#so i was like ugh i need a break i might start exploring the islands finally

[4giorno]

im so done with the archipelago 💀

[votederpycausemufins]

I said I had another chapter ready. so It's time to post that.

tagging @helleborusangel because they like my writing and @hermitcraftheadcanons since they and their community made the au.

now... with that out of the way, let's recap evo... wait shoot i mean hermitcraft.

“Pixlriffs! Turn on the tv!” Came a voice that followed a door being slammed open.

Pixlriffs turned around in confusion to see Zloy having barged in, panting with his goggles askew. “Zloy? What’s going on?”

“Just turn on the recap channel! Hurry!”

Even more confused, Pixl slowly turned to his tv and turned it on, switching to the channel that showed their recap show. “I thought you didn’t like watching our own shows. It’s not even a regular recap, it’s just going to be a clip show from the livestream. Why are you so-” But he cut himself off. Showing on screen was a countdown to the season eight day one recap. “What? But it hasn’t started. We haven’t recorded anything.”

“I know! I was with a friend and they turned it on and said they didn’t think it had started yet. When I saw the countdown, I ran all the way over here.”

“Do you think they just had a scheduling mistake? We might need to call the broadcasters and have them fix things up.” Pixl suggested, and Zloy shrugged.

“Let’s just make sure that’s the case and see which episode they’re actually showing. For all we know they mixed things up and this is just the season seven, day one.”

“I hope that’s the case.”

The two recapers watched the timer go down. Elsewhere, people were also turned into the episode. Some were pleasantly surprised by the supposed new episode. Others were confused thinking the schedule was wrong. Those who knew the hermits were confused, not having heard the new season was starting yet.

Then finally, the timer reached zero, and a familiar jingle started. And then a voice that was definitely not Pixlriffs spoke the phrase “This week, on Hermitcraft.”

“Wait, what am I doing in the nether? I just joined the world.”

Zloy and Pixl looked at each other at something they had never heard Keralis say. This was a new episode, but one they hadn’t made.

“A new adventure starts in season eight, new places and mobs to explore and see. And also Grumbot and Jrumbot are Hermits now. Welcome to the Hermitcraft recap! The show where no one is where they should be. My name is Toon Noah.”

“I’m Mysterious Goofball, and our writer is Pin Valentine. Today, we’re looking at everyone’s first day on the new season of Hermitcraft.”

The first person, Noah, spoke up again. “In this season, the hermits managed to update all the way to the second half of the caves and cliffs update even though that isn’t possible.” He explained what was going on in this season. “Everyone is scattered across the map and even in other dimensions. Monsters are tough, regen is off, and using chat is out of the question, so surviving is going to be tough.”

“At the very least, they can still respawn, so certain people have chances to escape. Escape what that is? Well, let’s look at what the Hermits have been up to.” Goofball said, sounding so nonchalant about what they were about to talk about.

“Starting with Xisuma, who’s started out in the deep dark. The admin’s helmet has been disabled other than necessary functions. His visor also gives him a little bit of light, so he’s not completely blind. Plus the fact that sculks are bioluminescent. But the warden is too, which has been able to find him a number of times.”

“Also in the caves in Jevin,-” Goofball spoke up again. “-who’s found himself in some lush caves. He’s got glowberries for light and food and the axolotls are pretty friendly. Plus, with enough searching, he was able to find a bit of wood for simple tools.”

“Speaking of wood. Some of the hermits have found themselves in the jungle.” Noah quickly commented before some audio from one of the hermits played along with its clip.

“Helloooo? Anyone around? Impulse? Tango? Hey is that Grian? Nope, just a parrot. Ugh, and here I am without any seeds.”

Goofball spoke up again when the audio finished. “Both Zedaph and Tango are in the same jungle, but the size of the biome as well as the amount of foliage means they haven’t found each other yet. Tango at the very least has started mining, and Zedaph managed to find a jungle temple and has already started on using the redstone from there for a melon farm.”

“How do you even make a farm out of that?”

“It’s Zedaph, what do you expect?”

“Well, as for the last of team ZIT, Impulse had found himself in the middle of a sea temple.” Noah spoke, as the video showed Impulse dealing with being underwater in such a place. “Between drowning and guardians, he hasn’t gotten that far away from his spawn.”

“In other aquatic news-” Goofball said, another clip from the hermits playing.

“If I never see coral again, it’ll be too- wait, is that False? False!”

“-Stress and False are also nearby to each other, both spawning in coral reefs. False was the first to escape, needing to just swim out of her spawn.”

“On the other hand, Stress was completely encased in coral and had to slowly chip herself out of the colorful prison. But by the evening, Stress was able to get to the surface and join False and an island, chopping down trees. They even started a wheat farm. But here’s hoping they don’t have to deal with drowned.”

“While she isn’t a drowned,” Goofball continued from Noah’s comment. “Zombie Cleo started out in a village. Normally, that would be pretty good, but being a zombie…”

“Leave me alone! I’m not going ta kill any villagers! I’m a zombie but I’m not that kind of zombie!”

“She’s been having an issue with the resident iron golem. With a bit of luck, she managed to hole herself up in a house which the golem isn’t going to destroy, but the villagers aren’t the happiest about it.”

Then Noah took over speaking. “From villagers to illagers, Mumbo Jumbo found himself alone in a woodland mansion, making himself the furthest hermit in the overworld.”

“Come on. Almost. Almost!” The video showed Mumbo running before he was killed by a vindicator. “Oh come on!”

After that, Noah continued. “He’s tried and failed many times to try and get out of the mansion, but eventually just started breaking the walls for tools.”

“The illagers aren’t really happy about it, but not like he’ll be going far, so I don’t think he’ll easily lose those tools.”

“Well at least he’s got supplies.” The video transitioned to a mountain top with three figures standing at the peak. “Grian, as well as new hermits Grum and Jrum are currently stuck on the top of a mountain, surrounded by powder snow. It’s pretty lucky that the three of them stuck together.”

“I’m not so sure of that.” Goofball spoke up, sounding a bit frustrated or annoyed. “While Grian tried to fly down for supplies to little success, other than fall damage, he hasn’t managed to die, using some sort of magic.”

“But it looks like the fall damage came in handy for Doc, who’s further down the mountain. He’s having a bit of trouble surrounded by goats, plenty of them being the screaming variety.”

Goofball spoke again, no longer sounding as annoyed. “Yeah, but while hanging out with them, he heard a different kind of scream and did something pretty smart.”

“Wait, what was- is someone close by? It sounded like someone just- wait! The death messages!” He pulled out his communicator and read the messages. “Grian died to fall damage! Grian’s up there!”

“I guess he is the scientist of the group.” Noah spoke, the grin he had on his face audible in his voice. “It makes sense he would be the one to figure things out. But even then, he still can’t easily get down the mountain himself with all the goats messing him up. My guess is he’s really regretting being the goat father last season.”

“Doc isn’t the only one getting familiar with the new wildlife though. Hypno has found himself in a large flower forest that has plenty of mooblooms. He hasn’t been able to kill any of them yet, and there’s only flowers and no grass for him to get seeds from, so while the place seems like it should be easy to survive in, it’s really the opposite.”

“The best idea he’s had so far is following some bees to find their nest and hopefully a tree attached to it. If only he knew he was actually really close to spawn, being the closest to it.”

Goofball took control of the conversation again “Well, that’s not entirely true as three hermits managed to appear at spawn, those three being Joe Hills, VintageBeef, and Etho.” And the three hermits were shown in what looked much more normal than everything else that had been shown so far. “The three of them pretty quickly figured out something was wrong and started to make spawn a safe place, also gathering supplies so they can eventually find the other hermits.”

“Except Etho got a bit ahead of himself.” Noah cut in. “He had a bad run in with some mobs and ended up dying, finding out his respawn is a bit different than others. But at the very least, he managed to find Ren.”

“Ren spawned on a cliff of a ravine. There’s no water at the bottom, and all the blocks in reach are stone, so it’s not the easiest to escape from. Still, with little else to do, Ren started slowly chipping away at the stone to escape the ravine, only to fall when Etho surprised him by suddenly respawning there.”

“Okay, I got through two more pieces of stone. At this rate, I can probably get to dirt before the sun is setting so- Etho- ooooooh!”

“At the very least Ren is respawning just fine,” Noah explained “So the two of them were able to help Ren escape the ravine, so he’s the third person to escape his spawn area.”

“Well, that’s not entirely true.” Goofball started to correct. “Before Etho helped Ren and even before Stress escaped her coral prison, Cub actually escaped the mesa mineshaft he spawned in. It was a little tricky with the cave spiders spawning, but he lucked out with the loot of a chest and was able to get a crafting table and pickaxe out of it.” Cub had found some iron, torches, a few seeds, some bread, and then used the wood of the mineshaft to get him on his feet in terms of survival. “With a few respawns, he took out the spiders and their spawner. He’s able to move around freely, but not wanting to respawn again, his hearts are a bit low, so he’s staying near the mineshaft for shelter.”

“Then, sort of nearby the mesa of course, is the desert, where the last two overworld hermits are.” Noah said, and there was the slightest ruffle of papers, like he was checking a script. “Both XB and Iskall are stuck in the same large desert, trying to find some source of food, water and wood. So far, the best they’ve found are the sticks from dead bushes. Out of the two, XB is doing a bit better since he’s found a cave for some sort of shelter, but Iskall’s much worse off,the sand messing with his one eye.”

“Between the heat, the sand, and my eye, I can’t even tell what’s real anymore. That cactus could be a tree or a town or- nope! It’s actually a creeper!”

And then Noah continued with a transition. “Getting even hotter now, let’s look at the nether. There’s only two hermits there right now, with different struggles to deal with.”

“Keralis is the first and lucked out a bit, landing himself in a warped forest right near a basalt delta, meaning he’s got up to stone tools. Plus, since nether gold ore can be mined with wood tools or better, he’s also got some gold boots to help with any piglins.”

“On the other hand, Welsknight is in a much worse situation. He spawned in a crimson forest and is having plenty of trouble with the hoglins.” And that was emphasized by a clip of Wels being killed by one of the mobs. “He hasn’t gotten too much wood before dying, but at the very least, he secured his spawn just enough he has some room to breathe. And hey, if he makes it out of there, he’s got a fortress nearby. But now to end this off, let’s head to the end.”

“TinfoilChef, or TFC is on the main end island, spawning on an obsidian platform just a few blocks from the edge of the island.” Goofball spoke. “It’s close enough for him to jump, but he still takes fall damage and has to deal with the ender dragon after that.”

“Not to mention the endermen too, which Scar is also having trouble with. He’s stuck on a smallish end island out in the further reaches of the end. There’s an end city nearby, but he doesn’t really have the means to get there. At the very least he’s got food from the chorus plants, but that won’t help too terribly much.”

“And lastly, there’s BdoubleO, who we’ve- who’s been lucky to not die so far being in a special situation.” Though they hadn’t been saying much, both Pixlriffs and Zloy noticed the slight slip up Goofball gave. “He’s currently looping in the end void, teleporting up to the top when he finally gets too low. There’s nothing in sight for him to know that though, so he thinks he’s just falling deeper and deeper. But hopefully he’ll figure it out eventually.”

“Well, that’s everyone, so that pretty much does it for this episode of Ev- Hermitcraft Recap. I was Toon Noah-”

“And I was Mysterious Goofball and our writer was Pin Valentine. If you’d like to see original content made by us, you can find us if you already know where to look.”

“Don’t forget to give this show a good rating and tune in next week for the next episode of Hermitcraft Recap. Thank you all so much for watching and good-Bye~!”

Finally, the screen turned black, signalling the end of the episode. The whole time, Pixl and Zloy had just sat there in shock, watching the episode and not saying anything. The thought of their show being taken over by some new people was scary enough, but the situations the Hermits were now in was so much worse.

Zloy was the first to move, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He had felt it going off during the episode, but had been too stunned to do anything. Apparently, he had missed multiple calls and texts about what had happened with the episode, who had been put in charge, what was with the hermits, and more related to the whole situation.

“We need to see someone about this.” Pixlriffs said, in a similar situation with looking at his phone. “Make sure people know we have no connection to this and hopefully also see if the studio knows who recorded this. I would also like to say that this is all fake, but…”

“Yeah, that footage looked way too real. I think the Hermits are actually in a lot of trouble right now.”

“Then let’s do something about it.”

[carmenxjulia]

I put together a transcript of the 2 hour Q&A Interview the Carmen Sandiego Discord did with Showrunner Duane Capizzi. All of the questions were submitted by server members. You can read everything below the break!

Duane Capizzi:

Hi there!

Am I in? Is this thing on?

PizzaHorse:

Hi, welcome!

Yep, you're in the right place!

Duane Capizzi:

Sorry I'm late, I was wandering around some empty Discord hallways looking for the right room haha

PizzaHorse:

No worries. Let's get started!

Who is your favorite character?

Duane Capizzi:

Moose Boy!

KIDDING!

Alright, how to NOT get myself in trouble if my answer isn't "Carmen" haha.

But really, they are ALL my babies.

So I know it's going to sound like a cop out to some that I can't pick just one. But hmm, some for instances...

I love that she's so morally evolved at such a young age; her ability to always take the high road and never lower herself; her drive and conviction and dedication. Her ability to kick serious booty and look good while doing it. Her progressive values, her fashion sense. I could go on and on. But then there's Shadowsan and his arc; Chase and his. Julia, who's every bit as strong as Carmen but shows it in different ways. The Cleaners don't get enough love.

I'll close that question with an anecdote about The Cleaners ...

I love that all our characters are embraced and that everyone seems to have favorites. Our sound engineer Marcel is a pretty serious guy: he has a serious job that takes high levels of focus and attention. He's always deeply focused and not prone to small talk. Anyway, we were in the middle of our first or second sound mix, and he suddenly stops in the middle and turns around to face us. I'm thinking, "uh oh, we're giving too many notes." That's when I notice he's freeze framed the Cleaners. He says "I really like these guys." Then he turns around, hits play and gets back to work.

PizzaHorse:

What was the biggest challenge for coming up with new stories and plot for the reboot?

Duane Capizzi:

THE biggest? Sigh. I'm not sure I could come up with just one. Plotting is always challenging and we had the brain trust of the room, our trusty white board, and writer assistant to keep the threads of the ongoing storyline together. I think the single biggest ONGOING challenge was tracking which character knew what at any given time.

The caper part was challenging - coming up with new capers and keeping them interesting and fresh. But, it was the characters and their interactions that kept things fresh and interesting. Another museum heist? That's okay - Chase is on the case and he gets to interact with "X" this time (for instance).

There were also some episodes - Duke of Vermeer and Crackle Goes Kiwi come to mind - where there was SO MUCH SET UP needed to get the payoffs to work. I was really worried about too much talk/too much detail. Very "Swiss watch!" It took a lot of work to make sure it all clicked and was clear - hopefully it seems effortless on screen but I can't say there wasn't some sweat and the occasional tear (mostly from me - I'm a big cry baby

But really, what made it fun was that we had so many buckets to draw from: sometimes a story germ initially began with a character idea; sometimes it was inspired by global location; sometimes it was a clever way to update or reimagine an idea from old Carmen lore. Usually, it was some combination of all of the above!

PizzaHorse:

What was your favorite scene to write?

Duane Capizzi:

I think we have a theme here! "How can I pick just one ...?"

As a film buff, I got to indulge in some serious fan nerdery on this show: I got to write spy movies, yakuza movies, spaghetti neo-westerns (though turning it on its head: spaghetti westerns usually involve REVENGE and because of Carmen's character make up, this was sort of anti-revenge).

Is writing coming up with the idea or typing it? Haha. An "if a tree falls in the forest" question. The writing team and I had so many cathartic "that's how it goes" in the room. But on my own, writing the Pilot, was a very inspiring time for me: I remember laughing out loud the moment I thought of Chase falling on his own car (in part because of doing my spin on "that trope" that we've seen in so many hard boiled movies recently). But also how emotional I got when I imagined the simple but potent image of Black Sheep deciding to take her destiny into her own hands and walk that long corridor to the Faculty who we were about to meet for the first time.

I think I've cited this in another interview, but there was a period where I was completely immersed in Chase's arc and the scene where he would crack the location of VILE island ... by listening to Julia in a dream ... was a big one for me. It revealed he was finally open to admitting he needed Julia more than he would ever admit - yet, it was his own subconscious speaking.

The next morning, after cracking that scene, I bumped into Raf Petardi (voice of Chase) ... at the supermarket! It was very strange and hilarious

PizzaHorse:

Did you scrap any lengthy or funny scenes that you would be able to share?

Duane Capizzi:

With few exceptions, most scene cuts are done at the script stage so that the story board team doesn't waste effort over boarding. A variety of trims to any script are common, but they are usually for the better

The easier question to answer might be scenes were part of our "wish list" at writer room stage, but never made it to story or script. I hesitate to go too deep here (in the event that we might ever do more Carmen episodes in this canon - I'm not giving up hope). And there were cases where things we wanted to do earlier in the series wound up getting nixed or not fitting for whatever reason, but we got them in later - USUALLY FOR THE BETTER. So there's sort of a reverse Murphy's Law/rule of good fortune somehow in these things. But some fun things that didn't make it into the show, that leap to mind were: a Bollywood dance sequence (!). A Vegas caper involving Brunt wanting to steal an Elvis jumpsuit against the backdrop of an Elvis impersonator convention. We also thought it would be neat to get Maelstrom imprisoned so that Julia could interrogate him and he would play mind games with her - very Lector/Clarice!

PizzaHorse:

Were there any different treatments of Carmen you pitched before settling on the one we ended up with?

Duane Capizzi:

I was one of several "pitches" that I'm sure HMH heard before running with my version. But I can honestly say I've never pitched anything as fully formed: the take on Carmen felt so right to me, and clearly HMH and by extension Netflix agreed

I'll answer your question with an anecdote: I had the entire Pilot pretty well worked out, and pitched it in the first meeting. But one key thing that changed (much for the better!), simply because it wouldn't have fit without slogging things down ...

In my Pilot pitch, Black Sheep's escape on the boat was off screen: we see Shadowsan corner her, then we cut away. The rest of the Faculty show up to find SS's broken sword on the rocks, and are led to believe BS killed him (!). In the present, Crackle points his weapon at Carmen and prepares to pull the trigger. We know that Chase is on the way and may rescue her. The compartment door opens to reveal - not Chase - but Shadowsan! Big surprise! Then we cut back to BS's escape and find out what really transpired etc etc.

Crazy, right? SS would have been hanging out with the gang in season 1; we might not have gotten to 203 with his back story, since his sword was broken and he couldn't return it. Just one of those magical things where "things work out" the way they are supposed to. THAT SAID, it made for a heckuva pitch

PizzaHorse:

Are there any characters that ended up taking a direction you didn't initially anticipate?

Duane Capizzi:

GRAY.

I didn't know we'd make him amnesiac when I wrote the Pilot, that was something we came up with in our first week Writer Room.

And even then, when it became clear he'd be a key piece of the bigger puzzle, we didn't know how exactly (mostly the Season 4 stuff).

We did get very deep with a version where 404 ended with his protective streak for Carmen kicking into high gear, and they would be fighting off Vile Guards back to back in perfect tandem. Then, having chosen Carmen over VILE, it was Carmen who actually orchestrates Gray going "off grid" so that VILE can never find him again. Funny, I know that is arguably the version of Gray's arc that many fans might have preferred seeing. But in the tradition of spy thrillers and film noir, and for a lone wolf character like Carmen who is focused on her life mission and not romance, we stand behind where we went with him. We felt it was so much more compelling ... and truly more emotional that he totally has a get out of jail free card when he sacrifices everything (including his life, potentially) to save Carmen.

when she needs him most!

I know I made some controversial comments about Gray "not being good enough for Carmen" and I'd like to clarify that I meant, until that final episode. What he did was so selfless and heroic. Is there hope for them in the future? Who knows?! But I do hope we get to explore that one day

I'm sure Gray is living off the grid somewhere now, inspired by Carmen's selfless good and thinking of her from time to time.

PizzaHorse:

You mentioned in the interview with Alicyn that Carmen is a love story, but you were cut off before you could finish discussing. Could you elaborate on your answer now?

Duane Capizzi:

Ugh, yes! Sorry about that. I actually answered that privately for someone so will cut and paste that response here. Let's see if it works.

Something we never said in the show, but something I imparted to the creative team was: Carmen Sandiego is (among other things) a LOVE STORY, where every character in our ensemble is in love with Carmen in one way or another. Even if they don't know it! That love can take different forms: we see how spurned by Carmen Coach Brunt feels and why she retaliates so excessively. Chase eventually comes to realize that he too loves Carmen, even if he wasn't initially aware of it haha. One of the most moving things to me about the series is how all of the different factions come to Carmen's rescue at the end when she's not "in her right mind," without knowing the others are there too. It's a massive group effort to bring back the Carmen they love. But we weren't looking for a fairy tale ending for Carmen with ANYone - Carmen's a classic lone wolf anti-hero, that goes with the territory. At least at this stage in her journey.

PizzaHorse:

Were there other locations that you wanted to feature in the show that didn't make it?

Duane Capizzi:

I think we managed to cover a lot of ground and "cadence" between different countries/cultures/continents was important to us. Many "iconic" locations of course, and it would have been nice to explore some lesser known locations if we had more episodes.

One that we almost did was Niagara Falls, Canada - actually literally going to the Falls and doing a big hydro-electric caper, where Player could actually get into the field with Carmen and the team.

But ultimately, we wound up bringing Player into the fold the way we did and wound up stronger as a result. It made his "first face to face" with Carmen even more impactful, IMO.

PizzaHorse:

Were there any changes in production between the first half and the second half of the series?

Duane Capizzi:

Well, there was that Covid thing

But while it was no doubt a colossal undertaking to get the entire staff transitioned to work from home (animators! and their equipment!), we managed to make up for lost time WITHOUT a dip in animation quality. My fedora's off to our amazing team at Wildbrain for pulling it off!

