#so I wanted to make sure I got these down because augh... the idea bugs...

[transingthoseformers]

Ooohhh a fake fanfic title game I'm in! :D

'Polish Is Cleaner On The Other Side'

'In Space No One Can Hear Him Scream'

'Oh Co-Captain My Co-Captain'

'And All I Got Was This Lousy Mug'

'Soundwave's Mixtape Vol. 382'

'We'll Always Have Kaon'

'It's Raining Mechs!'

Sentinel had been dreaming about this moment.

After the beginning of the Nemesis's fifth stellar cycle in deep space, Soundwave has decided he is done with Starscream's shit for good.

Megatron's funeral was a complicated affair.

If Megatron didn't know better, he'd say they made the cup ugly on purpose.

Soundwave really needs a better music management system, it's getting ridiculous.

It was tradition for Megatronus and Soundwave drop by the same oil house after a rough day and shoot the shit together. After the war, the two reignite it.

Shockwave's latest weapon had unforseen consequences.

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

s5 episode 18 "the pine bluff variant" thoughts

post episode thoughts: raaaaaughhhh. foaming at the mouth. raving, even. chasing my tail like a mad dog. barking. howling.

it was so good. this was a FANTASTIC episode. i cannot get over scully seeing through all of mulder's nonsense and refusing to take no for an answer. truly a scully-centric episode, even if they tried to frame it as mulder being an action hero. wow. love is real. and it is stored in the pinky finger of your coworker.

anyway, back to past me, reporting from the ground- as if i can ever truly return to a world before this episode!!!!

reading the episode description... mulder is going undercover today!!! this is a rare and special treat!! i look forward to seeing his improv skills in action!! can he be put to the test??

and this group has a deadly pathogen. which is not good. i wonder if scully will be involved in doctoring. probably not, though. this will probably be a mulder alone episode. very sad. i would be happy to be proved wrong, though.

(I LOVE BEING WRONG SOMETIMES... i am clapping my hands and singing like this is a church... HALLELUJAH!!!)

boy, i haven’t watched an episode in what feels like forever. no reason to delay!

aww, pretty man mulder is running beneath the cherry blossoms. how washington dc of him! wonder where they found the cherry blossoms in canada…

or did they shoot one scene in washington and then dip? lmao

(were they still filming in canada at this point? when is the infamous switch to LA? has it already happened and i had no idea? if i had to guess, i would say the switch starts in s6... feel free to tell me if i'm right or wrong; i don't count knowing the filming location as a spoiler, haha)

who is watching him???

oh, it is not a leisurely jog! scully and skinner are watching him through cameras!!!

scully finds whoever it is they're watching coming off of the bus! average scully noticing moment. she is very perceptive. 

so they’re following this guy (later revealed to be named haley, and who will from now on be referred to as such)… scully notices haley looking at something. he’s watching mulder!!! he gives the dude sitting next to him an envelope. skinner says to wait wait wait. 

mulder is stretching like a real runner…. but the dude the suspect gave the envelope to keels over!!!!

did the envelope have some sort of pathogen in it that haley was immune to somehow??? like a princess bride poison sort of situation??

scully sees haley is on the move!! she’s yelling at mulder to follow him!! RUN, LONG-LIMBED MAN!!! MAKE ALL THE HORSES JEALOUS OF YOUR GALLOPING SKILLS!!

“maintain your position on the downed beta” <- hmm. words that have a very different meaning post the invention of the omegaverse

AUGH the sick guy is getting his FLESH eaten away!! as much as i like seeing scully yelling for answers (“what? what? what? what are you seeing!”), that is NOT what i expected visually!!! GAG!!! nasty!!

it looks like bugs?

so the bad guy is named haley? okay.

but where did mulder go? “mulder was on him, there’s no way he couldn’t catch him” says skinner, aware that the man is a track star 

scully needs to find her mulder NOW. 

ohh she’s PISSED (when she slams things and yells “damn it” because he is in danger and she is watching… this is one of my favorite scully mannerisms)

NOOOO, SHE’S BREAKING FREE (she was in a van for all of that?) and skinner is yelling after her!!! queen, you cannot outrun him!!! 

mulder’s chased him into the woods, but haley got in a car and got away 

she finds mulder and she’s gagged the bad guy escaped him LMAO “what happened?” “i lost him” “what do you mean?” “he got away” <- SHE WAS IN DISBELIEF LMAOOOO noooo, is he aging out of his track star status?! 💔

she looks after him, deeply confused, and we get our intro

(why did my boss just email now… don’t piss me off)

scully is here in the office watching the tape of haley running… she came early and wants to make sure she isn’t crazy. damn. you know it's serious when she comes in early.

she thinks he may have helped the bad guy escape!!! and he’s denying everything.

“i expect you to give me an answer. i expect you to tell me the truth” “we’re late for the hearing” <- what is this man hiding……?!?!?!

oh, she is PISSED off!

so this guy haley is second in command of a militia called the new spartans… and the operation to catch him failed. 

ohhh, mulder isn’t even sitting next to scully during this hearing… what is going on? i will NOT ask again.

the guy who died at the scene was an arms dealer, and haley got away with $50,000 worth of weapons!!!!!

what kind of disease did he die of, you ask? great question. cue scully. it seems to be genetically engineered. she’s gonna tell you about its effects on the dermis. some other guy says that maybe it was stolen from siberia.

scully is explaining the procedures taken when there is an unknown disease floating about and someone asks her how she knows it’s not contagious… mulder chimes in with “we’re not all dead”, which gets some nervous laughter, but WHAT is this man thinking?!?!

OHHHHH is mulder undercover and that is why he helped the guy get away…? but he’s so undercover that he cannot even tell skinner or the CIA…? bro is gonna get in trouble if this is the case!!! biiiig trouble!! you should not hide things from skinner!!!

(while i am only speculating here, i am often wondering how he wasn’t fired before this moment in time)

the head guy of the new spartans is named bremer, and he might be fighting with haley for control. civil war time

“the media gets a sniff, we disavow”, says this dude from the CIA. HMMMMM. DO NOT LIKE THAT.

the absolute SECOND the hearing is over, scully calls for mulder and he walks away... WHAT IS GOING ON?!?!? they’re divorcing 💔

she looks mad as hell… and skinner sees this…. he is going to be drawing conclusions

haley is now in ohio buying a movie ticket. he’s gonna watch die hard with a vengeance. okay. sure.

he’s making this poor girl make fresh new popcorn for him… i can see her die inside. NO, DON’T MAKE HER *ACTUALLY* DIE!!

mulder is rolling up to delaware. is this the same motel where he tripped out on ketamine that one day? SCULLY FOLLOWED HIM!!! ohhh, she is deeply suspicious of his antics….

he gets in another car and drives off. his phone is ringing in the motel room.

OH SHIT!!! IT’S HALEY ON THE PHONE!!!!

“you set me up” “i saved your ass” WHAT… mulder, you are going to get in BIG TROUBLE!!!

“look, i believe in your ideals and your goals, but the only reason i tolerate your methods is because the government’s are worse” <-lmao, get him again for me. he may be pretending to be on his side, but that doesn't mean he has to be nice to the guy.

so this guy contacted him?? and he knows scully is suspicious. cue angry hanging up the phone.

back at the movie theater, these boys are sneaking in….  OH MY GOD THERE’S A MELTED CORPSE IN THERE?? MULTIPLE OF THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHAT!!!

meanwhile, scully is angry. she’s telling the motel worker that he gave her keys to someone else (LMAO)

well, her lying skills seem to have improved!!

“who are you?” “who am i? who is he?” <- LMAO, that made me giggle 

“mr. kaplan” <- OHHHHH, HIS FAKE NAME!!!

“are you the wife?” “not even close” (angry door slam) LMAOOOOOO SHE HAS HAS ENOUGH!!!!

(i was giggling about this all day at work. not even close. yeah, you keep telling yourself that babe. oh, she was PISSED!!!! i'm howling)

mulder comes out from the room and she has to hide from him!!!! some guys are taking him in their car….. 

how did he not notice her, bro…? she is better at stealth than he is!!!!

so she’s gonna go after him. 

still laughing at “not even close” lmaoooo

(angry scully driving) 

oh shit!!! she’s trapped!!! by men in suits in front and behind her!!!! 

they’re taking her hostage and not saying anything!!! 

WHAT IS SKINNER DOING IN HERE????

“what the hell is going on?” “i apologize for our methods. they may well have saved agent mulder’s life” “what about my life? i don’t appreciate being run off the road” <- LMAOOO GOD I LOVE HER because i too would be absolutely and utterly FURIOUS 

but when they accuse her of being suspicious of mulder, she immediately says “i don’t know what you’re talking about” AND THAT IS BECAUSE SHE IS THE REALEST MOTHERFUCKER ON THIS PLANET. god, scully is a ride or die, huh? she wants to know wtf is going on with him, but don’t YOU dare bring it up that he is being weird as hell. i love it.

so! the whole council was a front to make the new spartans unaware of his complicity!!!

(reading my notes back, i think it is so funny that i immediately assumed he was doing this whole undercover thing without skinner's knowledge. i just kind of imagined it was the outcome where mulder broke the most rules. because, let's face it: it usually is)

OH........ AND SHE IMMEDIATELY WANTS TO KNOW WHY THEY PICKED HIM FOR THIS MISSION!!

the new spartans found him from that UFO panel in boston, where he was talking about the evils of the government!!! damn. i knew that was a terrible idea.

“you’ve put agent mulder’s life in danger by not telling me”, she says, her tone biting. and skinner says “agent mulder came to me. i advised him not to tell you” <- OHHHHHHH, THIS IS SO JUICY!!!

god, the skinner/scully/mulder dynamic is JUST. MWAH. it's always shifting. i want to study it under a microscope. they spit and they claw and they fight and they die and kill for each other and there's an aura of unspoken devotion and just when you think it's settled, they come to blows again. and they always come back. and do it again. incredible.

she asks, what about the bioweapon!!! they might eat mulder's flesh!!!! which is a very valid concern!!!

and in comes some other guy saying they used “it” in a movie theater in ohio.

man, you better not melt my boy’s skin off.

honestly, it is so funny that he was so easy to read. baby boy, you’re lowkey trash at being undercover. your partner is too in sync for you to do anything funny.

these strange men who took him in their car have his face covered and his hands cuffed. “ooh, is this the pepsi challenge?” oh, his dumbass quips.... <3

he’s so cute. even as they grab his pinky fingers and are about to break them

“you might wanna put that hood back on me, unless you want to see a grown man cry” <- well maybe i do. some of us like hurt/comfort. weep.

AUGH they do something to his pinkies. and again. he says he did not set them up and despite this being the truth, this guy seems to enjoy hurting others.

“augh, i’m gonna kill you! i’m gonna kill you!” <- yeah tell them!!! tell them!!!

(good to know that he reacts to torture with fury. storing that information for future reference)

OHHH he headbutts the guy he calls “a nazi piece of shit” OHHH AND THEN HE COMES BACK AND SAYS “YOU TOUCH ME AGAIN, YOU BETTER KILL ME” AUGHHHHH

AUGHHHHH THE DUDE WHO GOT HEADBUTTED SNAPPED HIS PINKIE AND THEN HALEY SAYS HE BELIEVES HIM??!??

so what was that all about!!!!! to scare him??? well hell! it sure did work on me! i'm spooked!!!

(still need a moment to contemplate mulder being tortured and screaming in equal parts agony and fury and terror. wow. please take a moment to hold space. imagine that i am gesturing frantically but vaguely as i try to articulate a point and i cannot do it. and that there are tears in my eyes)

and now that space has been held, we may move on

at the movie theater, there are 14 victims!!!! it's like the skin melted right off of them!!

scully looks absolutely horrified, like she might start crying, as her and skinner look at the bodies wrapped in bags. just coworker bonding activities. those two boys who snuck in managed to survive, and that fact is going to help them figure out what happened.

she says the contagion has to be something everyone touched… it must be the tickets!!

poor mulder is back in his apartment, holding his broken finger :(

and scully is here in the dark!!! “don’t be alarmed”, she says, alarming him <- lmaooo god i just love her 

HE YELLS AT HER TO GET OUT OF THERE??? and when she says skinner told her everything, he denies knowing what she’s talking about 

GOD the low and breathy “oh, mulder, what did they do to you?” as she examines his hand… and he’s wincing… absolutely 100% going in my favorite moments for s5 list. 

(still thinking about this. and my stomach and heart are doing flips)

“it needs to be set. you’re in pain” oh my god. oh my goddddd. AND his whiny “yeah, if you keep pulling it around like that” ...... woah

this feels illegal for a hurt/comfort freak like me. this feels like something i would read in a fic and go "YEAHHH" and then leave a bunch of comments on about how it should have happened in canon. but it DID happen in canon. and it was perfect.

who wrote this episode? i didn't pay attention. whoever it is, we elope at dawn.

let her hold an ice pack on your hand.

she breaks the news that the new spartans killed 14 people in a movie theater, probably as a test, and they’re testing him too. but it seems they’re listening to him!! NOO!! HE DOESN'T KNOW THIS!!! AND THEY KEEP TALKING!!!

THEY HAVE A RIFLE ON HIM??? it’s the other guy, bremer!!!!

poor baby is coming into the FBI at 3 am with his fucked up hand :(

time to talk with the CIA guy and skinner. the new spartans want a bunch of money.

ohhh, skinner is scared. he’s trying to buy time and he wants a tail on mulder!! but this other guy from the CIA says no tail!!! 

(still thinking about this, too. gnawing on it like a bone)

this other dude from the CIA does not give a single fuck if mulder lives or dies. i guess they don't have time for love in their hearts over at that agency.

CIA man was prepared with fake files for them. weird...

“if you don’t hear from me by midnight… feed my fish”, mulder says to skinner before leaving. amazing last words to tell your boss.

skinner watches, filled with feelings, indescribable like usual

scully is here to look at the virus! “it’s bacterium”, she points out. yeah it is baby <3 

but it wasn’t on the ticket!! so how did it get in the theater??

“it looks like a streptococcus” she says. and i have heart eyes. hey. hiiiiiii.

“but strep wouldn’t be able to survive any kind of exposure to the environment” <- absolutely giggling over here as she does her science talk. also nodding along like i knew that for sure (i did not, which is what makes this so enjoyable)

somehow it was covered with a protective covering??? and the other scientist says it’s NOT from russia. who did this….

mulder is rolling up in his sunglasses. but the lights in his room are cut!!! it’s the muscle guy who messed up his pinkies earlier!!! and haley!! he tells haley to get that man who beat me up out of here. and then he gives him the files.

but haley is suspicious of the files… he says to put the hood on. where are they taking him???? mulder says he won’t do it!!!!

scully’s calling skinner… but he’s on speaker and she won’t talk unless she’s off speaker!!!

weird for him to answer on speaker, but okay. “my research indicates that it was almost certainly developed domestically”, she says about the pathogen. and i'm blushing. and kicking my feet.

OHHHH she says she found that virus being developed in the 1960’s as a bioweapon!!! you cannot out research her!!! but the CIA guy is here too… is he hiding that??

she thinks the bioweapon program was continued in secret and mulder is on a suicide mission!!!!

“right. thank you” says skinner. and he tells the CIA guy she is merely concerned for her partner.

where is this dude taking mulder…? the answer: to a barn filled with endless amounts of guns while tense music plays!!

mulder is meeting with bremer, the head fellow in charge of the new spartans, now. 

“you a believer?” “i have my beliefs” “you willing to die for them?” “i prefer it didn’t come to that” <- a measured response

they make him wear a dracula mask… this is so humiliating!!!

scully is sleeping in her car at 6 am… wake up, sleepy scully!

“the money… oh my god, the money” SHE IS REALIZING THINGS!! and she speeds off!!

they’re making HIM break into the bank?? as dracula?? this is so unfairrrrr!!!

so they cart him off to the bank in that sad rubber mask.

NO, they burst out and grab the poor money guy… and then everyone in the busy bank is forced to put their hands up!!! and mulder is planning something… but someone shoots!!!!

and mulder has to finish the guy off!!! can he aim well enough???? to hit right NEXT to his head???

they’re taking the money in bags…… and mulder still has to kill the guy… 

someone else is spraying the pathogens on all the money that they are leaving behind!!! if this gets out... a terrible outbreak!!

at the last minute, someone else comes in and kills the guy for mulder, because his weapon was traceable!!! oh my god!!!!!!

he looks back at the poor guy :(

now he’s burning his mask and looking very pensive :( 

bremer is burning some of the money, saying the bills can be traced… 

OH NO! the bank heist was a decoy so they could contaminate the OTHER money!!!! the money that they didn’t take!!! 

NOOOO, how can scully save the day?!

bremer pulls out a gun and OH! haley gets in the way! saying he already knows bremer’s secret!!

haley says that mulder gave him a report, explaining that bremer has been leaking information! but bremer says mulder knew a false report would feed haley’s ambition to take over!! SO WHAT IS THE TRUTH? will they fight it out??

NOOOOO!!! bremer finds the audio from when mulder was chatting with scully about him being undercover!!!! he is furious!!! 

scully finds skinner, saying the new spartans put the biotoxins on the money, and that they need to find mulder NOW. 

bremer has haley and mulder sat execution style. oh, he lets bremer go, tossing him the keys to an escape car. very interesting.

and they take mulder to kill him…. he’s plotting… man is always plotting…. handsome and plotting…..

bremer says to get down and mulder waits a very long time before doing so… what is going on…….?

they’re gonna kill my boy….

NO!! bremer instead shot the pinky torturing guy!!! and saved a car for mulder and said to run!!!!

a great question is posed: who is this dude??

he’s running back to the bank!!! and scully is here too!!!!! the cash supply is being isolated!! 

OHHHH...... SHE RECOGNIZED HIM ON THE SECURITY TAPE FROM THE BANK ROBBERY, EVEN WITH THE MASK ON, BECAUSE OF HIS FINGER.... OH MY GODDDDD

he makes a little motion over his face to indicate the mask, and oh my god. the intimacy of recognizing someone without seeing their face because you tended to their wounds…. someone hold me.

bremer is working for the government. and before mulder goes any further… scully wants him to know it might have been a set up

enter CIA guy. 

“agent mulder, our government is not in the business of killing innocent civilians” “the hell they aren’t” <- GET EM FOR ME 🔥🔥

OH SHIT, SCULLY IS ON HIM TOO!!!!

“you knew about this all along!!!” FIVE ISH FEET OF CONCENTRATED FURY IS BEING SET UPON YE

she is SCREAMING in his face, and mulder straight up accuses CIA guy of killing civilians as a test operation

skinner is just watching both of his unruly agents scream at this dude’s face. probably thinking that they are right, but hoping they could make 20% less of a scene.

damn. the CIA guy says that if they do whistleblow, they’ll just turn the people against the government, exactly like the new spartans want. 

what the fuck? all of that happened so the government could kill innocent people in a movie theater? so they can kill other people later when needed? just melt em down to the bone?

this is beyond evil.

scully and mulder need some time to start at the wall and unpack that for a bit. 

the episode ends with haley driving off into a ditch, his flesh melted from contact with the keys bremer gave him!!

holy fuck. so this episode was awesome, but that twist was absolutely crazy. 

damn. maybe *i* need time to sit and stare at the wall.

the government testing bioweapons on its own civilians… it isn’t unheard of. but to make the agents do it themselves is fucking twisted. they’re both going to be eaten up by that for the rest of their lives. 

if we can manage to put that aside, i feel like this was really a scully episode. highlighting her attention to detail, her intense loyalty, her brilliance, and every other amazing aspect of her character. she has a hell of a temper when she needs to, but it is matched in ferocity by her compassion.

still giggling at "who am i? who is he?!" because she really sold that scene LMAOOOO

oh mulder, needing to be all noble and mysterious and shut scully out because he thinks it will keep her safe. but he is entirely incapable of doing this because she clocks him instantly. he really did give it a go.

i also think it's very interesting that he gets down on his knees and doesn't run when bremer is going to kill him. it's as if he is surrendering. that is really significant to me, even if i cannot quite articulate why that is at the moment.

god, i'm going to need sedation after her 1) tending to his wounded hand and then 2) recognizing him faceless by the wound. hey? can anyone hear me? is this a dream? did i imagine this whole episode?

can we get more episodes like this? please? please please? a great mix of MSR angst with overtones of skinner/scully/mulder angst and comedic angry scully and whiny broken pinky baby mulder? of knowing someone so entirely they cannot keep anything from you? if another episode like this one also wants to grapple with the inhumane acts of the government perpetuated by those sworn to protect and serve, hey, i'll take that too. it only made a good thing better, even if it would be satisfying to get a real bad guy in jail for once in this show.

man. i am deeply pleased. i feel that there is little else i could ask for in an episode. allow me to now drift into sleep thinking of the romanticism of tending to your beloved's wounds. and the romanticism of letting your beloved touch the most injured parts of you. yeah.

[stardustincarnate]

EARLY TRYST // Light Yagami x Reader

word count : 4534 genre : fluff <333 ! crack-ish, pre-kira!light, all that  mushy mushy stuff, best friends to lovers because who doesn’t love that trope?

a/n : i’m not sure if i’ve posted this here before but i’m fairly certain that i haven’t oh godric you’ll have to forgive me if i had  --

Who wakes up 5:00 early on a Saturday morning just to bug their neighbor to have a match with them?

Technically, you did. You were bored, and the first thing that came to your mind was playing your favorite sport with one of your bestfriends, who's also your neighbor, Light. Surely he wouldn't mind, would he? But it mattered not since he also did the same to you back then, insisting you two bike together just because he wanted a companion and knew you wouldn't refuse. You were hella pissed even so, and now it's your turn to get revenge.

You brought a ladder, placing it just enough to reach the window to his bedroom on the second floor. You eventually climbed up, practically pressing your face against  the window to get a clearer sight of him sleeping peacefully on his bed, his angelic face barely visible as it was partially covered with his blanket.

'Say goodbye to your sweet dreams, lover boy.'

You thought and knocked on the window loud enough for him to hear. Your first tries were futile so you knocked a little louder and more violent. To his dismay, Light woke up with a teeny-bit of panic in his chest. Creasing his eyebrow and squinting his eyes, he looked at the window, seeing a familiar figure. You snickered as he awakened, languidly making his way to the window, an irritated look on his face when he met your eyes.

