungkook now were wide awake again. A lot of colours and people, all sort of wearing the most creative clothings ever saw. Some of them weren’t even in drag.

The backstage consisted in thick velvet curtains, hiding from the public's eye a mess of sparkly accessories and huge wigs, clothes and heels, some of them higher than Nya's calves. Observing everything through openings, a person tall and clearly important, with well sewed dress and expensive shoes, exhaling respect from all pores covered in layers of make up.

— Guys, this is the first, the best and the only Honey Dejour. - Nya hugged tightly someone dressed in a black and sparkly long gown, huge jewelry around her neck and wrists, high-heels, a brown wavy wig, arched high brows, black cut crease, a lot of golden highlighter and red lipstick. She held the smaller woman and kissed the top of her head, nodding at them right after. - Those are the people I’m guiding today, Kim Namjoon, Min Yoongi, Jung Hoseok and Jeon Jungkook. They are film producers, aunt. They want to film here and are willing to pay for it.

— Hi guys, nice to meet you. Hope no one here is banging with my kittygirl. - Honey had a very bass voice, which intimidated them, except for Hoseok. - Just kidding, she could really make the use of some dick. She’s been single for a very long time.

— AUNT! - Nya looked to the ground flustered.

— Nice to meet you, Ms.Dejour, I’m Min Yoongi. What exactly is happening tonight? - Yoongi questioned, still astonished by everything around.

— Tonight we are hosting the annual “Glamour Awards Ball”, and I’m the hostess. In a few minutes I’ll go there and announce the next category. - Dejour was almost two heads taller than Yoongi, which wasn’t small himself. - By the way, I loved your skirt… Namjoon?

— Thank you, and no, I’m Jungkook. - He shook hands with Honey.

The group kept a small talk, Honey having fun with them. Namjoon and Nya were lost watching the queens catwalking with stunning leotards. He was curious about her life, and looking for a way of asking what’s been bugging him the whole night.

— Nya, if it’s not crossing the line between professional and personal talk, how do you know that many people? - The purple-haired man asked, trying to sound chill.

— Well, it’s not professional, but I don’t care. - Nya turned to him, but looking at his neck, not straight on eyes. - I know them because of my father. See, not everyone can live off of their dreams, and my daddy was one of those people. He was a genius comedian, kind of like an underground Jerry Lewis. I never got to meet my mother, so I was raised by him and most people you guys met tonight. Also, I lived my whole life in Las Vegas so it’s something like my neighbourhood.

“Whilst my father did his stand up sessions, sometimes he dropped me with friends. Most times it was here, in Paris. Honey Dejour is basically a mother. If I’m someone with so many connections it’s because I had a gypsy life. During day at school, ‘cuz daddy worked as bartender in Caesar’s Palace, comedy at night shift. He never reached the big casinos popularity level and gave up, but he was so funny. Never had his thunder, though. That’s why I want you guys to help my friends, so they won’t give up as well.”

— Whoa. It’s quite personal, thank you for sharing. - Namjoon smiled at her, showing dimples and a bright set of teeth.

— You shared a bit of your life with me as well. - Nya felt her heart melt a little everytime Namjoon smiled, specially at her directly.

They kept staring at each other, getting closer, as if a magnetic force attracted them. Hands touched and pinkies intertwined, but before they could kiss, Jungkook pulled Namjoon’s arm and yelled gladly.

— HONEY AGREED IN HELPING US GET IN DRAG!

— Great, but what does it have to do with me? - Namjoon raised one eyebrow already sensing the danger.

— You are getting in drag too, dumbass. - Yoongi grunted, a bit thwarted. Apparently Jungkook convinced him of accepting, not something voluntary.

— Oh Lord, give me strength. - Namjoon felt zero comfortable with the idea of using high-heels.

— Stop praying! You are an atheist. - Hoseok said, also pumped up like Jungkook.

— I don't see why dragging me up would be necessary. - Namjoon shrugged shoulders, not looking straight at anyone. - It should be something only for those who really want, and is capable of living it fully.

— How can you direct and show emotions from something you never tried? - Nya touched his shoulder lightly. - Maybe feeling like Moonchild for a while will help you to understand its essence.

— In other words. Don't knock it till you try it. - Yoongi, still not fully into the idea, tried to drag his friend to it. Perhaps, some motivation would bring them to the joy of snatching new experiences.