We did lose some staff between orders, but that is a natural part of production unfortunately. Namely, one of our episodic directors Kenny Park, our first storyboard artist Dennis Crawford, and our story editor May Chan were among those who moved on to other shows during the break. But, as hard as their shoes were to fill, fill them we did!

PizzaHorse:

What is your favorite season?

Duane Capizzi:

Easy. Hands down, Season 3.

(crickets)

KIDDING!

Again, another "they're all my babies" answer (and yes, I love Season 3 equally

It's hard, because really when you step back I'm sure you'll agree it's a series, with stand alone capers; but it's really all ONE BIG MOVIE.

Season 3 is like the scherzo of a symphony: the shortest movement of four, and the one that tees up the big finale.

That's my hoity toity answer but I'm going to put to rest all of the various theories on what happened with season 3. It was a combination of two things: Netflix's desire to experiment with different ways of "dropping" seasons, and their desire to do a holiday themed drop (in this case Halloween, naturally). It became our challenge to come up with a theme (easy enough: masks), and the bigger challenge to serve their need while not interrupting our ongoing narrative. A challenge to be sure, but a challenge met. I think the biggest bump was perception: it was a short season and I know that was disappointing to many. But, by design.

So, Season 3 = an essential part of the whole. I don't think there's a wasted episode, and it gets everyone into position for the big finish. I can't pick a favorite season - you can't make me

PizzaHorse:

Were there any characters you had wanted to give more time to but couldn't due to time/plot restraints?

Duane Capizzi:

Well, there's the "what was on the white board" answer but hopefully some of those ideas will see the light of day in some way, shape or form some day. I think if we had more episodes, we would have shaken up the internal dynamic of VILE a bit more (as hinted at Brunt's displeasure with Maelstrom for leaving her hanging out to dry at end of 405 - a seed we planted "just in case," as some have noted). And we had more scenes in mind with Chase's partnering with Carmen for the first time that we had to cut to the bone because of what little room we had in that otherwise packed episode (worry not: it's mostly more gags, more embellishment, more twists and turns - but the important stuff is there). Mostly, and I don't think it would have been right for Season 4 but I hope to tell in the future, I think there's an interesting history between Shadowsan and Lady Dokuso - possibly tragic - that I would love to explore one day. (She was a cameo in Duke of Vermeer at the dinner party BTW, I'm not sure if anyone noticed. And we built a bigger role for her out of that)

PizzaHorse:

What are some pre-2000/nostalgic Carmen references you snuck into the show? Do you have a favorite reference that was included?

Duane Capizzi:

Doing that was so much fun! I'd say roughly 60% of the characters were from previous iterations of Carmen, though often in name only. We had fun reimagining most everyone to make them more relevant or updated or giving them a more colorful personality for starters.

"Suhara" was Carmen's Japanese mentor when she worked at the ACME Agency in a flashback episode in the 90's series, for instance. I don't think I need to spell out how we turned that one inside out

And Tigress was also one episode only: she was a "rival thief" to Carmen, but revealed to be an ACME agent in disguise - a persona created solely to bait Carmen. It was really cool of course, but it seemed like untapped potential so we made her an ACTUAL Vile Thief.

My own internal rule was to make sure the references/easter eggs wouldn't confuse anyone - they were there for those who were in the loop and window dressing. The one and only time i broke that rule was Dark Carmen's line from 407: "I do it for the mental gymnastics." It was one of the most absurd lines from the 90's series (IMO) and i was determined to have it come out of Dark Carmen's mouth. I'm sure it left some 7 year olds scratching their heads

aside from that, the key references were the music: I still tingle at how we worked the Rockapella theme into the Interactive Special; and the 90's main title theme (composed by Mozart!), in our Vienna episode ("They're playing my song"). If you wanted Rockapella or Carmen as a bad guy, well ... be careful what you wish for!

PizzaHorse:

Was there any improvised content from recording sessions that made it into any episodes?

Duane Capizzi:

Yes! Not much, because a lot of it would have pushed us into TV-MA haha

Mostly Mary Elizabeth - Coach Brunt has a POTTY MOUTH!

Mikey and Abby usually riffed their banter WAY beyond what was on the written page and had us in stitches. Some bits definitely made it in! But mostly there was too much or it would get off point (hmmm, much like my interview answers maybe? haha)

Sharon Muthu did rise to Pun Goddess status with "Mask and you shall receive." And Raf pitched me "Chasse means hunt in French" after one session and I said: "I'm going to write that in." I don't think he believed me. You can't say I'm not a straight shooter.

PizzaHorse:

If you could get more season, would you do it, and what type of story would you tell?

Duane Capizzi:

Well if that hasn't been clear so far, ABSOLUTELY

There have been discussions of course. It's up to the powers that be at this point. I will say this: the beauty and tradition so far has been that every iteration has been its own thing. I definitely think there are more "different canon" versions of Carmen that can be had and be a part of this wonderful tradition. After all, there were many naysayers for our version when it was first announced.

I will also say that if we don't get to tell any more stories in this canon with these characters, we've left a perfect gem that will stand the test of time. I would rather go out on a high note than overstay our welcome.

All that said, we worked within the allotted episodes given, ended it as we wished, but left the door open for other stories. I'd love to do an expansion and a deepening: pick up where we left off; find out what happened in those two years; and proceed to do the equivalent of Godfather II or Better Call Saul as related to the amazing originals they followed.

Let's hope! Keep putting good vibes out there!

PizzaHorse:

If you could pick a character on Carmen Sandiego who'd you switch places with for a day (you get to control their life and they get to control yours) who would you pick, and why?

Duane Capizzi:

Okay, THIS is difficult. So you're going Freaky Friday on me?

on a Sunday?

Hmmm, I know Ivy would get along with my cat ... but then I'd have to hang out with Zack!

That's the trick: I can't pick my favorites cuz I couldn't hang out with them!

(not that I have favorites - they're all my babies haha)

Okay, I have one: ROUNDABOUT. I could fill Shadowsan's seat - how cool is that? Then, I could enact all my evil fantasies - but still have a get out of jail free card cuz he'd be sitting at my desk!

(cut to Duane being brain wiped - D'oh!)

PizzaHorse:

Who are two characters who don't really interact in the show that you think could be good friends or work really well together?

Duane Capizzi:

Hmmmm. Okay, now I'm going to give you quick and sassy answers. Gray and Julia! They'd be so cute banding together to rescue captive Carmen (for instance). And they could also duke it out and maybe settle things between themselves re: shipping controversies instead of dragging me into it

PizzaHorse:

The FINAL QUESTION. Have you learned anything super impactful while working on the show?

Duane Capizzi:

Aside from Iceland's terrifically low crime rate?

I think I have learned to never underestimate how meaningful characters can be to fans. Social media has obviously brought us a lot closer to our fan base in more immediate ways: it's been really gratifying to hear/see/read feedback and not be writing things in a vacuum. It's been gratifying to see that ideas that were meaningful to myself and the creative team on Carmen that were crafted with care, have also resonated with our fan base. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE who has traveled on this journey with us - for embracing Carmen's world view, and her friends and foes alike. Take care everyone! Stay safe! This has been fun, thanks for having me!

PizzaHorse:

HUGE thank you to Duane Capizzi: for being here today.

Thank you everyone for watching and reacting!

Duane Capizzi:

Okay, gotta run - just gotta find the door

Anyway, really: THIS HAS BEEN AMAZING. I speak for everyone involved in the creation and production of Carmen: it has been an amazing and inspiring series and we're elated to see it connect with such a CREATIVE, TALENTED and INTELLIGENT fan base. Take care everyone! Until next crime...

[hiatuswhore]

Mainlander

Out of all the glitz and glam that came with your family’s wealth there was always one event you went to annually that you were excited for.  Since a baby, your family had been attending the Midsummer Party.  This event brought all the wealthy families that owned property on the expensive side of the island together.  It was not exactly the event itself you were excited about but the boy with the funny name you had seen every year since you were a girl there.  While your parents rub elbows with other pretentious people you would explore with the fisherman’s son, Pope.  This was the only time the two of you would interact as when the night was over you would return to your kook life and him back to the pogues.   Walking through the party you could see him standing with his dad, his back was facing the area you were. 

“(Y/n)? My have you grown,” Looking over Ward Cameron was stopping you in your tracks as he smiled.  Offering a kind smile, you had mastered how to make it reach your eyes so it was believable.

“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Cameron,” You greeted, shaking both their hands hoping it would be a quick hello in passing.  

“Please call me Ward.  You remember Sarah, Louisa, and Rafe right?” Ward asked, signaling both his children over.  Fighting the urge to roll your eyes as they strolled over you had no interest in any of them.  Sarah was out of touch with real-world issues and Rafe had the tendency to be a prick constantly.  Louisa just being a child you could only assume she’d follow in the rest of her families footsteps.

“Of course I do,” You said smiling at them Rafe’s eyes traveled down your body slowly.  Not only did it feel invading but somewhat predatory, Sarah offered a kind smile as well but as she looked around it was apparent she was distracted.

“Nice dress,” Rafe said, taking your hand he brought the back of it to his lips.  Fighting the urge to rip your hand away you only smiled explaining your mother had it made for you.  It was not too over the top but the beige silk complimented your skin perfectly.  While everyone wore long gowns your dress reached a reasonable and yet still questionable length.  Leaving a lot and a little to one’s imagination.  Your father was not the biggest fan of the vexing dress, mellowing them out with nude scandals there was little to nothing really done with your hair.  Leaving it natural you looked beautiful.  Showing no care to being flashy or done up for others. Excusing yourself Pope still had yet to turn around and his father had walked off somewhere. Pressing yourself to his back you poked your finger into his side imitating a gun.

“Listen closely Islander I need information on a Pope Heyward.  One wrong move and I’ll have to kill you,” You whispered and at first you felt him tense but as you spoke you could feel his entire body relax.

“Easy Mainlander I’ll tell you whatever you want to know but I ask for one thing in return,” He said, playing into your on-spot concocted fantasy just like you would both do as children.

“What might that be?” You asked jokingly stepping back as you holstered your ‘weapon.’

“A hug,” Pope said turning around seeing you standing there a quiet gasp left his lips.  Every year it felt like he was seeing you for the very first time.  Each time more beautiful than the last. 

“I think I can arrange that,” You joked, pulling him into a hug and the two of you laughed as you embraced each other.  Back on the mainland most of your friends assumed the Islander named Pope that you were infatuated with was not real.  This was always the best part of the summer for you.

“You look amazing like always,” Pope complimented, smiling sheepishly a grin crept onto your face.

“Still super smart I see,” You joked, jokingly pressing a hand to his chest in shock you rolled your eyes as your giggled.

“Was there ever a doubt?” He asked, shaking your head you were sure Pope was the smartest guy your age you had met.  You attend Phillips Academy in Massachusetts, one of the best private schools in the country.   Asking him what was new he explained his scholarship interview coming up.

“You know my Mom could write you a recommendation letter.  She has a lot of notoriety just in case you’re nervous.” You offered but you knew he would decline the offer.  Talking for another few minutes as you were pulled away from Pope by your parents you had to smile and pretend to care about the other guests. Excusing yourself to the bathroom on your way there you slammed into a blonde boy in a hurry, more so he slammed into you.

“I’m so sorry are you okay?” He asked, looking past you quickly he looked panicked as he helped you up.  

“Are you okay?” You asked looking in the direction he kept watching as Rafe Cameron and his idiot friends came into view you quickly realized what was happening, “Go that way those doors will lead you back to the party.”

“Than—” He began but you quickly pushed him toward the doors as Rafe’s eyes landed on you.

“Rafe, Topper, boys,” You said, dusting yourself off from the fall they were all watching you carefully.

“You see a blonde guy run through here? Dressed like waiter and has couple bruises?” Topper asked, hating yourself for what you had to do next it was the only way to convince them you were telling the truth.

“Ugh yeah, that idiot ran into me and then kept running toward the bathrooms.  I’m getting security what is wrong with these people,” You scoffed, imitating most of your peers as well as you could.

“Don’t worry about that (Y/n) we’ll handle him from here okay,” Rafe said, brushing his hands against your own.  Wanting to gag you kept it to yourself as you smiled at his flirtation.  Walking toward the ladies’ restroom there you took a moment to check your phone. There were only Instagram notifications and a few snaps from friends at school. All on lavish vacation the destinations varied but the poses for pictures did not.

Rejoining the party as you stepped outside Rafe and the guys were back outside, so was the guy who had run into you.  Only this time he was with accompanied a security guard. 

“Look man I can walk myself I got legs,” the boy said, drawing attention from the guests of the party the boy was becoming the main attraction.  As he walked past you he smiled holding his hand up for a high five and you returned it, “Thanks for the save beautiful. You look amazing.”

“Alright move it,” The security guard said, pushing the problematic boy ahead before you could even get a word out.

“I really appreciate what you did back there also Mr. Security guard sir—let me just walk out. Oh Mr. Dunleavy I see you got your drink.  Good, that’s really nice of you I’m actually gonna down that,” The boy said taking Mr. Dunleavy’s drink he through it back without issue.  Walking over to your parents as you heard them mumbling complaints about the boy you found him rather entertaining, “Whoo! I really appreciate the discretion Daryl, you know? It’s okay, everybody! Do not panic. Leave it to the men and women in uniform, huh! Let’s hear it for them. Rose! You look like Lady Liberty. It’s good to see you again.”

Watching him slowly being dragged out of the party you wanted to help him but you knew nothing of him.  You didn’t even know his name.

“Let go of him! You can’t just boot him!” Looking over Kiara Carrera was yelling from the porch.  You knew of her but the two of you never really interacted despite your parents and hers both being in the same social circles.  As children, you would play but beyond that, the two of you were practically strangers to the other, “I invited him here. I’m a member of this club.”

As her parents tried to stop her everything soon spiraled out of control.  While the security guard was distracted the boy used it as his opportunity to push the man away from him. 

“Oh sorry about that. Hey, mandatory power hour at Rixon’s, Kie. Pope you as well right?” As the boy addressed Pope you looked over realizing these were his friends.  Despite the commotion watching them a small smile was fighting to break the surface of your face, “Rixon’s Cove. Let’s roll. All right Kie come on.  Workers of the world unite. Throw off your chains!”

Despite the boys’ recklessness, his words were oddly inspiring, you were not a part of the workers of the world but there were chains you wished to free yourself from. Looking at Pope he was watching Kiara with hesitation. She was first to walk from her parents and began running through the party. Pope followed suite as his father was shaking his head, he removed his apron.  Scanning the room as his eyes landed on you, you could see he was inviting you.  Watching as Kiara ran into the blonde boys’ arms and Pope embraced another dark-haired boy there was a big part of you that wanted to go with them.  Pope looked back one more time watching you as he ignored his father’s yelling.  Slowly lifting your foot taking your scandals into your hand one shoe at a time Pope smiled holding out his hand.  Your parents followed Pope’s gaze onto you but before they could try to stop you it was too late.  Running over taking Pope’s hand you giggled as the two of you ran after his friends into the part of the island not well lit.  

The rush of adrenaline coming to an end as you all finally came to a halt you felt a bit awkward as you were surrounded by unfamiliar people.  As the blonde boy started a fire and the brown-haired boy pulled out some beers while you stayed at Pope’s side. The silence made it apparent they had wanted to discuss something just between them.  As the silence continued a knot twisted in your belly.

“I’m sorry for intruding I just—uh wanted to throw off the chains like he said,” You said, breaking the silence and they were all unsure of what to say.  The fire reflecting off of your face looked beautiful as your earrings sparkled from the moonlight.

“Guys this is (Y/n). (Y/n) this is Kiara, JJ and John B,” Pope introduced, smiling at them they all looked puzzled.  Watching all of them Kiara was the first to go from puzzled to shocked.

“Oh my god, you’re Mainlander. How have I never connected those dots!” Kiara explained, making relief wash over you.  

“You talk about me?” You muttered to Pope with a smile as he sheepishly stumbled over his words.

“All the time and I quote the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen,” John B said, earning a nudge from Pope but they were relentless.

“Well, we’ve heard great things about you Mainlander.  Not only are you a beauty and kook but you saved me from Rafe and those idiots.  So if we pogues are all in agreement I JJ Maybank representing the pogue delegation doth you honorary pogue,” Touching your left shoulder and then your right. 

Clearing your throat preparing your best British accent you stood up in front of JJ, “Why thank you, kind sir. I am honored but before I accept this first I want to express my utmost gratitude.”

“Alright Pope she’s a keeper,” JJ said laughing at your response, sitting back down you all drank and enjoyed the campfire.  It would have been nice for the night to last forever.  As everyone went into separate side conversations you nudged Pope signaling him to take a walk with you.  

“I like your friends they’re very,” Pausing for a second trying to find the right word for his fun but peculiar friends, “Eccentric.”

“Yeah, they’re something,” Pope said walking the shoreline as the water reached your feet you jumped.  

“Tonight has been fun,” You said, stopping as you looked at him, you wanted him to kiss you.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Pope said, avoiding your gaze for a few seconds as he finally looked at you.  Staring at each other you leaned in a bit but stopped waiting for him to meet you the rest of the way but he didn’t.  

“We should head back,” Pope said, nodding your head slowly you said nothing as you both walked back to the others. During the walk though as you were caught up in your head, Pope pulled you out of it as he interlaced his hand in your own.

Outer Banks Masterlist

[dragqueenpentheus]

Okay no one has to read this but i DO have to write it:

PYROC VS FATHER PAUL

Ya bitch needs an art break bc im getting angry about voices existing as i try to keep myself entertained. Today is NOT a god one for sinking into repetitive line work and that’s just about all i have on the table atm

SO! Im gunna do a little thinking about my little meow meows all fucked up by religion. Just a comparison for my sanity and interests. Pyroc is my baby i wrote him for the first time years ago. Five?????????? Whadda hell. Going on six.

ANYWAY john joined religion because of his trauma. His sister died and he felt lost. He was unmoored in this fishing village and looking for reason looking for hope. Hed had his heart broken and trying to make sense of tragedy on his own was totally beyond him. Thats why his interactions with riley in AA are SO good like. He knows that confusion and he knows the rhetoric that’s supposed to combat it. Only it dooesnt work for riley.

The same sort of thing happens for pyrc, only inverted. Loss urns him away from god and religion because its SO strong in his family and not only is he loosing trust in god, but his kin as well. He’s suspicious there’s mre they arent telling him, at the point of his fathers death. And he agrees to, on the surface, absolutely wholly throw himself in to being the second the family and the village need. But he’s keeping his treachery under wraps.

That’s one of the coolest things about father paul imo is like. That slow unraveling of what is. Frankly. An awful half assed plan, driven by fear and loneliness and desperation and dementia and love. Even VERY obvious things like. Taking down the newspaper photo of his young self ‘slip’ by him. I think, on some level, its DEEPLY intentional. He wants people to CHOOSE this. He wants people like bev. He wants people who see him and are in aw of him beating god. Of killing death. He wants to be worshiped and adored and for people to come to him willingly, no tragedy driving them to his arms.

Pyroc also wnats to be worshipped, but he ALSO wants to do the worshipping. He really longs for an element of almost????? But not quite??? Subjection?? He wants to be shown something and for a Great Voice to tell him, unquestioningly and unerringly that it is GOOD. Full stop. And then he wants to spend his life worshipping it. But this booko is an exploration of how….. no such thing exists. And more importantly no great voice exists either. There is nothing wholly good, nothing wholy evil. His lack of faith in himself once he becomes god is him starting to understand that as well. Thats on purpose baked into the lore. The starting point was ‘what if god was a position and in order to get promoted you had to be a murderer. No matter what’. He understands things are not wholly good, at that point. I onder how long it will be for him to realize they are not fully evil as well?

Bc pruitt does hm hm hm an interesting move. Where he takes something the narritve is very sure to communicate is EVIL no wiggle room just fact. Even if its driven by animal instinct its. Evil. And he makes it, not just good, but HOLY. And god i LOVEEEE that for him i ADOREEE that what a MOVE. Driven by desperation and dementia and relief and ‘if god saved me than maybe i can be good despite loving and sinning and maybe if i defeat god then i will be Thee Good’. SO sexy of him. Im really fascinated by his morality. He seems to have an understanding of the shades of grey in some respects??? But if he had a BETTER one with more forgiveness in his heart i feel like hed have left the church anyway after sarah was born??? Even if millie didnt ask him??? That might just be my own sensibilities creeping in but ….. like he culd have seen her on the weekends. He can do other jobs. Hes straight (??? Not totally convinced of this) he could have just dated her that makes me crazy. LIKE OBV HE HAD LINES HE THOUGHT THAT WOULD CROSS AND HE HAD INTERNALIZED THE CHURCH AND THE RULES AND SHE WAS MARRIED AND ECT ECT i know he couldnt have really but. Thye were straight. They coulda.

Im not gunna do fantasy homophobia bc i think its …………….. Boring. But i think some element of??? The vindlegaurd line MUST be passed along and for that particular rules must be applied. But thats also boring as hell :/ maybe i can work in my parthenogenesis lore?????????? I bet pyroc would love building that spell in any universe. That’s the sequal when he goes to magic university in helsin. But yeah i do like the concept that. Anyone can have a baby thru magic its just a time and energy commitment. Just a matter of wanting it enough together. Every baby is so deeply wanted and its mere existence is proof. Thats dope i love that. HMMM to be decided at a later date when im deeper into the story i think. I still havent figured out fully how and where and why orion is going to be invovled and if???? Pyroc and orion are even going to be romantic??????? Im torn im TORn…….