He opened the window. "[Y/N], what the hell are you doing here? What time is it?"

"About time for you to play with me."

"Huh? Play with you? You're acting strangely childish. I was still sleeping." He clicked his tongue. You chuckled and shook your head. "Aw, sleeping beauty is upset because his dream was left unfinished. Don't worry, his dashing savior is here to make him feel better."

"You mean worse."

"Bad!" You playfully punched his shoulder. "Says the one who still has sleep in his eyes."

"Of course I have. You just woke me up." He scowled, turning his back at you and rubbing the sleep from his eyes, his face a little flushed.

"Heh, don't be shy!" You teased, wobbling a little in your position.

"I'm not shy! Tch, seriously though, you're in a ladder? You only made it harder for yourself when you could've just knocked on the main door. Mom and dad are already awake. They'd let you in."

"Eh? But I was shy- you know- err, how am I supposed to say 'Can I go to Light's room or something?'" You blushed a little. He hummed in response and gave an understanding look. "Come on in."

"I can't fit in here- just meet me outside. I'll wait for ya."

"You got yourself in this so don't turn back now. You can fit but in another position." Before you could reply, he suddenly grabbed your arms and indicated you to push your head inside. You did, whimpering as he pulled you in by grabbing you by the armpits, your faces almost bumping in the process. You gave a squeal as you felt your feet of the ladder, causing you to grip him tighter, almost hugging him-or maybe even inhaling him.

For a better description you basically looked like a flying fish from outside who's getting devoured by a portal.

With all his might, Light pulled you in until your whole body finally got inside. Of course, as he was secretly anticipating to, you both fell on the ground, with you on top of him, your head against his chest.

You immediately stood up and accidentally stepped on his ankle, resulting a loud whimper from him.

"Oof."

"That hurt, you know."

"Sorry. But-" You both heard a loud crash from outside. You were certain that the ladder you used had fallen, and it was so loud you swore some of your neighbors woke up. "...As I was saying... That was a dangerous way to get me inside. I could've fallen."

"Too bad you didn't."

"How rude!" You scoffed. You jauntily walked towards his bed, flopping down as if it's your own. It felt so soft, and it kinda smelled like him too.

You closed your eyes and spread your arms. His expression softened that he couldn't hide a smile which you thankfully didn't see. He cleared his throat and picked up a pillow, throwing it at your face.

"Hey, I'll go get some coffee. Want some?"

"I've already drank one, but sure!"

"No wonder you're already so hyper. Now get out of my bed."

"Fine." You scoffed and got up, walking behind him on the way downstairs, making yourself smaller so they wouldn't notice.

"Light! You're up early." Sachiko greeted.

"Yeah, and it's her fault." He slid right to reveal your cowering figure. You shyly greeted his mother, flushing pink. "Oh hello [Y/N]! I didn't see you come in. Were you in Light's room the whole night? You two had a sleep-over..?"

"No mom. Why would we do that? She just has her own ways of disturbing my sleep. Is dad still here?"

"He's on the living room and just about to leave. I'll make you two breakfast."

"That's not necessary. We just need some coffee, after that we'll.. What are we gonna do again?"

"Play badminton outside."

"It's still a bit dark, don't you think?"

"It's alright. The sun is about to rise. It'll rise quickly." Light replied to his mom, taking two cups and then pouring hot water on them. "Mild coffee [Y/N]?"

"Nope. Black coffee will do."

"Didn't you already-"

"It was creamy white. It was bland for my liking. I need something stronger." You cheekily replied. He sighed and started mixing your coffee and then his own. "If I recall, yesterday I saw you walking home while drinking that black iced coffee from the convenience store. Too much caffeine is unhealthy."

"Yes, Sir Light, noted." You grinned, blowing your drink before taking a sip. "Hey, not funny. I'm genuinely concerned."

"Concern appreciated."

You both entered the living room, greeting his father who eventually got up, off to work. You sat beside Light as you both watched Sachiko kiss Soichiro goodbye. You smiled and mumbled an 'aw,' nudging Light and causing him to slightly spill the coffee he was about to drink.

"What?" He looked at you then to his parents.

"Nothing."

"Ah, I get it. You wanna do that with someone someday, don't you?"

"That's not-"

"It's okay. We all daydream like that, even me. So don't be shy."

"I'm not shy!"

"There goes my line."

"Hmp. So who's the lucky girl, or boy, you daydream about?"

"Why are you suddenly interested? Well what about you?"

"You didn't answer my question."

"Because that doesn't matter-"

"Unfair. You're so secretive."

"Fair enough since you're just as secretive as I am. You don't even tell me the guys you like, and I'm your bestfriend."

"Because that doesn't matter-"

"Why do you keep on stealing my lines?"

"Oi that's not the point! I mean come on, an honor student like you rarely talks about romance so when you do, of course I must know. I am your best friend after all."

Light cringed, chuckling. "There's nothing special about that."

"Pfft. Honor students like you are so busy with studying that you rarely have time for romance."

"What? No. Look at you, you're an honor student yourself."

"Yeah but I mean the pros, like you. The valedictorians, first honors."

"Just because I don't that about romance doesn't mean I don't think about it. But like you said, I rarely think about it."

"Ooh! So who is the lucky one?"

"Why do you want to know?"

You puffed your cheeks. Honestly you had no idea too. Let's just say you were... curious.

"I need to gather information. I need some information to sip. Either way I'll figure it out when I start my investigation."

"No."

"Augh- I'll disown you, Light Yagami."

He put his cup down, looking at you.

"It's not really possible to disown the person you like, you know."

The coffee that you were drinking almost came out of your nostrils.

"Don't have so much hubris on yourself. I can do a ten-paged essay about why you are so dislikeable."

"But you can do an essay about why you like me ten times longer than that."

"I am so going to hit your ugly being!"

His smile only grew wider, fascination twinkling in his eyes.

"Hit me with your sweet love, maybe I won't mind."

Not blushing wasn't really an option. He burst out of laughter as you'd been left speechless. You continuously punched his arm, but he never stopped laughing. And his laughter was indeed infectious.

As you two were having fun, you suddenly felt eyes on your back. You stopped and turned around, seeing Light's mother slyly smiling at the both of you as she slithered away towards the kitchen. You and Light avoided each other's gaze for a moment and blushed, finishing your coffees wordlessly instead.

"Well, I'll go change now. You wait here."

"Let me come with you-"

Light raised an eyebrow. "What a pervert you are, [Y/N]."

"NO! That is not what I meant!"

"Well what did you mean?"

"I mean, let me wait outside your room instead," You leaned in, whispering. "What if your mom comes here and talks to me? I mean.. I'm super shy around her."

He nodded in agreement but then he added, "There's no need to be shy around your future mother though."

'This smooth-talking bastard!' You sighed and rubbed your nape, 50% about to roll your eyes and 50% about to blush again. You knew what he meant by that. He had always been a tease to you. But you decided to play against his will.

"Wow. I didn't know that the Yagami family will adopt me someday."

"Tch, dummy."

"Did you just call me dummy?"

"What? Of course not! You really need to clean your ears. I said dumplings. Your cheeks remind me of them. And now I'm hungry."

"You are awful!" For the nth time in history, you hit his arm. "I'm really gonna disown you in one of these days. Now get your ass moving already so we can conquer the street first."

"Well you were the one constantly blabbering and delaying things here-"

"Beca-"

"Shut up."

"Pft. Fine." He pulled you up, holding your wrist even on the way back to his bedroom.

After about five minutes of changing to a plain white t-shirt and jogging pants, matching yours by the way, you two headed out the neighborhood. You picked up the rackets and shuttlecock you had left on the ground, handing him one.

"We don't really have a net-"

"Oh come on! This is just a friendly match, so there's no need for that."

"What about the scores? We can play somehow else if you'd like."

"That's not necessary. I'm making the rules, and the only rule here is that the opponent gets the score if you fail to prevent the birdie from hitting the ground."

"That's not how you play badminton.."

"I am well aware of that. I used to be a part of the school's badminton team, hello? But I make my own rules here." You grinned slyly. He shook his head. "There's no fun in this. You just woke me up to make me do some pointless things with you."

You were actually a little offended by that. You puffed your cheeks and crossed your arms.

"Is it bad that I just wanna have some quality-time with my friend? And to get my revenge, too."

What you said made his heart leap a little, and he was having a hard time resisting the urge to smile. But in the end, he only snarled against his own will. "Let's get this done quick. I'll make sure to destroy you."

"Oh, you wish."

And the game started. The eerie silence vanished, replaced by your grunts, pants, and intense movements. The sky was eventually transitioning from a dim purple to a pale yellow one as you two played, eyes focused on nothing but the shuttle, sweat dripping down your bodies. Light was just as determined as you were to beat his ass. The scores were being mentally recorded by you two-no cheating of course. It was a pretty fair game. One moment you'd be on the lead, but he'd take it, and you'd take it back, and the cycle continued. He was the worthiest opponent for you in this, and he thought the same about you.

The deal was a maximum of 50 scores. Currently, Light was leading and almost close to winning. Certainly you didn't want to get beaten so you struck the shuttle at a perfect angle with just enough force. It flew fast; you were sure he'd miss it. But his reflex was quick, and he struck it with a force much stronger than yours-but his flawed angle sent the shuttle flying higher than he intended it to, and it unfortunately landed on one of your neighbor's roof.

That neighbor just so happened to be the one you two-no, the whole neighborhood-absolutely detested.

Light rubbed his nape and laughed nervously, seeing your grimace. "I'll give the score to you then. So, you have an extra shuttle?"

"Unfortunately that's my last one." You facepalmed. You used to have lots of shuttlecocks but you just kept on losing them since everytime you play with someone, they'd either get destroyed in the process or fly too high and land on unaccessible places, just like what happened.

He frowned. "Seriously? What about inside your house? I'm sure there are a bunch of them tangled in your mess."

"I told you that was my last one. I haven't been able to buy more of them so yeah. But thanks to this nerdy friend of mine, I'm now left with none."

You were only being sarcastic, but it sounded way too derisive for him that he felt somehow guilty.

"Now what do we do.." You pouted to yourself. He averted his gaze which then met the ladder from earlier, a brilliant idea crossing his mind. But the last thing he wanted to do was to get involved, in any way, with that awful neighbor. A grim expression crossed his face and you saw it as you walked closer to him.

"Hey, I'm not actually mad at you, dummy."

"No- I mean, that's a relief. But I think I can retrieve it with the ladder. They might notice me though."

You snorted, but at least there was still a way to save that shuttle. You then looked at the sky. The sun was now rawly smiling at you. Surely those rogues weren't awake yet.

"You know what? I'll do it myself."

"Don't. You might fall. I'll go do it. It's a gentleman's job after all." He grinned. "Do you think they're awake?"

"I don't think so. The curtains are closed anyway."

"Alright. In case I fall, you stay below."

"Okay, Princess Light. I'll catch you using these strong manly arms of mine. Muah!"

"Ew."

Thankfully they didn't have a second floor so the ladder's height was alright- although still short. Once Light had climbed up, you stayed below, holding the ladder just to stay sure.

"Damn. How did it get that far?" He struggled to reach it with his racket, even with his arms and body stretched already. After a few valiant attempts, he sighed and steadied himself a little. He had an idea of climbing the roof but the risk of falling down in the process was high. And he certainly didn't want to squash you either.

"Well this is hopeless."

"Don't give up now, my princess!" You continuously poked his butt with the handle of your racket, causing him to give you a death glare, wobbling a little in his position.

"Are you asking to get squashed? Stop that or I'll fall on you."

"That was just to power you up, silly! Don't you dare fall on me."

"How about falling for you?"

"Bitch."

"Now now, don't say bad words!"

He chuckled and was about to continue his mission when suddenly, the curtains flew open, revealing a grotesque face of a woman staring at Light's crotch-because that's where the window was apparently placed.

Let's just say that you two never want to recall that twenty-minute rebuking that you swore went on even as you two had already left the neighborhood, heading elsewhere.

"That went well." Light heaved a sigh, poking your racket with his as you two walked side by side. You nodded.

"Mission failed. Geez, that woman just wouldn't stop talking and bombarding us with malarkey. I'm starting to hate her."

"To be honest who doesn't? The whole neighborhood hates her as far as I know."

"Pfft, right. So what do we do now?"

He poked your cheeks, and poked, and poked, before pinching them so hard.

"Stop your fetish for my cheeks! This is abuse!"

He laughed, a genuine kind. He didn't reply but put an arm over your shoulder. You puffed your cheeks and played along.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm a bit hungry. So let's head to the convenience store."

"Unsurprising but I didn't bring any money with me."

"Not a single cent?"

"Noooope."

"I guess it's fine since I'll be the one treating you. You should be thankful." You only smiled.

On the way to the store you noticed a group of older and drunk men resting on the side of the street. Their eyes pierced uncomfortably through you. You lowered your head, still feeling their laviscious stares nonetheless. Light also noticed this, and so he pressed himself to you. You hadn't even passed them and when you did, the inevitable came. They cackled, whistling and calling you by names as they rapped the table for attention.

You ignored them and thankfully, they didn't bother you more. "Those bastards." You heard your companion clicking his tongue in annoyance, looking back at the drunk men. He saw where their gazes were and it strongly disgusted him. There was an unnerving silence as you two arrived at the store.

You both had hotdogs with buns and ice cream which was your specific request and which Light reluctantly complied to. The two of you were sitting side by side, looking through the glass wall and discussing mostly about school projects and then some gossips which all came from you. After running out of food to munch on, Light went back to buy a huge bag of chips you two would be sharing.

The sky was now a saturated mixture of orange and yellows. People strolling outside were quickly multiplying until eventually the sidewalk got packed. Few vehicles came passing by. The day was starting for a lot.

"Those guys often do that to you?"

Snapping back to reality, you cooed, "Pardon me?"

"The drunk men we just came across with, was it the first time they've called you out like that?"

"Nope. They're always out drinking.." You saw him creasing his brows. "I know what you're thinking. Well they can't be help so don't think too much about it."

"Can't be help or not, that's still wrong. Did you see the way they looked at your curves? Those men reek danger for a young woman like you. Who knows what their next moves are?" Clenching his fist, he growled. He was truly worried for you. He knew how the world is full of suspicious people like them, and who knows that they're capable of doing?

"Now now worry-wart, don't be so angry."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner? You should really start walking home with me early. Does it kill you to immediately go home after school even when you have no business there anymore?"

He got you there. "But I don't want to instantly go home."

"Keep thinking like that and you might never be able to go home again."

You pursed your lips at how scary he made that sound. "Listen, [Y/N]. In this world, there are only a few people you can actually trust. And those guys? They're not looking worthy of someone's trust, even one bit. They're also not the only possible threats to you. Anyone you don't know, or even who you're acquainted with, could be. Even if they look so charming. I'm saying this as a warning, and as your friend. The way they looked at you really triggered me. I can't let you continue your routine anymore. Sure, I know you're going to argue that there's lots of bystanders in case something happens, but that's not always the case. And we're not even sure if they'll help you or proceed to give a blind eye to it."

There came a long pause as you absorbed his words. Hearing them made you feel grateful for having a friend like him-someone who speaks up because he cares about you and your safety. You merely nodded with your mouth agape.

"..I-I'll do as you say then. Thank you Light, really. I appreciate your concern. You give the best advices.. I-you're one of the best people out there."

"Sorry to suddenly explode like that." He smiled, and your heart softened. You asked, "And so, by saying that.. You trust me?"

"Needless to ask dummy. I wouldn't have said that if I didn't."

"Thank you. You know I trust you too. You're one of the people who's worth my trust." You flushed pink as you scratched your nape. This kind of conversation will always make you shy.

"You don't have to say thank you to me for trusting you. And what you said.. You're worth trusting, too."

You didn't argue. The following minutes were silent as you two stared at the void while eating potato chips. You didn't have any new topics in mind, and he seemed to be lost in his thoughts-or his daydreams. You didn't want to interrupt whatever was going on in that complex mind of his.

You absently stood up, craving for another black coffee, but you halted and went back when you remembered you didn't have your own money.

"Oh? You want something?"

"I want coffee. Well- if you don't mind. Ehehehe."

"That I am not going to buy for you. That's going to be your third coffee and the day's only starting."

"Hmph. Forgot I have a mom for a friend. But anyway, you good? You seemed to be thinking about something rather serious earlier."

"Yeah, I'm fine." He smiled. Although he was really deep in thought of something-but what was it?

As he'd already said, he trusted you. He had been friends with you since middle school. He developed the ability to read through your mind. With you both growing closer day by day, he had already memorized your hobbies, your predictably unpredictable schedules, your common moods, your personality, and your flaws as a human being. Heck, he could even write an entire biography book about you with all the facts 99% accurate if he wanted to.

To him, you were fascinating, despite the fact that you weren't his ‘ideal’ girl. But as they say, some ideals are bound to get broken when something unexpected and much more interesting comes along the way. Sure, you couldn't read his mind as good as he read yours. You couldn't decipher and foresee what his next moves would be very well, wasn't in the exact same level as he was, but he grew attached to you. He trusted you, which was a rare thing for him to do-and consider the fact that trust is a hard thing to earn. You were an honest person, mildly annoying at some point to him. You're one that's willing to help others too. Rarely gets the initiative, but when you do, you execute amazing plans and actions.

The world is ugly, indeed, but he considered you to be one of those who made it less that way. You were one of the beautiful people in this ugly, mundane world. And that, he admired you for.

He couldn't see you as just a friend anymore. He could basically see through you, like you were his other half-like you were meant to be. You were someone he could connect with, someone he trusts, someone he could love. The label 'bestfriends' bothered him because he felt like it didn't suit you both, because something else did.

A couple.

And going back, what he was thinking about was the act of courting you and becoming your boyfriend. But doubts flooded his mind, such as you two being too young for romance, the possibility of your parents being against it since he knew you once swore that you wouldn't get a boyfriend until the age of 25 (which was actually a half-joke), and him not knowing what to properly do afterwards. Was he ready for this? Having you as his girlfriend wouldn't really change or affect anything such as his studies. It would still be the same.. just with an upgraded relationship and label with you. Besides, he had been wanting to court you for some time already. And if he doesn't do it then he'd only grow more and more restless.

He wanted to be yours. He was sure you also reciprocated his feelings. Getting into a teenage relationship is easy and quick and maybe reckless, they say, but not for someone with a complex and rational thinking like him. There were some things to consider- but you know what Light said?

'God damn it.'

"Love."

"Huh?" You weren't expecting that response at all.

"I mean I was thinking about romance."

"Ooh! Finally, you decided to add some teenage thrill in your life. So, what about romance?" You gave a sly look. "Need help? I can be cupid, except I will be hitting you with my fist."

His smile was little but genuine, looking out. "There's someone I like for some time now. I've been wanting to court her."

"Awe! My boy has finally grown! My son is finally having a love interest! Eh, but why do you look so uncertain? Is there a catch?"

"Not really." He looked at you, his cheek resting on his palm. You raised an eyebrow.

"If that's the case then go for it! Who would dare to refuse the Light Yagami anyway? If you're feeling doubtful, which is highly unlikely for you, don't be. Any girl would swoon over you, even myself." You chuckled. He gave a fake impression of still being doubtful, looking down with his hands now on his thighs. It was a rare sight to see. You placed a hand on his shoulder, tapping it. Just then, he looked at you straight in the eye.

"It's not like you to lose some confidence. Come on, don't be sad. You can do it. Go ahead and court the lucky one. Cupid approves." You gave him a thumbs up.

"..If you say so," he seized your wrist and stood up.

"Can I court you then?"

[lady-charinette]

Bursting Bubbler's Bubble - ML Fic

A/N: A little underwhelming for my normally angst riddled, ever complicating brain, but @naresar suggestion in discord prompted this to life. (I can't believe "bubble" produced all of this, curse you my friend. :3)

Tags: Canon divergent, puns (its Chat Noir), mild fluff, reimagining of the Bubbler episode, Flustered!LB

Rated: K+

Summary: Ladybug and Chat Noir got trapped in a bubble and while thinking of ways to escape, Ladybug got creative in defeating Bubbler.

___________________________________________

Great.

This was great.

"You know, maybe this isn't so bad." Ladybug whipped her head around to glare pointedly at her partner, whose feet were on either side of her head due to the cramped space they were trapped in.

Trapped.

By an akuma.

Ladybug groaned. "Ugh, Chat Noir, how could let this happen? I thought I told you to watch my back!"

Chat Noir pressed a hand to his chest, feigning offense. "And I did m'lady! Um...maybe too closely..."

Ladybug rolled her eyes, before her gaze scanned the sky. "Oh no," Chat Noir turned and followed her gaze to rest on the other bubbles in the air, all the parents of Paris trapped in them.

Perhaps even his father was trapped somewhere, unable to get out. He was in danger, Paris was in danger. They had to think of something fast.

Chat Noir growled, lifting his foot away from his partner to slam it on top of the bubble keeping them imprisoned. "This is catastrophic!"

Ladybug rose an eyebrow, a heavy sigh leaving her lips. "You're telling me.'" Her maman and papa were also trapped in a bubble somewhere, they had to get out of here now.

"Hya!" Ladybug drove her elbow against the pink bubble, but the gum held remarkably well against their attacks.

"Maybe we should eat through it?" the look she shot Chat Noir silenced any other ideas the boy might even had. "Okay, new plan."

The spotted heroine stuck out her tongue in thought, eyeing the almost glowing layer coating the outside of the bubble. It was magic, maybe not even actual gum. It resisted their attacks, but maybe it was still vulnerable against something sharp like a real bubble?

"Chat Noir, use your claws to burst our bubble!"

Given the cramped space they were in allowing for little to not mobility, Ladybug was still impressed when Chat Noir striked a pose and hit the surface of the bubble with his claws.

No effect.

"...Sorry to burst your bubble m'lady..." his ears flattened to the back of his scalp, genuinely upset he couldn't help.