Namjoon still took a while to accept. Honey went and announced the next category before going back and receiving a half hearted smile from Kim Namjoon. Don't knock it till you try it, his brain repeated incessantly.

— I will do it, only for the experience. - He shook hands with Honey Dejour, as if making a business deal. - Hopefully I'll a pretty lady.

— With your body structure, I can make Liu Wen beg you for exercise tips, baby. - Honey blinked and pulled Namjoon by the hand previously shook.

- x - x - x - x -

“Category is… Streetstyle Drag” - Honey Dejour announced and the crowd applauded, some cheering, others singing and dancing to the song playing. Hoseok spinned like a ballerina, body straight and firm, spine erect, right leg tensioned enough to gather force and balance, whilst the left stood in a hook shape, arms in first position. His muscle memory never failing in reminding how to move. Jungkook received his idol title, but it doesn’t mean he was the only one aiming for that. Jung Hoseok tried and failed, no agency accepted his appliance tapes.

Although, art was a passion. Regardless of what type. Hoseok lived a whole life of drama, repressing, gargantuan levels of conservatism, a tall and skinny bisexual boy who spent his free time dancing, defying every narrow-minded in Gwangju and their stupid retrograde thoughts. The count itself had always been perspiting art and conceiting themselves for something their citizens fought, died and conquered over 30 years before, however when living off dancing, singing, painting or whatever, went from the core and not only a job, the reprimand could lead people into killing themselves.

Hoseok spent a lifetime of frustrations. When his last video for YG Entertainment was sent back with a denial e-mail, he decided to try another types of art. Working part-time as a street dance teacher and spending every coin received with art supply, he met a cinema student interested in painting: the rich and underestimated Kim Taehyung.

Jung would never forget how ethereal Taehyung seemed to be, on his expensive brown coat with fur, tight jeans and white Chuck Taylors. The lights formed a halo around his head, making the brown strands shine. What a first impression. By contrast, Hoseok with a plaid blue shirt, t-shirt stained with tint, sweatpants and overused Nike Airshots, gave a very endearing vision of him.

Once they finally began talking to each other, then it never stopped. Taehyung and Hoseok got along very well, similar interests made their bond grow stronger everyday, also Jung understood some aspects of Kim which no one even tried.

Taehyung was rich, therefore had everything but the essential: happiness. Nothing expensive bought was ever with his own money, every ounce and dime belonged to his family. Decided to drop off his parents command, Kim began working as an art teacher and even gaining only a few Wongs per week, living off of it felt amazing. Independence felt amazing.

Hoseok understood why buying cheap art supply and eating Cup Noodles made the younger man feel fulfilled, and decided to help, moved from his parents home and rented a small apartment with Taehyung.

It took them only a few weeks until they were making out on the couch, but a few months to definitely engage in a relationship. Hoseok and Taehyung attended the same college, and after graduating, keep on living in Korea, specifically in Gwangju, felt like a waste of time.

Moving to London was the last time Taehyung touched his inherited money.

Hoseok and Taehyung met Yoongi during a LGBT Parade in London. They got along pretty well, even both clearly representing the total opposite in comparison with Yoongi’s personality. They were fun and talented, after speaking to Namjoon, hiring them seemed the right thing to do.

Writing a script about LGBT folks, searching about Queer culture and being able to experience it, every single second of it felt like a dream to Hoseok. His younger self would never imagine walking in heels, dress and being characterized as a drag queen. Living in Gwangju limited his perception of world, but now, staring at himself in a mirror and checking how his eyeliner was lit, impossible situations felt like lack of vision. He envisioned Moonchild afterall.

Regardless of how happy he felt so far, Taehyung being there would only improve it all. However someone had to stay in London and take care of business. Their democratic way of deciding stuff (a.k.a rock, scissor, paper) established that Kim Taehyung, Park Jimin, Jade and Emerson were the ones chosen to stay.

Spinning again, Hoseok felt how every fiber from the fabric held his figure, anchoring himself to reality. He was wearing a mid-length light-blue dress, a flowy kind of fabric, white high-heels and pantyhose. Of course he tucked (something no one imagined he knew how to do, except for Taehyung and Jimin, who were there when Jung did it for the first time and, of course, showed up at their living room looking like an eunuch), covered his eyebrows with glue and powder. Practicing what was learnt during 10 seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Whilst Hoseok was having an internal realization, Yoongi gave up on dressing up and decided to use his own clothes, but still kept the wig and makeup. He was looking good with black eyeliner, mascara, contour and purple lipstick, also the curly, long black wig really made him taller.