Thikns about john bonding w sarah over science and learning and starts wEEPING…. Like theres some surity beloved. Its just a matter of uncovering. I think sarah felt that same thirst for answers and hunted them differently. Her faith is in logic and science. I loveeee her god. Every scene w her and her dad absolutely RUIN me like!!!!!! SHE DOESNT KNOW!!! SHE DOESNT KNOW HOW LOVED SHE IS!!!!!! I hope at hte very end she saw the blood as the gesture of love it SO clearly was and not him trying to poison her. God i love that she spat it out. GOD. Thats about being gay, btw. Spits the religious offering that could save you across the gasoline soaked church floor like BABE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think we as a collective should talk about the possibiites around sarah/erin more. Bc their defiance combined would be. Earth SHATTERING for crockett.

In the future pyroc gets a kid. Ever since that campaign where Enemy ended up playing his daughter im like. How did i NOT know this idiot wanted nothing more in the entire world than to travel it with his daughter. I dont care how or why hes getting a kid. Hed be so doting and awful abut it. He would need orion as a co-parent for the kids self esteem to be normal levels. thINKS ABOUT PAUL GETTING TO RAISE SARAH AND JUST ABSOLUTELY GASSING HER UPPPPPPPP HANGING EVERY DOODLE SHE EVER MADE ON TEH FRIDGE. BOASTING ABOUT HER SCEINECE PROJECT OT ANYONE WITHIN EYESIGHT EVEN THOUGH ‘WE K N O W JOHNWE WERE ALL AT THE SCEINCE FAIR’!!!!!!!!!!! Let these fuck ups be doting fathers im fucking begging. That scene where paul is like. You take ccare of everyone on the island sarah. Its more than being a doctor. You comfort them.

HM HM comfort is such a thing for Miss Bitch like!! He sees it as a Good Thing. He tries to bring it for riley by asking to hold the AA meetings on island ((also manipulation. Obvously also manipulation. I wouldnt have bene shocked if he was slipping the vampire blood into the coffee every meeting either. But thats just a theory. A game theory.)) ANYWAY he sees comfort as hly. The church gave it to him when he needed it. The angel gave it to him in the cave. Feeling safe and warm is HIGH on his list of priorities and what makes him hand over respect.

I think pyroc has lived a very comfortable life in SO many ways, but in none he. Activly recognizes. A key part of his character arc his him…. Opening his eyes to the world around them. Seeing the privilege he has and being like. Wait. This isnt Right. We have to change thi. And when no one agrees ti shifts to I have to change this. With Violence. A little revolutionary <3 it only costs the life of his whole ass family

Thats more fun comparison ground like…… paul is SO much about I know whats right and there is a cost but i AM ignoring it. Like HE KNOOOOWSSSS he knooooows he just doesnt want o See. I’m not sure if im going to surprise yroc with the ……megadeath of. His whole family. Or if it’s a choice he has to activly make. I think a choice makes it more compelling, more layerd. It has to be in the moment though, becaus ei think thats. A key difference between them. Pyroc wouldnt do it.. hed just leave hed peace out and do what he could in small ways. But he wouldnt do his big stand off with god. Hed shrink his goals in order to not hurt his family. Out of love?? Intimidation?? Some instinct wihtin him that balks at the idea of disobedience??? I think even he doesnt know. But i LOVE john becaue he jsut decides to lie. He closes his eyes and says i am being stupid on purpose. I think thats PERHAPS more compelling than good guy coward pyroc BUT!!!!! Thats who he is rip to ths little man. Cant change him now hes a whole ass child in my head. The PLOT i can change. Him….. not without massive character development <3

UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MM set my brain on FIRE!!!! Im so glad nano is coming up. I love sharpening pyroc against the comparison of other AMAZING characters. Father paul hill my beloved millstone <3 anyway sorry to anyone who reads this its literally me unhinging my jaw and emptying my brain out. I had to write stuff that wasn’t novel or fic. A little character time down and dirty. I wil NOT be editing this love and light to future me trying to decode this

[atomic-taco-muffin]

Part Of My World part 8 (Finale)

I’m back baby! Whoo! Tests are finally over! 

Warnings: same as last part

Part Of My World Masterlist

Previously in Part Of My World: 

“Sora! Wake up! It’s your last chance to kiss (Y/N)! Come on! Wake up! Wake up!”

“Good morning, my angel.” the imposter said as he hugged you.

“Hi, Vanitas.” you said hugging back.

“Well, this is certainly surprising. But I’m glad you found someone to become your king. Welcome to the family, Vanitas.” Sora was heartbroken. His one true love fell for another man.

“(Y/N) got engaged to another man and he’s heartbroken about it.” Roxas explained.

“WHAT?!” Xion and Axel exclaimed. Sora looked down, not wanting anyone to see his tears.

“Hey.” Axel put his hand on Sora’s shoulder. Sora looked up at Axel with tears falling down his face. “We’ll get her back to you.” Sora smiled at Axel.

“Vanitas? Who’s Vanitas?” Sora wrote down who Vanitas was and who he was and where he and Vanitas came from and why Vanitas is here.

“You’re a merman?! Dude, that is awesome!” Axel said.

Just then, the door opened to reveal Vanitas.

“Who are you?” He sneered.

“I’m Lady Xion. These are my friends. Lord Roxas, Lord Axel, and…” Right before Xion said Sora’s name, Sora made a cutting motion with his hand.

“And Lord Ventus.” Xion lied.

“Uh-huh.” Vanitas knew it was Sora, but he played along.

“May we know who you are?”

“Fine. The name’s Vanitas. (Y/N)’s future husband and future king. And if must know, (Y/N) told me to explore the castle so I get used to it when I move in here.” Vanitas then left. Sora let out a breath he been holding for a long time.

~~~~

Donald flew as fast as he can to find Goofy. He found him on his island napping. 

“Goofy! It’s an emergency!” Goofy woke up slowly, not fully understanding what was happening. 

“What?” he asked groggily. 

“Were you not listening? Sora’s in trouble!” 

“Sora’s in trouble?! What should we do?!” 

“We need to warn the king and the queen.” 

“On it!” Goofy left the island to go warn the king and the queen. He swam as fast as he can to the Destiny Kingdom. 

“Your Majesties! It’s an emergency!” 

“Great. Just what we needed. Another emergency.” the king said. The queen elbowed him. 

“What is it, Goofy?” she asked Goofy. 

“It’s about, Sora.” 

“Sora! Where is he? Is he okay? Tell me what happened!” the king shouted. 

“Sora is with the princess, but he’s in danger. We must head over to the kingdom before it’s too late!” Goofy said. 

“Riku!” the queen called. 

“Yes, Your Majesty.” 

“Round up all of the guards. We’re gonna save my son.” Riku bowed and went to go round up the guards. 

“We’re coming, honey. Just be strong for us.” the queen whispered. She went to her jewelry box and pulled out a magic pendant and gave it to Goofy. 

“Make sure that Sora gets this.” Goofy nodded and swam back to Donald. 

~~~~

“Okay. I just found out from a maid, that there’s gonna be a ball tonight to celebrate the so-called engagement between (Y/N) and Vanitas. Then tomorrow there’s gonna be the wedding. So we need to break Vanitas’ spell before sun down.” Xion said. 

“Okay. Mr. Talking-Bird here said that Sora’s parents are on their way with support and gave Sora a magic pendant.” Axel said. 

“I have a name here and it’s Donald!” 

“Okay. Sorry. No need to get all feisty with me.” Donald was about to peck the shit out of Axel but Sora stopped him from doing so. 

“How are you holding up, Sora?” Roxas asked. Sora wrote down that he was okay but scared of what might happen.

“Don’t worry, Sora. We’ll get her back.” Xion said, putting her hand on his shoulder. 

“I should go see if the king and the queen have arrived.” Donald said. He then flew off to go find Sora’s parents. 

“While Donald is doing that, we need to prepare for tonight. Also, what does that pendant to?” Xion said. Sora shrugged. He then put in on and felt a rush of magic go through him. 

“Are you okay, Sora?” Roxas asked. 

“Y-Yeah. I feel good.” 

“YOUR VOICE! It came back!” Xion said. 

“Yeah. Thank you, mom. I’ll come home soon. Let’s do this.” They left the library, and went to go get ready for the ball tonight.

~Time Skip~

Sora, Xion, Axel, and Roxas entered the ballroom to be greeted by a bunch of people they didn’t know. 

“Great. How are we gonna find (Y/N) and Vanitas when there’s all these people in the way?” Axel complained. Sora looked through the sea of people and then found you and Vanitas by the staircase. 

“Guys. I found her! Let’s go!” Sora said. They split up so they wouldn’t make it obvious. Xion went to the right, while the boys went to the left. 

“Hey, (Y/N)! You look beautiful!” Xion said. 

“Thanks, Xion! You look pretty too!” you replied. 

“So, I hear you’re getting married tomorrow. Mind if I see the dress?” 

“Of course! I’ll be right back, Bubby.” (I’m sorry! That nickname makes me soft! I love it so much!) Vanitas nodded in response. You and Xion went to go look at the dress, while the boys went to go confront Vanitas. Sora snuck with Xion to try and talk to you.

“Ugh. What do you want?” Vanitas said. 

“We know what your plan is, Vanitas.” Roxas said. 

“Do you now? And what do think my plan is?” 

“Your plan is to summon a creepy crusty wizard that will take over this kingdom and many others while having Sora as a prisoner.” Axel said. 

“Seems like you caught me. But you’re kind of too late.” 

“What the hell do you mean by that?” Roxas asked. 

“(Y/N) puts all of her trust into me. And Sora is not gonna be able to anything about it.” Vanitas smirked. 