Ladybug released another sigh, but offered her partner a reassuring smile to ease his worries. "Its alright kitty, you did all you could." She drew in her knees to rest her chin atop them, brain still working for ways to get them out of their predicament. She eyed the item her lucky charm produced, a yoyo just like hers without the same powers of course. She was at a loss for what to do with a yoyo in this situation.

A hand settled on her shoulder, squeezing it in encouragement. "Don't worry bug, we'll figure something out. We always do." Ladybug could only offer him a half-hearted smile, but she tried showing him the genuine appreciation she felt at his attempts to cheer her up.

It wasn't long before Chat Noir mirrored her stance, wrapping his arms around his knees and resting his chin on top of them in equal despair. "If only we could somehow destroy it..."

Wait...

"Chat Noir, your cataclysm!" she snapped her fingers but blanched at her partner's worried frown.

"Look how high up we are bug, how do we get down there safely?" both looked down in between them, spotting the city in chaos as the tiny figure of Bubbler continued trapping all the adults in bubbles.

"Don't worry, I'll have us covered!" she retrieved her yoyo and grinned confidently.

That made her kitty smile in return, before he called upon his power. "Cataclysm!"

His hand hovered over the surface of the bubble, before he tapped it with his claw.

The bubble burst and they were falling.

"Kitty, take my hand and take out your staff!" Ladybug withdrew the yoyo from her lucky charm, swinging it so fast it created a spinning wheel above their heads just like hers did.

Chat Noir complied, grabbing her hand tightly and clutching his staff with the other, "Now what m'lady?!" he shouted over the roar of the wind blowing in their ears.

His partner smiled. "Now you spin!"

Chat Noir smiled, elongation and spinning the baton as fast as he could with one hand. Their combined efforts still kept them in mid-air and slowed their descent and Chat Noir noticed why.

Ladybug hit one of the other bubbles adults were trapped in, her yoyo sticking to its surface just like it would to real bubble gum. Then, she instructed him to make a turn while still spinning his staff.

"Turn left Chat Noir!"

"Aye, aye, captain!"

Another bubble stuck to her yoyo, and another, and another.

Soon, it looked like Ladybug was holding a myriad of balloons on a single string, all the other bubbles sticking somehow to each-other.

"Now what do we do?" Chat Noir wasn't sure what his lady meant to accomplish, but he wanted to see how this would end.

Ladybug smiled a smile that told him they were in for a treat. "Now we'll visit the party crasher!"

Chat Noir used his staff to propel them in the direction of the akumatized Nino, who was about to hit another couple of adults with his bubble gun.

"Time to burst your bubble too, Bubbler!" Before the akuma could react, Ladybug threw all her weight in her arm holding the yoyo string tightly, all the adults still trapped in the bubbles coming towards Bubbler at high speed like a wrecking ball.

"What the- augh!" It hit him like a fright train and Bubbler slammed against a lamppost from the force of the hit.

Just as Ladybug predicted, all the bubbles were intact and the adults unharmed. Still, the heroine moved to adress the crowd. "I'm so sorry everyone! This was the only way I could think of to beat him."

It were her parents that spoke to her in a tone that made Ladybug almost anxious that they somehow knew her identity, a tone they used for when Marinette was feeling worried or scared. "That's alright Ladybug, you did what you had to do to save us. We're all grateful for you and Chat Noir's help." They smiled and the rest of the other parents nodded in agreement.

Ladybug smiled back earnestly, feeling pride at having such parents as were Sabine and Tom Dupain-Cheng.

"M'lady," she turned to greet Chat Noir holding up Bubbler's gun and throwing it to her.

Ladybug smirked and broke the item in half, the akuma flying out. "Time to de-evilize!"

Trapping the akuma in her yoyo, it flew out in its pure white form again. "Bye, bye little butterfly." Ladybug smiled at the small creature, so pure and white unlike its akumatized counterpart.

She threw her yoyo into the air, her voice clear as it called for her powers. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

The magic washed over the entire city, freeing the adults from the bubbles, everyone safely on the ground without their bubble prisons.

Sabine and Tom immediately hugged each-other, rejoicing at their freedom. Ladybug smiled at the scene and held her fist out for her partner. "Pound it!"

But instead of bumping his fist against hers, Chat Noir held her hand gently in his.

Ladybug blinked in confusion at the sincere look in his eyes. "You were amazing m'lady." his green eyes twinkled in genuine awe, "I'm amazed everytime you save the day, because it means the girl I...admire behind the mask is even greater than I thought she would be and this cat is honored to be your partner." he bowed his head to lightly kiss the back of her hand, a gesture that normally didn't make Ladybug budge, but for some reason today, it made her oddly flustered.

At the speed of light and embarrassment, Ladybug quickly pulled her hand back, her face nearly blending into her suit. "T-Thank you Chat Noir, that was- that sweet..." she shook her head, her earrings reminding her of the time and she took her yoyo in hand, "Right! Um, save you-see you later kitty! Burn out! Um- bug out!" before she took off so fast she almost seemed to fly, just like a real ladybug.

Despite the warning beeps of his miraculous, Chat Noir took a moment to himself, his hand moving up to rest over his beating heart and a grin formed over his lips.

Yes, his lady was amazing, and the girl behind the mask, he found himself loving every day a bit more.

[axemetaphor]

augh i kept forgetting to post this because i kept wantgin to draw mroe for it but i really suck at emulating Animal Crossing Art Style so im just going to go on a rambling explanation about this under the cut but the basic concept is. they deserve a vacation. and whats more relaxing than animal crossing? probably several things but let me have this ok

id had a bunch of ideas for mroe drawings in this style but Clearly, i am not very good at it, and every time i sat down to Try Again it ended up shitty. this is from literally months ago by now lmao

my Basic Concept was just. take the 3 of them and dump them on an animal crossing island, cause while ive been sick ive been playing a lot of new horizons to try and stay stable, and my brain likes to mush together whatever 2-or-more things im invested in together all the time. here’s some bullet points!

-john really loves diving for sea critters and frequently pulls up those bigass lobsters and eels and shit, he’s got an unnatural knack for it. loves to startle the shit out of dave by just whipping an eel out of his pocket. no thats not an innuendo stop that-- -amy loves planting/watering the flowers but shes not like invested in getting All The Different Types (although that Would be neat) she’s just having fun building a large flower patch. it’s slowly overtaking the island. also dave likes to just kinda sit in the flower patch -speaking of dave he kind of doesnt do much, i think he’d like fishing with john and/or amy and maybe hed like digging up fossils but for the most part hes just chillin, as he deserves to be, -amy likes the DIY recipe stuff though and will frequently politely ask dave to go fetch stuff for her. this has led to most of the villagers/islanders/whateverthetermis, the animal citizens, to have their Main exposure to dave be him wandering around with an axe at 3am because amy’s out of hardwood -speaking of the animal citizens, because i just really like them as a concept, i have no solid concept of who-all would be on their island but whoever they are, john is “friends” with All of them (and by that i mean he says theyre all his friends; whether or not they find him obnoxious Varies,) and amy is genuine friends with most of them/has spoken to all of them at least, and dave rarely if ever speaks to them. hes not very social. most of the animals are a little scared of him until they Actually get to talk to him and then they realize hes just an awkward misanthropic bastard -also in case it wasnt clear id think the 3 of them would all be in one little cabin i mean you can upgrade the shit out of those so they could all feasibly have their own spaces. but also i like polyamory and id say they all 3 share a room because fight me they do itd be cute. also of course the decor of their cabin is absolutely bonkers like listen not only does animal crossing have some weird items but nearly any living space john inhabits most likely has some very strange decor in it !  -tbh actually i think john would do Most of the decor stuff cause like based on the way his house is described i think he’d go NUTS for animal crossing’s Theme Decor Shit i dont know i dont actually do a bunch of that but i sure do think he would! amy would help out esp since she likes the DIY stuff, and i think dave is just kind of ..... allowing this nonsense to happen. letting john be free. probably convincing him to not change the theme every day, maybe every week, if only because it’s a bit of a hassle to have everything Constantly Rearranged.  -hang on wait i just thought of the 3 of them wandering along the beach and picking up seashells and now im like emotional over it bro pls. lovely. -also i jsut realized if daves the guy who digs up fossils he definitely talks to blathers a lot and thats an extremely funny thing to contemplate. the dude who seems to not really liek talking to people and the chatterbox owl. fantastic. you know dave is probably too awkward to tell blathers he doesnt want to hear all thsoe archaeopteryx facts! (also tbh maybe dave would actually like learning stuff) -also. john catches bugs just to give them to blathers and watch him freak out just a little about it.  -john always ends up buying fake art from redd but it’s fine because he just puts it somewhere in or near their cabin. amy however has the uncanny good luck to somehow always find the real artworks! dave doesnt talk to redd, he doesnt really care. -this ones definitely projection because my animal crossing island is a mess (And I Like It That Way Thank U Very Much) but john definitely is the guy who will dump extra furniture at random spots on the island. too much shit in storage? don’t need that Harmonious Chair right now? holding it in ur pockets just because u dont know where else to put it? just dump it on the ground! uncannily, john fuckin Always remembers where he’s put that shit when he happens to need it again. however this does mean sometimes the animal citizens will just ... find a mysterious new chair in their front yard.  -i know that terraforming is a new thing in acnh but i havent done it yet because i dont care about the whole 3 stars rating thing like listen im jsut here to run around and fill the museum if i feel like it but mostly pick up pumpkins and hoard bells for no reason and let my island be taken over by wildflowers. if any of the 3 are into that tho its john or amy--john just for the hell of it, amy would actually like try to Make Stuff of it -their front yard (and back yard if their cabin is put somewhere to allow that) is full of unused furniture as well. and also sometimes random dropped fruits or something, if dave is already carrying a ton when he sees something to dig up. -i think im out of shit to say right now but i might reblog to add mroe so. yes. if youve read this far then holy shit youre dedicated or really bored or something but whatever your reason is i hope this was A Fun Read and if it gave you any ideas Please Tell Me my inbox is open im sick and still in quarantine and i crave human interaction from literally anyone who isnt my parents. thank u 

[bladekindeyewear]

HS^2 bloggin’ mainline 2020-10-15

More Homestuck, continuing directly from last time.  Gonna Bang Out A Liveblog Quick (GbOALq)…

No chapter title this time, just straight continuation.  (By the way, I didn’t reblog it so spoilers don’t headline my blog but this post regarding last upd8 is delightful)

> (==>)

Okay, this makes more sense as to why they both disappeared -- Vrissy is either trying to get her back or is going along and just being grousy about it, or one under the pretense of the other or the like.

By the way, if Rose specifically planned in a way that involved telling Vriska to sit on the sidelines and not doing anything, shouldn’t she ABSOLUTELY KNOW, one-hundred percent with a combination of her Seer of Light powers and common sense, that Vriska will Not Do That?  --so whatever Vriska is about to do I’m going to assume Rose has accounted for it, unless she’s like...

...sworn off using her powers much, or something.  That would super suck and I would hate for that to be in this story regardless of themes.

Vriska Maryam-Lalonde, recently "Vrissy," and potentially "You Are So Grounded You Are Never Leaving The House Again," isn’t what’s commonly referred to as an "outside girl".

She likes grass. It’s fine! To look at. And so are trees, as long as they’re somewhere off in the distance, swaying gently in the breeze. Trampling through them is not on the list of acceptable tree activities. Vrissy is already sweaty and dirt-streaked, and there’s probably like fifty gnats trying to drink her eye fluids. At this rate she almost envies Tavros his role as Batterwitch Bait. Sure, he has to pretend to be threatened by Vrissy’s mom, which is lame as hell and also very embarrassing, but at least his eye fluids are safe.

So she’s fine with this in principle, just not with the work involved? Or--

VRISSY: Hey, can you slow Down a Little? VRISSY: I have to run over Shru8s and shit, I can’t Fly! VRISKA: Hah! And who’s fault is that???????? VRISSY: My shitty 8iology I guess! VRISSY: Sorry, not all of Us had SGRU8 Sessions to make ourselves Immortal. VRISKA: Well, we’ll take care of that, don’t even worry a8out it. VRISSY: Lol I wish.

Oh Christ, we really should have seen it coming.  OF COURSE VRISKA is going to get her hands on a copy of the Game and try and have these kids play it, regardless of whatever meteor-based consequences to this happy society.  FUCK.  She doesn’t even see any reason to hide it!

--reading on, some discussion of how people on Earth C view the ability to fly unaided as a sort of religious thing so shot down Roxy’s idea of letting everyone fly.  Why does society always keep trying to shut down Roxy all the time

VRISKA: Really, we have to get you a god tier. That’s pretty much the only solution at this point. VRISKA: Ideally we’d go back to when you were a wiggler and start your training right away, 8ut that’s not exactly an option. So god tier it is. VRISSY: Is that even Possi8le? outside of the Game? VRISKA: Nope. 8ut we don’t have to worry a8out that, once we get back into SGRU8. VRISSY: What???

This is what you get for letting Vriska back into your story:  She starts another meteor apocalypse and destroys your Happily Ever After.  Fuck.

VRISKA: We have to start this shit over again, you have all let it get so out of hand there’s really nothing to do besides a hard reset.

NO.  Fuck you.  You just don’t like hard work.

(I know everything is accidentally going to end up working out “alright” whatever happens, but even if Vriska’s self-aggrandizing malfeasance HAPPENS to be the cause of it, I really, really don’t want her fucking ideology to be the cause of it.  She shouldn’t be Aesma of Kill Six Billion Demons mythology, she’s had too many flirtations with ACTUALLY learning a lesson and BEING EARNEST ABOUT IT to be the selfish chaos at the heart of victory and living.)

(Yes, I recently caught up with KSBD and it’s awesome.)

> (==>)

VRISKA: This is a perfect spot for a fight. An am8ush point. VRISSY: !! VRISKA: Don’t worry about it, that’s good. That’s what we’re looking for.

Vriska leveraging her luck and assuming they’ll be followed when she wants to be.

> (==>)

That’s a really, really damn good waiting-for-an-ambush image.  Pretty hilarious.

(Still having a background mental fit about how this HS2 crew might REALLY be trying to make Vriska the Aesma of the Homestuck “universe” which is just aaaAAAUGH NOBODY SHOULD WANT THAT.  I’ll be really unhappy with the end product of THIS ENTIRE HS2 PROCESS if they pull that shit, no matter what side benefits there are or how happily it ends.  Hell, ESPECIALLY if it ends happily.  They’re having fun elevating her somewhat more than most people agree she deserves but they shouldn’t elevate her TO THAT LEVEL. EDIT3: More discussion on that here if you don't know what I mean.)

> (==>)

VRISKA: This is actually way more fun than I thought it would 8e. VRISKA: 8ringing around a younger, dum8er me. VRISSY: I think we’re 8asically the Same Age. VRISKA: Whatever!

(Fuck you!)  :)

> (==>)

wait what the fuck--

MANDATED HAIRSTYLES?????

what the fuck!???

EDIT: plausible theory here

> (==>)

Vrissy is that fuzzy dice kind what the hell

> (==>)

Circle, fifteen guys, no special significance that i can detect

> (==>)

Oh is War Shit kinda poppin off alongside the whole church thing?

> (==>)

Colorful ship design, weird zoomout frame transition; something wasn’t smooth with that

Anyway is orbital bombardment gonna happen or?

> (==>)

JOHN: vriska! JOHN: i mean, vriskas!! JOHN: where are JOHN: oh fuck

yeap

> (==>)

Is John flying out under the ship away from the house?  That’s really irresponsible.  (And abruptly transitioned, I didn’t realize it happened at first.  KEYFRAME THINGS BETTER AUGH)

--why is that belly button window still there?  I thought we had a line about Harry fixing his outfit, or at least having the capability to, did they not have time to finish?  Let me check, that’s bugging me:

HARRY: plus i wouldn’t have been able to get your measurements for some clothes that actually fit you if we hadn’t come back here where all my sewing stuff is.

Oh GOT IT.  Harry TOOK his measurements, but hasn’t fixed his outfit yet.

> (==>)

JOHN WHY DID YOU GO ALL THE WAY TO THE CHURCH WHO THE FUCK IS PROTECTING THE KIDS

> (==>)

Okay you’re back at Your House instead of Roxy’s house?

What, going to fight the ship or

I mean you could but you’re kind of forgetting what was the most important damn thing a few panels ago you jackass

> (==>)

Is that a bomb or fucking take out??

Why blow up John’s HOUSE that’s just so petty

> (==>)

ka-house

(pretty)

about time John stopped languishing in his childhood home instead of living life, anyway.

> (==>)

(o no i didnt want john to be sad tho)

it’s fine, he’ll be angry next panel or so

> (==>)

UM THE WHOLE SKY IS GETTING DARK???? HOW LONG ARE YOU SITTING HERE AND LETTING THIS BURN OUT???

HOW MANY HOURS ARE YOU LEAVING THOSE KIDS UNPROTECTED YOU GOLDFISH MEMORY CHUCKLEFUCK

> (==>)

APPARENTLY ALL OF THE HOURS BECAUSE IT’S NIGHT NOW YOU ASS

and that’s the last panel

yknow if we are going to have an arc about john learning to be a slightly more responsible parent it would help if it SHOWED HIM LEARNING ANYTHING

GOODNIGHT

EDIT2: Anonymous asked: "I think the whole "John watches his house burn down" is more him coming to terms with who Jane has become. In the last update they mentioned how Rose(I think it was Rose) baited Jane into believing John and the kids were hiding out at his place, and Jane just destroyed it, so he's coming to terms with the fact that she just tried to kill not only John and Vriska, but the kids too."

Oh shit. I forgot about that from the previous update: "JOHN: but rose sent out some false intel about us heading toward my house, so technically this is the safest place we can be right now, since they cleared the area and everything." He really does have to come to terms with the fact that Jane just tried to murder them all, too, so shit is definitely real.

...Which makes the fact that he didn't rush off to guard the kids in response to THAT NEW FACT still pretty galling, but.

[american-teen-against-crime]

Hi! So I’m conducting kind of a survey/study? Can you rank the games in order from best to worst in your eyes? A simple list will suffice

AHH sorry this took me so long to finally do haha but I finally got it done! (this was. extremely difficult . I struggle) (also sorry some of my notes got kinda long so you can just skip ‘em if you wanna)

1. TRN- it has to be. My list has changed so much over the years and SPY was actually here once, but I’ve realized that this is the one that has stuck at the top throughout the years. It’s just SO. GOOD. from the music, plot, characters, hardy boys, setting, mystery, AUGH it’s amazing

2. SHA- I know this one is quite controversial in the fandom (chores.) but this had always been one of the top for me. It reminds me of my childhood (rip) and I just adore every single setting in this game- the atmosphere is wonderful. I just really adore the plot as well as the Dirk and Francis storyline, as well as the old west feeling (still not over the cliff dwellings or Dry Creek). THIS GAME MAKES ME V HAPPY

3. MHM- this was tough, but this was not only my first game but also it still holds up for me. It’s super old but I just adore the setting and gameplay, the spooks are top shelf and I just adore the feeling of this game from it’s puzzles and storyline. 

4. GTH- I have for sure played this game way too often, but I love it. The vibes in this game are TOP NOTCH, and I will never forget my first playthrough of this game. The story, the charACTERS, setting, music, is all so good. The puzzles tho are a bit of a draw back but I still love this game. 

5. SPY- I felt weird about have two “newer” games in my top five, but I genuinely love this game. It’s moved down since I’ve realized I kinda dislike the puzzles, but the spy aesthetic and the story of Nancy’s mom PLUS the Revenant/Colony Operation is SO INTERESTING to me. Not to mention this game has a unique story structure in the fact that Nancy solving the mystery is actually helping the bad guys which is really unique. I feel like this game also characterizes Nancy really well which I adore. 

6. CUR- So I actually thought this would be much lower on my list because I played this when I was much older than the other ones, so it has less nostalgia for me, but it still has some. (plus a lot of the game was spoiled for me before I played it because I watched a walkthrough of it. Dumb middle school Cambria WHY DID YOU DO THAT) The plot structure and just...the puzzles and how the whole game fits together is so amazing and the music/atmosphere/aesthetic is just SO AWESOME. Genuinely a spooky game and I adore it for that.

7. FIN- I adore this game, the plot, the timer/three days, the characters, setting, everything is awesome. I feel it’s pretty unique to the series which makes it even more special and its just SO GOOD. Plus it has Nick Falcone who is one of the best characters of all time. 

8. DDI- the atmosphere, THE MYSTERY, the whole setting it’s all just. wonderful. I love BEING in this game, and I feel like it’s one of those mysteries that really represents the series as a whole. 

9. TRT- Just like DDI I feel like this game really is a really good representation of these games as a series. It has everything that makes a good Nancy Drew game and it’s atmosphere is wonderful. I also love the history and while it’s way more treasure hunt like than mystery it does have good mystery elements and it’s a very cozy game.

10. SSH- I am shocked this game is so high, and I actually didn’t like it that much on my first playthrough. This is a game that gets better the more you play it because you uncover so much more- I love the museum and all the history, the social commentary, and the mystery IS SO INTERESTING. Like everything with Henrik trying to stop Sinclair and like you know there’s someone bad out there doing this stuff but you’re not sure who, and there’s all this information you uncover AHH. I know some don’t like the phone convos but I feel like tracking down all the different pieces opens up Nancy’s world so much and it makes it feel real. Also just the idea that you have to track them all down is so cool to me. Also the ending is freaky and gives me anxiety to this day.

11. SEA- this game makes me so happy, I adore Iceland, the setting, the story, the ship, the characters, ALL FABULOUS! Some of the puzzles are annoying but that’s a trend for the later games.

12. STFD- it shouldn’t be so high on the list probably but the mystery and plot line is always really fun for me. The whole premise, locations and iconic moments in this game are so special to me. I love just being in the game, it’s so simplistic. Plus, Dwayne Powers.

 13. WAC- this is the game I always fall back on to play. It’s further down simply because the puzzles are a little annoying at times, but the setting is great and I adore the school feeling of this game. It just always has been a game that has stuck out in my mind ever since it came out.