Jungkook tried to fit himself in a corsage, but failed, so kept his skirt and put on a white cropped, plus a pair of 10cm high heels. He indeed looked good, makeup on point, killing eyelashes and a long black wig (“Do I look like Park Bom?”).

Honey Dejour wasn’t lying when she promised to make Namjoon look pretty, but Nya could never imagine how gorgeous the result would be.

After a lot of work, Namjoon showed up in a long red dress, topped with a silk kimono and red heels, making the already tall man look like Empire State Building. Honey decided to make him embrace his facial shape, so a short black wig was chosen. Every trace and detail planned to highlight his features.

— Damn it, Namjoon! I think I’m attracted to you! - Yoongi exclaimed.

— Shut up, Yoonji. - Namjoon felt his face getting warm, glad that all layer of makeup made him look unfazed. - By the way, now I’m Sailor Joon.

— Did you just name yourself after Sailor Moon? C’mon sis, I’m the nerd one! I’m Sailor Kook! - Jungkook protested profusely.

— Why are you guys fighting? There are plenty of Sailors in that cartoon. You guys can both be Sailor Joon and Kook. - Nya rolled her eyes in a condescending way. - I’m sure Yoonji and Jay Hope agree with me.

— Since you named me, now I’m your drag daughter. - Hoseok giggled and wrapped one of his arms around Nya’s shoulder. - Hi momma!

— Only over my dead body! - Honey showed up, carrying brown paper bags with their clothings, throwing them at its respective owner. - I’m your drag mom, Jay Hope. I built you, I reclaim you. And Jungkook, you are Scarlet Kook, Sailor Kook sounds like a brand of breakfast cereals, and I’m for sure not hosting a Cap’n’ Crunch realness Ball.

After discussing and complimenting each other’s look, Honey Dejour decided they should catwalk as well (“I didn’t sweat and put four grown men in drag for nothing. I gotta exhibit my work”). So she pulled Nya outside the backstage, bringing a chair with her, the woman was now a judge. The music stopped because a new category was about to be announced.

— Category is… - Honey stared straight at the backstage. - First Time in Drag Realness. I introduce my newborn daughter, Scarlet Kook!

When “Sissy That Walk by RuPaul” began playing, Jungkook walked from behind the curtains, hips swaying from left to right, feeling himself again and being applauded. Of course, his legs were tense, and visually speaking, he looked a bit insecure up on high heels, yet Jeon Jungkook nailed his catwalk, loving every second of it: the lights, the cheers, the feeling.  At the backstage, his heart pounded against ribcage, almost climbing its way up to his throat.

— Every mother has a rebel daughter. Oh believe me, I have a whole bunch of them. - The music was lowered so Honey could speak. - Now, please applaud my other newborn daughter, Min Yoonji!

The music got louder again. Yoongi opted for not strut, fearing the fall and how humiliating it would be, mainly with so many eyes focused on him. Why did he agreed on it anyways? Even not being a proper catwalk, the way he walked down and stopped in front of the judge’s table fitted his description: a rebel daughter. The cheers flustered him, yet it was a nice experience.

— Please prepare your hearts and hold your wigs, ladies, ‘cuz my daughter ain’t here to play. - Honey Dejour smiled bright to a camera taking pictures around and got back to her role as hostess. - I give you… JAAAAAY HOPE!

“Crazy In Love by Beyoncé” began playing and Hoseok left the backstage channeling his inner diva. Hips swaying, one foot after other, wig moving with the wind. Jay Hope was fierce, gorgeous and confident. The dress flowing and spotlights making everything almost divine. Walking down the runway and being applauded brought a pack of mixed emotions.

Jung Hoseok felt loved and accepted.

Not that his friends and gay community in London never loved him, but for the first time being bisexual, enjoying arts and being his grinning, delicate self felt truly right. Hoseok hated stereotypes and how people assumed stuff about him out of his preferences, so for a good part of his days on earth were wasted trying to prove ‘em wrong. Yes, I’m bisexual and date another man, but I don’t do ballet and don’t use skirts. After walking down the catwalk, all his pre-concepts about being LGBT in a mutable world changed.

Why prove everyone is wrong, when they are clearly right? They are right, but it doesn’t mean it’s wrong. They are wrong for thinking it’s right to reduce people based on their sexuality, hobbys, abilities, etc.