“You son of a-”

~~~~

“Okay. You wait here while I’ll go get the dress.” you said. 

“Okay.” Xion smiled. You went into your closet to pull out the wedding dress. It was passed down through your family. 

Xion made sure that you were in the closet before she let Sora in. Your maid helped you put the dress on and made sure it was on securely. You stepped out of the closet to be greeted by Sora. 

“Oh, hey. What are you doing here?” you asked surprised to see Sora standing there instead of Xion. 

“I came to see you.” he said. 

“Your voice came back!” 

“Yeah. But that’s not why I’m here.”

“Well, why are you here?” 

“Come with me.”You followed Sora down to the docks and stood there as he explained what has been going on these past couple of hours. 

“Wait, you have to leave tonight?” Sora nodded in response. 

“I-I wish I got to spend more time with you.”

“Me too.” Sora got an idea 

 “Do you trust me?” he asked. 

“Of course I trust you!” Sora pulled you close and started to dance with you. Just as he was about to kiss you, Vanitas pushed him into the water. 

“You just make it too easy don’t you, Sora?” 

“Wait, Sora?!” Sora got out of the water and saw that Vanitas was holding the necklace that Sora gave you. Vanitas then pulled you close to him and placed a rough kiss on your lips. You tried to push him away but he was too strong. 

“NO!” It was too late. The sun had setted and Sora was turned back into a merman. Vanitas finally let you go and you ran to Sora. 

“Oh my god, Sora! I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize it was you this entire time.” you said. 

“At least I got to dance with you.” 

“Ugh. Barf! All this lovey-dovey shit makes me want to kill someone. And I think I know the perfect target.” Vanitas took the last missing piece of the X-Blade and summoned the rest of it. He placed the missing piece into its rightful spot and a surge of dark magic flowed through him. He then pointed the X-Blade right at Sora. You stood in front of Sora with your arms out to protect him. 

“Seriously? Just give up, angel. It’s not worth the trouble.” 

“No. I lost the two most important people in my life. I’m not losing Sora.” 

“So be it.” Vanitas raised the X-Blade in the air and summoned Xehanort. (kind of like what happened during the keyblade war). 

“Hah, feels good to be back in my original body.” Xehanort said. You gasped. You felt like this was your fault. You helped summon Xehanort. Sora looked at Xehanort in disbelief. This isn’t happening. He wished that this was a dream. But it wasn’t. This is real. 

“XEHANORT!” a voice boomed. Wait that sounded familiar. It was 

“DAD!” Sora exclaimed. He saw his parents riding a gigantic wave. He dove into the water to be reunited with his family. Sora’s mother was the first one to hug him. 

“Oh thank goodness! You’re okay.” 

“Well, if it isn’t Your Majesty, the king. So nice of you to join us. We’re just about to get started with the ceremony” Xehanort said. 

“What ceremony?” you asked. 

“Why the wedding, of course.” Vanitas said. This couldn’t be happening. Xehanort grabbed your arm and pushed you towards Vanitas. 

“Now, are we ready to begin?” Xehanort asked. 

“NO! Let me go!” You tried to fight against Vanitas but he was too strong. 

“Dad, we have to help her.” 

“We will, son. Don’t worry.” Sora’s dad waved his trident and shot it at Xehanort and Vanitas trying to be careful of you. The two of them flew into the water and got turned into mermen. Sora swam to you as fast as he can but got pulled by Vanitas. Sora fought against his grip the best as he could. He broke free but the pendant that he had snapped and broke. At that point he didn’t care, all he cared about was making sure you were okay. He made it to the docks and pulled himself up. 

“Sora! Oh my god! I’m so scared. What’s gonna happen?” Sora tried to talk but realized he couldn’t because he didn’t have the pendant. Sora’s mother saw this and gave Sora a magic weapon that will help defeat Vanitas and Xehanort. You hugged Sora and ran back into the castle so that you wouldn’t get hurt. 

~Time skip b/c I don’t want to write a fight scene~

Sora and his family won. They defeated Vanitas and Xehanort together. They were able to break the X-Blade and Sora got his voice back. He was about to swim back to you but remembered that he didn’t have his legs anymore. His mother took notice of this and used her magic to summon one of the last Paopu fruits that existed. She handed him the fruit and told him to go to you. He swam towards the docks again and pulled himself up. You walked out to the docks to see if it was safe. You then ran to Sora and tackled him into a giant hug. 

“What’s this?” you asked as you pulled away from the hug. 

“It’s called a Paopu fruit. It’s said to have a person’s destiny intertwined with another’s. I’m not sure if it will work with us, but I want to give it a try.” he said.

“Okay. Let’s try it.” You and Sora broke off a piece and ate it. Just then, Sora felt his legs come back. The two of you smiled and kissed. 

BONUS: 

It was two years after you got married and became king and queen. You weren’t feeling like yourself. You kept throwing up every five minutes and sometimes passing out. You and Sora thought that it might be food poisoning, but when the doctor came, it was the exact opposite. 

“Y-You’re pregnant?” Sora said. 

“Yep! That’s what the doctor said.” Sora felt tears starting to form and hugged you. You hugged back, feeling your own tears forming. But it brought up a question. Was the baby going to be a merperson or a human. When your baby was born, the two of you discovered that it was a hybrid meaning that the baby could change into a merperson whenever they wanted to. The three of you then lived a happy life in the kingdom and went on crazy adventures together knowing that nothing can stop true love. 

[kamenriderlogik27]

Power of Heroez: Chapter 1

   Please read the prologue if you haven’t already! :)

The early morning was slightly dark as the sun was still no where near from rising, which made it slightly difficult to see around the Sector City harbor. For Hidari Shotaro- Fuuto’s number one dectective- however, this wasn’t a problem as he was used to sneaking around and searching for clues. 

“What is this place?” Shotaro laughed to himself after hiding behind a storage crate. He was baffled by the super tight, armed security that looked like they would kill without hesitation. The whole place was packed with CCTVs and sensors of all kinds as well! 

“I did hear that they were blocking off the island to rebuild after the accident, but this...!” He shook his head and narrowed his eyes at the large ‘X’ painted on the security guards’ chest. 

“I’d rather have not seen that...” He groaned to himself. “It looks like this place is going to need some more serious investigation.” 

Without any hesitation, Shotaro activated a few Memory Gadgets and told them to look around and find whatever evidence they could. After sending them off, he started making his way past the rest of the storage crates to the hangar that was close by. He didn’t have much of a plan other than to look around and get to the targeted area as soon as he could. The only reason he was even on this island was due to an anonymous email sent to the agency. It was short and simple, with only the words “Find Professor Aida.” typed out along with the coordinates that led to Sector City’s Harbor sector. As per usual, instead of questioning the strange email, Hidari Shotaro and his partner- Philip- accepted it like any other client request. 

Now, was that a smart idea? mmm.... probably not. But that’s how it’s always been. And Shotaro wouldn’t have it any other way. He slipped through and hid behind anything that could shield him from the eyes of the security guards. The more he infiltrated, however, the more he started to see Masquerade Dopants roaming about. Which threw him for a loop since he wasn’t expecting to see them there at all. Oh well, just another reason to keep looking into this mysterious island. 

It took him around 20 or so minutes to finally get to the targeted area, but he still had a ways off before arriving at the exact location that the coordinates were located. 

“It looks like it just over there.” Shotaro observed, looking at a what seemed like a giant wall. He’s probably going to have to transform into order to pass it. But before he could go any further, a dark voice emitted from a sudden burst of blue light.   

“Just what are you doing, sniffing around here?!” it demanded, before displaying the site of a rather large man, surrounded by blue hues of light and sitting in a floating chair. 

The sudden appearance surprised the detective, as he jumped back shouting. “Whoa! What kind of monster is this?!” 

“I was wondering what was causing all this commotion.” The entity said to himself rather lazily. “And now I find that it’s nothing more than a worthless bug.” Ok. Maybe Shotaro wasn’t being as ‘covert’ as he thought.

Shotaro sighed, knowing that he had no other way of getting through this. “I really wanted to do this like a true detective. But I’m afraid you leave me no choice.” 

“C’mon partner.” Shotaro exclaimed, putting on his driver. His mind instantly connecting with a younger man who was patiently waiting back at their office. 

They didn’t even need to speak to each other know what to do next. For they both held up their respected Gaia Memories and yelled “Henshin!” before inserting them into their driver. Within seconds, Hidari Shotaro’s body was engulfed into a half black, half green body suit; a suite that everyone from Fuuto knew and dubbed the protector of Fuuto city-

Kamen Rider W.

“Shotaro.” Philip greeted while observing the huge entity in front of them. “And here I thought that I wouldn’t be needed in this case.” 

“Well, from what I’ve already witness so far,” Shotaro cracked his knuckles. “There seems to be a lot more to this than just finding a specific person.” 

Philip responded with a short “hmm... I see.” just as the entity stood up from his chair and placed his two heavy feet on the ground, ready to fight. 

“You ready, partner?” Shotaro asked. 

“Always.” Philip responded. 

“Now...” The two said together. “Time to count up your sins.” 

That’s when the entity attacked. 

The fight was short, but not because the Kamen Rider was able to overpower the entity. In fact, the battle ended with W’s defeat. Even after using a few different Gaia memories to help them out, the two-in-one Kamen Rider was over powered by a final kick of the entity’s foot, knocking them out of their transformation. The force was so strong that even the Gaia memories in Shotaro’s possession ended up spilling over the floor near by. The last thing Shotaro saw, was the entity raising his staff as a mass of blue electricity formed around it. But before he could even move to get out of the way, everything went black. 

    ----------------------------

 When Hidari Shotaro came to, he opened his eyes and found that he had been moved to what seemed like a make-shift break room. 

“Where am I...?” he asked himself. His eyes moving from the lumpy sofas, to the broken television set, and finally to the large widows overlooking the now raising sun. Despite being heavily bruised, he ignored the pain, stood up and walked over to the windows. The site before him didn’t look familiar at all, and gave him absolutely no clues as to what was going on. Thankfully, however, his question was answered within seconds.  “This is the city sector of Sector City.” a small, almost pleasant voice replied. Turning around, Shotaro saw a round, red and silver robot hovering in the air. 

“City sector?” The detective repeated, a bit in shock. “Wha... how did I get here?”  

“I deemed that an emergency transfer here was the most prudent course of action.” The robot replied, simply.  

“An emergency transfer....” Shotaro raise his brow. “Um... W-well, I guess you saved me then. Thanks.” Then, he suddenly thought about what had happened right before passing out. He patted around his waist and pockets, only to find the Denden sensor. “Ah! What about the Gaia memories!?”

“The memories were... dispersed during the transfer process.” 

“ugh.” Shotaro groaned, shaking his head. “I guess it can’t be helped since it already occurred. Anyway, who might you be?” 

 “I am Ai.” The robot introduced itself with a curt nod. “I am an artificial intelligence system designed for navigational purposes.”  “Ai, huh.” The detective took off his fedora to brush some dirt off of the top. “Well, my name is Hidari Shotaro, a private detective from the town of Fuuto. Can you tell me what has happened to this island?” 

“This island is known as Sector City.” Ai answered, somehow sounding a bit sad. “This city is know for it’s use of the mysterious energy source called ‘core energy’. In fact, the entire city is devoted to mining, researching and exploring the various uses for this energy as it is only recently discovered.

“However, due to the recent accident, the island has been closed off to the public. After that, mysterious monster began to appear all over the city. As to why this has happened, I do not know....” 

“I see.” Shotaro nodded thoughtfully. “Then, Ai, can you tell me if you know anything about a Professor Aida?” 

“Professor Aida?” Ai hummed. “The name does sound familiar. I will check my data banks for any info.” 

Not even a second later, Ai spoke again. “That name is on the guest list for an experiment, yes. But it is not on the list of evacuees.”  “hmmm... That might be a sign that Professor Aida is still somewhere on this island.” Shotaro thought to himself. “Alright, Ai. I was sent here by an anonymous source to find Professor Aida. Is it alright if I ask for your assistance?” 

“My first priority at the moment is to ensure peace on this island.” The robot responded. “May I ask for your help in that endeavor as well?” 

“Sure! I’m happy to help in anyway that I can!” Shotaro grinned, happy that he wouldn’t be alone in such an unfamiliar city. “Alrighty then. It seems that I still have my Denden sensor with me, so our first step should be to gather information.” 

“But the city is full of monsters, even just outside this building.” Ai protested. “How will we be able to go outside without being detected?” 

“You have a point there.” Shotaro agreed. If only he had his Gaia memories on hand. Then things would be a lot easi- oh! 

“Well, Hello there!” Shotaro grinned, walking past Ai. He leaned down near a window and picked something up. 

“It looks like the Joker is still in my hand after all.” He grinned, holding up holding up his found JOKER Gaia memory. “It always seems to find its way back to me in times of need.” Memories of the Kamen Rider Eternal incident rushed through his brain for a second. 

“Alright, let’s do this.” Shotaro said, holding up the memory and pushing the small button. It rang out a loud “JOKER!” as a sign of activation. 

“Henshin!” Shotaro yelled in reply before placing the memory into his driver. Unlike his shared transformation with Philip as Kamen Rider W, Kamen Rider Joker’s suit was covered form head to toe in black. Which was perfect for hiding in the shadows. 

“Let’s go.” He motioned for Ai to follow his lead as they made their way out of the building. Once they got outside, they quickly hid behind a wall and watched as an army of the same security guards from earlier, started marching down the street. “What are they?” he asked Ai, now noticing how metallic and stiff their features looked. 

“I do not know.” Ai responded. “But they’re some of the monsters that have been rapidly growing in the city.”

“It looks like the whole place is overrun by them.” Shotaro observed, his eyes never leaving the army passing by them. 

“May I ask a question?” Ai asked, curiously. 

“Sure! Go ahead!” The detective smiled, forgetting that his masked covered it. 

“What functions does the Denden Sensor posses?” Ai motioned to the Gadget hanging from his belt. 

“Well, it can basically pick up almost anything.” Shotaro started, not really sure how to explain the complex device that Philip created. “Let me tell you, with one round around the island using this, we’ll be able to solve the mystery in no time!” 

“But, with all the monster around...” Ai’s voice grew to worry. “That will be difficult. With the entire island shut down, we will have to defeat the enemy and free each sector in order to continue on.” 

“Oh really now. Hmmm....” Shotaro thought for a bit. That would make things a bit more difficult. “Well, what about the guy in charge? There has to be someone around here running the place.” 

“That would be Professor Zeus.” Ai responded. “He’s the lead researcher but has been unreachable since the accident.”  

Shotaro sighed. “Then I guess we need to find him as well. What’s he like?” 

“The workers say he is.... ‘unusual’.” Ai started to explain. “He is said to have frizzy hair, thick glasses and simply just smiles when spoken to.” 

“I see. It doesn’t seem like he’s a super strict boss.” Shotaro said thoughtfully.

“However, his achievements with Core Energy have made him a highly esteemed scientist.” 

“Two scientists go missing around the same time after a mysterious accident. Just... what is going on here?” 

Shaking his head, he unlatched the Denden sensor from his belt. “Come on. Let’s use this to help us figure out what our next step will be.       

[isnotys]

Cruel Summer Pt 2

Summary: After a stressful couple of months, the twins, Emma and you decide to take a well-deserved trip to a Caribbean island. However, it’s not all that peaceful because your more-than-obvious crush on Grayson is making you lose your marbles.

Warnings: anger (?)

Part 1

I didn’t even think twice about it, I couldn’t. Otherwise, I’d say no.

We didn’t even go to our rooms to get anything, I had my phone and wallet with me and he had his, that’s pretty much all we needed. So we just took a cab downtown, and when we arrived at the town square, there were a few tents. We decided to stop there and have a nice breakfast and look around. We got off the taxi and Grayson grabbed my hand, as if I was gonna get lost. It was a possibility because we turned our phones off, that way we could explore the city without Ethan trying to make it about himself and how he was being left out. He can be a bit of a drama queen. 

Our first stop was a farmers market. They had pretty much everything here. Grayson’s face lit up when he saw all the avocados they had, it was really endearing.

“Look! They have so many avocados here! We should move here, y/n!” 

“Because they have avocados?” He appreciates the simplest detail in everything, it’s so adorable.

“No, because they have beautiful beaches AND a lot of avocados,” he is practically yelling out of excitement. It’s kind of contagious. He smiles and scrunches his nose in the cutest way possible. He might be a huge, grown man, but he's such a soft boy. 

I smile at him as if I can’t believe a human could ever be so perfect. I can’t hide anything, so I just say, “well it did say that Rincón was all about the beaches.”

He laughs a little and looks at me, staring at me deeply like he was reading something he didn’t understand. I feel my face burning and again, not because of the sun. His large muscles make him look sort of intimidating, but the way he just smiles at the simplest things or laughs ridiculously loud, lets you know that he’s just a big goofy teddy bear. The love I feel for this man begins to be a weight I can no longer carry. It’s not even about his irresistible lips, his sexy beard, his breathtaking eyes, his contagious smile, his Hemsworth-like figure, it’s not even about all that. Though he looks perfect on the outside, he’s even more beautiful on the inside. He’s so kind, caring and passionate about everything he does. He really wants to make a positive change in this world, and boy, I’ve never laughed so hard until I met him. He’s so much more than he lets people see and I love that. I’ve always thought that it’s good to be underestimated and he’s sort of the embodiment of that. I’m about to say something when the server calls out his name. Our order was ready. 

When he comes back with our food, my bravery is gone and he hands me the most appetizing açai bowl I have ever seen. Colorful, fresh fruit as a topping with crunchy granola and a touch of Nutella because it can’t all be healthy. No Nutella for him, obviously because he's dairy-free and that’s, “way too unhealthy.”

After eating, he wanted to try the smoothies because they’re made from fresh fruits that were displayed right there on the table. 

The center of the town square, which was in front of a cathedral,  had a few huts made from concrete where there were more vendors. They had all kinds of stuff; from food to jewelry, to books. It was a really cool place to explore on this beautiful day.

Grayson was looking all around after getting his smoothie, he seems really excited to be discovering this new place. He did say he wanted to travel more and this is the perfect place. No one knows who he is here, so we’re just peacefully walking around. Also, these beaches are perfect for surfing. He looks like he’s trying to soak it all in. His face is a little red from all the sun he’s been exposed to and his tanned muscles are glowing under this sun. At least he’s wearing a shirt this time otherwise, there’s no way I would be able to keep it together. 

“This island is so pretty and the food so far has been great.” You can barely see his eyes because he’s smiling so big. Who would ever be able to stay in a bad mood being around him?

I break out of my trance-like state to say, “Yes, you really seem to be enjoying yourself here Gray.”

“I am. It’s really nice to get away from all the negative energy and just be outside. To really enjoy life with great people, that’s what I always wanted.” He smiles and playfully shoulders me.

“It really shows that you're in a different state of mind now.”

“Yes, change is good, even if it’s scary. Especially after all that has happened in the last few years. It’s just nice to feel free for once.”

“There’s my favorite Gray, Cheesy Gray!”

“Don't make fun of me y/n!” 

“No, I'm not making fun of you, Grayson! I know exactly what you mean. The last few years have been difficult for all of us, in different ways. It’s just so refreshing that you always remain so positive and kind and mature through all of it.” For the first time, I felt like I could actually breathe around him and be honest about what I was feeling.

“You know what? No more dwelling on the past, peaches.” He finished his smoothie and held out his hand for me to take it.

I took it and he lead the way to the shops that were nearby. 

We spent the next few hours of window shopping. All the stores were very, um. surf centric so to speak; selling bikinis, surfboards, wet suits, and with a few crystals here and there. After walking around well into the afternoon, we decided to go into this restaurant called Boca’s, which means mouth in Spanish, apparently. That doesn't make much sense, but I thought it was interesting. 

Over the course of what I’d call a very late lunch, and not that early dinner, we had the most amazing ~dairy free~ brick oven pizza. 

He looked all serious at me with those piercing hazel-green eyes and asked, “So what’s with you lately? You’ve been skipping out on a lot of our hangouts and that’s not only painful because you are leaving me to be the third wheel, makes me feel that there’s something wrong. You certainly hangout with Emma a lot. I don't know, it just seems like you are avoiding us, or me?”

I swear to the Almighty Taylor Swift that my heart dropped to my ass and my hands were sweating so much I could fill a glass. I’m sure Grayson could read the expression on my face, my eyes were open wide with fear and my face was as red as the lobster people were eating on the table next to us.

“Listen, I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable. Ugh, you’re just so damn difficult to read, y/n.” He says clearly frustrated. “Is it that you’re dating someone. Is that why you’ve been keeping your distance?”

I need to say something now before I really get myself into some trouble here. “Look, Grayson,” I say trying to keep my voice steady and a straight face, “I’m fine and I don’t have anything against either of you two and I’m definitely not dating anyone, not that that’s relevant to this particular issue. Yes, I am a little awkward, but I have known Emma a lot longer than I’ve known you guys and I was a little hesitant to come on this trip because I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable. After all, you don't know me that well and I know you guys hesitate to let people into your lives because you’ve been burned before. As have I.”

He looks down and even disappointed. I am so confused, what more does he want? For me to be a 100% honest and make this friendship more awkward than it already is? So we then end up complete strangers and I have to live the rest of my existence not being able to have Grayson Dolan in my life?

Not a chance. 

“Ok, you know what? You might be right, but I still see you as a close friend. You can trust me and even though Emma has been my friend for longer than you, I trust you just as much.” He says as he looks outside. He seems a little pissed off and I can’t figure out why. I’ve been following him around all day, now I’m the one who’s getting pissed off. What more does he want? He suddenly speaks again, “let’s go we’re gonna miss the sunset.” He pays for the food and we take a cab to the lighthouse that’s a few minutes away.

He doesn't say anything during the short drive and I don't either. I’m mad too, I don't know why, but I am. The ride there though quiet is breathtaking. The sun has begun to set and the sky is overtaken by a bright orange that we can see through the palm trees. As well as, the sea peeking through the huge, beautiful houses. 

We made it to the lighthouse and walked around a bit. 

“We should take some pics for Instagram, y/n.” Grayson says after what felt years of silence.

“Ok.” I said. I step under an archway made out of branches so he takes the photo. 

“You look pretty.” He whispers as he hands me the phone to take his photo. I blush and then die a little on the inside. 

After taking his picture, he puts his arm around me so we can take a selfie. I smile and try to play it cool. This boy needs to chill or I’m gonna lose it. 

We were looking into the water after taking a few pics and he says, “There has to be a way we can get to the beach below without jumping off of that cliff. Which I’m not completely opposed to, but I know you won't do it.”

“Well, I’d like to survive to see another sunset. Though this one is beautiful enough to be my last one.”

“You try to be so deep sometimes. As if I don't already know you're a writer.” He teases and laughs with his big goofy smile, I could die right here from how cute he is. 

“I saw a gate when we came in, I think we can sneak in through it.” I don't let him even start talking and I grab his hand. I wish I was this brave all the time. 

We sneak in through the gate and we get to the beach. We take off our shoes and I feel the warm sand between my toes. That calming sound of waves crashing in the background and admire the last few rays of sun peeking through the horizon. 

Grayson grabs my hand out of nowhere and asks, “So why aren't you dating anyone? I want an honest answer, no more bs.”

I don't dare look at him, but I say, “I am too much of a Rachel Berry and not everyone is willing to put up with that.”

“I’m not sure what that means, but I know that that’s not just it.” He says as he grabs my face, ever so gently. At this point I am so mad that he keeps insisting and asking and pushing, but also very short of breath so I just snap. 

“I love you!!! Ain’t that the worst thing you ever heard?” I scream at the top of my lungs, pushing him away. Thank goodness there aren’t many people on this beach. 