14. CLK- clk is so nostalgic for me, I literally don’t care about the time travel bit because it reminds me so much of reading the books. I love the town, the mystery, and it’s one of those games I can just relax in. You can spend hourS in this game and seriously do nothing but fish, deliver telegrams and play golf. Maybe a game of bard bounce in there too. 

15. SAW- I used to feel medium about this game, but as of my most recent replay, I’ve found I LOVE it. The setting is so freaky and I actually enjoy most of the puzzles. It just has this weird off feeling to it where you’re constantly being told everything is fine when everything is definitely not fine. I honestly wanna make a separate post just for this game, I have so many feelings on it haha.

16. DED- I love the feeling of this game, from it’s Tesla theme, to it’s puzzles, and also it’s a murder mystery which is super interesting. The mystery and gameplay is so fun for me, honestly not sure why.

17. CRY- I love this game’s atmosphere so so much, and a lot of the puzzles are really fun. The whole legend of the skull is fascinating and it has a great spooky vibe to it. However I feel like the plot is a bit weak and I am still salty Nancy doesn’t help Henry more. But also it has Henry Bolet.

18. TMB- I love Egyptology, I love archaeology, and this game is super fun to me for those reasons. the whole idea of the curse is spoopy and the puzzles are pretty cool too. I love both Dylan and Jamilla so that bumps this game up as well. 

19. VEN- I have wanted to go to Venice ever since I played this game, I feel it does a perfect job of making you feel like you’re really there. I love the whole spy aspects, and while some of the puzzles are EXTREMELY annoying it’s a really exciting game.

20. DOG- The vibe of this game is off the charts, I love the history and the mystery is kinda weird but leads you to a treasure hunt which is pretty interesting. I love the puzzles in this game and while the characters are kinda annoying I feel like this game is just so grounded and interesting. 

21. CAP- some stuff in this game is kinda dumb (PUZZLES. WHO PUT THEM THERE I NEED TO KNOW)  but the whole fairytale vibe is great, and I love the fact that Nancy is trying to track down a cryptid. I also kind of hate the culprit motivation, but it is what it is.

22. ICE- this is actually a pretty well put together game, I like the location, and the mystery is nice. It’s one of those that I really question the whole idea of why Nancy is solving the puzzles? Like I get it that she’s trying to get into the needle it’s just...sorta convoluted. Also some of the puzzles are really annoying in this game haha.

23. LIE- pains me to put this game so low on the list, but I freaking hate the puzzles in this game. I like the museum puzzles, and that’s IT. The set has no. reason. to have that weird of puzzles. This is one of those games that would have been better with the treatment of having more practical puzzles like the older games. Anyways, I still love the setting, the characters, and the fact that it’s in Greece, in a museum and has a play about a greek myth makes me really enjoy this game. Plus, I do like the whole villain plot and the ending you start feeling really trapped and freaked out which is exciting. 

24. ASH- I get why people love this game, I really do, but for some reason I always drag my feet to play it. It still is super interesting though from the mystery, characters, bad guy plan, and it has a good classic mystery vibe. I think I just have to be in the right mood to play it.

25. TOT- I actually do enjoy playing this game but the puzzles/chores can be really annoying, and I feel there needs to be more mystery. However I actually do enjoy the setting a lot and there’s something special about it to me. Plus I like to look at the clouds. :3

26. DAN- I like that it reminds me of Paris because it got that vibe, the history and locations are very cool, and I really enjoy being in the game. However the mystery is ditched for Nancy trying to solve the Noisette stuff which is annoying and weird and I feel like this game is a bit unfocused which bugs me. Plus I can’t remember a single puzzle right now other than that horrible wall clock puzzle.

27. MED- Yes, this game is a hot mess and I’m still upset about Sonny, but I actually really enjoy the location and puzzles of this game, it’s just really fun to be in. Also the reality tv show concept is fun. Wish the sheep were alive though.

28. HAU- I like a lot about this game but at the same time it feels very...small? Idk. I just feel like the whole game is Nancy running around on the moors solving random puzzles she just finds in the hopes of finding Matt. It’s weird. I do like the vibe tho and Fiona is a bit freaky. Plus, sheep.

29. CAR- peoplearegoingtomurdermeIwillbethenextjake listen I for some reason feel just meh about this game, idk if it’s just Joy, the location, or WHAT but for some reason it’s mostly meh for me. There’s bits that are fun and I always liked it when I was younger but for some reason it doesn’t do it for me. But I can get why people really like it! 

30. SCK: The vibes are great, the ending is v exciting, and I feel like the school is very creepy and the diner is a solid location. The whole mystery of how Jake was blackmailing everyone and the drug plotline is super interesting to me and while the disk switching drives me NUTS I really like pulling this one out just to feel like I’m in the 90s.

31. CRE- I think this game is fun and has some iconic bits to it, along with the fact I could spend hours at Big Island Mike’s Immersion Excursions, buT the fact is the mystery is freaking weird and I don’t like bugs. But we did get Big Island Mike. 

32. MID- Listen, this game is a good video game, but it’s a bad Nancy Drew game. I liked my first playthrough of this game, I really did, but theres just so many problems with it and it’s so upsetting to see what’s become of the series. You can tell that it wasn’t made by the same people and it doesn’t have the classic ND charm. There are a lot of plotholes and random stuff like the Hardy’s personalities in this game don’t make sense. However there are a lot of stuff that it enjoyable about this game and I will still replay it. It’s just kinda sad.

33. SCK Remastered: Lower than the OG because Beech is dumb and they changed the ending. Also some of the old magic is gone, and all the characters are way less likeable. However it did explain some stuff about Jake so there is that. 

34. RAN- It’s still fun at times and I like the location but the puzzles will be a thorn in my side till the day I die. Also the mystery is just meh. And it needed more characters, that’s just a fact. 

I guarantee that this will probably change by the time we are done with this playthrough, but until then this is my listing. I think it’s really a testament to the games though that there is no game I consider unplayable. SCK could be that game but I am willing to do the disk switching lol.

[scaryscarecrows]

What’s Left of God’s Light (May Not be Enough)

AN: I have been playing A Plague Tale: Innocence and very much enjoying it. I said I shouldn’t plunk the squad in there.

I did it anyway. For, um. Expanding my writerly horizons. Or something.

I totally did it for fun.

Also on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22956727

* * *

The air is thick with the stench of bodies, smoke, and terrified horses. Men are screaming. The ground, already marshy, is growing wetter with spilled blood. The creaking of the towers and the sounds of the catapults are so, so loud and to make matters worse, it’s starting to rain.

They’ve been here for three days. Three hellish days of death and pain and fear. Antoine thinks they’re losing. They started out organized but both sides have since devolved into the sort of savagery he hopes never to see again. At this point, all he wants is to make it out alive.

Night is falling, but with the sky already dark it almost doesn’t matter. He’s just pulling back to try and gather new bolts when there’s a new creak, a big creak, almost directly above him.

One of the towers is...very wet. Glistening, rain or no rain. And it smells of oil--oil--

“Move!” he shouts, unsure if there’s anyone that can hear him anyway. “Get out, get away from the--”

FWOOSH!

He scrambles backwards, trips on a body and ends up on his back in the mud.

God, please--

“We got ‘em on the run, boys!” Fucking English scum. “Keep after ‘em--what the hell?”

The ground���s shaking. He’d thought it was the tower, or even just the sheer number of people. But then the earth...it. It bubbles up, a few feet away from the tower. And then it just sort of...pops, like a boil, and black gunk spews out.

No. No, not gunk. Rats, it’s thousands of goddamn rats--THE BITE--

There’s a soldier, not twenty feet from him. He’s shadowed, making it impossible to tell which side he’s on. The swarm of rats stops, just for a second, and then, as one, they see him. And they rush him.

Antoine’s never seen anything like that. But he thinks maybe they’re scared. Bugs run at people, sometimes, and so do common mice. Maybe they’re scared.

“No, no-no, no--AUGH!”

One minute, the man is standing in the mud. The next, they’re all over him they’re all over him. And then...then he’s...he’s not there, anymore. When the swarm moves on, Antoine can just make out white bones before they sink into the muck.

There’s more rumbling, and the squeaking reaches a new volume that nearly drowns out the screams of men and horses alike. In the distance, he can see more earth-boils spewing rats. God, where is he supposed to--what can he--

“The light!” That sounds like Jason. Where is he…? “Get in the light, come on! Move!”

He scrambles to his feet and stumbles as close to the burning tower as he dares. In the distance, he can just make out a horse and cart stopped by a small torch, but that torch won’t last in this rain.

“Here!” he shouts. Come on, come on, there has to be something--there! A heap of straw, if it’s not too damp. “I’ll try to light that, be ready to move!”

“Okay!” Mark’s voice. Why is he out here? Never mind…

He’s always been a little skittish, shooting fire at anything. There’s no time to aim, hardly, and one mistake…

But this has gone beyond battle and straight to the end of all things.

By the grace of God, the haystack lights up and the cart is moving, careening over bodies and rats alike to get to it. It stops, just for a few seconds, before going again, this time towards Antoine.

There’s three people, all told. Frank, who’s driving, Mark, who’s clutching a barely-burning lantern, and Jimmy, who looks green. The horse is terrified, eyes rolling in panic, but he’s still enough, blowing hard but not looking completely likely to bolt. 

“Easy, old man, easy,” he murmurs, more out of habit than anything. His voice shakes in his own ears and he doubts the horse is soothed in the least. “What’s happening?”

“I don’t know.” Frank sounds just as bad. “I don’t know, they came out of nowhere--”

“I saw--”

“Why are they acting like this--”

“God in Heaven--”

“Stay in the light!” Where is he? “Stay in the light, they’re afraid of it!”

The rats rush something. Antoine doesn’t know what, he can’t see and he doesn’t want to and--

There’s a terrific THUD! followed by angry squeaking and Trent’s thunderous voice going, “Get back, you sorry little bastards!”

Trent’s easier to spot, especially when he rears back and brings his flail down on a section of rats just outside the reach of his flickering torch.

“Here!” he shouts. “Make a run for it before the fire goes!”

“What do we do?” Jimmy’s whispering. He’s in Mark’s personal space, but Mark either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care. “This isn’t...I’ve never seen rats act like this, what’s happening?”

Trent narrowly avoids skidding into the cart, Riley slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Riley’s not hurt, but he is the one holding the torch.

“Did you see anyone else?”

“No. No, we heard Jason, just after the ground opened up, but we didn’t see him.”

The screaming has scaled way back. No more horses, fewer men. The storm’s picked up, though, and Antoine is suddenly struck with the fear that the burning tower...might not stay burning.

It’s dark. It’s so damn dark, except for the spots of torchlight dotted throughout the field. And the ground’s still moving, the rats swarming over the bodies. Three days’ worth of corpses, two armies of men, and they’re going through it like pigs go through corn.

He doesn’t want to die here.

He steps back, closer to the horse and the fire, and strains to see anything, anything at all besides the writhing ground.

“There!” What? What now? “I think that’s--Jason! Is that you?”

Oh. There’s a bit of light. Not a lot of light, but a bit. Enough, for the moment.

“Yeah!” The figure jabs the light at the encroaching shadow and it recoils, squeaking. “How many made it?”

“Six!”

“I’ve got another one!” But for how long? “Is there.” He stops, suddenly, and maybe the world is going to end, because Antoine’s seen this idiot stare down a sword to his throat and laugh. Frank had been furious. “Is there any way you can make a path for us?”

They can’t make it to them with a torch, not in this rain. But...there’s piles of plant matter, and a handful of stick bundles they’ve all been using for tools and torches and weapons.

“Are either of you injured?”

“No!”

Good. Okay.

“I’m going to light you a path!” he calls over. “Be ready to run!”

The first stack of plants goes up just as the other light goes out and they all cringe, bracing for the screams. But they don’t come, and a second later, there’s two figures in the firelight. Maybe they can pull this off. It’s only maybe...four, five more lights to get to them. They can do this.

Eventually, they’re close enough that Antoine can see who Jason’s got with him. It’s Martin, a kid-literally, he’s maybe fifteen-who got caught up in all the lies about glory and what-have-you. Antoine’s relieved to see him alive.

“All right,” Jason’s saying, half-shouting to be heard over the downpour, “you go first, and I’ll be right behind you. You ready?”

“Yes.”

“Go.”

They sprint for it, ground shrieking as they dash through, and Trent thrusts an arm out to half-lift Martin into the safety of the light. Jason skids in after him, gasping for breath and nearly bowling Antoine over before he can stop.

There’s no more screams, now. Just skittering and squeaking and...feeding noises.

“What now?”

Frank jerks his head towards the cart.

“You may as well get out of the mud,” he says. “Away from the...from the edge.”

It’s the best they’ve got. They clamber in and Frank tugs Martin against his side with a soft, “Just don’t look anymore. You don’t need to see this.”

“They’re everywhere--”

“Shh. Don’t. Just don’t.”

They sit quietly, just breathing and shaking and stealing glances at the carnage in the dark. The horse stomps the mud and Antoine leans over to give it what he hopes comes off as a reassuring pat. Horses are either paranoid idiots or obscenely understanding, and there is no in-between.

Jimmy’s the one that finally speaks, voice thick and shaky.

“Think there’s anyone else?”

Jason shrugs.

“I don’t know. I didn’t--I didn’t see anyone, but maybe...maybe...I don’t know.”

“We’re gonna die,” Martin whispers frantically. “We’re gonna die, we’re gonna die--”

“Shh.” Frank rubs his shoulders. “We’re gonna be fine, we just have to…”

“Is anyone hurt?” Antoine’s never been gladder to hear Mark’s ‘give me no horseshit or on my mother’s grave, I’ll beat you with your own severed limb’ tone. So there’s a shake to it. That’s understandable.

There’s a chorus of ‘nos’ and a head-shake from Riley. It’s something.

“You’re all sure? Nobody was bitten?”

More ‘nos’. Riley hops out to check the horse, which doesn’t terribly appreciate the poking, judging by the suddenly flat ears.

He gives them a thumbs up, though, before hefting himself back into the cart. Good. Good. Antoine’s not sure if animals can be...Bitten...but he’d rather not contend with a crazy horse or anything. 

“What do we do?”

“I don’t know.”

“We pray,” Trent says tiredly. “That’s the best idea I’ve got.”

Nobody else has a better solution, and they all join hands. On an afterthought, Antoine leans over to put his hand on the horse. It deserves to be included. Martin apparently agrees.

“You may as well lead us, then,” Jason tells Trent. “This is your idea.”

In better circumstances, that might have been met with a, what, you’d rather me struck down than you? followed by a friendly back-and-forth. But tonight, Trent just nods, takes a deep breath, and rumbles, “Our Father in Heaven…”

Now they just have to hope the tower continues to burn until...theoretically dawn, but...maybe there won’t be a dawn. Maybe the world’s over.

God, he doesn’t want to die out here.

THE END

[yrpspiritsintheshadows]

Old Wounds

Old Wounds

Dear Mr. Miyamoto,

It is with great fear I am reaching out to you. I don't know what to do. You're my last hope here with this. My name is Charlotte and I'm 18 years old, but I still live at home. I go to Geistville Community College.

I have this doll, it was given to me by a relative, whom I am not close with. I've enclosed a picture of the doll at the bottom. Ever since getting her, weird things have been happening. My name's been called when I'm the only one home, I've had nightmares where I can't breath and woke up with these weird bruises around my neck.

I brushed it off at first because my family thought I was nuts. It wasn't until the doll started moving off of its stand at night that I realized I'm NOT crazy and this is in fact happening.

First, it'd be on the floor. No big deal, I have a cat, Pearl, she knocks things off my shelves sometimes but this is a porcelain doll and Pearl sleeps in the living room in her cat cave. If Pearl knocked it over, it should've broken. Nope. Still intact.

Then, I swear I saw its eyes follow me when I was getting ready for school.

Last night, I had the nightmare about not being able to breathe and when I woke up, the doll was on top of me.

Please… Please help me. I'm scared it's going to kill me…

Eiji sighed heavily, reading over the letter for what felt like the hundredth time. It had been concerning when he received it initially.

Now, reading it over again, there was dread building up. He pulled up the photograph included.

The doll, to anyone else, looked normal. Snow white porcelain, dark, almost black brown eyes, she had a purple chiffon dress on, covered in ruffles and frills, her pale blonde hair in ringlets around her head.

If the doll wasn't involved in a haunting and didn't look so… otherworldly, Eiji would've called it "cute" and moved on.

He had to take it with a grain of salt, however… and he wasn't sure if this was something his team should handle.

The last time I dealt with a haunted doll case…

He looked at the picture he kept by the computer of when Ken was a newborn, the day they finally got to bring him home from the hospital.

I made one of the worst mistakes of my life.

Goddess, why did I bring that thing into the house?

Old guilt bubbled in his chest as he bit the nail of his index finger. Normally, he never hesitated… but this had an old wound attached.

"Eiji, I don't want that thing in my house."

"I know, I promise I'm burning it in the morning. It'll be destroyed and not be able to bug anyone again. I got the key. Just focus on resting. Don't want you or the baby getting stressed."

I'm gonna need to talk it over with Carmen. One thing is for sure, I am NEVER bringing that thing into the house.

Not where it could terrorize Ken or Hideki or Hikaru. Not…

He growled.

Not where it can touch Carmen.

Never again.

His heart went out to the girl. He knew what it was like to be terrorized by something you thought was innocent.

Something, that you thought would never get a chance to harm you.

Just hope her house doesn't have stairs.

I need to talk to Carmen… and maybe call Naomi. Because I don't know if I can take this case. I'd have to sell her on it and even then.

He gripped the arm of his chair tighter, eyes trailing from the doll's face to the photograph. Carmen, in the picture, looked exhausted but relieved, holding the tiny bundle that was their son. Safe and sound, home at last.

What am I gonna do? Eiji sighed heavily, getting up. He had to get out of the room for a bit.

He didn't want to have this conversation.

Deep down though, he knew in truth he wanted to help this girl. Free her of whatever was inside the doll.

I'm just scared that it'll bite me again. I usually forward this crap to Naomi.

He headed upstairs, going to Carmen's office. The pool room was nearby, the door was open a crack so she could listen if any of their kids were in the pool.

As it stood, no one was. The boys were in the family room, watching a movie of some sort. It was just them.

He peered inside, Carmen was sketching on her screen tablet, her eyes narrowed in focus.

Eiji swallowed hard, knocking on the doorway. Her eyes never left the tablet but her hand did pause in its movements.

"If this is a bad time, I can come back in an hour." He offered when she did look up.

Carmen narrowed her eyes, looking her husband over… In particular his eyes. He was nervous, shifting in place, hands tucked into his jean pockets.

"What's on your mind, Mi Amor?"

Eiji bit his lip. He really didn't want to have this discussion.

I could just make something up and run upstairs.

But that's lying.

I could say I turned it down and go upstairs and call Naomi.

But that's half lying.

I could…

Augh, I'm gonna have to do this, aren't I?

Eiji let out a long sigh, his shoulders slumping. Normally, they could talk about everything and anything.

Just. Say it.

"Carmen, I got a letter today from a client about a new case." He frowned, unease blooming within. "I… This is something I really need to talk to you about."

"What's going on?" She frowned, concern washing over her. "Is it involving something like what happened to Hideki and Hikaru?"

"No, no! We're not taking in more kids." He held up his hands. "It's not like that… but it does involve something that we both hate. See, she has this doll and-" Eiji cut himself off, at the stricken look Carmen had. "C-Carmen?"

Carmen narrowed her eyes, shaking her head.

"No. You know the rule." She got up, grabbing a water bottle out of the small fridge she kept in her office. "I don't want any creepy haunted objects in my house!"

"I wasn't going to bring it home." He explained, a pleading look coming to his eyes. "I swear, what happened back then won't happen EVER again."

Carmen stared at him, frustration coming to her eyes.

"I don't… Eiji, if something attaches itself to anything and comes after the kids or me, you'll never forgive yourself. You're STILL upset about what happened." She went up to him, cupping his cheek. He pressed it into her hand, closing his eyes. His shoulders were shaking a little.

"It was my fault." He murmured, his voice cracking a little. "Carmen, I thought…. I thought…"

"Shh… I know." She stroked his arm. "Mi Corazon, I think I know better than anyone… I was scared too."

"He was so tiny… and you were in so much pain… Carmen, I… I'm torn." He ran a hand through his hair, a haunted look in his eyes. "I want to help. I want to help this girl really badly but I don't want to risk you guys either… Especially you." He frowned, bringing his arm around her waist, pulling her close to him. "Please…"

Carmen brought her arms around him, stroking his back. She didn't want to say anything, except dig her heels in and say no. In a perfect world, if she said "no" once, he would've never spoken of it again… But the idea of her Eiji even doing that unsettled her.

It still hurt.

While Ken, it seemed had no health issues after his rather unceremonious arrival, they had been terrified.

C-section, having a hard time getting out of bed to go to the NICU, Eiji being there every single moment, trying his best.

We went through heck back then because of a stupid doll…

And now there's another stupid doll out there.

She tightened her arms around him, burrowing her face into his chest.

"I love you." She leaned up, giving him a serious look. "I'm not gonna lie, I don't want you to do this. Not even in the slightest. I want you to give it up."

Eiji nodded, lowering his head a little.

"But… I'm not going to ask you to do that because I don't want someone else getting pushed down the stairs or killed because of some stupid little doll." Carmen tilted his chin up. "But I don't want it in my house. Not even for a night. Okay?"

"It won't go anywhere but a fire pit in some campground off the highway. I promise." Eiji vowed. "I'll cleanse myself before coming in the house too."

Carmen played with his necklace, kissing his chin. He kissed her, holding it for a moment.

She pulled back after a moment, touching her forehead to his.

"I love you." He breathed, relief washing over him like a wave. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." She nuzzled him. "You big darn, hero."

"Just an investigator."

"Yeah, who if he brings that doll home, can kiss back rubs goodbye for six years."

"Sounds fair. More than fair." He kissed her forehead. "Thank you."

"Welcome." She wagged her finger at him. "Remember, I better not see it in my house."

"You won't." He grinned.

"Good."

oooooo

He didn't need to hold an entire meeting about this one. Just one message:

"It's a doll. After the investigation, we're burning it. No chance of it going after anyone. Got it?"