As Lady Gaga said in Born This Way: “Don't hide yourself in regret. Just love yourself and you're set. I'm on the right track, baby. I was born this way”.

In the end, getting in drag proved to be more than just a costume, or a persona, it was a whole political statement.

Jung Hoseok was loving himself.

After arriving back behind the thick curtains, Hoseok felt tears stream down his face. Moments of output, everyone should have one of these. It’s amazing to finally realize and accept something about yourself, once you do it, regardless of what it is, then other aspects of your life slowly adapts to your new vision.

— Last, but not least, I introduce you my newborn daughter. - Honey grinned slightly at how Nya’s face lit up with expectation. - She is tall, she is gorgeous, she is smart and she snatches hearts. I give you… Sailor Joon!!

Perhaps Honey planned it beforehand while teaching Namjoon how to tuck (by the way, he felt like his balls were in his stomach, but still found it a useful skill). In the moment she finished speaking, “I Am The Best by 2NE1” began playing and Sailor Joon decided to try walking in the rhythm. Halfway through the runway, feeling his legs shaking and sweating dumps because of how much effort was put only in walking.

Kim Namjoon, a grown ass man, empathized with babies learning how to walk.

The heels were high and hard to keep stead, his legs were long and couldn’t be seen under the dress, so Namjoon could only feel them touching each other. Beside not being able to see where he was stepping. Is that the right equation to a concussion? Absolutely.

Even lasting only a few minutes, it felt like hours of walking and when Namjoon finally attained himself to the judge’s table, his legs somehow tangled on each other and his fall was almost epical. If Homer witnessed Kim Namjoon nosediving from the top of 12cm high heels, he would probably write a rhapsody about it. A tall building being demolished, that’s what watching him hitting the cold hard ground felt like.

Namjoon saw his legs going up and suddenly his head crashing against the wooden floor. Everything blacked out for a few seconds, maybe of embarrassment or because the fall was actually titanic. Honey and Nya showed up to help him getting on his feet again and also guided him to backstage, where Jungkook wrapped an arm around hyung. The woman also sneaked behind him and found a chair under piles of fabrics, sitting him down and watching the way Kim propped his head back and covered his face with one hand, mouth still tasting like blood.

— I want an alcohol beverage and pretend I don’t exist. I’d really appreciate if everyone respected my final demands.- Namjoon babbled, still feeling his mind spinning. - Also, some ice would be great.

— Let me grab the drink and some ice. - Yoongi wisely offered, since he was the only one not wearing heels.

Five minutes and not a word was spoken. Honey Dejour had to stay and announce the winners from every category. Everyone stared at Namjoon looking like he fought with his heels and was defeated. Still ashamed and cursing at himself for what occurred. Yoongi emerged from the crowd holding a glass with whiskey and ice in a plastic bag.

Sipping on the whiskey and holding the bag of ice over the new wound. Heels left aside, he wanted to burn them, but since it belonged to Honey Dejour, only taking off seemed decent enough.

After half an hour, Yoongi, Hoseok and Jungkook went outside to party, leaving Nya and Namjoon alone. Still silent, absorbing the fall, the rise and the whiskey.

— How’s your head? - Nya asked, sitting on the ground beside Namjoon, one of her hands leaning over his clothed knee.

— I haven’t had any complaints. - Namjoon replied grinning, still a bit grumpy, but the alcohol was soothing his pain away. Or was it the ice?

They stood there, smiling and silently appreciating each other’s company. Even though the song was making his head latches a little, he would never ruin the night for everyone else. Staying there and drinking something was good enough. Also Namjoon had zero intention of leaving the backstage, not after almost staining the wood with his brain and blood.

Namjoon’s hand slided from his chest and reached for Nya’s one. They held hands and stared at each other for a while. She wanted to kiss him, but making him fall again would be cruelty [ha, pun intended!]. Odds seemed to be at her favour, ‘cuz after a few more seconds, himself bent down, the fingers previously intertwined, now holding her chin lightly and their lips connected in a liplock.

Fireworks! Party! Confetti! Nya wanted to jump and punch fists in the air, but enjoying the moment felt more appropriate. Slowly, lips opened and tongues connected, however, Namjoon’s position wasn’t quite comfortable so he got back up, but smiling at her. Dimples, those dimples!