He looks up at me, grinning like a devil. 

He then grabs me by the waist and kisses me slowly, but firmly. I place my hands on his neck and he smiles while he kisses me and pushes me closer to him. His hands play with my hair as he deepens the kiss and the pink sky turns darker and darker. I feel a warm feeling in my chest that spreads through my body. After all this time, I finally feel at ease and I’m exactly where I belong, in his arms. 

The End

[tessatechaitea]

Justice Society of America #6 (1993)

Weak as an asthmatic kitten in light!

Do cats get asthma? I'd hate for somebody to fact check and discover I once said an incorrect thing! My reputation as a staunch teller of ultimate truths is on the line here. Anyway, if it turns out cats can't get asthma, I was speaking euphemistically and you were too dumb to understand that. Dumby. I don't want to call my readers "dumby" but you remember that part about me being a staunch teller of ultimate truths? Well, sorry to reveal something your parents were too cowardly to confide to you. I was too busy contemplating how incredibly fucking cute and sweet a little coughing asthmatic kitten would be pay attention to the cover of JSA #6. But now that I've really looked at it, I'm confused as to why Doctor Mid-Nite is beating up zookeepers. I hesitate to assume the reason is that he's blind because that would probably be ableist. Maybe he was just molested by zookeepers as a young man. An aside: the family member I admire most on Facebook is the one who posts absolutely nothing about anything but every now and then unlocks a badge from Untappd.

Is this an historically accurate Nazi uniform? It looks like she's trying to make the shape of a swastika.

Ugh. I can't believe I just became one of those people who put "an" in front of "historically." It's weird how a little bit of side-boob can make me start thinking, "Were the Nazis really so terrible?" But this is a fictional world where they actually weren't that terrible! They even had a giant war Ferris wheel that would roll around ravaging the world and genociding people. Kind of exactly like a carnival, really. In the real world, Nazis were super bad and they are the villains of every action movie ever set from 1938 to, I'm assuming, 2021. I'm sure we're right around the corner from a Wicked-style Broadway musical from the perspective of Adolf Hitler where the audience learns that he wasn't really the bad guy the earlier protagonists made him out to be. If you don't want that to happen, you'll probably need to go back in time to murder John Gardner before he writes Grendel because I'm pretty sure that's where this whole "let's examine the life and motivations of the bad guy outside of the light of the previous protagonist's propaganda!"

I was thoroughly anti-Nazi when I began reading this comic book but these side-boob arguments are really winning me over.

How are the JSA going to win me back to their side?! They only have one woman on the team and Hawkgirl doesn't ever show any side-boob! I'm afraid America is about to fall and all I can think is, "Hee hee hee. Hee hee hee. Boobies." The Justice Society flies in to spout some patriotic garbage about liberty while The Flash beats up all the Nazis during the first third of the speech. I wonder if The Flash ever gets emotionally exhausted having to bear so much of the load of battling the bad guys. It's a good thing he's not one of those jerks you always wind up working with who never wants to do more work than the next guy so he always works as slowly as possible. But the problem in blue collar work is that most of the people you wind up working with are that guy! So their work output winds up being that of the lowest common denominator. Imagine if The Flash was one of those guys! He'd have to wait for Doctor Mid-Nite to throw a smoke bomb and fist fight a guy for five minutes before The Flash would take out his man in one second (after standing around for four minutes and fifty-nine seconds). The battle goes poorly for the Nazis which I'm elated to see because, you know, proud patriot here and all. Boo Nazis! Boo? Boob! Nazi side-boobs! Go Nazis! As the Nazis nearly defeated, they launch a huge bomb at the White House (which is where this fight is taking place because the Nazis are trying to kill Roosevelt).

"Look! Up in the sky! A noise!"

Yes, you perverts. That's the leg of the side-boob Nazi on the left and if I'd scanned a little bit more, you would have had a nice crotch shot. Sorry to disappoint you, horny nerds. Green Lantern lets the bomb explode on a big green patriotic shield because the Nazi's were too dumb to make the bomb out of two by fours. Wildcat says, "Yay!", as Roosevelt watches through a nearby window. His nurse, Nancy, approaches him slowly from behind. She pulls a Nazi pistol on him, full of Nazi bullets! It looks like the end! But then a bag of sand hits her in the side of the face and she forgets to pull the trigger as she says, "Gast! I'll...ooooh!" Then she dies, I guess? The Nazi story was being told to Jesse Quick by Alan and Jay. It was never reported because the American populace is too weak to hear certain news items. Why when we think about a population as a whole, we attribute all of the worst attributes to them? Cowardly, stupid, irrational. Why don't we think, "I would react fine to that news so I'm assuming everybody else would too." Instead, we simply assume everybody is a bigger and weaker jerk than we are. Weird that I'm as cynical as you can get but I'm somehow not as cynical as the average person? No, no! I'm more cynical! I just use my cynicism for good!

He didn't say that, Jesse. What he might be trying to express though is that coming down hard on criminals when much of the crime is driven by systemic problems resulting in an abundance of poverty for which the government takes no action to mitigate might be a bigger evil than the crime itself. Much of crime is a symptom of a bigger problem that is harder to fix so people ignore it and try to just hide the symptoms by putting them in jail.

Alan just doesn't quite have the words (or the real world experience of the 60s, 70s, and 80s because he was in Valhalla) to express how the constant lowering of taxes on the upper brackets of income have caused the slow destruction of the middle class by allowing CEOs and upper management to keep more of their money instead of reinvesting it into the business because they'd rather improve their business than give away 99% of their income after a certain point to the government. And by allowing them to keep that money, they stopped putting it into the business which meant salaries stagnated, pensions disappeared, and health care was no longer an automatic company benefit. I'm sure that's what he was getting at though. Jay's wife interrupts so we can finally see she exists six issues into the series. Alan's beard, Molly, also arrives. You might be wondering why "Jay's wife" is only "Jay's wife" but you shouldn't ask me that question. Ask the comic book who thinks I'm supposed to remember her name from whenever it was last mentioned, if at all. Maybe Linda? Let's just go with Linda. The Justice Society is on a ship because they're headed to Bahdnesia which doesn't allow plane travel in and out of its country. That's probably because air traffic control would be a nightmare with all the genies flying around. That was a joke but I bet it's the actual reason as well. Oh! It's Joan! Ted mentions it to Al after he gets tangled up in his deck chair while wearing an ice bucket on his head. I think Al might be having some old person cognition problems.

Nothing suspicious about a country run like a well-armed Applebee's.

Doctor Mid-Nite decides to check behind the scenes to see what's going on. The place is run like Disneyland so he enters the employee only backstage section to investigate. He's eventually attacked by some guards (see the cover!) and his story ends mid-fight. Meanwhile, Ted winds up climbing into a boxing ring to stop a fight that he believes is a huge mismatch. He knocks out the big guy even though the big guy doesn't necessarily mean he's the bad guy. Ted is basically interfering in a business transaction or, even worse, a staged event! Which means he climbs in the ring and begins beating up one of the actors. Guards also swarm him and he thinks, "What are these guys doing here?!" As if what he's doing is just fine and dandy. Didn't he hear the announcement about how nobody breaks the rules here? This is why! They get swarmed with violent guards! Justice Society of America #6 Rating: B-. Nothing says "The titular team's best days are behind them!" like a story where the only interesting thing that happens happens in a flashback. The whole cruise and island exploration part of the story was a big snooze. And it only ends in two members battling guards who are only doing their jobs to keep the JSA members from breaking the rules. Poor guards are going to get their asses whooped when they're only doing their job! I'm totally into the whole "I was just following orders" excuse thanks to the unbeatable side-boob argument.

[alkhale]

Locked Here for Forever (1/6) Dark!Sabo/Oc/Dark!Ace

(quick note before y’all come at me with torches)

This was a side project I’ve been playing around with while working on updates (THE UPDATES ARE COMING I SWEAR, I SWEAR) I was kinda... possessed? to write this and when it kept coming back to me, I realized I needed to get it out of my system. Doing that made me realize how big it was going to end up being so it’s divided up into parts. 

I’ve been wanting to explore a different variety of things. We can say “darker” themes, but I really just wanted to try my hand at playing with characters with honestly manipulative and sociopathic behavior. I’m not going on a limb to say yandere because that term is loose and often made to be thought of with stabby-stabby, stalky-stalky--but I think it can encompass a lot more? Possessive behavior, controlling, but I wanted to really go into manipulative behavior. Sociopathic because it’s not psychotic, it’s functioning and cold and hmm.

(Btw, to each their own, fantasies, kinks, we don’t shame here. But if anyone is ever putting you through what Hoku is going to be put through here and manipulating you into basically mind controlling you and this and that, it is not a healthy relationship and they are scum and you deserve better, drop their ass like a hot fucking potato.)

I decided to use Hoku because this idea originally came from another AU for Memos. (I’m sorry Hoku) Loosely based on the premise from the BL comic, “Points of Three”

It’s here on AO3, if you just want to read there too.

Rating: NSFW

Pairing: Sabo/Oc/Ace (Past! Kid/Oc), Dark!Ace/Oc/Dark!Sabo

Warnings: Explicit Sexual Content, Manipulation (Psychological and Emotional), Past Assault, Past Trauma, Possessive Behavior, Unhealthy Relationships, Use of Aphrodisiacs, BDSM, Dubious Consent, Controlling Behavior, Stalking

Chapter One: Points of Three

“From three points, it can’t ever end. They’ll always pull at one. One is always pulled between them. One point is always trapped between the other two.”   

Hoku shoved a pancake into her mouth.

“That’s the idea at least.”

The twenty-four hour breakfast diner was only half busy. A dingy place with wallpaper peeling in places but always clean and friendly. Cozy. The booths had tears at the seams, patched together by other patches. Establishments like this weren’t too popular all throughout their town, but the diner’s all-you-can-eat pancake and breakfast option did the job for their group’s ridiculous appetites.

Crumpled papers were splayed out on their table. Luffy had spilled a bit of syrup onto one of his math packets and it was in the middle of being patted down with water and dried to be somewhat presentable.

Her best friend’s face was currently in the middle of short-circuiting. His attention was waning thin. Luffy’s lips pursed, eyebrows furrowed as he hunched over the papers in front of him, one fork in his hand with syrup dripping from a soggy slice of pancake.

Hoku continued to chew, sick of these studies herself.

“So the answer,” Luffy said slowly. He rubbed the scar beneath his eye. A dumb thing he’d gotten trying to impress a man beyond both their leagues. “Is nothing.”

Hoku snorted. “It’s infinity, dumbass. It never ends.”

“Are you sure?” Luffy said, squinting. “You’re pretty dumb too. I think there’s just no answer. Hey, hey, let’s just leave it blank and then—”

“If you don’t do your half of the group project, Nami’s gonna kick your ass and then she’s going to come after mine,” Hoku said, looking a bit pale at the idea as she slumped forward onto the messy table as well, using her mouth to grab the edge of a pancake off her plate and slowly chew through it. “Dun cwah meh duhm, duhmash.”

“Shishishi, but you are!” Luffy snickered, kicking his feet out and mimicking her position. “We’ll just pay Nami money not to kick our ass and we win!”

Hoku groaned around a pancake at the dangerous word. She made sure strands of her white hair weren’t getting caught in stray puddles of syrup, lazily tugging it back up into a bun. “We’re broke, dumbass. She might be willing to take an IOU, but she’ll collect someday and…”

Hoku whimpered, wishing she could shove her face into the stack of pancakes beside her. “I need a jooooooooob.”

Luffy chewed in front of her, shoveling more pancakes into his mouth. Unbothered. He usually got off on the occasional odd job and Luffy always just had this… way of making things work out when they shouldn’t.

The diner was cheap. So it’d been her source of nutrition the past couple of weeks—aside from Sanji’s loving meal preps and Nami’s fruits constantly being brought back to her dingy apartment. The horrible, cold truth was that her funds were low. Financial aid covered for her classes and materials fine, but existing outside of school came off her savings and odd jobs or freelance work she picked up here and there.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have taken two years off,” Hoku said, squinting at her stack of pancakes as Luffy reached over and started eating them. “Might’ve landed me a better job…”

“Nah, you needed it,” Luffy said simply. “‘Sides, you had tons of fun. You don’t regret it at all.”

Hoku whimpered once more. “Ugh, you’re right.”

Hoku only stood at twenty-one, two years older than Luffy—but after her third year of high school, she’d chosen to leave Japan after her graduation ceremony and head back to her hometown, a small place in Hawaii. She’d decided on a two-year gap, getting in touch with old family friends of her late parents who were essentially relatives and just taking some time to herself after everything and doing a little self-searching but…

Hoku had come back and managed to enter back into college without much of a hitch. She and Luffy were now on the same pace to graduating with Nami and Usopp—if he or she didn’t fail in the meantime—Zoro was going to school part-time for police academy training, Sanji doing the same for his culinary school and full-time position at his father’s restaurant and at least all her buddies were still in school aside from Robin and Franky and Brook.

To be honest, her life was going pretty well so far, aside from finances. It’d been almost a year now since her break-up and the two of them were still on amicable terms and checked in with each other regularly, her friends were healthy and in her life, Shanks and his team were out exploring some new island and there’d be an interview on it soon they could tune into…

Hoku was happy.

But school aside—she was still unemployed and poor. No new jobs had been coming her way as of late and even Law helping her land that job with designing that new program promotion his residency had needed was gone to her rent in a blink.

“Why don’t you ask Torao to help you get a job at his hospital?” Luffy said loudly. “You can be a nurse or something.”

“I’m too dumb to save people’s lives,” Hoku said flatly. “And I’m an art major. That’s like… Telling a cat to go fly.”

Luffy opened his mouth.

“Never mind, stop there,” Hoku shoved her face into the sleek table, smelling the old wood. “You also need credentials to work in a hospital, Lu. Should I find a campus job? There’s gotta be an opening somewhere… Maybe I can see if the amusement park needs caricature artists or something--”

“But you hate that kinda stuff,” Luffy complained. “It’s boring. You’re never supposed to do the boring stuff ya hate.”

“But I’m broke,” Hoku said pitifully. “Maybe my pride can suck up being poor…”

Hoku turned so her chin was flat against the table, looking thoughtful. “Maybe I can gamble my way to being rich…”

Luffy chewed with a little more thought, making a constipated expression—he was really thinking about something.

Her phone vibrated with a little jingle on the other side of the booth. Hoku turned it over, making a little happy noise. They could worry about money later. She hated thinking about this kind of stuff. “Zoro’s out of class. Let’s meet up with him and Usopp for that movie.”

“I feel like I’m forgetting somethin’,” Luffy said, making a face. “Oh, man… what was it…”

“Answer your damn homework and let’s go,” Hoku said, stuffing her leftover pancakes into her mouth and waving her hand to the owner for a check. “Cuh mown.”

“Nothing, right?” Luffy said, about to press his pen in.

“Infinity,” Hoku said flatly, grabbing his pen and scribbling the horizontal 8 in for him. “Never ends. That point is always stuck. Kinda like insanity.”

“Like how you’re crazy.”

“You’re crazy, crazy, now c’mon. Let’s beat Usopp and make him pay for snacks.”

Luffy stuffed all the pancakes into his mouth, rushing out the door with his cheeks full. Hoku slapped their money onto the table and ran out after him, shoving extra napkins into her backpack.

. 

.

.

Hoku stared at the last page of her canvas sketchbook with a reluctant frown, a small sigh slipping past her lips.

She’d tried to be as conservative as possible with all the negative space—but this was it. She went through sketchbooks faster than her small funds could afford, but she couldn’t help but always put aside a bit for her work—it’s what you love.

The rest of her art classmates were packing up their things for the day. Stools squeaked across the smooth floors. Easels or clipboards sliding back into place. The model at the center stood up, stretching her arms over her head as their professor instructed them on what to work on this weekend and to finish last assignments up. They’d just finished another open studio and there’d be a big project coming up soon enough… She was going to need to buy the new canvases and oil paints for that… Shit.

Her fingers twitched. Hoku couldn’t help but smile.

She loved what she did.

Even if you’re bad for my wallet.

“Looks like you finally need a new book,” Hoku’s smile dropped, fingers stopping at the edge of her book. The girl beside her leaned over, smiling, “You’ve been needing a new one, haven’t you?”

I don’t even remember your name. Hoku hadn’t bothered. She made a fair enough effort with remembering the names of her classmates, but this one in particular had made it clear where she stood. Wanted to be some high end artist—was on her way, probably, since she’d been showcased in several galas but—

The hidden hint behind her words was clear every time she spoke to Hoku. Blatant. A teasing curl of her lips.

“Don’t you think that’s sad?”

“You’re always using the front and back of each page,” she laughed. “I mean, the drawings are great, but you can afford a new one or two, right? I’ll donate one if you’re that prudent.”

A few eyes glanced over at the easy confrontation. Hoku kept her face even. After this semester, you won’t even matter.

“You can afford the tattoos right,” she continued with a light laugh, tapping the corner of her left eye where Hoku’s heart shaped tattoo was inked in around her eye, smeared at the end. “Just save a bit for a new sketchbook and some supplies while you’re at it. Got to keep up with your studies, you know?”

“I’m sorry,” Hoku said, it was actually starting to bother her now. “What’s your name again?”

Someone’s pencil dropped behind them. He stooped down to pick it up, hiding his face.

Her classmate’s face flushed red. Her eyes flickered, back and forth, assessing the reaction of the people around them. Barely anyone was watching—who cared? They were all here to learn and to hone their skills. No one needed more drama.

Hoku’s lips pulled into a polite smile, revealing baby canines.

“Come on,” she said, laughing with a titter, “It’s been half a semester. It’s—”

“HOOOOOKKKKUUUUUU—” Thin but muscular arms wrapped tight around her shoulders. Hoku floundered for a second, almost tumbling back over her chair at the added weight. The smell of the sun washed around her and Luffy’s hair tickled her cheek, pressing in close as he jumped around, almost ripping her from her seat.

Warmth pressed into her back. Hoku’s shoulders relaxed, everything cleared. Her lips turned upwards into a wide grin.

Luffy was a destructive, bumbling dumbass most of the time—but he could always turn a mood into a better one.

Shanks rubs off on you too much. She thought fondly, a bit of stupid smile curling over her lips. Maybe that’s a good thing.

“Hoku! Hoku! You won’t believe this—come on! Let’s get lunch, I’m hungry. I’ve got awesome news! It’s gonna blow your mind and—”

“Calm down, dumbass!” Hoku snapped. A few of her classmates looked on in amusement. The girl from earlier had already retreated, saving face. Wiser ones started to move their things out of the way. “You’re going to break something again!”

Her professor didn’t mind friends coming in and visiting or sitting in on lectures. But Luffy’s regular presence barreling through the art department was considered a public menace and had to be dealt with accordingly. “I’ve never seen anyone launch themselves off the second floor and bounce around the way he does, so for the love of god please keep him away from the ceramics class—”

“Did you just finish class?” Hoku said, adjusting herself to account for Luffy’s added weight. She walked with a backwards slump, leaning as Luffy dragged along the floor hanging off her while she gathered her supplies.

“Yup! Nami went to go get a table!” Luffy said happily. “Come on, come on, let’s go eat! I’m starving!”

Her stomach rumbled in agreement. Hoku pressed a warning hand to her stomach, using the other to shove her backpack over her shoulder and purposefully shove into Luffy’s cheek. “I’m hurrying, but what were you saying earlier?”

She shoved her stuff into her bag as quickly as she could, flipping her sketchbook closed and turning toward the door. Luffy was starting to clamber up her back and she wasn’t sure she could support him if he decided to test if she could give him a piggyback ride.

“Oh, yeah!” Luffy said, cheek squished against her knuckles. “I think I found a job for ya! And it pays!”

“You found me a job—”

Hoku’s foot tripped over the other, sending them both toppling to the floor in a massive heap of one screech and Luffy’s monkey-like laughter. A student quickly grabbed his easel, jerking it out of the way as they smashed into the ground.

“Shishishi, you’re such a klutz.”

.

.

.

“If it’s Luffy, it’s probably some weird job throwing yourself off a cliff for fun,” Nami said warningly, neatly filed nails digging into the tangerine in her palm as she peeled it. “You guys are always talking about that explorer—what if it’s doing something illegal or—”

“Throwing yourself off a cliff and getting paid is fine,” Zoro said. He ran a hand through his spearmint colored hair, light catching off his golden earrings. “Just make sure you’re not secretly being employed for some kind of drug smuggling. You’re both idiots, so it’d happen.”

Luffy didn’t even look the slightest bit bothered, simply grinning stupidly to himself as he shoveled food into his mouth. Hoku—a little calmer and more sensible after stuffing her face with the cafeteria’s economically wonderful meal sets—gaped at the two of them in disbelief, blatantly offended.

The four of them were gathered in one of Grand College’s many cafeterias. Usopp was cramming last minute for another exam and should be running over any second. Hoku crossed her arms over her chest, shoving another forkful of pasta into her mouth. Nami leaned forward, setting a peeled tangerine down and smacking Luffy’s grabbing hands away as she set to work on another.

“I would not get involved in something like that without knowing,” Hoku grunted. Turning to Luffy she added, “If it’s drugs, I need to know how much it’s going to pay first.”

Zoro put her in a headlock, pointedly shoving her face into his chest where his nametag from his police training could smash into her cheek. Hoku’s arms flailed around, smacking into his cheek.

“Nah, it’s way better than any of that!” Luffy said, throwing his arms out in excitement. He stopped for a second. “Hey, wait, that sounds kinda fun—”

“Get on with it,” Nami and Zoro chorused.

Luffy grinned, turning to Hoku—who popped her head out over the top of Zoro’s tightened arm—with shining eyes. “Ace and Sabo are looking for someone to help them with this project!”

“Ace and Sabo?” Hoku’s eyes went round. A little box of memories peeled itself open, idle moments, pleasant laughter, warm memories wrapped around little flashes of awkward teenage encounters.

Hoku had known Luffy since she was a kid when his grandfather, a marine, had been stationed over in Hawaii at the time. Hoku’s parents had passed away a few years before that and after moving around, she’d spent some time with Mihawk until Garp swindled her into being looked after with Luffy…

She’d met Ace and Sabo young. When she was nine and they were ten--she remembered fighting all the time with Ace and Sabo being the genial, grinning mediator and those summers and years had been a great time and then she’d left to go live with Mihawk and eventually set up her own place. Their meetings were scattered in between coming to Luffy’s house with the three of them there after school—she and Luffy had gone to the same school for as long as she could remember—it’d gone on until high school, where meetings between them happened on occasion and then Hoku had left.

The two older brothers were great people—amazing even. Funny, easy to be around, always looking after Luffy first and foremost. She and Ace still butted heads and he could flip from a dotting older brother to an absolute menace but it’d been almost three years now since she’d last seen them.

Bright, golden blonde hair. Soot black waves. Hoku huffed over Zoro’s arm, resting her chin comfortably in the crook of his elbow. I wonder if they look any different… I think Luffy posted a picture not too long ago and they seemed well… She’d just never ended up getting in touch with them with everything she’d had going on.

It might be nice to see them again.

“I haven’t seen them in ages,” Hoku said thoughtfully. Luffy nodded his head so hard it almost snapped off. “How’re they doing?”

“They’re great!” Luffy said excitedly. “Never been better, and when they heard you came back into town forever ago, they’ve been saying they wanted to get in touch or somethin’ but they’ve been busy!”

“Your brothers?” Nami said, looking curious. “Isn’t Sabo working for that big designing company right now? The one that works with revolutionary protests through some of their lines?”

“Something like that,” Luffy said. “I never remember the name.”

“You never remember anything,” Zoro corrected. “I thought Ace was working part time as a firefighter. What kind of project would those two need help with? A fire proof line of clothes?”

Hoku looked interested. “That sounds kinda cool.”

Luffy nodded. Nami smacked the back of his head, urging him to continue. “Well, Ace does all kinds of stuff, but he models for Sabo’s work sometimes too. They’ve been doing a specific kinda work for some people.”