They all knew. They had investigated the first doll case and had been part of deflecting others until now.

"Eiji, are you sure about this?" Chase asked as he helped pack up the van, hefting another duffle bag into it. He also packed a gas can full of fuel for a fire. "We can reschedule."

"No."

"Eiji-"

"Chase. I promise, I'm gonna be fine." Eiji smiled a little, trying to hide the dread he was feeling. "I'm scared but I'm fine."

"You could stay home. We could drive down to Monstruo and grab Naomi-"

"Nope. She has kids too." Eiji walked past him. "Gonna go say goodnight to the kids."

Soon as he was gone, the team huddled together.

"Alright, we know this is gonna mess with him." Skyler spoke up, crossing her arms. "So, we have to put as much space between the doll and Eiji as possible."

"I'll be bait." Chase held up a hand.

"Of course you're bait." Lucian smirked, before it faded. "Eiji needs to handle nerve center. He'll be on monitor duty all night. No investigations outside of it."

"He's not gonna be okay with that."

"He will. Something tells me he will and if not." Lucian smirked. "That's what texting Carmen will do."

"... Lucian, you seriously scare me sometimes."

He shrugged.

"Either way. Eiji is not getting set off tonight. We're not letting him get near the darn thing unless it's attaching cameras to it."

"We got all of the spell tags in a box too. We'll stick 'em all around the nerve center."

The team nodded to one another.

No mistakes tonight.

Let's do this for our little ghost family.

oooooo

Charlotte's home was a modest three bedroom house. With white paint and a grey roof, it looked like your typical house.

"My parents are out of the house for the weekend and if I have to leave for the night I will too."

Eiji knocked on the door, leaning a bit to the side.

It wasn't long before a young woman opened it. She was pale, her blond hair hanging in ringlets around her face, the rest pulled into a short ponytail at the back of her head. She wore a bright red scarf around her neck as well.

"Hey there. Charlotte Monroe?"

"Y-Yes? And you're Eiji?"

He smiled reassuringly, offering her a hand as she shook it.

"I promise we're gonna get to the bottom of what's happening to you."

Charlotte relaxed a little, ushering them inside.

"I had my parents take the cat with them. Pearl won't be interfering with anything."

"That's good to know-" Eiji's words died on his lips as he saw what was sitting on the coffee table.

Unease washed over him like a tidal wave as his eyes met its soulless glass orbs.

"I… see we're getting right into it then? This is the doll?"

"Y-Yes." Charlotte shuddered. "I didn't want her in my room tonight. I'm sorry. Will that be a problem?"

"No, not at all."

Chase whistled as he looked it over.

"So, does her hair grow too or-"

"Chase!" Eiji hissed.

Charlotte blinked, confusion in her eyes.

"Hair growing? I… I don't think so. Is that a sign?"

"No, no." Eiji reassured, waving it off. "Just an old legend about another supposedly haunted doll." He gave Chase an annoyed look.

"Oh. Okay. Can I get you guys anything? Tea, soda, coffee?"

"Nah. We're fine, honestly. Shall we?"

She nodded, leading them to the dining room of the home.

"Sorry, I just… feel really uncomfortable talking in front of her."

Eiji gave her a reassuring look, taking out his notepad.

"No worries. Let's hear it."

Charlotte nodded, fumbling with her fingers.

"Okay, for one… I don't have a name for her. I just call her "that thing" since I've honestly always hated dolls. My favorite toys were stuffed animals. I hated it whenever anyone gave me a doll but for some reason I can't seem to get rid of it."

Eiji narrowed his eyes.

"How so?"

Charlotte closed her eyes tightly, exhaling sharply.

"I tried throwing it away when I messaged you. It came back."

"And you're parents wouldn't have brought it back in?"

"Never."

She glared down into the garbage can. She looked at the doll in her other hand, giving it a sneer.

"Meet your new resting place." She chucked it in hard enough that she heard a crack, the doll's neck broken in an awkward angle. She smiled, putting the lid on and heading back inside.

"Alright, time for some Leonideas-" She stopped short as she entered her room.

The doll was lying on her bed, perfectly repaired.

"I was out of the house for less than two minutes." She shivered.

Eiji finished jotting the information down. Internally, he was horrified at what he was hearing, but he was giving an outward appearance of calm. Just trying to do his best to be reassuring.

"I see… and do you still have bruises?" Eiji gave her a gentle look. "My colleague here, he's also a paramedic. It just helps to see for documentation."

Charlotte fidgeted before nodding, undoing the scarf.

As it fell away, the team gasped.

Her neck was covered in bruises, almost all in the same pattern, traveling entirely up her neck. Two on each side.

"Good gracious…" Lucian walked over to her. "Is it alright if I…?"

"You can." She murmured.

Lucian was gentle, tilting her head to the side as he examined the bruises. There was a distinct pattern. One he unfortunately was very familiar with.

"Yeah, these are finger prints." He concluded, stepping back. "They're miniature but these are distinctly human finger prints."

Charlotte replaced her scarf around her neck.

"So… she was choking me for sure?"

"It's possible. Which is why I think it would be in your best interest if you didn't stay the night while we're here." Eiji gave her a gentle look. "Is it possible for you to join your parents? We'll be gone by day break."

"I can go to my boyfriend's house. He lives down the street." She smiled a little. "Bill wouldn't let anyone hurt me."

"Then give him a call and pack up. We'll make sure the doll doesn't bug ya."

"Thank you."

It wasn't long before Charlotte left the house, hurrying down the street on her bike. Eiji closed the door behind her, sighing heavily.

"Alright, since the most activity happens when the doll is in her room, I'll go move it there and get the ghost box setup-"

"Nope." Lucian clamped a hand on his shoulder. "I'm doing that."

"Eh?" Eiji furrowed his brow. "Luce, I can handle this."

Lucian smiled, shoving him along.

"I know. But you've been active in our last two investigations while I had to babysit the cameras. You take a darn turn."

"Wait." Eiji turned around, giving him a suspicious look. "You're… volunteering. As ghost bait. You're actually volunteering!?"

"Yes. Problem?"

Eiji sighed heavily, a bit guilty for being relieved he didn't have to spend too much time in the same room as the doll.

"No."

Lucian grinned wickedly.

"Good. Now, get in the freakin nerve center."

Alright…

Let the night begin.

[carry-on-my-pretty-weeper]

Catching Lightning Chapter 22

Author: carry-on-my-pretty-weeper

Character(s): Reader, Loki, and Peter

Word Count: +1.7k

Warnings: knives, fighting, and tiny bit of strangling but nothing too bad

Author’s Note: okay ngl I received a lot more notes on my last chapter than I have on CL in a long time so it definitely motivated me to write a bunch more!

Series Masterlist

<< 21 // 23 >>

Stumbling forward you found yourself back in the place you wished you’d never have to come ever again. But you would do anything for Peter. Even if it meant coming back to the place that caused you so much trauma.

You turned around to see the portal behind you but no Loki. Maybe this was all the help he was willing to give. Whatever. You didn’t have a lot of time to dilly dally so you grabbed a cabinet and tried shoving it in front of the portal.

Normally it would’ve been a piece of cake but considering the circumstances it made sense that it was more difficult than normal. When you were at the compound you did get better, Doctor Cho made sure of that, but it wasn’t enough that you were used to. 

Straining hard against the cabinet you slowly but surely moved it in front of the portal and began sneaking around. You heard a group of footsteps coming down the hallway. Quickly shoving yourself in a doorframe you prayed that they didn’t see you. A group of Hydra agents thud in unison down the hallway without noticing the anxious teen crammed in a doorway holding a knife. Letting out a sigh of relief you silently slide against the wall keeping your eyes trained on the place where they left. Right then you bumped into someone behind you. Lunging your knife back you slice at them. 

“Hey!” the person shouted as you spun around to see Loki.

“Shit! Sorry bout that! T-There were Hydra agent an-and I didn’t realize it was yo-”

“Nevermind that, have you found the spider child?” he asks visibly agitated. I mean you did just almost stab him sooo… it was fair.

“O-Oh not yet,” you respond as you put your knife away.

“Do you happened to have anything of his? Something that he used or loved? I can utilize it to track him.”

“I don’t think so. Peter isn’t really a materialistic person,” you say as Loki gets an idea.

“Did he love you?” he questions as your cheeks catch fire. What an inconvenient time!

“I-I well I don’t, I mean, he- Me and Peter we’re just fr-friends!”

“I’ll interpret that as a yes,” he says as he takes your hand.

“What are you doing?” He ignores you as he traces shapes onto your palm and it starts to glow. A light shoots up out of your palm and acts as and arrow racing down the hall. You take off after it while Loki walks. It takes you along twists and turns in a dingy part of the building.

You ran passed confused guards and heard their pained grunts moments later. Thanks Loki. The longer you ran the harder your heart raced and it’s not because of the exercise. I’m going to find him. He’s going to be okay. He has to be. He has to.

Finally the arrow stops in front of a door and disappears. Your breath is heavy and your hands are shaking. You try to open the door but it’s locked. “Fuck,” you mutter to yourself as you try the handle again. “Fuck!” you shout but it doesn’t open. Loki strolls up and whispers something that makes the door open up. He looks at you with a smirk as you roll your eyes with a hint of humor behind them.

Opening the door you look around before your eyes fall on a small figure in the corner of the wide metal space. “Pl-Please, just lea-leave me alone,” the figure pleaded.

“P-Peter?” you stutter out. The figure’s head lifts up and you see those gorgeous carmel brown eyes of his.

“Y/n?” he asks and you could hear the tears in his voice.

“Peter!” you choke out and run to him. He tries his best to get up and you catch him in a hug. Sobbing you hold onto him and he does the same. “Oh my god Pete I’m so sorry. I’m so fucking sorry. I should’ve-I should’ve tried harder to stay behind, I-”

“Are you kidding me?” he laughs with water in his voice. “You have nothing to be sorry for!”

Putting your hands on each side of his face you start to babble, “I couldn’t get to you and then-”

“Please don’t apologize. I’m just- I’m just glad that you’re here now,” he professed as he kissed the palm of one of your hands on his face. A loud noise broke you and Peter from your reuniting moment.

A metal panel opens up revealing the agent from before, the one that made you give up your powers. “Ah! Haywire what a pleasant surprise! Looks like you brought a little friend,” he declared as you instinctively moved yourself to shield Peter.

“Little friend? Do you have any idea who I am?” Loki scoffed with a cold look on his face. The agent ignores Loki as he looks at you hungrily like a wolf.

“Where do you think you’re going with the Spiderman?” he asks as he takes a step forward, “We’re not done with him.”

“Sucks to fucking suck because I’m done with you,” you growl as you throw a knife from up your sleeve. His arms glow from beneath his shirt as a piece of energy catches your knife in midair. What the fuck?

“You see Haywire, since you had your powers taken from you they found...a new home,” he says as he throws a lightning bolt towards you and Peter. Loki creates a portal that takes the lightning and throws it back at himself. But that only caused his light to glow brighter.

“Loki! You can’t feed him any energy it doesn’t do anything but make him stronger!” you shout as he rolls his neck. Was he stretching?

“That would have been helpful to know,” he admits before making knives appear in his hands. The agent seems to take this as a challenge.

“You know I’ve never defeated a god before. But there’s a first time for everything.” You could see that Loki hated how arrogant and cocky the agent was.

“I will take much pleasure in watching you fail in that.” Loki and him seem to wait for who will make the first move. The agent makes it as he throws a bolt towards Loki to which he easily dodges. Loki turns into a snake and quickly slithers up to the agent and wraps around his neck. The agent tries to claw at Loki before electrocuting him. Loki turns back into a human and throws a punch at the agent catching him in the jaw. The agent retaliates by kicking Loki in the stomach separating them momentarily before they begin exchanging blows resulting in them ending up on the floor. The Hydra agent begins seeming a bit frustrated because he can’t pin him down. Loki finally gets the agent in a position in which he can’t move. Loki materializes a piece of rope before the agent gives off a heavy shock which causes Loki to be thrown out of the room into the hall

“Loki?!” you shout and he doesn’t move. The agent then turns to you with a wide smile.

“I guess it’s just you and me now Haywire. If you would be so kind as to hand over your friend,” he teases as you glare at him with the intensity of a thousand suns.

“Over my dead body,” you hiss as his smile grows wider.

“Now that can be arranged.” You lunge at him and take him to the ground as he tries to rid your hand of one of your other knives. Swiping erratically at him you manage to nick him a couple of times. But it wasn’t enough. With a backhand he knocks your knife out of your hand and secures his hands around your throat.

“No!” Peter shouts as he tries standing but fails. The agent takes one of his hands and grips your face turning it to look at Peter’s panic stricken face. He was struggling to get to you.

“Look at your precious Spiderman. Look at how he tries to save you. But he can’t. So he’ll just have to watch you die,” he utters as something swells in your chest. Whether it was bravery or adrenaline you didn’t know. Your mind searched through everything that Nat taught you and landed on a pretty good option. Bringing your knee up swiftly you hit his groin, hard. He lets out an angry grunt. “Augh! You little brat!” he shrieks as you roll up to your feet. Breathing heavily you kick at his face. He covers his cheek with his hand as he yells out in pain. “You’re going to pay for that,” he growls throwing a bolt at you. You narrowly miss the attack before another comes at you. And another and another. Finally he hits you square in the chest causing you to fall to the ground.

“A-ah fuck,” you curse as you take a painful deep breath. You couldn’t get up as he got to his feet.

“Did you really think that you could defeat Hydra? Defeat me? I’ve killed more people than you could ever imagine. I’ve trained for longer than you and you thought you could defeat me? Now I’m- I’m...I’m a god!” he says as he starts to glow brighter and brighter. You begin crawling to Peter and he struggles to do the same. The agent sees this and steps on your left foot. Groaning out in pain this eggs him on to apply more weight. It feels like he’s shattering your foot.

“Fuck!” you scream feeling like a bug being pinned to the floor.

“Y/n!” Peter sobs due to the fact he can’t get to you. The agent starts glowing more before he begins to become concerned. Stumbling back he starts looking at his arms. You scramble to move away from him as he becomes as bright as stadium lights.

“What’s happening? What’s going on?!” he shouts becoming scared. His eyes begin glowing and he folds in on himself. He begins screaming and that’s when you realize, he’s going to overload with power. With the last bit of energy you have left you throw yourself over Peter covering him from the explosion. The light is blinding even with your eyes closed and the electricity burns you up from the inside. Finally the pain becomes too much causing you to pass out. Peter is the last thing on your mind before you’re plunged into darkness.

Tags:

@stevieboyharrington, @fandomlover03, @markusstraya, @speggehi, @thetimidsarcasticcat, @condy-wants-a-cookie, @feline-space, @wipplog, @ink-and-tea, @-thatgirloverthere-, @mysteriouslysharkbait, @lionsfandomsandbearsohmy, @absmiles123, @tienna-laufeyson16, @give-jack-a-lightsaber, @musical-doll-x, @joe-mazzello-is-my-dad

[snappedsky]

Fanatics 67

Skoodge is hiding something so Zim and Squee work together to find out what. Previous! Next!

Skoodge’s Secret

           Zim arrives home from Skool. He walks through the front door and announces, “I’m home.”

           “Masta!” Gir exclaims and shoots at him. Zim ducks and he flies over his head and crashes into the wall. Minimoose, hovering over the couch, simply squeaks.

           Zim looks around as he goes into the kitchen. Somebody appears to be missing.

           “Where’s Skoodge?” he asks.

           Gir jumps up and shouts, “I made taquitos!” Minimoose just squeaks.

           Zim rolls his eyes and looks at the ceiling. “‘puter!”

           “What,” the computer answers with annoyance.

           “Where is Skoodge?” he asks.

           “How should I know?” it replies.

           Zim growls with aggravation. Why are all of his minions so useless?

           Skoodge comes home about two hours later. Zim is sitting on the couch watching TV when he walks through the door. He immediately jumps to his feet.

           “Where have you been?” he snaps.

           “I um was…grocery shopping…” Skoodge replies.

           “But we don’t eat ‘groceries’,” Zim argues, “don’t play with me, Skoodge. You’ve been gone every day for the last week. Where are you going? I demand to know!”

           “N-nowhere,” he says, clearly nervous. “It’s not important.”

           He races away and disappears up the stairs. Zim stares after him, glowering.

           The next morning at Skool, Dib, Gaz, Pepito, and Squee meet up at the boys’ lockers. Zim is already waiting for them.            

           “Alright, Zim, what’s this ‘big’ emergency?” Pepito asks.

           “I’m glad you asked, Pepito,” Zim replies, “for the last week, Skoodge has been disappearing from the base and not returning until late. We are going to find out where he’s going.”

           “Why?” Gaz asks.

           “Because he won’t tell me why!” he complains, “and I demand to know! What if he’s conspiring against me?”

           The others look at him incredulously.

           “Wow, normally it’s Dib who’s screaming about crazy conspiracy theories in the morning,” Pepito says, “it’s nice to shake things up for once.”

           “It’s not crazy,” Zim insists, “even if he’s not conspiring against me, he still refuses to tell me what he’s doing. He lives with me, he works for me, he’s not allowed to hide things from me.”

           “You know, Zim, that sort of territorial obsessiveness is really toxic,” Gaz comments.

           “She’s right,” Pepito nods.

           Zim growls and looks at Dib. “Dib?”

           “Sorry, Zim, but I agree with Pepito and Gaz,” he replies, “Skoodge is his own person. He should be allowed to do whatever he wants.”

           Zim glowers with irritation.

           “I’ll help you, Zim,” Squee shrugs.

           “Huh?” they exclaim simultaneously.

           “Really?” Pepito questions.

           “Yeah,” Squee replies, “I mean, he’s got a point. If Skoodge is lying to him then he must feel guilty about whatever he’s doing. He might be in some trouble. At least if we look into it and it’s not bad, then there’s no harm done.”

           “Oh, Squee, I always know you were my most loyal subordinate!” Zim chimes.

           A rectangular device with an antenna and a gridded screen pops out of his PAK. The screen shows a series of small rectangles that might represent buildings and a little dot inside one of them.            “I placed a tracking device in Skoodge’s wig this morning,” Zim explains, “this way we can track his movements.”

           “Where is he now?” Squee asks.

           “He still hasn’t left the house,” he replies, “but I’ll keep an eye on it and as soon as he does, I’ll let you know.”

           “Okay,” Gaz rolls her eyes. “You guys have fun with your little mission. I gotta get to class.”

           “Yeah, us too,” Dib says, “come on, Zim. You can watch your device during class.”

           The morning passes quietly, with Zim and Pepito in their class and Dib and Squee in their class.

           At lunch, they all meet up at their usual table along with Gaz and Kat- Tak’s human disguise.

           “Squee,” Zim says excitedly as he squeezes in between him and Pepito. “Skoodge is on the move. He left about an hour ago and he hasn’t stopped.”

           “Where’s he going?” Squee asks as he looks at the tracking device.

           “Not sure but it looks like he’s heading to the South End,” he replies.

           “Ooh, as someone who lives in the South End, that is not a good sign.”

           “You know, what you guys are doing is really creepy,” Gaz comments.

           “Duly noted,” Zim replies.

           They all eat lunch while Zim and Squee keep an eye on the device. Skoodge’s dot moves steadily through the city at a walking pace. And then all of a sudden, it disappears.

           “What!” Zim exclaims. He shakes the device and bangs the side but the dot doesn’t come back.

           “Augh, we lost the signal!” he barks and tosses the device to the side. “That’s what I get for shopping at a military surplus store.”

           “That’s human tech?” Kat scoffs, “don’t you have Irken or even Vortian?”            “I’m all out,” he groans, “I used my last one on Dib.”

           “What?” Dib questions.

           “Great,” Squee sighs, “well, keep an eye on it, see if his signal comes back, and after Skool we can go to that area and have a look around.”

           “Good idea,” Zim nods, “I’ll keep you posted.”

           After classes, everyone gathers at their lockers to put their stuff away. Zim shows Squee the tracking device, which hasn’t changed since lunch.

           “His signal still hasn’t come back,” Zim says.

           “Okay, well, let’s go to that area and look around,” Squee suggests.

           Zim nods and looks at Dib and Pepito. “You two still don’t want to come?”

           “I still think it’s nothing,” Pepito shrugs.

           “I don’t think it’s worth all this,” Dib adds.

           “Suit yourselves,” Zim grunts, “come on, Squee.”

           They leave Dib and Pepito at the lockers and head through the Skool.

           “So how are we gonna get there?” Zim asks.

           “I got a ride,” Squee replies.

           Outside, Squee climbs into the passenger seat of Johnny’s car. “Hi, Nny.”

           “Hey, Squee, how was Skool?” he asks.

           “Not bad,” he replies as Zim gets into the backseat. “Is it okay if Zim comes over?”

           “Uh sure,” Nny shrugs, “what about your other friends?”            “Just Zim today,” he replies.

           “So it’s a Zim and Squee episode,” he comments.

           “What?”

           “Nothing.”

           Johnny drives them across the city to his house. The second he’s pulled over, Zim and Squee jump out of the car and start trotting away.

           “I’ll be back later, Nny,” Squee calls back.

           “Yeah, yeah,” he half-waves as he goes into the house.

           Zim and Squee run through the streets, watching the street signs, searching for the area where Skoodge would’ve disappeared. They slow to a stop when they reach the general area.  

           “He must be around here somewhere,” Zim muses.

           “These few blocks are all condemned,” Squee says, pointing at all the surrounding buildings with boarded up windows and cracked, weathered walls. “The only things going on out here are drug deals and teen murders.”

           “Well, let’s see what Skoodge has to do with it,” Zim declares.

           They explore the nearby streets, looking for Skoodge or anyone for that matter. It’s completely devoid of human life; only bugs and rats can be found.

           “Alright, I was wrong,” Squee sighs, “the only thing going on out here is a vermin population boom.”

           “Well, Skoodge still has to be around here somewhere,” Zim insists, “his signal still hasn’t returned.”

           “Maybe he found the tracker and destroyed it?” he suggests.

           “No, he’s not smart enough for that.”

           They continue looking around for a few more minutes when Zim hears something.

           “Voices,” he hisses.