They instinctively stood on their feet, the bag of ice being left aside. His cold hand made Nya feel goosebumps, but her arms still wrapped around Namjoon’s waist, whilst his hands held her face. They kissed once again, now actually losing themselves and allowing mouths to open, tongues to tangle and hormones flowing freely.

Such a romantic moment, which was interrupted by Yoongi, Jungkook and Hoseok coming back cackling. Namjoon and Nya separated, pretending to be doing nothing, however Min Yoongi saw and looked at his friend with disapproval.

— What time is it now? - Nya questioned, hands stucking on her back pockets.

— Almost six in the morning. - Yoongi checked his phone quickly, and stared at Namjoon again. - I think it’s time for us to conclude the night and head back to hotel. I’m exhausted and Sailor Joon is probably needing some pain killers. We can go check thrift shops during afternoon.

— I agree. - Nya saw Jungkook and Hoseok pouting.

They returned the outfits to Honey Dejour, traded phone numbers (business still was a priority) and left, stopping a cab.

- x - x - x - x -

The group arrived at the hotel. Hoseok and Jungkook went to their shared room, Yoongi and Namjoon did the same, but the humour was catastrophically different between both groups. One was tired and sleepy, the other was tense and in verge of a discussion.

The rooms were big. Two double beds, cotton fiber bed sheets, fluff pillows and thick duvets. There was a bathroom, one wardrobe filled with towels, shampoos, conditioners, soaps (both liquid and bar). The television was big and connected on internet, so the lodgers could watch Netflix or Youtube.

Namjoon entered the bedroom and headed straight to the bathroom, bringing a towel and his pajamas. Taking a long time and leaving a trade of steam out of it, he laid down under the duvet, but Yoongi told him to stay awake. Apparently they had something to talk about.

— Man! It’s not right! - Yoongi yelled at Namjoon. - You can’t date someone, not while we have the fucking rope ready to hang us!

— What? Now I can’t make out with someone? It’s not like I’m proposing to Nya! We kissed! - Namjoon was sitting on his bed, using Ryan pajamas, ready to sleep, but still arguing with Yoongi. - We met in person 12 hours ago, I'm not in love or obsessed with her!

— You are not in love with her YET! Beside, I would extract your brain through the nose and yeet it in a trash can if you somehow fell for someone in 12 hours of wandering around Las Vegas! - The man felt really frustrated, his temples almost visually pulsing. - You can fuck with every single human being around Las Vegas, and I wouldn’t care! I’m not your dick! But Nya is our guide, she is working for us! Also, you are getting attached, but know pretty well how things will turn! - Yoongi was also sitting on his own bed, common white pajamas and wet hair. - You are not the kind of guy who dates someone! You have affairs and get tired! I know you for a decade, man! I’m sick of seeing you dumping people and becoming grumpy! That project we are searching for places to film is important. It can save our finances! But if you get involved now, the break up will probably happen one week before we start filming. Everytime it happens, the movie becomes shitty because of your humour! And Kim Namjoon, I swear, I won’t allow you to ruin this. Not this time!  Not after your dramatical break up with Barbara and the critics detonating our movie. Hoseok and Taehyung worked way too hard on that script, only for your horny ass not pay a jot attention to it!

— Go fuck yourself, Yoongi! - Namjoon had nothing to say. Yoongi was right, he knew it, but would never admit it. Never in a million years.

— You fucking know I’m right! - Yoongi pronounced harshly, drops of spit flying from his mouth. - If you end up getting into Nya now, you are going to make a shitty movie after breaking up! You surrender yourself easily, and I don’t care most times, but after our last movie, we need to have you 100% focused.

— I’m focused. I was the only one not punchy! I accepted to be dressed up! I’m 100% into the project! I could marry and divorce someone, that it wouldn’t affect how I’m going to direct! - Namjoon was now spitting too, with rage and frustration. - You, Min Yoongi, are not the only one worried sick about finances and hating the idea of possibly working for some cocky entrepeuner with a big company.

— If you for yourself don’t stop hitting on Nya, then I’ll end it myself. - Yoongi assumed a gloomy expression, his body language screaming discomfort, with a hand covering his face, legs moving incessantly and ears getting red. - I ain’t gonna allow you and your romantic ass to ruin my career, business and life.

— You are preposterous. - Namjoon whispered in disappointment and laid down again, covering his head with the duvet, finishing their argument in the most childish way possible.

To be continued...