Luffy tipped his head to the side. His brows furrowed, crossing his arms over his chest in thought, “I think Sabo said something about… se… celery taste from one of their clients!”

“Selective,” Nami provided.

“Yeah, that! Anyway, one of ‘em wants something special done and Sabo remembered how good Hoku is with drawing and art and stuff!” Luffy said brightly. “I said you’re poor and you need a job—”

“Why’d you gotta say it like that, Lu?”

“And they were super excited and hoping you could help them out!” Luffy said. “See? It’s easy!”

“I’m not going to make your brothers pay me for something like that,” Hoku said, shaking her head in between Zoro’s arm. “They’ve done a lot for me before—they treated me like family when I was always bumming around at your place… I’ll just do it for free, what do they need? An ad? A—”

“Nono, dummy, they said they wanna pay ya because it’s a big job!” Luffy said. “It’ll take a lot of work or something and—ah! I almost forgot!”

Luffy grinned, shuffling around his pants’ pocket before he pulled out a crumpled, balled up paper. He handed it to Hoku, who reached around Zoro’s still loose and comfortable grip to fold it. “Sabo and Ace gave me this last week! It’s their numbers. Said to give them a call or text them if you were down to do it!”

“A week ago,” Zoro snorted. “Nice.”

“But I said we should all get together cause it’s been so long!” Luffy said cheerfully. He grinned, swinging his legs back and forth over the bench. “We can throw a party! Oh, man, we can make it huge and—”

“No parties until after midterms,” Nami said dangerously. “And whatever you decide, don’t forget we’ve got a girls day with Robin next week, Hoku!”

“Right, right,” Hoku said absently, staring at the two differently scrawled numbers—one in neat, even print and a more slurred, harder to read script. Ace and Sabo. “Well, I’ll text them and let them know I don’t mind helping out however. It’s the least I can do since it’s been so long.”

Hoku slumped, throwing herself half over Zoro’s lap. He shot her an unimpressed look and Hoku mimicked a limp fish.

“Maybe I’ll just work in the cafeteria,” Hoku said thoughtfully. “I can sneak meals and they’ll probably feed me too.”

“Sure,” Zoro said. “Like they’d let a klutz like you become a lunch lady. It’s bad enough that eyebrow freak cooks for anyone.”

Hoku made strangling motions at his neck. Zoro just shoved her face back into his lap, folding his arms on top of her head and yawning as she let out muffled screeches.

Luffy snickered. Nami finally relented and offered him a peeled tangerine. He popped it into his mouth and grinned, teeth shining and excitement bleeding into all of them.

“Oh, man, it’s been so long—this is gonna be great!”

.

.

.

“Contributing to society yet, you unemployed bum?”

Hoku’s face shot up from the second helping of curry she’d been about to shove into her mouth without further consideration. Her face twisted, grumpy and angry—but only in the kind of way that came off as entirely defensive because the words thrown at her were blatantly true and painful, damn it.

“Hey, you jerk,” Hoku snapped, waving her spoon at the asshole in front of her. “When I start making it big, you’re going to eat those words.”

The currently sitting definition of tall, dark, and handsome. Changed out of his hospital gear and classical surgeon attire—because being a heart surgeon with an emphasis in being able to do surgery on just about anything else because he was a genius called for a lot of hours—and dressed in easy jeans and a black turtleneck. The fluorescent lighting of the homey curry restaurant caught off his slender piercing. His dark tattoos peeked out from the rolled up sleeves of his cuffs, the neatly printed letters staring back at Hoku as he held his too large cup of coffee—black as sin because he still had a shift tonight.

Hoku always had to wonder what his patients thought every time they saw DEATH staring back at them on the hands of their doctor before going under on the table. She got away with the snow white hair and tattoos because she was an “artist” so no one bothered her much.

Probably shit their pants. Or just cry.

Doctor Trafalgar D. Water Law did not look impressed.

“Maybe,” he said dryly, “if you don’t eat everything else first.”

Hoku flinched back as though she’d been struck. She shoveled more curry into her mouth, glaring hard at him from across the table.

“I keep asking myself why I hang out with you,” Hoku said. “You’re always taking your time and then when I think we’re going to have a nice time, you find some way to cut me open again.”

Law took a sip of his coffee, “You do it to yourself. And I hang out with you. Not the other way around.”

“That’s bullshit,” Hoku said around her spoon. “And ya know it, Torao.”

The two were about as far from each other on the spectrum as possible when it came to a small world. As a doctor and about three years older than herself—there could’ve never been an excuse for their paths to cross. It just happened one day that her art club had been assigned to help remodel and work with the children of their local hospital and overseeing the entire thing had been Hoku the klutz from her art club and Doctor Law, resident bachelor heart surgeon.

“You can’t paint monsters in the child ward, it’ll literally scare them to death.”

“Are you even listening to the kids? They want a wall of creepy and fun stuff so they can tell stories to each other.”

“You’ll give them all nightmares and it will reflect poorly on their health.”

“I’ll give them all a reason to run and they’re going to be dancing out of this hospital from how fit they are.”

And then there’d been a celebration party for finishing the joint project and Hoku drank a little too much—or maybe she’d just eaten something bad—and then she was throwing up on Law’s shoes.

Hoku had also been the reason why one of his buddies, Penguin, had managed to graduate in their shared anatomy class. Law was also fairly good friends with Kid—fairly because they always talked shit about each other but still hung out—and there’d never been a reason not to know each other anymore.

Besides, even if she told Law he was a bastard and this and that, she genuinely enjoyed his company. He was looking out for her here and there in his twisted, clinical, at times cold-hearted way.

“But no,” Hoku admitted bitterly, slumping back into her chair. Law leaned back in his own, satisfied as he threw one arm behind the chair next to him and watched her in silence. “It’s been months now and I’m just barely getting by on any project I can… Did you know I was thinking about working at the amusement park? Or the pier? I hate water. Why would I even want to spend more time there—”

“You’re afraid of water, you don’t hate it,” Law corrected. “It’s called aquaphobia.”

Hoku mimicked him.

Law kicked her knee under the table. She jerked it back in, nearly jostling their small little booth. Hoku and Law both grabbed their drinks to steady them.

“I mean, I’m not that bad,” Hoku rubbed her chin, shaking her head. “I think I’m one hell of an artist actually… I can go back into mechanics and pick up a job engineering for a while but…”

Hoku let out a small sigh. “No, that won’t work. It’s gotta be drawing after all.”

“Eustass-ya is coming back into town,” Law said, knowing what—who—mechanics made them think of.

Hoku looked up. Her face was neutral, amiable. “Oh, yeah?”

“Mentioned it,” he said. “Don’t know when.”

Hoku hummed. She played with a carrot on her plate and shoved it to the side. Law scowled. She grudgingly scooped it back up. “I’ll give him a call when he arrives. Maybe we can grab lunch or something.”

Law watched her over the rim of his cup. Hoku waved a hand at him. “We still check up here and there. I mean, when it’s not angry texting—but that’s all in good fun.”

Law’s brows creased in a suit-yourself sort of way.

“You can shift gears a bit,” Law said. “Get a teaching degree and why don’t you apply as an art teacher? You’d still get to do what you loved while working on individual projects. Quit when you’re ready.”

Hoku lowered her arms onto the table, her face a little more sober. “That’s… That’s probably the best idea, isn’t it? But I dunno… me? Teaching?”

Hoku laughed. She rubbed the back of her neck, dragging her fingers down the side and staring hard at her warped reflection on the metal table.

“I don’t think…” she said and stopped. Hoku shook her head, “I don’t think any parent would want someone like me teaching their kids.”

Law’s eyes flickered. His expression loosened, brows a little less furrowed, face a little easier to approach.

“Hoku-ya—”

“But you know what,” Hoku started up again brightly, eyes flashing in determination as she grinned, “there was this girl in my class today—making digs about this and that and just wait. I’m going to pick up an awesome job and come in with my regular gear because I’m not an idiot who blows her cash on fancy materials!”

Hoku’s chest puffed out in pride. She grinned, proud as a peacock and tipped her chin high in the air. “Long live homemade art materials!”

“You’re the only one who can get away with that,” Law said. “Barely.”

“I’m so confident I’m going to get a job,” Hoku said. “That I’m paying for dinner tonight.”

Law looked vaguely amused. He let his chin rest on his palm, watching her.

“So if I went ahead and ordered the deluxe beef curry set—”

“I,” Hoku said, using her best bluffing face, “wouldn’t even blink.”

.

.

.

Law ended up ordering the set to-go. And paying for the meal—he simply stepped over Hoku’s embarrassingly fallen form when she tripped on her way to the cashier—and handed the food to her after dropping her off in front of her apartment before he took off for his night shift.

“Eat,” Law had threatened, rolling up his window and ignoring her cursing and ranting like she were no more than a fly at his car. “Skip meals and I’ll check you into the hospital myself.”

Hoku threw up both her middle fingers, stomping all the way to her apartment door for emphasis. Law’s sleek car waited in the parking lot until her door opened pointedly wide and closed before pulling off.

“I never skip meals,�� Hoku muttered, shrugging her shoes off and hobbling into the living room after setting the food down on the counter. “I love eating.”

Her apartment wasn’t a grand thing, but it was a little more spacious for the great price she was paying. Banged up. Creaky pipes and floorboards—but it held, sturdy and true.

The two bedroom apartment had been shifted so one was her actual bedroom while the other was her studio and guest room—she usually ended up sleeping there when she was working late into the night anyway. Photos were thrown up left and right. Stacks of papers and sketchbooks were scattered all over the apartment. A massive poster hung over her bed of a certain red-haired explorer’s greatest and her favorite excursion.

A small television set and coffee table. A sectioned off kitchen with an island countertop. Her sleek, comfy leather black couch which was a gift from Mihawk—

Hoku flopped down onto the couch, sinking deep into the cushions. She let out one long, low groan.

I’m such a loser. Hoku pressed herself as deep into the couch as she could, willing it to swallow her whole and never let her see the light of day again. You were supposed to come back from those two years and be different. You haven’t done anything.

Her phone vibrated against her ass and Hoku lazily tugged it out of her pocket, half-throwing it toward her face.

“LETS TRY THIS PLACE IT LOOKS GOOD!!!!!” Hoku snorted at Luffy’s text, a smiling touching her lips and scrolling down. Usopp sent a photo of Zoro asleep on their couch. Training must be rough. Nami texted her a reminder to make a reminder in her phone for her date with Robin and the three of them. A notice from her professor about the material list for class next week.

“Heard things are turning up for you. Keep me posted.” Robin.

Hoku’s hand shuffled through her jacket pocket. Her fingers closed around the crumpled piece of paper and she carefully smoothed it back out, staring at the two numbers.

Honestly… she only really had good memories of Sabo and Ace. Well, when she and Ace weren’t butting heads or strangling each other about something. Luffy loved them as much as he could love anyone, so they’d always been important people to her too.

Grade school, middle school, high school… Hoku rifled through the mess of memories. Coming over to their house. Running from their grandfather. Crowding by a television. After school runs to the best food stalls… all just classic, simple memories.

Hoku pulled up an empty message, typing in both numbers into a new group chat. Her fingers hovered over the letters, contemplating the kind of greeting that should’ve fit a gap this long… They couldn’t have changed too much, right?

Hoku typed, deleted, re-typed for several minutes before finally hitting send and dropping her phone onto the rug, rolling over and burying her face between the couch cushions. A minute, two, her shoulders went slack and she finally fell asleep.

.

.

.

Another minute. A beat.

Her screen flickered to life with a response. A calm ten minutes later.

.

.

.

Hey, Ace, Sabo!

It’s Hoku—haha, it’s been awhile, huh? Sorry for being so shitty at staying in touch. Hope you guys are doing well! Are you still holding the three of you guys together? Ace haven’t lost his head yet dropping dead somewhere? Lu says you guys have been busy.

He finally gave me your numbers and mentioned you had a project you needed help with. Don’t worry about paying or anything, I’d be happy to help out! You guys are like family, y’know? I don’t know how much I can do, but let me know. Let’s catch up. :)

Changed at all?

.

.

.

Hoku,

It’s so nice to say your name again after so long! Took Luffy long enough. It’s been ages, hasn’t it? Ace and I are better than ever, well, trying at least. I’m so glad to finally speak with you again after all this time. I hope your trip was everything you needed and now you can enjoy a long stay back home. I could go on forever, but let’s save the rest for in person, shall we?

Yes! I’m not sure how much Luffy told you about it, but we’d love to discuss with you further. Face to face. When is the soonest you can meet? Ace is asleep right now, but I’ll let him know as soon as he wakes up. The lug.

Hope to be in contact with you soon,

Sabo.

.

.

.

Two minutes passed and a second message was sent, accompanied by a warm, smiling face.

.

.

.

Haven’t changed a bit. Missed you, Hoku.

.

.

.

Shit. Hoku exhaled, adjusting her tote bag over her shoulder—Luffy had bought it for her on a random splurge, dotted with stars. Her head tipped to the side, as though looking at the beautiful building would change what she was seeing.

A few people walked past her, offering strange looks.

The dessert restaurant was famous. Newly opened, lovely. Two floors with nothing but booths overlooking the city and cozy cafes where people could gather to enjoy all kinds of sweets—for those not as inclined to sugar, they had an array of sandwiches and anything to all varying tastes.

Hoku had been eyeing this place for months now, enviously searching through images online or drooling into her pillow as she scrolled through food bloggers. She and Nami and Robin were supposed to finally try it next weekend when Robin came back from her latest trip…

Lucky me. Hoku whistled, shaking her head as she stepped up to the patisserie and opened the door with a gentle jingle of the golden bell on top. Now I get to go twice.

She’d woken up, creases in her face from where she’d shoved herself between the couch cushions, to several new messages. The only one that’d stood out, neatly typed in a way most people would never text like a letter, and addressed with his name since she didn’t have his number already saved—

Sabo.

Hoku had stared at the message with wide eyes, not quite believing what she was seeing, drool dried to her chin. Hoku’s eyes had brightened and she’d quickly responded, getting even a little excited because—it was Ace and Sabo—they were good friends. I missed them.

It was supposed to be nice--reconnecting with people you hadn’t seen for a long time.

Hoku’s eyes searched the crowds of people gathered together, focusing on the host stand. A host stand for a bakery, damn. Hoku seemed to be on the lesser scale of dress—high waisted shorts with her halter top tucked in—but I’ll be alright. The entire first floor could be seen from the second story where people could make reservations for secluded booths to enjoy their sweets and tea. We should be on the first floor...

Hoku stopped short. She stood there in the middle of the bakery, face calm.

I mean they… Hoku’s eyes slowly scanned over the crowd one more time, doing a thorough comb over. They can’t be… that different right? Am I crazy?

She stopped at every blonde and black haired male, craning her head, shuffling around the bakery and trying to peek around to get a look at different faces. Trying and failing to be as discreet as possible. No freckles. No scar on the left side of his face. Nothing.

Hoku shuffled through her bag, fishing out her phone.

Right time. Hoku checked the message thoroughly. Right place. Meet here… there aren’t any other instructions. Am I just first?

If she remembered right, Sabo was always so punctual… Hoku made a face, turning around on her heel. Should I just go get a table? I’ll just go get a table—

“Excuse me miss, are you looking for your party?”

Hoku’s phone slipped like butter through her fingers. Her foot shot out, trying to catch it and she almost toppled over completely, grabbing the nearest chair and steadying herself.

The host who’d approached her looked horrified, as though he’d almost witness an apocalypse occur right before his eyes.

“Hi,” Hoku said. A few people were looking. She bent down to grab her phone, shoving it into her bag. “I—what?”

“Your party,” the host repeated kindly. “With a Mr. Sabo, correct?”

Hoku stared at the host with round eyes.

He smiled, “He told us to look out for you. He’s already waiting at the table if you’d like to follow me, miss.”

“Oh,” Hoku said dumbly. She straightened out, staring at the host like an idiot. “I… I didn’t see him. Where is he?”

“This way, miss,” the host gathered up a menu and began his ascent toward the steps.

Hoku stared at the stairs. Stairs led to a second floor. The second floor was a fancy floor.

Hoku pressed her hand into her mouth, staring.

Maybe it’s the wrong Sabo?

“Would you prefer the elevator, miss?” the host said, looking worried. “Forgive me—”

“No, no, no, stairs are fine!” Hoku quickly scampered after him. The host smiled, leading the way up the winding staircase the short distance to the second floor. “I just—I thought he was on the first floor. Sorry. Thank you for your time.” Stop talking, you dumbass.

The host continued to smile, leading them past a narrow walkway of several private rooms and booths. You can see everything from here. Hoku eyed the bottom floor, wondering if anyone had watched her flailing around like a mouse. Or a fish. Or just an idiot in general.

They walked a short distance, coming close to where part of the second floor was sectioned off against the railing of the top floor. The other half of the floor opened up with wide glass windows, showing the entire city and the bay across the distance.

This is so nice. Hoku glanced around in disbelief. I can’t imagine the price tags up here, gotta tell Nami and Robin.

A single booth sat at the end of the walkway, pushed to the back. A perfect vantage point of the entire first floor and the breathtaking view on the side—

Golden blonde hair fell a little longer now. It still had its wavy sort of curve, kissing the sculpted, angular line of his jaw. His eyes still had that soft little light to them, curious as he surveyed the menu in front of him. His skin was fair, a burn scar over the left side of his face, around his eye. There was a larger one hidden beneath the neat, cream dress shirt he wore inside a dark, navy blue sweater.

He looked older—more mature, a redefined version of himself, as though someone had simply adjusted the resolution of a good photo, complimenting what already was. Dapper and gentle and charming all at once—

But still, maybe, the same after all.

“Sabo!” Hoku’s eyes went wide, an easy grin touched her lips and she strode forward. Hesitancy lined the back of her steps, careful. Even if we got along fine and were pretty close, it’s still been awhile and—how do you do stuff like this again?

His eyes flickered upwards immediately, finding her with perfect ease. They went a little round, brightening in an instant. His lips turned upwards into one bright, warm smile.

Some small part of Hoku quieted. His eyes were warm, almost hot. He was looking at her like finally, finally, something had fallen into place and it was all right—

Hoku balked for a second, uncertain. Her heart warmed at the sight, a flood of pleasant memories and—

And what?

“Hoku!” that’s really his voice. It’s been so long. Sabo stood from his seat, stepping around the table into the walkway. The host behind them set the menu down, backing off so they could be alone. Hoku almost reached out to grab his arm and ask him to stay, just to have another person here because—why would you do something like that, you’re so weird, it’s just a reunion with someone you haven’t seen in awhile—

Sabo’s shiny loafers stopped a few feet from her. His arms had been raised for a second, but his face quickly shifted with obvious hesitation, waiting uncertainty. His lips pursed, waiting in that dorky expression of his. Brows a little furrowed. Hoku stood there like an idiot, telling her mind to shut up and—

Hoku let all other thoughts melt away. It was Sabo. She knew Sabo. She knew him when he was missing a tooth. This is Luffy’s brother. He’s practically family. She gathered her footing beneath her, steadying.

Hoku stepped into his embrace, meeting him the rest of the way. Sabo’s entire face lit up, eyes warming.

It was a ridiculously...nice feeling, to be looked at like that.

Her arms came around his middle and Sabo’s arms instantly wrapped tight around her in a bear hug, wrapping around her shoulders and holding her snug. He almost lifted her off her feet. Hoku laughed, patting his back as Sabo held her tight for a moment, the smell of his cologne washing over her, smelling like something expensive and roguish. He laughed back into the crown of her hair, air ghosting past her ears as he moved his head to the side then, right by her ear.

“Hoku!” Sabo said. “It’s been so long! It’s so good to finally see you-—look at you! You got taller!”

“Says you,” Hoku snorted, pulling back a bit so she could crane her head up to his face. Her ear twitched. Sabo laughed, loosening his grip around her so she could shift more comfortably in his arms. “Look at ya—who said you could grow this tall, you jerk?”

“You look absolutely wonderful,” Sabo said graciously. Hoku stiffened in surprise. She shuffled a bit backwards and Sabo quickly released his hold on her, letting her back out of the hug. “You do! You let your hair grow out—it looks beautiful.”

“No, I just,” Hoku stopped, pressing a hand to her mouth in surprise. “I forgot how you were. You’re always saying stuff like that—caught me off guard, ya bastard.”

“With a compliment?” Sabo laughed, a warm, breezy kind of sound. Hoku’s lips pulled up at the corners. “You deserve dozens more with how long it’s been.”

“You look great!” Hoku punched his chest lightly with a fist. Sabo grinned boyishly, beaming down at her. “All dressed up too—couldn’t beat that royal look out of you, could you?”

“Decided to embrace a different kind of style,” Sabo chuckled. “I’m not missing any teeth this time, right?”

The image of a beaming, grinning blonde boy with scuffed up shorts, a creased hat and a gap where his tooth was missing—Hoku’s smile widened. Yeah, that’s right. This is Sabo.

Sabo took a moment to look at her, as though he were seeing her again for the very first time. Hoku’s nerves rattled for a second, a chill racing down her spine. You’re just nervous. Calm down, you dumbass. His face visibly softened. The chill disappeared. Eyes warm, he clasped his hands together in front of him.  

“I’m glad you’ve been well,” Sabo said softly, smiling. “It really is nice to see you again, Hoku.”

“I’m sorry I was so bad at staying in touch,” Hoku said, brows furrowing. “I should’ve called once or twice to check up on you guys… Luffy told stories every now and then and I guess that always seemed enough.”

“No, we should’ve made more of an effort on our part,” Sabo said. He guided her to the table and Hoku slipped into the seat in front of him. His fingers gently glided over her arm, over her skin, smoothly taking her bag and hooking it over the back of the chair. Hoku blinked, realizing she hadn’t even known that he’d been getting her bag—

For a brief moment, Hoku stilled. A force of habit. It only lasted a second, anyway.

Sabo’s frame towered over her. One hand resting on the edge of the chair where he was releasing the bag, the other steadying himself on the table but—

You’re boxed in.

And then Sabo was gone and she was free and Hoku relaxed even though she never should’ve been tense in the first place.

“I’m sorry Ace couldn’t come, he wanted to see you too,” Sabo said, pulling away with a frown. “He had an important shift today so he couldn’t get off.”

“We can definitely meet up again,” Hoku said surely. “With Lu next time too, catch up like old times. I want to see more of you guys for sure.”

Sabo smiled at her—it almost made her feel as though she were being praised for something. She’d said the right answer.

“Things just got so busy with work and you were in your third year,” Sabo said. He took a seat beside her, brows creased apologetically. “You were seeing someone at that time too, weren’t you? Relationships, school, it all gets so hectic.”

“That’s… yeah, that’s right,” Hoku blinked in realization. Sabo folded his hands together on top of the table, expression soft. Understanding. Kid and I were together and I was focused on spending time with everyone before I left and then….

Had she just forgotten about Ace and Sabo? Enough to not even give her best friend’s brothers a proper goodbye—

“That’s no excuse though,” Hoku said, brows furrowing. Had that really been what happened? Holy shit, Hoku. They’re like family—how could you do something like that? Kid had taken up a lot of her time sure, but she’d wanted to spend that time with everyone because she was going to be gone for so long. “Shit, I’m sorry Sabo—”

“Don’t even think about apologizing,” Sabo said, shaking his head sternly. Hoku’s lips pursed. “We could’ve called you just as easily as you could’ve called us. It’s a two way street. No one needs to apologize here.”

Even if you say that, I’m still going to make it up to you guys. Hoku huffed, leaning back and crossing her arms over her chest in thought. “Doesn’t mean it didn’t suck.”

“Maybe,” Sabo said, a light chuckle. He looked so happy. It was hard not to keep staring at him, to feel happy herself. Infectious. A waiter came and swiftly left behind two steaming mugs and Hoku looked up in surprise. “Sorry! I took a guess at the menu—I’ve never been here before and I got what they recommended and looked the best…”

“No—you’re fine!” Hoku pulled the mug closer to her, eyes growing wide. She instantly grabbed for some sugar cubes and Sabo looked amused. “This is their apple tea, right? Ah, I’ve been wanting to try this, nice call.”

“Thank goodness,” Sabo seemed to deflate in absolute relief, melting down into his seat. Hoku snorted, staring at him in disbelief. “Sorry, I got worried for a second I ordered something awful--still like apples, huh?”

“Enough,” Hoku said. “My favorite is still—”

“Longan,” Sabo said.