           “What? Where?” Squee questions.

           Zim immediately shushes him and points at a nearby building. They crouch down and approach cautiously before peeking through a boarded up window.

           Inside is a large group of about twenty pasty, tired looking adults. They’re all wearing weird, metallic looking jackets and some have tinfoil hats. They’re gathered around something and talking excitedly and simultaneously. But Zim and Squee can’t see what they’re looking at.

           “They look like a bunch of UFO fanatics,” Squee comments.      

           “Yeah, I’ve dealt with their kind before,” Zim groans.

           They start shuffling around as others try to get to the middle of the crowd. All of the movement allows the kids to get a look at their object of excitement.

           “Skoo-!” Zim starts to shout but Squee claps his hand over his mouth and shoves him to the ground.

           They lie still for a second to make sure they’re not in danger, then peek back into the window. Nobody seems to have noticed them.

           Skoodge is out of his disguise and smiling uncomfortably while the people constantly ask him questions and talk to him. It’s obvious that he doesn’t want to be there, but nobody seems to care about his opinion.

           “Ooh, when I get my hands on Skoodge I’m gonna…” Zim trails off, growling angrily as he flexes his fingers.

           “Easy, Zim,” Squee says, “we don’t know the whole story. He might be here against his will. We should learn more before we start pointing fingers.”

           Zim takes a deep breath. “Fine. Let’s call it a day for now. I’ll come up with a plan and we’ll meet at Skool tomorrow.”

           “Okay,” Squee nods. They crawl away from the building before making a break for it. They don’t stop until they’re sure they’re safe.

           “Do you wanna ride home?” Squee asks as they walk away.

           “Nah, I’ll just walk,” Zim replies, “give me time to think. See you tomorrow.”

           He releases his spider legs and leaps into the sky. They carry him across the rooftops until he disappears into the distance.

           “‘Walk’,” Squee scoffs and walks home.

           The next morning at Skool, Squee walks through the busy hallway to his locker. Zim suddenly grabs him and pulls him to the side.

           “Oh, morning, Zim,” Squee says.

           “I got a plan,” Zim says, getting right to the point. “We are going to send in a mole.”

           Squee nods. “Now, just to clarify, you don’t mean like an actual mole animal, right?”            “No, like somebody who can wear a wire and mingle with the UFO fanatics so we can hear what’s going on better,” Zim explains.

           “Right, that’s what I thought. So who are we gonna send?”

           “I’ll find someone,” Zim states, “and as soon as I do, we’ll head to the building.”

           “Sounds good,” Squee nods.      

           “Until then, just go about your day as normal,” Zim orders.

           The morning passes as it normally does. Neither Zim nor Squee tell Dib, Gaz, or Pepito about what they saw last night. But they don’t really ask.

           At lunch they meet at their table, all except for Zim who is running late. They spot him walking in, following their classmate Bianca.

           “I’m not helping you, you freaking weirdo,” she snaps, impatiently.

           “Come on, it won’t be that hard,” Zim insists.

           “No, I don’t have time and also I couldn’t care less about you and your stupid problems,” she huffs and walks away.

           “Ah, you’re useless anyway,” he growls.

           Squee leaves the table and approaches Zim. “You’re wasting your time, Zim. If we’re gonna send in a mole, then we’ll need someone who is veritable wet clay, that we can mold to our whims.”

           “Right,” Zim nods, “fortunately, the cafeteria is full of such people.”

           They look around at the many students clustered around the room.

           “How about Keef?” Squee suggests, gesturing to the red head across the room who appears to be carving a smiley face into his mashed potatoes.

           “No, I’ve had…bad experiences with him,” Zim says awkwardly, “how about Poonchy?” He points to their classmate, who is nodding mindlessly to everything his friends say.

           “No, I think he had a crush on Pepito and now that we’re out as a couple he kind of resents me,” he replies, “how about Willy?”

            Willy slams his face into his lunch and rubs it into the table, blowing bubbles.

           “No,” Zim and Squee say simultaneously.

           They keep looking around then Zim nudges Squee and points at their classmate Carl. He scoops up some mashed potatoes and misses his mouth completely, dumping them into his lap. He sighs with mild disappointment.

           “Perfect,” Squee grins.

           They approach him and lean against his table.

           “Hey, Carl,” Zim smiles, “wanna help us with a little project?”

           “Really? You want my help?” he asks surprise.

           “Of course,” Squee replies, “when we thought about this problem we knew that you would be perfect for it.”

           “Wow,” he breathes in awe. “Uh yeah, yeah I’ll help.”            “Excellent,” Zim smirks. They grab his arms and hoist him up. “Let’s go.”

           “Wa-wait, right now? It’s not to do with Skool? What about lunch?” Carl asks as they lead him away.

           “Ask no questions,” Zim orders and they usher him out of the cafeteria.

           “Hey, how are we getting over there anyway?” Squee asks.

           “We’ll take Dib’s car,” Zim replies, “I got his keys.”

           “How’d you get his keys?”

           “I said ask no questions.”

           They walk to Dib and Gaz’s house and get into the car, Zim in the driver’s seat and Carl in the back.

           “Do you even know how to drive?” Squee asks.

           “Of course,” Zim nods as he backs out of the garage. “It is so primitive.”

           Along the way, Zim and Squee explain to Carl what he has to do. They tell him he has to convince a bunch of alien lovers he wants to join them and ask them about their alien. They tell him what to say, how to act. He seems to understand but it’s had to say with his blank expression.

           They arrive at their destination within an hour and park a couple blocks away. They walk to the building and sure enough all of the alien fanatics are still there, along with Skoodge out of his disguise.

           “Whoa, is that like a for real alien?” Carl asks.

           “Uuuuhhhhh,” Zim and Squee say awkwardly.

           “No, it’s just a kid in a costume,” Squee replies.

           “Right, but they think he’s a real alien so you have to pretend like you do too,” Zim adds.

           “Ah, okay,” Carl nods.

           “Now, put this on,” Zim demands as he hands him a little, speaker-like device. “Just stick it under your shirt or something where no one can see it.”

            Carl does so and Zim grabs a larger speaker-like device from his PAK.

           “We’ll be listening the entire time,” Zim says.

           “But what if they find out I’m like joking?” Carl asks.

           “As long as you remember what we told you, you’ll do fine,” Squee replies, “besides, if anything goes wrong, we’ll be right here to help you.”

           “Okay, you ready?” Zim asks.

           Carl nods enthusiastically.

           “Then get in there,” he orders.

           Carl swings open the door of the building and marches in like he owns the place.

           “If this goes south, we leave him,” Zim orders.

           “Agreed,” Squee nods.

           They crouch in front of the window and peek in, listening to everyone’s voices through the speaker.

           “Hey, guys,” Carl says as he walks up to the crowd.

           “Whoa, whoa, whoa, who’s this kid?” one of them says.

           “I heard you guys were like big alien experts,” he explains, “I like love aliens. They are so sweet. So I was wondering if I could join you.”

           “You ‘heard’ about us?” another one asks, “where would you have heard about us?”

           “I have my ways.”

           “Atta boy, Carl,” Squee nods approvingly, “be vague. They love that.”

           The fanatics seem unconvinced and wary. They’re all standing around Skoodge, keeping him out of sight.

           “Shouldn’t you be in school?” one of them asks.

           “Pft, school,” Carl scoffs, “it’s just a method of brain washing perpetrated by the aliens that have taken root in the government.”

           The fanatics nod and comment agreeably. Zim and Squee cheer silently.

           “We taught him so well,” Zim grins.

           “Okay, kid,” another says, “you like aliens? Well, we happen to have our own alien.”

           “Really?” Carl questions, feigning surprise.

           The group steps aside revealing Skoodge, who looks up at Carl with confusion and a little fear.

           “Wow!” he exclaims, “where’d you find it?”

           “It was trying to blend in with human society but it slipped up and we caught it,” the fanatic explains, “we have it coming here every day to talk to us so we can learn about its society.”

           “Ugh, Skoodge really screwed up,” Zim hisses. Squee quickly shushes him.

           “Really? Why don’t you try like dissecting it or something?” Carl asks.

           “We want to, but it said its living with its leaders and if they found out it went missing, they would destroy the planet,” another fanatics replies, “so we have to keep our little meetings hidden.”

           “Hey, alien,” another fanatics says, “this kid should be able infiltrate your base right? He’s shorter than we are.”

           “Uh no no,” Skoodge replies, “h-he is still too tall.”

           The fanatics all groan with annoyance.

           “Skoodge really is in trouble,” Squee whispers, “he’s been forced to come here against his will. What should we do now?”

           “I guess we should rescue him,” Zim grunts, “but there are a lot of them. Let’s retreat for now, get the rest of the team, and then we’ll come back for him.”

           “Good idea,” Squee nods.

           They start to inch away but stop when one of the fanatics says, “hey, kid. You wanna see something cool?”

           “Yeah,” Carl replies.

           Out of curiosity, Zim and Squee peek back into the window. He’s grabbed some kind of device from a bag. It looks like a pair of metal rods connected by wires to something like a car battery. He taps the rods together, making sparks of electricity.

           “You should see how the alien reacts when we tap these against the pack on his back,” he says, smirking maliciously.

           The others start snickering while Skoodge backs away, shaking his head. Zim and Squee blanch as they grab him to hold him still and the first fanatic approaches him.

           He starts to tap Skoodge’s PAK with the rods when Zim’s spider legs rip through the boards on the window and he and Squee leap inside.

           “Stop!” Zim barks.

           Everyone looks at them with surprise.

           “Who the hell are you two?” one of them asks.

           “The Battalion,” Zim snarls, “and you’ve stolen something of mine.”            “Zim!” Skoodge exclaim happily.

           “He has the same green skin,” one of the fanatics point out, “he’s an alien too!”

           “And that kid must be some sort of alien sympathizer,” another says, pointing at Squee.

           “Or he’s brainwashed.”

           “Am not!” Squee snaps.

           “Either way,” the fanatics with the torturing device growls, “grab them.”

           The fanatics charge the kids. Zim and Squee react quickly; Zim’s spider legs pick him up while Squee rolls out of the way.

           “Whoa, look at his tech!” one of the fanatics exclaim.        

           “Quick gawking!” another barks, “take him down!”

           They try grabbing his legs or climbing them but he keeps moving, stepping over them like ants. Meanwhile Squee easily dodges his assailants, jumping over them, ducking under them, or sidestepping them as they try to tackle him. He keeps moving through the room with his superior agility until he’s reached Skoodge. Then he slides across the floor and picks him before jumping to his feet.

           “I’m so happy to you see you guys!” Skoodge cries as he hugs Squee’s head.

           “I can tell,” Squee grunts then shouts, “Zim, let’s get out of here!”

           “Right!” Zim nods. He starts to stretch a spider leg across the room for Squee to grab.

           “No!” the fanatic with the torture device snaps. He throws one of the rods and hits Zim’s PAK head on.

           The electric shock going through Zim’s body is nearly visible. He convulses as his spider legs go limp and he falls unconscious to the floor.

           “Zim!” Squee cries.

           One of the fanatics successfully tackles him, knocking Skoodge from his hands. They hold him down, pinning his arms to his back and pressing his face to the floor. He tries to shout but they quickly gag him with a cloth.

           Amidst the chaos, Carl crawls away and disappears without anyone noticing.

           Later at Skool, Dib and Pepito open their lockers to put their stuff away and get ready to go home.

           “Have you heard from Zim or Squee?” Dib asks.

           “No,” Pepito replies, “they’re not answering me.”

           “Me neither,” he sighs.

           “Should…should we be worried?”            Dib doesn’t reply just groans uncertainly.

           As they turn away, they spot Carl moving through the crowd.

           “Hey, Carl,” Pepito calls as they approach him. “Weren’t you helping Zim and Squee? Where are they?”            “Oh, yeah,” Carl says like he just remembered. “Things were getting a little crazy so I left.”

           “Crazy?” Dib questions, “crazy how?”

           “Well, they had like a weird device and Zim and Squee got all pissed and they start fighting so I-.”

           “They’re in trouble?” Pepito snaps and grabs the front of Carl’s shirt. “They’re in trouble and you left them? You spineless twit! Where are they?”

           Carl quickly tells them where Zim and Squee are. Pepito shoves him aside and he and Dib race through the Skool.

           “How are we gonna get there?” Pepito asks.

           “We’ll stop at my house and take my car,” Dib replies, “I got the key-.” He stops as he pats his pockets. “My keys! Ugh, Zim must’ve taken them.”

           “It’s okay, my mom can drive us. We’ll just go from my house,” Pepito says.

           They meet Gaz outside and tell her to follow them.

           “Gaz, come on,” Dib orders.

           “What’s going on?” she asks as she runs with them.

           “Zim and Squee are trouble,” Pepito replies.

           “Oh, those idiots.”

           They try to act calm as they get into Pepito’s mom’s car.

           “Hey, Mom,” Pepito says, “is it cool if Dib and Gaz come over?”

           “Sure,” she replies, “but what about Squee and Zim?”            “Uh, they’re gonna meet us somewhere.”

           She drives them home across the city. Dib, Gaz, and Pepito are antsy the whole way. As soon as she’s pulled over, they jump out of the car and race away.

           “Where are you going?” Pepito’s mom asks.

           “Gotta take care of something,” Pepito calls back, “bye!”

           They race through the streets, following Carl’s directions until they reach the general area. They spot a building with busted boards hanging off the window and peek through.

           Squee is tucked into the far corner, his ankles and wrists bound and a gag in his mouth. There are two guys standing beside him, kicking him every time he tries to move.

           Everyone else is gathered around Zim and Skoodge, both out of their disguises. Zim looks half conscious, his eyes glazed and drooping and his body limp. All of the fanatics are examining him freely, tugging at his clothes and antennae. He doesn’t look like he has the strength to fight.

           Dib, Gaz, and Pepito gasp angrily and leap inside.

           “Hey!” Dib shouts.

           Everyone looks at them with surprise. Squee lets out a muffled noise of relief.

           “Let our friends go,” he growls.

           “Who are you supposed to be?” one of the fanatics asks.

           Dib pulls on his shocker glove, Gaz slams her bat onto the ground, and Pepito lights his hands up with black power.

           “The Battalion,” Dib snarls.

           Pepito shoots a blast into the ceiling, causing some rubble to fall. Everyone screams with surprise as they clamber out of the way.

           As soon as his guards are gone, Squee starts wrestling with his restraints and tries to free himself. Zim still isn’t quite right and falls limp to the floor. Skoodge stays near him and tries to rouse him awake.

           Dib, Gaz, and Pepito do their best to fight off the fanatics. They’re startled from the explosion but they still outnumber the kids. Dib shocks them with his glove, Gaz beats them with their bat, and Pepito smacks them with his powered fists.            

           Dib manages to fight his way to Zim. He grabs him by his shoulders and shakes him.

           “Zim! Zim, wake up!” he barks.

           “Ugh, D-Dib?” he croaks.

           Dib starts to smile with relief when somebody elbows the side of his head. He exclaims in pain as he falls to the floor.

           “Dib!” Zim exclaims, completely conscious. He growls and jumps to his feet as his spider legs pop out.

           One of the fanatics grabs the electrocution device. Zim starts trembling, his spider legs shrinking away.

           “Zim, what’s wrong?” Pepito asks as he punches a fanatic in the stomach.

           Zim hesitates then shakes his head and snarls, “nothing.”

           Skoodge stares up at him with awe.

           “Pepito, grab Squee!” Zim orders, “Gaz, help Dib! Everyone, get ready to leave!”

           Pepito blasts a couple guys out of his way and hurries to Squee. He coughs and spits after Pepito takes out his gag.

           “How’d you know we were here?” Squee asks as Pepito unties him.

           “Carl came back to the Skool,” he replies.

           “That little weasel,” he grunts.

           Gaz hits some guys with her bat and kneels beside Dib. She hooks his arm around her neck and helps him to his feet.

           “Ugh, I’m okay,” he groans, “a little woozy but I’ll be fine.”

           They all hurry over to Zim and face off against the fanatics. Any that were knocked down are getting back up. The kids get ready for a fight.

           Skoodge suddenly steps in front of them, his PAK opening up.

           “Skoodge?” Zim questions.

           “That’s enough,” he growls.

           His spider legs stick out of his PAK and the ends come together over Skoodge’s head, pointing at the fanatics. They start glowing pink.

           All of a sudden a giant beam fires from the legs. It blasts through the fanatics, the entire opposite wall, and then three more buildings after that, leaving behind nothing but dust.            

           The kids are completely speechless, their jaws hanging open as the beam fades away.

           “Oops,” Skoodge squeaks, “I guess I didn’t lower the power as much as I thought.”

            The kids close their mouth and look at each other with surprise.

           “You know,” Zim says, “I kind of forgot that Skoodge actually conquered a planet once.”

           They all leave the mangled building, sighing and checking out their injuries.

           “Is everyone okay?” Pepito asks.

           “Yeah,” Squee sighs, “just a couple bruises and scrapes thankfully.”            “Those guys were weak,” Gaz snorts.

           “What about you, Zim?” Dib asks, “you didn’t look so good before.”

           “They got lucky,” he scoffs.

           “Zim, I’m sorry,” Skoodge says. Everyone looks down at him with surprise. “A few days ago the wind blew off my wig and those guys all saw. I was so scared that somebody actually saw me without my disguise that I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want you to be disappointed or angry with me so I didn’t tell you. But I shouldn’t have lied. I’m sorry.”

           “Uh, well, I-,” Zim stammers.

           Dib, Gaz, and Pepito look at each other then sigh.

           “We’re sorry too,” Pepito says.

           “We should’ve listened to you guys,” Dib adds, “you were right when you thought there was trouble. If we had all been together, then maybe you wouldn’t have gotten hurt and captured. I’m sorry.”

           “Sorry,” Gaz mutters.

           Zim shouts, exasperated, and throws his hands into the air. “Would everybody stop apologizing for five seconds! Nobody’s in trouble, nobody disappointed me, we’re all okay! So let’s just…get some ice cream or something.”

           “Yeah!” everyone cheers.

           A few minutes later, they’re sitting on the curb outside a convenience store. Skoodge is drinking a cup of soda, Dib is eating a sundae, Gaz is sucking a Popsicle, Pepito is licking a soft serve, and Squee is slurping a BrainFreezy. Zim is sitting between them, tapping his finger impatiently.

           “There, is everyone happy?” he asks.

           “Yup,” they chime.

           “Good,” he huffs.

[theartificialdane]

Galactica, part 241

In this Violet’s world is changed, Courtney spends time with her new friends, Laila get’s hot under the collar and Alaska has to sacrifice for the team.

Thank you to @toriibelledarling @samrull and @veronicasanders - My darling cowriters <3

“Yes.. I, yes.. Thank you.. I’ll talk to you later too.. Bye.”

Violet put her phone in her bag after talking to Sutan who was spending the night with his sister. Violet turned around and walked back inside the gallery. Her shoes were hurting, the drink in her hand almost empty, the people around her mostly strangers. Someone bumped into Violet, and she silently cursed herself for not pleading more for Sutan to come along with her, but she wasn’t someone who begged. Sutan needed time with his sister, and how was she to ask twice if he had something better to do. Sutan had done so much for her lately, and she didn’t want to be the ungrateful brat, she was sure Sutan sometimes saw her as.

Violet took the last sip of her drink, getting lost in the mysterious landscapes of Hercules Segers as she walked around, when she felt a hand on her shoulder, almost making her jump. Violet turned around, and came face to face with Chad Michaels, the woman smiling brightly.

“Darling!” Chad exclaimed happily, enveloping Violet in a cloud of Dior perfume and air kisses which Violet quickly returned.

“Ms. Michaels, hello,” Violet said. “It’s so nice to see you.”

“I am just thrilled that you’re here, Violet! Especially this week! What a wonderful job you did for that Marie Claire spread.”

“Thank you.” Violet smiled, beyond happy that Chad had somehow seen her work and also realised that it was her. She hadn’t expected the other woman, or really anyone, to, and hearing the praise warmed her heart.

“I’ve been meaning to call you and it kept slipping my mind and here you are, it’s like fate!” Chad grabbed a drink for her and one for Violet from one of the waiters that walked by, still chatting away. “I recognized it instantly!”

“Really?” Violet looked at Chad, not quite believing what she was hearing, the fact that she was there alone not all that depressing anymore. Violet couldn’t imagine what would have happened if Betty or even Pearl had been there with her, Chad demanding her complete attention.

“Darling. Of COURSE we can recognize your work. I do hope that this wasn’t a one-time deal.” Chad put an arm around Violet, dragging her off to the side and somehow easily finding a couch where the two could sit down, Chad effortlessly demanding the space. “I’ve been telling that boss of yours for months that she needs to give you your own line, and it seems like she’s finally listening to me with the Marie Claire spread!”

Violet choked on her drink, almost coughing before she caught herself, her hand in front of her mouth as she swallowed the liquid.

“What?”

“The Marie Claire spread you silly goose.”

Violet felt like the breath had been knocked from her lungs. Was Chad the one that had recommended her for the Marie Claire spread? Was Chad the one that had a finger in the game, and not Sutan?

“You…you have?”

“Of course! And why not? You have such a remarkable gift, my dear!”

Chad was still chatting. Violet could see Chad’s lips moving, but she couldn’t really hear the other woman, her ears ringing. Had she been fussy with Sutan for no reason? Acting out and silently punishing him for something he had never done? Violet needed to go, she needed to go, and to apologize and tell Sutan what a colossal bitch she had been, her head spinning.

“Speaking of which, I’d love to commission a few more gowns from you, and I would be honored if you’d design something absolutely over the top for me for the Met Ball this year. What do you think?”

“I have to go.”

***

“What if we just-”

“No.”

“You don’t even know what I was going to say.” Detox sat down on the bed, Grace crying in his arms. The little girl had woken up for the 6th time that night, coughing and crying, her ears hurting.

“No I don’t, but I know you.” Juju took Grace from Detox, Detox silently cursing the new babysitter they had hired, that had forgotten to put Grace’s hat on before she took the small kids outside to play in the december snow.