Hoku blinked in surprise, looking up from the steaming cup in her hands.

Sabo smiled. He pulled his cup—coffee or an espresso by the smell of it—closer toward him. Sabo reached for the sugar jar. “I always think about you when I see them in stores—it’s such a weird fruit to choose to eat on your own, so I remember the time you had us all try it and—”

“Lu choked on the seeds,” Hoku’s lips curved fast into a grin, “I know what you mean. I always remember random things because of people too. You start to link people up with the stuff and places in your life.”

“Exactly,” Sabo said with a warm smile. He dropped a cube in, picking up the small spoon and starting to stir, slow and easy. “Come on, tell me all about it—how was everything? Luffy said it was something like a… soul searching experience?”

“Sort of,” Hoku laughed, pushing her hair back over her head and holding it there for a second. The apple tea smelled amazing. “I wanted to get in touch with some old family friends, help fix up the town I was born in… just spend some time there. It’s home, you know?”

Sabo looked openly curious, taking a sip of his coffee. “Are you thinking of settling there?”

“Oh, no, nothing like that,” Hoku shook her head, rubbing the back of her neck. “Settling is a tentative word anyway. I love it here to much and all my friends are here, you know? I like my apartment and what I’ve got going fine.” Just minus a steady income.

“That’s true,” Sabo said, looking thoughtful. “There’s just so much here… It’d make more sense.”

“Mhm,” Hoku said. “But it was nice. I needed it. It helped me with a lot of sorting out and growing, I think.”

“The growing I can agree on,” Sabo said warmly. Hoku made a face. “You’re lovely, Hoku. You’ve always been.”

“Stop,” Hoku laughed, wrapping her hands around the cup. It warmed her palms. “I mean, I can talk about my trip and stuff, but what’s been going—”

“Wait,” Sabo said, looking surprised. “You said apartment—are you living off campus?”

“Yeah, like Lu,” Hoku said. “They’re apartment was too crowded, even though they offered a room, so I found my own place.”

“Ah,” Sabo said. He dropped another sugar cube into his coffee. “With your boyfriend?”

Hoku smiled softly. Her eyes dropped down to her tea, staring at the murky red color. Nowhere near the bright, flaming red— “Your hair’s like hot cheetos.” “Keep talking and I’m going to shove you out of my car.”—“Ah, no, nothing like that. Just me. We actually broke up about… a year ago now?”

Sabo’s face shifted instantly. His brows creased, spoon pausing in the air. Apologies flooded his eyes, mouth opening in quick understanding that he’d just asked something like that—but Hoku waved him off, shaking her head and hand in turn. “No, no, don’t even start. We parted on good terms. I was supposed to only be gone a year, but I decided to stay longer and we had a bit of a falling out and yada yada.”

Hoku smiled, earnest, “But we’re still good friends. No drama or anything.”

“Still,” Sabo said, brows creased, looking ashamed. “I’m sorry for asking so insensitively like that. You don’t just go barreling through past relationships—sorry, Hoku. I didn’t mean to bring up any bad memories—”

“There aren’t any,” Hoku said.

Sabo dropped his spoon into his coffee, starting to stir again, slow, “That’s good. It seems like you both handled it well, then.”

There really weren’t. Even with all their fighting and butting heads, they always sobered up and acted out of each other’s best interests when it came down to it. He’d wanted her to come back—come with him—and she hadn’t known what she was looking for—

Don’t think about that now. Hoku shook her head. This is a different occasion.

Hoku’s mouth opened, eager to shift gears—

“Why’d you decide to stay the extra year?” Sabo questioned, stirring absently. Hoku looked up. Her tea was starting to cool enough now so that it wouldn’t burn her tongue.

“I just realized a year wasn’t enough to find what I was looking for,” Hoku said. “It got hard, making the decision cause I missed everyone so much, but it was a good one. I think it helped.”

Her gut twisted. Had it? She might’ve had a great time—gotten to see Shanks with his surprise stay, Mihawk came and they explored the island her mother had loved, her friends visited—but had it? Here she was now, still moving through life, still going about things but had it—

Changed anything?

Hoku thought about the lack of jobs. Thought about Law’s suggestion to switch gears. Am I even doing things right? Kid slipped into the back of her mind. Yeah, they hadn’t ended on bad terms, but had her decision even been a right one? Had there ever been a reason for them to—

Quiet black gloves, a soft underside of leather, touched her hand. Hoku jumped, eyes dropping down and realizing she hadn’t even noticed Sabo’d been wearing gloves. That’s new. Her eyes flickered back up and she realized his face was creased in worry, eyes watching her openly. “Hoku?”

Shit. “I’m sorry,” Hoku said, pulling her hands back. Sabo’s hand dropped onto the table and he glanced to it for a moment before looking back to her. Hoku used one hand to grab her cup, the other pushing her hair back out of her face from habit. “Got lost in thought—what’d you say?”

“I’m just glad you’re back,” Sabo said. He pulled his hand back, letting it rest in his lap as he brought his cup back to his lips. “Hopefully to stay. Have you had a chance to do everything you’ve missed since coming home?”

“Oh, plenty,” Hoku said, slumping in relief at the change in topic. Think happy. Think Sabo. Don’t worry about the other stuff. He doesn’t need that. Or deserve it. “The lot of losers has been making sure I do.”

“I can imagine with them,” Sabo said, looking amused. He let his cheek rest onto one hand, using the other to twirl his cup. “Luffy always talks about you guys when we meet up. Took him long enough to finally get us in touch again.”

“That’s right!” Hoku clapped her hands together. Sabo blinked. Smiling like a lost puppy. “The whole reason for this—Lu said you guys needed help with a project right? What is it? I don’t know how much I can do but I’ll try my best—”

“So you only came today because of that?” Sabo mused, tipping his head to the side, resting on his hand. Strands of wavy blonde fell a bit onto the side of his face. “I thought we were catching up.”

Hoku paled, her jaw went slack. “No—oh my god—no. You guys don’t have to pay me—I won’t let you pay me. I just wanted to help—”

Sabo’s laugh broke through. Breezy, curling past her ears. Hoku stumbled over her words, stopping as his gloved fingers hid only parts of his bright smile. “I’m sorry, I’m just teasing. You’re still so easy to tease.”

Hoku’s mouth opened and closed like a fish. She settled back into her seat, rubbing the top of her head. “Ah, jeez. You’re awful, Sabs.”

Sabo’s smile widened behind his fingers. His eyes were impossibly warm and Hoku stopped, staring. “What? You keep looking at me with that dumb smile—”

“I was wondering if you’d call me that again,” Sabo admitted, eyes softer now, still so, so warm.

Hoku blinked. She laughed, “You could’ve just asked. I’m sure other people call you that too. You’re so weird.”

“Maybe,” Sabo agreed, looking amused by her choice of words. “Hoku, what have you been up to aside from—”

“No, wait,” Hoku waved her hands, halting him.

Her eyes were on the table. Sabo’s eyes flickered briefly. He pulled his hand away from his mouth, adjusting his comfortable position to sit back in his seat. Hoku glanced back up to him to see a patient smile. It’d felt like the poor guy had to direct this entire conversation, Hoku didn’t even realize how much he was guiding it.

“The project,” Hoku said. “That first. I keep getting all twisted up with you. There’s too much to talk about. Let’s do that first.”

“Alright then,” Sabo said, a little laugh to his words. “It’s… Well, it’s less of a project and more of a personal request from a client of ours for a… specific piece of artwork.”

“That seems simple enough,” Hoku said, her hands curling around her tea to finally take a sip. “But last I heard, you and Ace are doing different kinds of work—is there a reason why they went to you?”

“There is,” Sabo said with a nod. He reached a gloved hand out across the table. Hoku blinked, curious, but Sabo waited patiently.

Hoku pulled her hands away from her tea. She limply poked Sabo’s gloved hand. The blonde laughed, shoulders shaking with the motion. “No, see, I’m not sure if you’re familiar or if Luffy told you, but I’ve been working with a designer company for a long time now. A close coworker and friend of mine designed these.”

“Oh, that’s right!” Hoku said, feeling a little stupid. The brand was labeled neatly, tucked away to not be too flashy on the inner seam of the glove. “Liberator, right? So the client met you two from this?”

“Catching on quick,” Sabo praised. Hoku’s cheeks flushed a bit and she rubbed the back of her neck. Sabo smiled warmly, “Sure enough, both of us are nowhere near a more… artistic sense of experience. I’ve been working and Ace models from time to time, but our client approached us from that line of work. We’ve been helping them out with their requests and they had a more specific one this time. They wanted a portrait. Or a series of them, to keep.”

Sabo sighed, leaning back in his seat. He laced his fingers together over the table. “It had us both stumped for awhile, to be honest. It seemed doable, but we didn’t know who to go to for something of this nature—but then we remembered Luffy mentioning you were back and town and he said you’ve been running into awful luck with work—”

Hoku sank lower in her seat, “How much did he say about that?”

Sabo’s face didn’t hold a hint of judgement. There was a fond sort of pity and understanding, he winced on her behalf, “You seem to be struggling quite a bit financially is what we got from it.”

Hoku grumbled to herself. Damn it, Luffy and your dumbass, big mouth. “Listen, it really isn’t that bad—”

“Don’t worry,” Sabo said, “I won’t pry. I want to. But I won’t. It’s not fair to come barging into your life after all this time and tell you whatnot just because.”

“I know you guys wouldn’t mean it like that,” Hoku said, feeling horribly touched at his words. And… relieved. He’d said exactly what she’d been hoping to hear. “You just care. You guys have always been sweet on those you care about.”

Sabo rubbed the back of his neck this time, looking sheepish. “It’s nothing like that—”

“No, no, it is,” Hoku said. “But anyway, forget about money. Keep goin’.”

“Well, it still has to do with money, actually,” Sabo said. “We both wanted you instantly because we love the way you draw—you’ve always been amazing at it, no matter what it was.”

Hoku’s chest flooded with unrestrained pride. She sank lower into her seat, covering her forehead with one hand and biting her lower lip. “I—I still have a lot to work on—”

“Hoku, look at me.”

Hoku followed the instruction, startled.

Sabo’s face was stern. His eyes held her in place, brows creased in that little way to show how earnestly he meant what he was about to say. “Hoku, you’re an amazing artist.”

Hoku grabbed her tea cup. Sabo opened his mouth, eyes flickering quickly with something—but she already brought it roughly to her lips, a bit sloshing over as she took a long, hard sip—it was delicious—and swallowed.

A bit dripped down her chin. Hoku laughed, a little too loud, flustered and embarrassed and yeah, it’s nice to hear all that but it doesn’t make it any less—I dunno. She was always shit at stuff like this. “Okay, I get it, you like the drawings—what’s the job—”

Sabo’s expression looked lost for a moment. Hoku blinked, realizing he seemed entirely zoned out. His eyes were following something on the corner of her chin and Hoku stopped, quickly rubbing at the tea that’d spilled down her chin—

“I’m sorry,” Sabo said, blinking back into focus. He ran a hand through his hair, pushing it out of his face for a moment and then smiling at her. “I didn’t catch that. I lost my train of thought this time.”

“No, you’re fine,” Hoku said. “We’re even now.”

Sabo stared at her for a second before he said, a bit soft, “You’re awful at listening to directions, aren’t you?”

“A bit,” Hoku said. Sabo’s fingers curled around his cup.  “Keep going about that client. Needed an artist. What’s next?”

“Ah, yes,” Sabo folded his hands back together onto the table. “Well, we figured we were killing two birds with one stone by asking you. Help you out with your situation, and secure the piece we needed for this request. We’ll need you twice a week for an entire month, starting as soon as you can. It’ll only be in the evening, and we can work around your school schedule, but when you come in, how long it runs for may vary each time. We can supply any materials you’ll need, canvases and all, and all you’ll have to do is just draw.”

“That sounds…” Hoku said, “Really well-thought out.”

Sabo smiled, “We tried to be thorough with our planning to make sure everything went smoothly.”

“I… I don’t see any reason why not,” Hoku said, blinking. “You just need me to draw specific pieces—what is your client looking for? It sounds like there’ll be a model or a specific scene in mind. And honestly, Sabs, don’t even worry about the payment—I’d just like to help you guys out.”

“I have to insist you take the pay,” Sabo said, shaking his head. “It isn’t coming from Ace or I, honest. It’s directly paid from the client. And I have to say, they do pay rather handsomely.”

“Then you guys should keep the money,” Hoku protested. “I really can’t—”

“You’re the one doing the work,” Sabo said. “I have to insist.”

“But if they’re a friend of yours, I don’t want to make them pay,” Hoku said. “It won’t be too much trouble. I might not even be up to their standards—”

“Our business is strictly professional,” Sabo reassured. Fingers folded neatly together, sitting on top of the table. “You can take the pay, it really isn’t—”

“I’m not going to do the job if you guys are gonna pay me.”

Sabo stopped. Hoku’s face was set, stern. Sabo stared at her for a long, long minute, hands still folded so neatly in front of him and eyes quiet—

Sabo smiled, his face was playful, “Still as stubborn as ever.”

“Enough about money,” Hoku said. I’m sick of thinking about it, honestly. “What are they looking to have drawn? It doesn’t sound like it’s something off the top of my head. What’d they have in mind?”

“Ah, well,” Sabo looked a little thoughtful this time, contemplative. He seemed to be working through his words before he faced her evenly, an air of professionalism coating his friendly demeanor. “I don’t doubt your skills in the slightest, Hoku. I remember you’ve always been fond of drawing people too…”

Hoku waited, holding her cup in her hands. I’ve been taking forever to drink this thing. I keep getting distracted.

“I have to ask though,” Sabo said, “are you well acquainted with drawing anatomy?”

“Sure,” Hoku said, the cup at her lips. She’d assistant taught an anatomy drawing class. “All ranges. You’re right, people are usually my go-to for focus.”

Sabo leaned forward onto his elbows. His hands were interwoven together, placed over the lower half of his face. His expression was neutral.

“Nude models as well?”

Hoku nodded, not missing a beat. She’d dealt with the initial embarrassment of drawing nude models years ago from earlier classes. At the end of the day, it bled into a kind of intrigue to figure out how well you could draw people, at their rawest, at their most bare—it was intimate, and you wanted to make it beautiful. They all had the same body parts at the heart of it—when it came to her pencil and paper, there was nothing else to think about except the drawing. No strings attached.

I mean, Hoku felt an inch of heat creep up the back of her neck. It colored the top of her ears. It’s not like I’ve never been naked with anyone before… either…

Sabo watched her over the top of his fingers.

“I won’t scream or run out of the room if I see boobs or someone’s junk,” Hoku said flatly. Sabo’s lips turned up at the corners, holding back a laugh. “I’ve done nude shoots plenty of times, so don’t worry about that.”

“That’s good,” Sabo said, “See, our client is looking for something of a more… intimate nature.”

When you’re undressed like that in front of anyone, it’s already something intimate. Hoku nodded, following along.

“It’ll be an entirely private affair,” Sabo said evenly.  “Closed quarters. Our clients are trusted people. Strictly business. You won’t have to worry about having your name attached to anything either, unless you’re particularly proud of a piece and want to use it for anything.”

His reflection in the dark cup of coffee couldn’t be seen, less than half full. Hoku’s reflection warbled back against her tea.

“You’ll only have to draw,” he said. “The time frames will range though, forgive me on that.”

Hoku shook her head, “You really have nothing to apologize for, honestly.”

Sabo smiled over the top of his hands. “There won’t be any given cues. They’re looking for something… natural. Whatever catches your eye in the moment it all happens, you choose what you’d like to draw. Whatever stands out to the artist should be worth something, after all.”

Free reign. Hoku nodded thoughtfully. She’d done some works like this before—almost like hiring a photographer, but looking for someone to draw it instead.

Sabo let out a loud sigh. Hoku looked up, curious. His shoulders had slumped, face visibly relaxed as he offered her a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry. Working this out with you has lifted a huge weight off my shoulders. You have no idea how much you’re helping us out with this. We… we really needed the help.”

I’ll do my best. These guys have always been nothing but kind to me. Hoku straightened.

“When do you think is the soonest you can start?” Sabo questioned.

“Whenever!” Hoku said eagerly. “I’m in school Monday through Thursday, but classes end way before the evening. I’ll let you know if anything comes up.”

“Today’s Wednesday,” Sabo pulled out his phone, opening up his calendar. “Will Friday be too soon? The timing is perfect since it’s the first of the month…”

“No, that’s totally fine,” Hoku said, nodding. “I can do Friday.”

“I’ll text you the time and address then and further information,” Sabo said cheerfully. He turned his phone over face down onto the table, focusing back on her. “You can send me a list of anything you might need and we’ll have it ready.”

“I have a lot of my own supplies,” Hoku said. “Maybe just let me know if there’s specific size or style your client is looking for. Charcoal, ink, graphite—”

“Classic pencil should do,” Sabo said easily. “They’re not too picky.”

“Will the client be the model?” Hoku said.

“Ace, the client, and myself,” Sabo answered cleanly. “Poses will range. The entire thing will be a bit like… a simulation, if you will. If there was a moment where something stood out and you couldn’t capture it, we have cameras recording in the room on all sides, so just let us know after it’s done and we can send you the tapes.”

Ace and Sabo… Hoku’s brows furrowed. Her gut shifted a little. That… That might get a little weird, won’t it? Drawing them naked is kind of weird.

“We really needed the help.”

“Will any of that be a problem?” Sabo asked gently, brows furrowed in worry.

Hoku’s stomach twisted a bit more.

You’ve drawn your friends in all kinds of ways before. Hoku reminded herself. You helped your classmates with their own projects—you’ve drawn people you know really well nude and different and all kinds of different things—it’s just that. No strings attached. It’s not really intimate at all.

“None at all,” Hoku said.

It was just another job. Pencil and paper. Nothing more.

“And Hoku?”

She looked up. Sabo’s face was earnest.

“If there’s ever a moment where it’s too much, you want to quit, or you just don’t feel comfortable,” Sabo said gently. “You can leave whenever you want. We understand. If you can’t handle it, don’t worry. It’s completely up to you.”

“Can’t handle it?”

“I’m sure I can handle it,” Hoku said, ignoring the old, bitter memory. The tightness around her throat. The sound of water rushing all around her. “Don’t worry.”

Sabo smiled.

.

.

.

Hoku flopped down onto the train seat, knocking her head back on the reinforced glass. The business man beside her didn’t even look up, eyes falling heavy with sleep. Same, man, same.

She shouldn’t be tired. The rest of the meet-up went… amazingly. They stopped talking business and just caught up like old friends. Hoku laughed a lot, ate a lot, constantly being fed this and that as Sabo ordered with reckless abandon—“But it all looks so good!” and when she’d tried to run to the cashier to pay because that’d been her plan all along—she was left staring at the smiling host from earlier as he held up Sabo’s sleek black credit card.

To be honest, she’d felt completely and utterly spoiled. A feeling that always had her on edge and made her feel funny because—I don’t deserve shit like this. Sabo had kindly offered to drive her home, but she had to put her foot down there—and even then that’d been a fight until Hoku had just booked it to the station, waving over her shoulder at a laughing Sabo left behind.

“We’ll meet up before the session starts on Friday with Ace to finalize some things.” Hoku lazily tugged out her phone, scrolling through the new messages. “Give you guys plenty of time to catch up and then get right to work.”

One month. Hoku pulled up her calendar. Aside from school and the impulsive or random hang outs with everyone—ah, gotta drop off food for Law—she had nothing planned. Because you’re an unemployed loser.

She could do this. It seemed easy enough. The only thing that didn’t sit right with her was the nature of how Ace and Sabo would be, but it was possibly they wouldn’t even be nude. Maybe someone wanted a beautiful drawing with two handsome men—yeah, I can do something like that.

It gave her something to do. Keep herself busy. Even if she didn’t take the pay, at least she’d be working.

A notification popped up and Hoku paused for a second before sliding it open. The photo opened up from the art platform she used to post new works and keep herself posted with—

This month’s. Working on the next.

His work was edgy. As always. The sleek slabs of metal had been made to look a chrome silver—they caught off the light, reflecting back the opening jaws of a monster made of his own creation but—

It was awesome.

Hoku stared at the new project. The train rumbled beneath her feet, shifting occasionally.

“Stick to your cars.” Hoku typed out finally, posting the comment with a face. She looked forward, the train fairly busy with other people all heading home from long days and late shifts.

She needed to get moving too.

Her phone lit up in her hands. Hoku smiled, pulling up the message. Luffy’s eager voice through the texts bled through instantly.

“HOW DID IT GOOOOOOO????”

“GREAT.” Hoku typed back. “GONNA HELP THEM ON FRIIIIIIDAAAAAAAY.”

Incoherent, misspelled words came back. Hoku stared, waiting for something to understand until a video was sent. She glanced around, lowering her volume in case and opening up the video.

The camera was violently shaky. Luffy was obviously running—his feet the only thing in view. The phone lifted up to where Zoro and Usopp were lounging on the couch and it looked like Sanji was in the kitchen—

“GUYS!!!!” Luffy’s voice shouted. The man beside her jumped. Hoku winced. “HOKU’S GETTING A JOB! SHE’S NOT A LOSER ANYMORE!”

Hoku slapped a hand over her mouth to stop her laughter. Usopp fell off the couch, startled from his doze. Zoro tipped his head back. “Bust out the booze.”

Sanji popped out from the kitchen, looking hurt. “Hoku honey, I said you could work at our restaurant—”

The video cut out with Luffy shoving a thumb up into the camera.

Hoku smiled, staring at her screen for a long time, holding it in front of her.

She could do this.

She had to.

.

.

.

“We’ll meet an hour before the session starts.”

Hoku stepped into the sleek, polished elevator. The apartment complex was unnervingly nice. She remembered muddy hills. Dangerous forests. Creaky houses and three loud boys. This—one of the clearly nicer apartment buildings in their city—wasn’t what she was used to seeing. Ace and Sabo were clearly doing really well.

“We’ll be doing this at our apartment. This is the address and the code. We have a… studio of sorts for this type of work. Everything will be prepared beforehand so don’t worry about having to arrange anything.”

Hoku adjusted the collar of her blank white t-shirt, tucked into the waistband of her light washed jeans. She pulled her bomber jacket tighter over herself. Her bigger canvas bag was slung over her shoulder, all her supplies shoved in.

“Is there a certain way I should dress?”

“Perhaps nothing too… flashy? Just make sure you’re comfortable. No real dress code. You’ll be working for what might be several hours.”

Hoku’s fingers reached out, pausing at the button. Ninth floor.

Nine wasn’t a really lucky number by her books.

“Our client has already been informed, so don’t worry about anything. You’ll need to stay on the quieter side though, if that’s alright. Your station is positioned nicely in the room so you can move and get whatever angles you need.”

Hoku hit the button. The floor numbers lit up as the elevator lifted her to the apartment.

“We’ll start officially at nine.”

The wall gave way to glass. Hoku glanced to the city lights, flickering and shifting across the streets.

“You can have a moment to do anything you need before we begin. We won’t be able to stop once we start.”

The doors to the elevator slid open. Hoku stepped out, realizing with wide eyes that the entire floor was reserved for a single apartment. How big is this place?

Double doors waited at the end of the hallway.

Hoku shifted her bag and walked toward it, humming a bit to herself. Wonder if Ace is still annoying.

“We’ll walk you through anything else before we start. Answer any questions.”

Hoku stopped in front of the pearly white doors. She stared at it for a second, the tune dying on her lips. Something churned in her gut. A funny feeling.

It’s just another drawing session.

“Thank you again, Hoku. You don’t know what this means to us.”

Hoku knocked firmly against the door. She waited, shoving her hands into her pockets. This’ll be good for you. You need this change of pace. And besides, you get to do it with two good friends—

“You’ll be helping us, a lot.”

Hoku heard muffled footsteps on the other side of the door. A lock, two, slid out of place. The door opened inwards and Hoku looked up.

Eyes like charcoal. A little gray—almost silver in linings. A constellation of light freckles dusted over his cheeks. Sun-kissed skin. Soot black hair that framed the sharp line of his jaw and the familiar smell of something smoldering—like burning pine or with a little more bite to it—

Still a little roguish looking, wild. Still had that grumpy crease to his brows—

Portgas D. Ace.

Ace stared at her for a second and then promptly shut the door in her face.

Still a little piece of shit—

“What’s the password?” Ace said, muffled behind the door.

Hoku snorted. She kept her hands in her pockets.

“I guess I’m not wanted for the job,” Hoku answered. “Thanks for the interview anyway—”

The door swung open. Ace’s hand shot out, grabbing the back of her jacket just as she was turning. Hoku choked, arms flailing as she was roughly tugged back into the entrance of the apartment.

Ace’s bare foot shot out around her, kicking the door closed and twisting one of the locks between his toes—what the fuck you actual monkey—and then he was turning her around to face him.

Hoku spat her hair out of her mouth. Staring.

He had a shirt on for once. Tucked into a pair of black jeans.

That stupid, boyish grin split across his face, showing his always oddly sharp canines and making crinkles show up around his eyes. That dumb, happy, dorky grin—