“Sssh, ssh.” Juju gently rocked Grace back and forth, undoing her top so Grace could latch onto a nipple, the little girl finally calming down, her small hands curled into fists.

“Kids are fucking monsters.”

“And yet you have four.” Juju smiled, and Detox sat down next to her.

“And yet I have four.”

***

“Sutan. Sutan. Wake up.” Sutan felt someone shake him, but he didn’t want to wake up, his head heavy, his mouth tasting of every single drink he had shared with Raja.

{Raj, leave me alone}

Oh god. He was way too old to mix shots and wine, but stomach churning as he tried to sit up. Why was Raja being such a bitch?

“Sutan, come on, please, I have to talk to you.”

Sutan recognised the voice. It wasn’t Raja, and it wasn’t Raven, but someone else entirely.

“.. Violet?” Sutan sat up, his girlfriend sitting on the floor of his livingroom. Sutan knew it wasn’t the time, but he couldn’t help but congratulate himself that he had somehow made it home the day before. “Did you use your key?” Sutan looked down at himself, thankful that he was at least still wearing pants and his undershirt, the rest of his suit properly crumbled up somewhere.

“We have to talk.” Violet was sitting on the edge of the coffee table, her hair and outfit looking perfect. Why was it that Violet hadn’t spent the night with him? Had she gone somewhere? Fuck his head felt so heavy.

“I’m pretty- Vi, I’m pretty drunk, can this wa-”

“No.” Violet looked at him, her expression one of pure determination. “We have to talk, right now, or I’ll never say anything.”

“What?” Was Violet okay? Had something happened to hear? Sutan reached out, grabbing Violet’s knee, his girl allowing him. “Did someone hurt you?”

“I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry? Violet, did someone hurt you? Do I need to call someone?” Sutan tightened his grab, the idea of someone hurting Violet unbearable to him.

“I’m sorry. I did a really bad thing and I- I thought you had forced someone to give me the Marie Claire photoshoot.”

“… What?”

The words came out in a rush, “It’s stupid, I know, I know, but I was so sure. Why else would it have been given to me?”  Sutan barely able to hear what Violet was actually saying, everything a mess like it had been at the hospital. “I can’t- I’m not, I didn’t deserve it, and I still got it,” Violet breathed in, almost gasping for air before she continued to speak, like she’d die if she didn’t get it out right away, “It’s been killing me since I secretly assumed it had been your doing, that you, oh I don’t know, made a deal with Bianca or Fame and that you didn’t trust me, and then with thanksgiving.”

Was Violet saying that she assumed Sutan had something to do with her work? That he had somehow talked his friends into giving her a photoshoot? Sutan knew he should properly feel hurt, and if he was being honest he did, but it was part of Violet to worry, and she deserved not to talk to him while he was drunk.

“Hey, hey.” Sutan moved his hand, gently taking Violet’s arm, the girl stopping her stream of words, her entire attention on him.

“I’d never do that.”

The room feel silent, Violet looking at him like he was her entire world, and Sutan took the aking the time to choose his words.

“You don’t need my help Violet.” Sutan could see that Violet was about to open her mouth, but he stopped her, quickly continuing. “If you think you do, you’re wrong. I don’t know where this is coming from, but what you achieve is yours, and I would never try to take that from you. I can guide you and give you advice if you want me to, but your career is yours, not mine. It’s yours.”

Violet threw her arms around him, holding him close, her face pressed into his neck. “I’m sorry.” Sutan wrapped an arm around Violet’s waist, giving her a tight squeesh.

“Vi..”

“Yes?”

“Can I have some water please?”

“Of course.”

***

“Augh!” Courtney shrieked as Sonja opened a bottle of champagne, spraying everyone. Vanity ducked behind her to protect her wig from getting drenched and Bethenny began to tease him.

“Really? She’s your protector? She could fit in my pocket. She’s the size of a Keebler elf.”

“Well,” Vanity reasoned. “I had to make a quick decision and Luann isn’t here.”

Ramona burst out laughing. “Where is she, anyway? She sent me a very cryptic text about why she couldn’t make it.”

“Yeah, probably because she feels guilty that she’s dating your ex,” said Carole.

“Tom isn’t my ex! We just went on a couple of dates!” Ramona insisted.

“Well, whatever, she still should have told you when she started dating him. Just like she should have told Sonja, or HE should have told Sonja. The whole thing is very shady.” Bethenny shook her head, pouring another drink. “I do not approve. Breaking the girl code.”

“Girl code! Girl code!” Ramona mocked Luann’s latest catchphrase, laughing.

Sonja leaned on her shoulder giggling.

“So the three of you all dated the same guy?” Courtney asked.

“Is he like, amazing in bed?” Vanity asked.

“He’s fine in bed,” Sonja said. “I wouldn’t say ‘amazing.’”

“He’s desperate to bag a Housewife, apparently,” Bethenny explained. “You’re lucky you’re gay.”

“Yeah, I say a prayer of thanks for that every day,” Courtney said, laughing.

“So what’s this show gonna be like?” asked Ramona. “Do you have hot backup dancers?” She raised her eyebrows suggestively.

“Yeah, they’re super hot,” said Courtney.

“Ramona, you’re talking to a lesbian, you may need to clarify if she means hot boys or hot girls.”

“I knew what she meant,” Courtney said, laughing. “And I’ve got both, Bethenny.” Courtney winked at the brunette.

“Well, good. That gives us more choices.”

Ramona’s eyes bugged out in shock, causing both Carole and Bethenny to dissolve in giggles.

“I’m kidding, you idiot,” Bethenny yelled.

“Well, ya never know with you,” said Ramona.

“Indeed,” Carole said coyly.

“I think we should plan a girls’ trip,” said Ramona.

“I’m so confused as to what the fuck this is,” Bethenny said.

“This is just an overnight. I mean like a real, solid, like 4 or 5 days.”

“I’m busy,” Carole said.

“I haven’t said any dates!” Ramona laughed.

“I know.” Carole poured herself another drink.

“I have a question,” Courtney said. “When you say ‘Girls’ Trip,’ is that code for ‘no significant others’ or does it just mean girls?”

“What’s the difference?”

“I just, I don’t know, 5 days seems like a long time. B’s been feeling kind of neglected lately.” Courtney didn’t add her next thought, which was ‘Leaving her alone when she’s feeling hard up seems like asking for trouble.’

“Remember how much shit you gave Aviva for wanting to bring her husband to St Bart’s?” Sonja laughed.

“Well yeah, because Aviva was crazy. And her husband was a jerk. Bianca might actually be fun,” Ramona said.

“You don’t have to say yes, I was just wondering.”

“I think it’s kind of sweet,” said Carole. “And kind of sad that the 22 year old has the most functional relationship here.”

“It’s not sweet,” Vanity piped up. “They are fucking nymphomaniacs who are gonna be scissoring all over your vacation home.”

Courtney slapped Vanity on the side of the head. “Shut up, Ben!” she exclaimed, laughing.

“Well, it’s true. And I’m not even touching ‘functional relationship,’” she added, holding out her champagne glass. “I need another drink, quickly.”

“Ya dog-ass mole,” Courtney grumbled, crossing her arms.

***

RE: Christmas

Dear Ms. Michaels,

I’m so sorry for leaving you as abruptly as I did last night. I want to assure you that working with you for the christmas season would be a tremendous honor to design a look for you. I’ve made a few sketches based on your tastes and preferences. I have attached the sketches, and I hope that we can use them as jumping off points for discussions.

Thank you for your encouragement.

Best wishes,

Violet

*

RE: RE: Christmas

VIOLET THESE ARE DIVINE!! #2 IS MY FAVORITE!!

You MUST let me take you out to lunch this week so that we can talk more!!

Xoxo,

Chad

*

RE: RE: RE: Christimas

Ms. Michaels,

It would be my absolute pleasure to go to lunch with you! Thank you again for your support, I’m very greatful.

Best wishes,

Violet

***

“Hey babe.”

Laila looked up from her computer, her hands filled with swatched from the tour she had done of her most used lipsticks. She looked up to see Pearl, her girlfriend standing in the doorway, a smile on her lips. Pearl had gone out earlier that night, Laila not even catching that Pearl was going out, until she was already gone, her and Max apparently hitting some concert in Harlem.

“Did you have a good time?”

“Mmmh.” Pearl nodded, her eyes filled with a lustful glint, like she wanted to eat Laila up, and Laila suddenly felt self conscious of her sweatpants and her braided purple hair. “I had whiskey.”

“Did you?”

“Mmh..” Pearl was wearing sinful leather pants, her long legs clad in the black fabric, her hips and stomach peaking out from the shirt that was tied into a crop top.

“… Is that my top?” Laila recognised the Metallica logo, the shirt one she had owned for years and one she usually wore to bed, but on Pearl, paired with a black jacket, it looked like something that had cost a thousand dollars.

“Is it?” Pearl smiled. “I’m so sorry babe, I’ll make it up to you right away.” Pearl took her jacket off, and Laila felt her mouth run dry as Pearl dropped the jacket on the floor, pushing the door shut behind before. “Are you mad at me?”

“I’m not mad at you.”

“Are you sure?” Pearl pulled at the shirt, undoing the knot she had tied with ease, her red nails tugging the fabric open before she grabbed it and slowly pulled it up, up, up and over her head, her long blonde hair falling down her back, Laila recognising Pearl’s underwear as La Perla, something she wouldn’t have been able to do at gunpoint a year ago.

“Because I think you should punish me.”

Laila smiled, Pearl’s desire for her thick in the air, the power going to her head as she held up her hand and gestured for Pearl to get closer, which she happily did.

“How can I say no to that?”

***

“Oh my god, I’m so fucking tired…” Jinkx moaned, tossing her clothes and shoes to the floor and climbing into bed. “What are we watching?”

Adore kissed her forehead and began to play with her red hair, cuddling back against Alaska’s warm body. “Forensic Files.”

“That shit gives me nightmares.”

“Awww, we’ll protect you, baby…”

Alaska giggled and pressed a soft kiss to the back of Adore’s neck. She wasn’t into the gruesome murder show either, so she chose to distract herself by letting her fingers trail up and down Adore’s tender skin, hands snaking between her thighs, lips finding her pulse point, sucking on her, rubbing her, until she was sighing and arching, breath coming fast and–

“AUGH!” Adore suddenly shrieked, pushing Alaska away.

“What?” Alaska sat up.

Adore whipped her head around, glaring at her, “That’s IT!” She leapt out of the bed and into the adjoining bathroom.

“What happened?” Jinkx murmured sleepily from her pillow.

“I told you, if that happened ONE MORE TIME!” Adore said, marching back into the bedroom, brandishing a pair of nail clippers like a weapon.

“Nooooooo!” Alaska whined.

“Oh yes! Those nails are GONE, bitch!” She threw back her head and laughed maniacally.

“But I liiike my naaaaaaaails,” she countered, as Adore straddled her and attempted to grab one of her hands.

“Well tough shit! No more nails!”

“Jiiiiiinkx!” Alaska whined, looking for support.

“Yeah, Jinkx, please help me out?” Adore looked over at the sleepy redhead.

Jinkx looked up. “I’ll give you a thousand dollars for every nail you cut.”

Alaska held out her hand for Adore. “Okay, deal.”

“Wait, that’s ten grand! Do I get anything for cutting them?” Adore asked.

“You can order a pizza. Alaska will pay for it.” Jinkx yawned and rolled over.

“Okay, deal.” Adore giggled and began to cut away, then paused to kiss Alaska on the cheek. “I’m sorry about your nails, boo.”

“Sorry about scratching you.”

“It’s okay. You can kiss it better.” Adore winked at her.

“You got it.”

***

Courtney twirled around with Vanity, high on expensive liquor and the adrenaline of performing. She’d just finished signing autographs for a gaggle of teenage girls, and now she was hitting the club with the ladies.

The DJ was young and sexy and giving her bedroom eyes, and he was blasting Lucien’s dance remix of Ecstasy. Subtle, but cute. She blew him a kiss and continued to spin around with her brother, wondering if it was totally narcissistic to enjoy dancing to her own music this much and deciding that she didn’t care.

“Do you miss Bianca?” Carole called to her over the music, slinging an arm over her shoulders.

Courtney felt a surge of guilt bloom in her chest. The truth was, she hadn’t really thought about Bianca since she’d stepped onto the stage. She’d been having way too much fun. The reality of her newfound independence was both unsettling and freeing. Things with B had been so tense lately, especially since the whole Thanksgiving disaster. Maybe they should be doing more things apart. Maybe this was how it was supposed to be. Couples weren’t supposed to be codependent, right? This was them evolving into something healthier, something more adult, right? Right?

Courtney looked at Carole, smiling sweetly. “So much,” she said wistfully. “But I know she’s having a good time in New York, and this way it’ll be that much better when we see each other again.”

Carole nodded and exclaimed, “Exactly!”

Courtney tilted her eyes upwards and breathed a sigh of relief as the music echoed off the walls. When I don’t even know my name, when my reckless can’t be tamed…and when the DJ sets us free, we will be in ecstasy…

[breeeliss]

[Miraculous Ladybug]: It’s a Match!

Finally got the last chapter out! Thank you all so much for reading, liking, reblogging, and leaving such sweet comments. I really appreciate it. Hope you enjoy the last chapter :)

And, of course, @neverbetheexpectation​ I hope you liked the story (even though it dragged on for a bit ^^;)

--

[Chapter 1]  [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4]

Link to Archive of Our Own: [AO3]

--

Title: It’s a Match!

Summary: “Oh my God, I just matched with Adrien Agreste, oh my freaking God! Chat!! Chat, come come come! Look look!”

But Chat Noir wasn’t paying her any mind. Because the moment she started screaming about her new match, Chat Noir tried to quickly exit out of his matches page so that he wouldn’t see who popped up. But it was far too late, because right when he blinked, his phone buzzed with an excited message about his new match.

He was not expecting it to be Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Chapter 5: Kiss

“Should I have kissed her?”

Adrien was laying on the floor, his arms and legs splayed out carelessly, with a pillow over his face that was muffling his words. The moment he’d gotten home and finally had the chance to freak out in private, he screamed into his pillow for a few minutes — he needed to remember to apologize for judging Marinette for that because wow was it helpful — and collapsed onto the floor, unable to move. He felt excited, restless, and emotionally exhausted all at the same time and he wasn’t sure how to deal with all of that. He couldn’t tell if his heart was racing because of the adrenaline left over from being so close to Marinette only minutes before or the anxiety over what she was thinking, what she was doing right now, and the fact that he was going to be seeing her again for patrol in only a few minutes.

And the fact that he definitely could have kissed her had he been quicker about it.

Adrien groaned and blindly reached a hand out. “Plagg? I need assistance and counsel.”

“You need to get a grip.”

He left his hand flop uselessly on the ground. “Should I have kissed her?” he repeated.

Plagg sighed and sat on Adrien’s stomach. “I don’t know. Should you have?”

“I mean, maybe?” Adrien thought. “It seemed like I was supposed to. We were so close to each other and Marinette wasn’t saying no….ugh, but she wasn’t saying yes either and I didn’t know what she wanted me to do and I didn’t want to end the night weird or make it uncomfortable.”

Plagg shrugged. “Then you shouldn’t have kissed her.”

Adrien paused for a moment. “....but she had her arms around my neck and she initiated the proximity! Plus she kissed me on the cheek and didn’t move away from my face. I mean, maybe I’m bad at reading signals or maybe I shouldn’t ever assume, but I would think that’s a sign that a person wants you to kiss them. I hesitated and we were interrupted but maybe I still should’ve done it?”

“Yeah,” Plagg said. “You should’ve done it.”

“But it was only our first date! I know Nino said not to worry about that sort of thing but we were friends and partners before this. I don’t want to rush or force the romance before she’s ready, you know? But am I forcing romance? We matched on a dating app, doesn’t that mean stuff like kissing is okay? Ugh, but I don’t know that, I wish you could just read other people’s minds so that you don’t have to go through all of this! But I feel like every normal functioning person can pick up on body language. Am I just an idiot then?”

“Kid!” Plagg shouted. “You have a brain for a reason . Your crazy catastrophic thoughts belong in there. Not out in the open. I mean for the love of camembert, you’re stressing me out. Didn’t your date go fine?”

“No it did!” Adrien insisted. “It was….it was really, really great. Amazing.” He didn’t bother boring Plagg with all the details about how gorgeous Marinette looked today, how adorable it was to see her smiling all day, how he really had to think far, far back to remember a day that had left his cheeks hurting and his body breathless at the end of it because of how wonderful it had been. He really wished he could just curl up in his bed and focus on all of that — all of the bright, warm feelings that made him want to giggle and dance in victory around his room. But Adrien knew there were other things far more complicated than romance that he needed to think about first.

Adrien removed the pillow from his face and looked down at his kwami. “I’m sorry,” he muttered. “I think this is all just secondhand nerves from having to see Ladybug soon. I promised myself that if she didn’t figure it out herself today, I’d tell her straight on myself. It’s just a lot of pressure.”

Plagg sighed. “Why are you so scared?”

Adrien shrugged and turned his head to the side, staring at the shadows under his desk. “I don’t know. I’m afraid she’ll be upset. I wasn’t supposed to find out and I wasn’t supposed to tell her about myself. I broke two of our most important rules and I’m afraid she’s going to be disappointed, our feelings for each other aside.”

“You finding out wasn’t your fault, kid,” Plagg told him. “It was an accident. And you told her you knew and you told her who you are because it’s the next safest option. Sure you sat on it for a week, but you eventually wanted to get the two of you on the same page again. That’s smart. That’s what a Chat Noir should always do: value the safety of himself and his partner.”

Adrien smiled softly and sat up. He rubbed a thumb on the top of Plagg’s head. “That’s a good way to put it. Thanks.”

“Look,” Plagg explained. “I’m not good at this emotional stuff. But that girl seems to trust you a lot, and seems to like you a lot. You gotta have faith that she’s gonna understand your reasoning. You’re not a bad kid, Adrien. You always have good intentions behind the things you do. A sweet girl like that is gonna notice the same thing.”

Adrien nibbled on his lip. “You sure?”

Plagg lifted his arms. “I’m just telling you what I think. Neither of us are going to be sure unless you go straight to the source.”

Adrien nodded. “Makes a lot of sense.”

“And hey, maybe you can ask her if you should’ve kissed her instead of bugging me about it like I have any idea.”

“Aw, but Plagg, you’re half the reason we started texting in the first place! You helped start all this. I’m just keeping you informed about your investments.”

Plagg scowled. “Augh! Just hurry up and transform so that we can end all of this nonsense. I hope you’ll start to be more pleasant to be around. I thought I was supposed to be the exasperating one.”

Adrien laughed and stood on his feet. “Love you too, Plagg. Transform me!”

He looped around the arrondissement for a little bit to clear his head and stretch his legs before Chat Noir started visiting all of their usual haunts to try and find Ladybug. Twenty minutes later, he found her sitting on top of the Arc de Triomphe, her legs swinging over the edge and looking out on the Champs-Élysées, still wearing the bun she had only hours before. He laughed because he could already see people leaning out of their cars and stopping in the middle of the sidewalk to take pictures of Ladybug and videos of him vaulting over the treetops. He landed gracefully on the very top of the monument and greeted her with a bow. “Evening, my Lady.”

“Hey,” she greeted warmly. “I just realized that we haven’t made too many public appearances lately since akumas have been so quiet. So I thought I’d say hi.”

“Wait until tourist season starts up,” Chat Noir snorted as he sat down next to her and waving to a few screaming girls who had camera phones pointed at him. “You’re going to regret that.”

“Eh, we’re used to it by now.” She turned to him and leaned her cheek against her shoulder. “Wanna sit for a bit before we patrol? I don’t feel like doing work yet.”

“I’m never opposed to kicking my feet up.” He leaned back on his hands and stared at the traffic underneath him. He drummed his claws against the stone. “Sooo….anything fun planned this weekend?”

Ladybug shook her head. “Nothing for tomorrow. Catch up on homework I guess. But uh….I….I had a date today, so that’s something.”

Chat Noir tried to look surprised. “A date? With a dashing gentleman? And you didn’t tell me?”

Ladybug raised a brow. “Jealous?”

“Hardly! But we’re friends, I wanna hear how your love life is going. I tell you how my love life is going!”

“I thought you said your love life was stagnant as of last week.”

Oh the irony . “Not the point,” he insisted. “So come on. How did it go?”

Ladybug stared at him and chuckled. “It was….sweet. Really, really sweet. We knew each other from before, but we matched on Tinder and he asked me out.” She looked up at the sky and he could see her blushing. “He picked me up at home and brought me chocolates. He took me to an arcade, and then we went on the Seine sightseeing boats. A bunch of musicians were actually on the boat and started playing for us out of nowhere, it was ridiculously romantic. By the way, to answer your question, the key to romantic boat rides is romantic music . And we skipped rocks along the river for a bit before he took me home.”

Chat Noir was hanging over her words and was shocked at the abrupt ending. “That’s it? ‘He took you home’? That sounds like a cover up to me.”

“Oh come on, you don’t want to hear all the details about that.”

He smirked devilishly at her. “That sounds like some juicy gossip you’re keeping from me.”

“Well, I mean, nothing happened per se,” she began. “We took the train home. And I was getting tired so I slept on his shoulder the whole way there. And it was nice because he was really warm and comfortable and he kept his arm around me the whole time. He let me hold onto him the whole walk home. And….we were getting closer and closer to my front door and the only thing going through my head was that I didn’t want the day to end. I didn’t want him to leave. It was going to feel so strange to be alone in my room after having spent the whole day with him right next to me.”

Chat Noir blinked, not having realized she’d been so reluctant to leave him and feeling a swell of pride at the news. “Then what?”

Ladybug was looking down into her lap, lacing and unlacing her fingers. “We were at my door. But I wanted him to stay, so we stayed outside for a bit longer. I wasn’t sure really what I wanted from him or what I wanted him to do, but I had my hands on his arms and his shoulders….and he had his hands on my hips….and they felt so warm, Chat, you don’t really appreciate how nice something like that feels until you’re there.”

Chat Noir licked his lips, suddenly feeling himself grow self-conscious. “A-And then?”

Ladybug smiled to herself, lost in her thoughts. “He was really close, and….I wanted to kiss him. But I was afraid at first so I just kissed him on the cheek. But I stayed really close to him, and he stayed really close to me, and we were just there in front of each other. And I could tell he wanted to kiss me back.”

She trailed off her story and Chat Noir tried to pick it back up. “So you kissed?”

“Nah,” she pouted. “Maman called and I had to go upstairs. But it was still nice.”

It was strange to hear the events come from Ladybug, but it was certainly not unpleasant. In fact, the sight of her pink cheeks and her smiling fondly to herself were enough to make Chat Noir giddy, and it was so hard to keep a straight face and pretend like this was just an innocuous story for him. After all, he wasn’t quite sure if she knew just who she was talking to at the moment. Still, Chat Noir knew that he was going to be walking on air for at least the next week no problem.

“Well,” he grinned. “It sounds like you had a great time anyway.”

Ladybug sighed. “Yeah.” She bit her lip, turned her whole body towards Chat Noir, and smirked. “I really wish he had kissed me though.”

Chat Noir shrugged. “Yeah well. Maybe he was nervous too.”

Ladybug frowned. “I guess.” She scooted closer to him until their hips were touching. “Still, it’s so frustrating you know? To get all riled up like that just to be brought right back down. Makes you antsy. Like….I just wanted to run down the block and steal one really quick.”

“R-Really,” he breathed out. “Well, that’s….well.”

She was leaning in closer to him, smiling wistfully. “Or maybe I should’ve just bucked up the courage the first time. Given a kiss on the lips instead of just the cheek. We could’ve kissed for a long while until my mother called.”

The thought was absolutely wonderful, he agreed. “Y-Y-Yeah, that sounds. Ahem! Nice, sounds super nice.”

Ladybug leaned her head even closer until she was leaning on his shoulder again, looking up at him innocently. “Super nice is right,” she muttered. “I get the sense that he’d have been a really good kisser. You know. Someone that gives those nice, lip-biting, toe curling kisses. You know the ones?”

She was so close and staring at him in a way that was making his heart want to beat right out of his chest. “I-I-I-I uh...hahaha….well I mean, I guess, you know, I uh….um….”

And then, as if to finish him off with one final blow, Ladybug leaned up and left a gentle kiss on his jaw. “Do you think we could finally get our kiss tonight?”

The words took a few seconds to register in his head before Chat Noir shook his head and pressed a hand to his chest. “W-Wait, we? We! We as in — ”

Ladybug nodded. “Mmhm.”

“B-But….” he began. “You know that I’m ….and he’s….”

“I know,” she laughed.

Chat Noir felt his forehead wrinkling in confusion. “Wait, so….so you….you know that…. ”

Ladybug gave him a little mock salute. “Hi Adrien.”

His hands immediately flew up to tug at his hair as he groaned loudly into the sky. “Oh my God you almost gave me a heart attack!”

“What do you mean?” Ladybug snorted. “How are you surprised? Wasn’t this what you wanted?”

“Huh?”

“You were dropping hints all day,” Ladybug explained. "I was getting suspicious towards the end of the date.”

“Oh my God,” Chat Noir exclaimed, his hands pressed to his cheeks now. “That actually worked ?”

Ladybug nodded with an exasperated smile. “Just about. I mean, at the end of the night I was only like 75% sure, but by the time I was sitting here waiting for you I was positive.”

Chat Noir frowned. “How?”

“Promise not to be mad?”

“What is it?”

Ladybug winced, pulled out her civilian cellphone, and showed him the screen. “....you left your location on after you shared it with me. And unless Adrien is a parkour expert, there’s no way he was vaulting across rooftops and sitting at this exact location if he wasn’t you.”

“Wait. You asked me to share my location with you so that you could see if Adrien and Chat Noir were in the same place at the same time?”

Ladybug shrugged. “Pretty much. I mean it seemed like you wanted me to know, so I figured confirming it for myself was harmless.”

“ Damn ,” he scolded himself. “I didn’t even think of that. That’s so sneaky!”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to trick you. I sort of panicked when I asked because so many things were going through my head.”

Chat Noir covered his mouth with both of his hands and tilted his head. “Speaking of which. You’re, uh….you’re taking this better than I thought you would.”

“Well,” Ladybug winced. “I’ve had a few hours to think, process…..scream, cry a little bit, yell at my pillows….” She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Anyway, not important. It was obvious that you were letting me know who you were, and it didn’t make sense for you to do that to just anyone , so I figured you knew who I was. And you kept making it seem like you knew who I was the whole day, anyway. Don’t know how you figured it out, but I thought that maybe had something to do with all the hint dropping.”

Chat Noir rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, let’s just say technology has a bad habit of outing our identities. It’s done it twice in a row already.”

“Wait, twice in a row? What was the first time?”

Chat Noir gestured to her phone. “Well….when you matched with Adrien on the roof that day? With me there?”

Ladybug’s eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hand. “Shit!” she hissed out. “Oh my god, wait, you’re so right! Of course you….because you were….and then….oh, no wonder you were freaking out that day!”

“Wouldn’t you!? I damn near dropped my phone off the roof!”

“Wow,” Ladybug breathed out, pressing the heels of her palms to her temples. “Wow, wow, wow. This makes so much sense. Ugh, I didn’t even think of what would happen if we matched with each other. We’re so freaking stupid.”

Chat Noir scratched his head. “Well, you can’t have it all, I guess.”

“So,” she stated, trying to piece together all the information. “Was I right? You wanted me to know your identity because you found out mine?”

“Basically,” Chat Noir admitted. “I mean, it just seemed unfair that I knew who you were and that you didn’t. So I thought that making everything even would make more sense. Make it so that we were on the same page.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” Ladybug asked. “You know, instead of just dropping hints and hoping I’d figure it out? We could’ve gotten this out of the way so much sooner.”

“I don’t know,” Chat Noir grumbled. “I’m bad at bringing up serious stuff. I was nervous. Our secrets were the one thing that needed to stay a secret and I was afraid you’d get mad that I found out, or that I was telling you who I was. And having to just tell you all that stuff straight on was way too stressful. I’m not that direct.”

Ladybug reached out and rested a hand over his. “I’m not mad,” she promised him. “I know you found out by accident and that you wouldn’t purposefully go snooping. And you’re right. If we’re a team, that means we can’t be unbalanced or have weaknesses or advantages over each other. I mean, we’ll have to be more careful from here on out, but this is fine. I sort of expected we’d find out sooner or later anyway.”

“Hey, we lasted two years,” he said, trying to lighten up the situation. “That’s pretty good!”

Ladybug laughed. “Yeah. I guess it is.” She ran her fingers through his bangs. “Boy, this is….new. You’re going to have to give me a couple of days to get used to this.”

“Don’t worry,” Chat Noir assured. “Pretty much had the same reaction.”

She sucked on her bottom lip thoughtfully. “You know,” Ladybug said, not letting her fingers still. “I was….serious about that kiss.”

Chat Noir raised a brow at her lighthearted tone. “Oh were you?”

“Of course. You can’t leave a girl hanging like that. We get frustrated about these things too you know.”

He chuckled. “So you were frustrated?”

“Mmhm,” she hummed. “I was really mad when I went to my room. Furious.”

Chat Noir reached out for her other hand and pressed a kiss on the inside of her palm. “Terribly sorry about that,” he said. “Wasn’t my intention to leave you unsatisfied.”

She shrugged in return and let her eyes purposefully dart down to his lips. “You don’t have to. We’ve got a little bit of time….”

Chat Noir chuckled and felt his face heating up. “Uh….we have a bit of an audience down there.”

She moved her hands through his hair until she was gripping the hair at the base of neck, just like she had been in front of the bakery only hours before. “I don’t particularly mind unless you do.”

“You’re gonna get us plastered all over the Ladyblog.”

“You’re not stopping me.”

Chat licked his lips, smiled, and let one of his hands soundly grip her hip. “I suppose not.”

Their teeth knocked gently together before anything else because they both leaned in laughing. But then Ladybug closed her lips into a kiss and Chat Noir couldn’t stop the delighted thrill that made his whole body shiver. He could vaguely hear people shouting and screaming in delight below them, probably pulling out phones and cameras to grab photos and videos, but he honestly couldn’t bring himself to care about all the media attention they’d be getting in the morning. Ladybug was sighing into his mouth, bringing a hand up to his cheek, gently curling her fingers against his jaw, and shyly brushing a tongue against his which made him quickly curl his other arm around her back to pull her closer. There was too much perfection rolled into one person that he was afraid his heart might burst. All of a sudden, he understood Marinette not wanting to leave last night. There was nothing about the feel of her lips or the sounds of her gasps or the way her body shifted beneath his fingers that made him want to separate from her. It made him want to plan ten more dates. Make ten more excuses to take her out. Ten more excuses to walk her home. Ten more chances to kiss her at the end of a wonderful evening. He’d be more than happy to play any of those moments on a repeat.

Ladybug was giggling against his lips when she finally pulled away. “We’re supposed to be patrolling….”

Chat Noir leaned in and gave her three quick pecks. “Come on. We can take one night off, can’t we?”

“I guess,” Ladybug said. “But only if we can make up for all the kissing we didn’t do last night.”

Chat Noir sighed in contentment. “That is possibly the most brilliant suggestion I’ve ever heard.”

[aoi-midori]

Resolutions for 2K17

hey everyone! hope you guys’ve had a happy new year! i did, and i want to get this year started off with a bang. 

first of all, i want to thank all of my followers (both old and new) for following me. i haven’t been as active as i’d like to be lately, but thanks for keeping up with me! I really appreciate it.

that being said, now i’d like to ask for your help. i’ve advertised this a few times in the past few years, but i have an original story that i’ve been working on since 2011, and since then, it’s basically been stuck in development hell due to the constant rewrites and shit and me never actually finishing the thing. another problem i’ve been having is the damn writer’s block, but that’s mainly due to a lack of motivation to write.

NOT THIS YEAR DAMMIT.

i’m actually going to be productive this year and WRITE WRITE WRITE. and so i’m taking a huge risk here by doing something that i should have done a long time ago: starting with this post, i’m going to post my story chapters right here to on this blog. so all i’m asking from you guys is to please read them and GIVE ME FEEDBACK. if any of you did that, i would be SO grateful, you have no idea! 

okay, so about my story, working title of “brotherhood” (definitely changing it to something better eventually). to give you all a quick run-down of it, it’s set in 2019 in a world pretty similar to ours, but with a few big differences, the main one being EVERYONE HAS POWERS. what’s not to love about powers, right? anyway, here’s a brief summary of it: 

“ In 2019, activity in the magi-underworld has grown exponentially. ETMA, one of the largest magi-organizations in the world, brings in 20 elite mages - people gifted with special abilities - to counter these criminals. But this is merely only the beginning. As these elites grow with their powers and become increasingly well-known in the magi-community, a new threat lurks in the shadows, waiting to strike... “

so as for the story mechanics, it’s written in rotating first person with six main characters. if you don’t know what that means, basically i’ve got six narrators for this thing, each with their own sub-plots that link up to the main storyline, and some characters’ stories are interconnected with each other. so that makes things really interesting! 

so anyway, i’ll post the prologue under the cut! enjoy!

Chapter 0: ETMA [Al Smith]

Today went off to a pretty slow start. But what I didn’t expect was for my dad to drag my sister and me all the way down to Florida along with our two best friends. Not that we were really complaining though; all four of us were either out of school or taking random classes at the local community college, so we didn’t have much of a reason to argue our way out of our current situation.

“Augh, are we there yet?” My sister, Lex, groaned from the seat next to me. We had left the Miami Airport about 30 minutes before and after only a 2 hour flight, so I didn’t see what the big deal was to be honest.

“Yeah, almost,” Dad reassured her from the driver’s seat. “But we really haven’t been driving for that long. Are you that bored already?”

“No, that’s not it at all. I just want to get this over with so that I can go back to sleep. And what bugs me is that you woke us up at the crack of dawn just so we could catch a plane at the last minute!”

“Heh heh, sorry about that. Though, I only got my orders this morning, so this was the best that I could do.”

She let out a great big sigh and folded her arms across her chest. “Yeah, well they should at least give us a few days warning next time. It’s so inconvenient, and I didn’t get much sleep last night because of it!”

“Well, if you’re that tired, then you could’ve-”

“Don’t even go there!” Lex turned right on the spot and glared in my direction. “There was no way I could’ve slept on the plane, it was too bumpy! And those kids kicking my seat sure didn’t help either! So zip it!”

Things pretty much always ended up like this. Whenever Lex and I talk with each other, it usually turns into an argument, just like the snap of a finger. “Hey, relax. I’m just trying to give you advice! Is that a problem?”

“When you’re being sarcastic about it, yes!”

“Okay guys, let’s calm down, alright?!” Enter the first of our two mediators, Will Parker. Whenever Lex and I started arguing, he would be the one to try to settle things verbally. As to how effective that was, I’d say it was about 50% of the time, maybe even less than that. But he still tried regardless.

Anyway, Will had turned around to face us from the front seat to try to talk us down once again. “Come on, let’s just try to be civil about things, okay? After all, we are almost there!”

“Yeah, thank god. I don’t think I could stand sitting next to him any longer.”

I copied her posture and slid down in my seat. “Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. I haven’t done a single thing to you all day, so what’s your problem?”

“See, see? There’s the sarcasm again! I swear, that is all that ever comes out of your mouth these days, and it drives me off the edge!”

“Yeah, sorry about that.”

“What did I just say?!”

“Guys, please!” Will did his best to try to get us to stop, but Lex and I had found ourselves in a full-blown argument at this point, so no dice. “Just a few more minutes, and we’ll be there! That’s good, right?”

Still nothing. “Augh… Emma! A little help here please?!”

Both of us shut up really quick and turned our heads left as our second mediator pulled out her earbuds and gave us the death glare - Will’s younger sister and my best friend, Emma Parker. During those times when Will couldn’t stop us from arguing, that’s when Em would step in. She was the one to literally break up our fights, either by scolding us or by resorting to force and violence. And unlike Will, her methods were 100% effective every time.

She glared at the two of us for a few seconds before conjuring up a fireball with the snap of her fingers. “Do I need to switch seats with one of you?” The way she delivered it was downright terrifying.

“Nope, we’re good!” I didn’t need to be told twice. I wouldn’t dare cross her.

“Uh huh. And no more arguing, right?”

Lex let out a nervous laugh. “No no, of course not! We’ve got everything under control, don’t worry!” Then she leaned to the side and hugged me. “Isn’t that right Bro?”

“Yeah, sure thing! We’ll be good, Em!”

She eyed us suspiciously for a bit longer, and we stared right back, albeit very anxiously. Then her demeanor changed altogether as the fireball vanished, and her face broke out into a wide grin. “Now that’s more like it!”

Will sighed with relief as Em clapped me on the back. “Now let’s lighten up the mood here, guys! I mean, we’ve got ourselves a new job! I’m excited!”

Dad laughed from up front. “Well, at least one of you is lively back there. And…. We’re here!”

It was about time! I leaned over against Em as we both looked out the window at our new home.

The Elemental Tectonic Mage Alliance, or “ETMA” for short: it was a massive organization affiliated with the United Nations tasked with handling affairs involving rogue mages- people gifted with special abilities- and the like. My dad, Joe Smith, had been working for ETMA for a long time, and he had trained the four of us over the past several years so that we’d have better control over our powers, as we were all mages. And now it seemed that ETMA was in some kind of trouble, so Dad finally brought us in.

Anyway,  Dad drove onto the base and parked the car a little ways in. Leaving our luggage inside to pick up later, the five of us headed inside what I thought looked to be the main building on base. Eventually, we made it to the assigned room where everyone was supposed to be meeting. And when we stepped inside…

“Well… This is shocking.” I looked around the room to find it completely empty. “We’re actually the first ones here, I don’t believe it.”

Even Lex was surprised. “Yeah seriously, Dad. What happened to being fashionably late?”

Dad ushered us in and propped the door open. “Yeah, well I’m best friends with ETMA’s leader, so I kind of have to make a good first impression here.”

“Well, you don’t necessarily have to, but it sure does help in the long run.” We hadn’t even been there ten seconds when someone else entered the room. After taking one good look, I could tell in an instant that this guy was important. There were a few things that could easily be pointed out, such as the long red hair worn back in a ponytail, but what made him stand out the most was the blindfold covering his eyes.

Dad was smiling. “Speak of the devil.” He bounded over to the guy with the blindfold and gave him a sideways hug. “Nice to see you again, Shuuhei!” Then he waved at the rest of us and beckoned us over. “Hey kids, come on over and say hi to your new boss!”

I figured as much, but it was still a little bit surprising to me all the same. “Wait, so he’s the leader then?”

“In the flesh,” the blindfold guy replied as he broke away from Dad. He held out his hand for each of us to shake once we reached the two of them. “Imada Shuuhei, it’s good to have you all on board!”

Will was the last of us to shake hands with him. “We’re just glad that we’ll be of good use to you. Anything we can do to help out!”

Meanwhile, Em had put her knuckles against her mouth and was gazing curiously at Shuuhei. “Erm, I don’t want to be acting out-of-line here or anything, but could I ask you something? I don’t know if it’s too personal to ask about though, but…”

“I don’t see why not. Ask away.”

“Right, okay. What’s up with the blindfold? Like, can you even see under that thing?”

I was actually glad she asked that, because I was positive I wasn’t the only one thinking it. Who wouldn’t wonder about that anyway?

Shuuhei smiled and shifted his footing a bit before answering. “Oh yeah, I get that a lot actually. Let’s see… To answer your first question, I have my reasons for wearing this thing.” He gestured to the blindfold as he mentioned it. “As for the second one… Yes and no. I guess you could say that I can’t see in the traditional sense, but my powers actually allow me to- oh, never mind…”

He drifted off as several people began filing into the room. “Looks like we’ll have to pick this one up later, sorry!” And with that, Shuuhei left our group and approached the front.

We couldn’t argue with that. The rest of us all sat down in a group together, but Lex made it a point to sit as far away from me as possible. I didn’t mind though, as I was sitting by Em anyway.

“Morning everyone!” Shuuhei announced once it seemed that everyone had finally gotten there. “I’m sorry you all had to come here on short notice, but what with everything going on lately, it had to be done.” Then he looked around at the small crowd, which consisted of what I’d say to be about 20 people. “Now, maybe some brief introductions are in order? That way, we can get to know each other more?”

Right off the bat, a Japanese-looking girl with a long black ponytail sitting not too far away from me spoke up. “Let’s skip the formalities, Shuuhei. We can introduce ourselves later.” She then sat up straight and stared him right in the eye. “So, what happened?”

“Right… Very well, Cho.” Shuuhei let out an audible sigh and nodded. “Okay. As most of you should be aware of by now, ETMA primarily deals in magi-affairs, but our main enemy is the Chang-Los. They are an anti-mage crime syndicate originating out of Hong Kong, China, and have spread their influence into several other countries. We’ve been fighting these guys for almost 20 years now, but we still haven’t come close to catching their leader since then.”

“Another thing I’d like to mention is that over the past several years, the number of mages within our ranks has diminished greatly, but hasn’t been that much of a problem since everyone within the Chang-Los are all non-mages. Also…”

“Oh boy,” Cho spoke again, this time sounding a bit irritated. “Shuuhei, I love ya, but you’ve gotta get to the point here! What changed? Why bring us in now of all times against a whole bunch of asshole non-mages?”

“Because now they have mages of their own, that’s why.”

The whole room had gone silent. Shuuhei cleared his throat and then continued. “Let me explain. About a week ago, we found out about an alliance between the Chang-Los and what looks to be another mage organization, like ours. Not much is known about them at this point, but we do know that they go by the name of Melisma.”

This time, it was a brown-haired girl sitting next to Cho who spoke up. “So… are you sure we haven’t dealt with them before? I mean, if they’re another mage group…”

“Well, I’d like to say that they’re relatively new, but from the looks of things, it seems like they’ve been around for a while actually. Judging by the reports of several of our agents, these mages at the latest Chang-Lo operations were skilled enough with their powers to be able to give our agents a bit too much to handle. My guess is that these guys have been laying low for a while underground and have only now surfaced.”

“But anyway, the point here is that our regular agents are excellent when dealing with Chang-Los, but they aren’t fit to handle Melisma. It’s just too much for them. And that’s where you all will come in. While I have our non-mages scout out and do reconnaissance, it’s you who will actually be doing the fighting.”

He then looked over by the door, where I saw a woman leaning against the doorframe waiting for him. It must have been his secretary or something, but she had long red hair like Shuuhei’s, so she probably could’ve passed as his sister. “And that’s the gist of it, really! I think I’ll stop here for now and let you have a look around and everything. But before I head out, I just want to leave you with a few words of encouragement.”

Suddenly, Shuuhei’s stance changed in the blink of an eye. With both hands in his pockets, he stamped his foot down hard on the floor and looked straight at us. “Anything is possible if we set our minds to it! And no matter what’s in our way, we won’t stop! If there’s a wall in our way, we’ll just smash it down! If there isn’t a path set out in front of us, then we’ll carve one out ourselves! Live for today, but look forward to tomorrow! That’s how Team ETMA rolls!”

And then, the secretary-looking lady came in, grabbed Shuuhei by the arm, and nearly dragged him out of the room. “Okay, well I’ll check back in with everyone later on! Welcome to ETMA!”

… Now that was one hell of a way to inspire a crowd. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t there to see it, but the entire room, myself included, broke into a round of applause. I’d have to remind myself to thank Dad later for bringing me here, because this guy was so great. It was like he had come out of one of my favorite Japanese anime, so naturally, I was pretty damn pleased.

“Well, there you have it,” Dad said with a wave of finality. “So what do you guys think?”

Lex and Will were both nodding with satisfied looks, while Em smiled enthusiastically. “It sounds great! I think it’ll be fun!”

“Yeah, I’m game.” The minute I first saw Shuuhei, I could tell that I was definitely in the right place. “So, when do we start?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

if you’ve read this far (i really appreciate it btw), then PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GIVE ME FEEDBACK! i want to improve my writing, and the more people i have reading this, the more inclined i’ll be to actually finish this thing! thank you!