Hoku’s heart did a funny thing, the kind of thing that reminded you just how much you missed someone and hurt you for not making an effort to see them sooner because—

“Hey, shooting star,” Ace said, voice deep and light all at once, clearly filled with mirth, “How’ve you been?”

“Hey, dumbass,” Hoku said, unable to stop the wide smile on her lips and not even trying to. “Been awhile, huh?”

Ace’s face soured at the name. He grabbed the back of her head, shoving it straight into his chest. Hoku let out a muffled squawk. Her hands shot out, smacking at his arms, but Ace promptly clamped them down firmly in a bear hug around her and lifted her off her feet. “I think you forgot who you’re talking too. Who said you could get that cheeky, huh?”

Hoku let out muffled curses against his shirt, getting a mouthful of cologne and cotton. Ace turned around, about to haul her out of the entryway until Sabo’s head peeked around the corner.

“At least let her take her shoes off,” Sabo said. Ace looked down to where Hoku was already struggling to shove her sneakers off with the other foot despite her constrained form. “You know how she is about that.”

“I have to make up for two years worth of contact,”Ace said simply, without any regret. “It starts now.”

“Make sure you let her breathe first,” Sabo said, amused. “Or you’ll lose her before that.”

Ace relinquished his hold. Hoku almost fell back, tripping over her shoes still half on her feet. Ace grinned, a deft finger sliding through one of her empty belt loops and stopping her from falling onto her ass. He tugged her back onto her feet and Hoku shot both hands out, steadying herself. Her eyes darted around, frazzled and flustered for a second before her face shifted into a deep scowl.

“I don’t miss any of that,” Hoku said darkly. “No wonder I never reached out to you.”

“No, you’re just awful,” Ace said. “Look at you. You look like you’re about to cry. Should’ve called if you were going to miss us that much, shooting star.”

“I look like this because I almost died from cotton suffocation,” Hoku snapped. Ace used one finger to dig something out of his ear, turning away from her. Nope. Didn’t miss him at all. Not one bit.

Hoku thought about tumbling down hills and climbing up trees and their stupid faces popping into classrooms and--

She sniffled. Nope. Not one bit.

“You’re still as grumpy as ever,” Ace said. He yawned, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Sabo said you got nicer, guess he was wrong.”

Hoku tossed her shoe at the back of his head. Ace yelped, turning around with wide eyes and grabbing the back of his head in pain. “You hit me!”

“I’m about to kick your ass too,” Hoku said, waving her other shoe.

Ace’s lips split into a wild grin. He turned, raising his hands to tackle her. Hoku readied her shoe, taking in the healthy, lively look in his eyes and the bright teeth and—

Her shoulders couldn’t help but slump a bit. Her brows softened. “You look good.” I’m glad.

She and Ace had always butted heads the most. Fought the most. Tousled with each other the most—but Ace had also been the one she couldn’t help worrying about from time to time because he’d been such an angry brat as a kid and—

Ace looked as though she’d slapped him silly. He stared at her, jaw stupidly slack and then his cheeks flushed a dark red. He slapped a hand over his mouth, stumbling back one step and fumbling for his words as he rubbed the back of his neck furiously.

“You can’t just say stuff like that,” Ace said hotly, “Aw, jeez—you’re cheating—”

“You’re such an idiot,” Hoku laughed, dropping her shoe and stepping into their apartment.

See? Hoku let any lingering, stray doubts fade away. Easy and comfortable. You’re going to be fine.

Immediately the space opened up to a massive living room. A shining coffee table in the center, sleek and new. Windows opened up to a massive view, curtains currently pulled open to showcase the entire city. A long, comfortable looking couch and a separate recliner. A book shelf, neat and organized. Sabo. A shiny new television screen and set and the space opened up to a massive island that shifted toward a giant kitchen—

“How much are you guys making?” Hoku squawked. Sabo chuckled and Ace grinned, crossing his arms over his chest with a puff of pride. “What the hell happened to leaking ceilings and broken drywall—did you rob a bank while I was gone?”

“Being awesome pays,” Ace said with a cocky grin.

“Our work leaves us comfortable,” Sabo said. He appeared at her side, clad in a navy blue turtleneck and black pants. He set down a pair of house slippers for her and smiled up at her. “Seems like you two are already catching up like you’d never left, and I hate to interrupt…”

“Ah, shit, it’s already almost time,” Ace glanced to his watch and back to the door. “Good thing we got everything set already.”

Sabo nodded. Hoku stepped into the slippers. Nice fit. The blonde offered to take her bag, but she waved him off. He curled his fingers back to his chest, looking amused.

“Do you want anything to drink?” Sabo offered kindly. “Take a seat on the couch, we can go over last minute details before we start.”

“No, I’m fine,” Hoku said, swatting Ace’s hands away when he playfully tried to herd her toward the living room. Sabo’s eyes flickered above her head toward Ace and Hoku made her way gingerly toward their living room. “Thank you though.”

“Take your jacket off if you’d like,” Sabo said. “The room might get a bit warm.”

Her jacket was making her a bit more comfortable, if she had to be honest. Purposefully not doing it seemed a bit rude to a second kind request from Sabo though. Hoku dutifully started shrugging it off and she almost jumped when two hands came on either side of her arms, pulling her jacket away from her with a gust of warm skin and heat.

“Still as jumpy as ever,” Ace said above her, teasing.

“Think I can’t take off my own jacket?” Hoku said, pointedly shoving her arms the rest of the way past his fingers.

Ace snorted. “You trip over air.”

Hoku scowled, turning away as her fingers slipped from her jacket sleeves. Ace pulled it away, watching her back.

He handed it to Sabo, who took it with nimble fingers, folding it once and laying it over the back of one of the dining chairs.

The long, leather couch was tempting, but Hoku wisely opted for the love seat placed in front of the coffee table beside the gas powered fireplace. Ace took a seat on the couch, throwing one arm casually behind it and getting comfortable while Sabo walked over to the two of them, taking a seat beside his brother as he set two water bottles down.

“I brought my bigger sketchbook,” Hoku said. “Just in case. But Sabs said you guys had the drawing table set up so I’ll work directly onto the paper and just let me know if your client wants it finalized on a better sheet.”

Ace took one of the bottles, unscrewing the cap. His eyes turned sideways to Sabo, “You two already went over everything, right?”

Sabo nodded, crossing one leg over the other and folding his hands together on top of his knee. “For the most part. You remember everything I told you, right Hoku?”

“Read it over a couple times just in case,” Hoku said. She ticked off her fingers. “Quiet as a mouse. I’m no more than just an observer after all, right? Pick a shot that stands out the most to me and draw that. There won’t be any guidance. Keep it all confidential for the client’s and your guys’ sake. Comfy clothes…”

She’d already silenced her phone. Pulled her hair back into a ponytail to maintain an air of professionalism for their client…

Sabo smiled, lids a little low, pleased. “Good job, Hoku.”

Hoku smiled idly at the praise. “Nothing to give me credit for—it’s a job. It’s the least I should do.”

Yeah. Hoku thought resolutely. You can do this. You’re helping a couple friends out.

Ace watched her over the top of his water bottle. His eyes traveled down the half-heart tattoo over her eyes, dipping to where her t-shirt showed a bit of her collarbone where a smattering of petals were tattooed over her shoulder.

“Any new tattoos?” Ace questioned curiously. Sabo glanced to him, pausing mid-way to grab his bottle.

Hoku didn’t look up from checking her materials in her bag, “Maybe one or two. You still got that gang of yours on your back—”

“Our client should be here in a few minutes,” Sabo turned to Ace. His brother’s expression shifted briefly before settling, head dipping a bit in a nod. “I know you’re a bit behind on catching up, but that is your fault for forgetting to call off.”

“It was last minute!” Ace complained.

Sabo glanced to the expensive looking watch on his wrist. He slipped a thin, flat looking box out of his pocket and casually pressed a button, watching it for a moment before he put it back into his pocket. Ace’s eyes flashed back to him briefly, but his attention swung back to Hoku, whose face had turned a bit constipated as she held up her phone.

“Sorry,” Hoku said, a bit sheepish. “Uh, blame Luffy?”

Ace grumbled without real menace, folding his arms across his chest. Sabo smiled well-naturedly, turning his focus back to Hoku.

“As I said, we already briefed our client on everything,” Sabo said. “So don’t worry. She won’t be surprised. You’ll be in your space and we’ll be in ours and you just have to do what you need to do. Don’t worry about anything that happens either—t’s all been discussed. Just focus on what you’re doing.”

Hoku felt the curiosity from earlier stir. She set her bag down on top of her lap. Ace tipped the bottle back, taking a long swig as his adam’s apple bobbed with a swallow. A bit of water dripped down his chin, past his throat.

“You said it was like a simulation,” Hoku said. Sabo waited, listening, “Is it… Is it going to be like acting something out? Like a play or a scene she’s looking for?”

“You want to see for yourself?” Ace questioned absently. Dark eyes watched her over the top of his bottle, clashing with his light voice—

Sabo shot Ace a chiding look, lined with a bit of bemusement. Ace shrugged.

Hoku’s eyes were on her memo book, scribbling a note to herself in. Look for a good moment. “Hired an artist, not a model.”

“Mmm,” Sabo rubbed his chin, curling his fingers beneath it as his eyes flickered in thought. “Acting something out… You could say it’s something like that. As I said before, it’ll be on a more intimate affair, so I hope you won’t be startled—”

“I won’t,” Hoku promised. She’d already braced herself by going over old sketches of different poses and angles in her nude studies and drawing sessions—she was expecting some of the ‘worst’ in a sense, and reminded herself that it was just—

Another drawing.

Even if you know these guys like brothers, she thought a little limply. Just wash it out of your brain later.

“Perfect,” Ace said simply. “Then there shouldn’t be anymore problems, right? Let’s get started.”

Sabo shot him an amused look. Ace clapped his hands together, locking them behind his head in an easy posture. Hoku nodded, gathering up her bag. “Lead the way—”

“Hoku?”

Hoku stopped. She looked back up at Sabo. “Yeah, Sabs?”

Sabo’s lip twitched. Something flickered through his eyes, concealed beneath gentle amusement and a hint of fondness. He leaned forward, making sure their gazes met.

“I just wanted to remind you again,” Sabo said, warmly, he seemed to wait a bit. Hoku turned fully to face him. He continued, “If any of this seems too much for you or gets too uncomfortable—we can stop. We don’t want to ruin anything or make things weird if this makes you uneasy—”

“I’ll be fine,” Hoku said, smiling brightly. “Don’t worry.”

“If it does get too much though,” Ace added. “Maybe hold off on saying anything till after. I dunno if Sabo told you yet, but it’s hard to stop once we get started—”

“Don’t worry,” Hoku repeated, shaking her head. “It won’t.”

“Then,” Sabo said smoothly. He stood up to his full height and Hoku adjusted her bag. Her eyes dropped to his hands, realizing he was wearing gloves indoors—for the drawing session? “Any other questions before we start?”

Hoku ran over all the instructions twice. This whole thing seemed a little more edgier than she was used to, intimately professional. But it was just another drawing session at the end of the day, right?

Sabo walked around the coffee table, even steps stopping beside her. He lowered a hand to her back, guiding her toward the hallway politely. Ace remained on the couch, watching them with half-lidded eyes as they turned toward the specific hallway—

Hoku snapped her fingers, looking up at Sabo. The brothers turned to her curiously.

“I know you said I had free reign,” Hoku said, eyes wide with realization. “But is there a specific… I dunno, look she might be going for? A moment in this whole thing I should pay attention too or keep an eye out for…”

Sabo tipped his head to the side, considering his answer. Ace tipped his head onto the back of the couch, fingers laced behind his head.

A slow, lazy smile curved over his lips. His canines peeked through. Ace’s expression was satisfied and amused all at once—as though he’d just told the greatest joke in the entire world.

“Probably,” Ace said, “the climax.”

.

.

.

The room—the studio—was massive.

The entire room fitted like a master bedroom. It seemed the entire apartment had several different rooms, using up the large amount of space granted by being the only room on the entire floor of the complex high rise.

Fitted with only two doors—the one they’d entered through and another door on the right that seemed to lead into a bathroom. The room itself was wide.The walls were wood and dark in color. Low, warm colored lights were fixed into the ceiling.  Sleek wooden floors fitted with a nice looking rug right in front of the main attraction.

A single bed.

A big bed. King sized. Plush, neatly folded duvets and silk sheets. It was a dark red in color, not too bold or flashy, prominent. It didn’t stand on a classic bed-frame, instead, raised up from the ground with a wooden step that went around it, making the bed seemed fixed into the floor. A dark, leather cushioned headboard sat behind it, tucked beneath heavy pillows.

There was a lounge chair in the opposite corner, a fancy looking recliner. Night stands were nestled on either side of the bed. One more beside the chair.

Paneled sliding doors to the left promised a closet. Hoku was still taking in the entire show of the room because—it was kind of daunting, really. She tried picking out with a more eager eye good angles, the colors contrasted darkly and richly, so she’d have fun with shading and contrasts but—

Intimate. Hoku thought about Sabo’s description. Definitely seems to be the right word.

She couldn’t help but wonder if this was the classic go-to for all their shoots. She kept calling it a room in her head because it’s what it looked like—but Sabo had said it was studio. It was possible they moved it around and changed it to whatever they needed to fit their client’s demands.

Her work station was nestled in the corner of the room. Almost it’s own little world. It was quite a good distance from the door. Sleek desks arranged for maximum workspace, though humbly recluse from everything else in the room. There were folded up light fixtures and equipment Hoku recognized for photoshoots propped up in case she wanted to change anything. Her work space was a very, very nice looking drawing table, fitted with a light and grooves for her materials, a slot for the paper and—

Hoku stood behind the desk, setting her things down. She played with the back of the chair—it was a roomy thing, arm rests. Wheels on the bottom so she could spin and move it around—

“Perfect view,” Hoku realized, staring at the bed from where she’d be sitting. Of everything.

She glanced up to the ceiling, noticing what looked like paneled boards. Light fixtures behind them? Hoku turned her head, noticing the reinforced hook fixed into the center of the bed’s ceiling. They must move things around after all for different shoots—

“Are you all set up?”

Hoku jumped, nearly knocking into the desk and falling over it. Her head snapped over her shoulder and Sabo blinked in surprise right behind her, pressing a few gloved fingers to his lips. “Oops, sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

“No, you just—” Hoku shook her head, laughing a bit as she tugged a quick hand through her hair. Sabo’s eyes followed the action briefly. “You’re like a ghost. I didn’t even hear you.”

“Ah,” Sabo’s lips turned upwards in amusement, lowering his hand beneath his chin. “I know what you mean. Ace and Luffy are always so loud, it makes you seem quieter than you are.”

“You look comfy,” Hoku said, eyeing the dark navy robe Sabo had changed into. Kept the gloves on though.

“I’m used to this,” Sabo said with an easy smile.

“Seems like it,” Hoku agreed, taking a seat in the chair. She adjusted it briefly, spinning it around once. Sabo’s brows quirked, looking as though he were trying to hold back a laugh. “Neat studio you guys have set up here. You’ve got a whole thing going, huh?”

Sabo hummed, playing with the back of her chair. “When it became apparent we’d be doing this fairly often, we figured it was wise to make the investment.”

“Private modeling sessions,” Hoku mused, leaning back in the chair. Sabo crossed his arms over the back of the rest, leaning his head onto them as he watched the top of her head. “You know, considering how good looking you guys are, I bet companies would be paying big bucks to have a couple sessions.”

“How much would you pay?” Sabo questioned behind her.

Hoku pursed her lips, pretending to think deeply on the subject. “I doubt I could even afford an hour.”

Hoku laughed, smoothing out her paper and leaning forward toward the desk. She tugged out her pencil case, flipping it open. “My art teacher would kill to have you sit in for a class—”

Her chair shifted. Sabo had pushed it forward a bit. The desk came close to her, not touching, but keeping her nestled tightly between the wood and the chair behind her. Hoku’s hands instantly shot for the edge of the desk, catching herself briefly—

“For however long you’d like, whatever you’d like, a session for you,” Sabo said, his voice was light, breezy. Easy. Not a hint of anything else. There would be no reason for there to be anything else.

“Would be free.”

Sabo’s shadow was light against her desk. Hoku stared at it for a moment, feeling strangely, quietly—was that feeling even really there? Did she really feel that for a second? No, no you didn’t. Why would you feel like that when—

It’s just them.

“So then,” Hoku said, turning her head over her shoulder with a grin. “I could have you two dressed up however and in whatever ridiculous pose I wanted—”

“I do look better in colors that compliment my hair,” Sabo said cheerfully. “And I like—”

“Navy blue,” Hoku jutted a pencil at his robe.

Sabo’s smile was so bright it almost hurt to look at. Something funny twisted in her gut. “Ace will be coming in with our guest in a second, remember everything I told you?”

“Mhm,” Hoku nodded. “You won’t hear a peep out of me. Won’t even be here.”

Sabo fondly ruffled the top of her head, “Good girl.”

Hoku scowled, swatting at his hand. Sabo chuckled, pulling away from her chair while giving it a bit of a spin as he walked from her station toward the bed. Hoku couldn’t help but hope he at least had something on under that robe because—

Luffy, this might be one of the weirdest things I’ve ever done but I swear to god I’m washing it out of my brain when this is all over. Hoku turned her eyes to the paper, already starting to sketch out the design of the room since she’d be aiming for something to take place on the bed. I’m going to do everything in my power not to have to draw your brothers’ dic—

No, don’t even worry about it. Hoku shook her head. No other thoughts. They’re just bodies. You just draw. There’s nothing else involved in it.

Easy.

The door clicked open.

Sabo turned slowly, standing directly before the bed.

Hoku looked up.

She was lovely.

Long, dark hair curled into waves against her back. Her nails were neatly done, manicured and colored like wine to match the tight, form fitting cocktail dress that showed off all her curves in all the right places. Her skin was a light, healthy tan. Her body was nice. Hoku could see what angles she should draw from immediately from how well her legs moved, long and lovely beneath her dress that barely hit her mid-thigh—

Her lashes were long and curled. Her lipstick matched the color of her dress. She looked older—probably somewhere around Law’s age. Ah, but his type is far away from women like this—

She stepped further into the room. Hoku realized she was still wearing her shoes—black heels, strapped up to her ankles. Her head held high. She walked with purpose. Hoku instantly felt a clear wall erected between them—Hoku was Hoku—this lady, this woman, was exactly what girls aspired to be. Beautiful, mature, seductive.

Sabo offered her a warm, polite smile. The woman’s eyes lowered, half-lidded and dark. Hoku watched her throat quiver with a swallow. Her pretty nails tugged at the hem of her dress briefly. Sabo hadn’t even moved.

The air in the studio shifted. It felt heavy.

Hoku held her pencil loose in her grip, uncertain for a moment, waiting.

“You’re late,” Sabo said, politely, “Hotaru-san.”

Hoku only froze for a brief second. That weird flinch you did sometimes when you thought someone was about to say your own name.

Hotaru’s lips pursed. Full. She bit her lower lip, eyelids fluttering and then her gaze turned quickly to Hoku.

Hoku flinched, gripping her pencil. Should she introduce herself? Thank her? Greet her? Her eyes darted to Sabo in a moment of panic, but he hadn’t taken his eyes off Hotaru.

“You don’t have to speak to her. Or interact with the client. Just do what you need to do.”

Hotaru’s face shifted. Clearly unhappy. A pout followed on her lips and Sabo looked amused as she strode further into the room. Heels clicking against the wood. Hoku waited with her pencil ready, a little nervous until she spotted Ace stepping into the room right after her, still in his clothes from earlier.

The door closed behind him with an audible click. His fingers smoothly twisted a lock into place.

Hotaru shuddered at the sound, breathing a little heavier.

Hoku swallowed. She hovered over her paper. Ace’s dark eyes caught hers from her station and he offered her a small smile, throwing her a wink.

Her shoulders slumped in relief. Hoku forced herself to relax. That’s right. They said it was like acting—they’re just models. You’re just drawing. Don’t worry about anything else. It’s just a job.

What are you getting so nervous for?

“You didn’t say she was going to be a girl,” Hotaru said finally. Her voice was high, her lips pursed in annoyance. Hoku’s eyes went round in worry. Sabo tipped his head to the side and she strode forward toward him, hands on her hips. “I told you how I—”

“You didn’t even take your shoes off,” Sabo said. Hotaru stopped completely in her tracks. His voice was even. Calm.

It could be heard.

“She was that eager,” Ace said behind them, walking forward with his hands in the pockets of his jeans. Hotaru’s face flushed dark in embarrassment, mouth opening and closing. “Came rushing right into the apartment.”

Ace stopped right behind her. He kept his hands to himself. “Why don’t you tell Sabo what you asked me to do when you came in, hmm? How I took off your jacket. Where you wanted to do it because you couldn’t wait.”

Sabo took a seat onto the edge of the bed. It’s risen level still left him lowered, but it didn’t feel that way at all—

A throne.

Hoku’s fingers twitched. This is a good shot—should I draw this? Her eyes flickered to her paper, ignoring the sweat that had gathered at the back of her neck. The nervousness that tugged at her fingers despite how steady she held her pencil.

It’s like acting. It’s a roleplay. They just need to get in character. The client must want something like this—

Hoku swallowed.

How… How far is this going to—

Sabo set his gloved hands on either side of him, leaning back onto his hands as he watched Hotaru in silence.

Hotaru bit her lower lip. Her cheeks were flushed a dark, cherry red. She turned her head to Ace and then to Sabo and she quickly spat out, “Fine—Fine, I don’t care. I just—Sabo, please—”

“Take your shoes off.”

Hotaru flinched, looking desperate. Ace didn’t move an inch, face set into an easy, uninterested look. Sabo didn’t seem interested in repeating himself a second time. Hotaru floundered for words.

Sabo smoothly slid out a thin, rectangular shaped box from the pocket of his robe. Hotaru shuddered, eyes growing round and fixed entirely on that little box.

Sabo set it calmly at his side, moving his hand from it.

Hotaru bent down. Her fingers quickly worked at her heels, tugging desperately at the straps and chucking her heels into another direction of the room. Ace looked amused behind her and Hoku’s eyes followed the heels, sketching them into the corner of the image. Giving herself something to do.

“You just have to watch.” She paused at the memory of Sabo’s words. “Closely. Pick which scene you think will be the best.”

Hoku’s brows furrowed and she hesitantly looked back up.

“There,” Hotaru said. She took a few steps and then she hit the floor on her hands and knees. Hoku stared with wide eyes. The woman crawled forward, her tight dress hiking up higher on her thighs with each movement. “I did what you asked, Sabo.”

Sabo remained silent, perched on the bed in front of her. Hotaru crawled up onto her knees in front of him and Hoku darted back to the paper. This isn’t a bad shot. Shows power and an attempt to overthrow. But Ace isn’t doing much in it—

“Look at you,” Hoku looked up at Sabo’s clear, resounding voice. It was directive. Her eyes dropped to Hotaru who bit her lower lip, eyes needy as she gazed at Sabo.

He kept his hands at his sides. Those blonde locks fell a bit into his eyes, framing that sculpted angle of his jaw.

He looked completely and utterly—

In control.

Hoku held her pencil tight, chanting a mantra in her head.

No one is even naked yet. She reminded herself. You’ve drawn worse before. This is some… powerplay or something. It’s an act. Calm down. Why are you—

“All worked up?” Sabo questioned lowly.

Hoku flinched for a second before she relaxed. He’s not talking to me. I don’t exist right now.

He raised a hand. Hotaru’s eyes followed every movement eagerly. Gloved fingers curved beneath her chin, raising her head up to look at him. “You normally put up such a fight. I could touch you and you’ll just roll over, won’t you?”

Hotaru’s eyes flashed. Her cheeks flushed but her hands rushed forward and Sabo’s eyes darkened. She fumbled for the bind holding Sabo’s robe together, pushing forward on her knees toward him. Her breasts pushed up against his legs.

Sabo simply watched in silence, as though he were watching a child try something in vain. A hint of amusement in his gaze. It was—

Condescending.

“Aren’t you the same though?” Hotaru said hurriedly. She tugged Sabo’s rope free and she pushed aside the folds of his robe. “You’re acting all calm and collected—but, but you want it too, don’t you? Look at you!”

Sabo’s chest opened up. Taut muscles. A defined ridge. Hoku’s eyes couldn’t help but move to the inch of his side that was exposed. His scar peeked through. Her heart clenched for a second at the memory of how he got the horrible burn—

His muscled abdomen dipped. Hotaru was almost panting at this point, eyes desperate as she fumbled around, licking her lips and the folds of his robe moved apart and—

Hoku’s eyes dropped down and she balked.

She’d drawn people nude dozens of times now. She knew what belonged where. She wasn’t—she wasn’t a virgin. She wasn’t bumbling and stuttering and a blushing idiot when she saw these things—usually when the pencil was in her hand and the paper beneath her—her mind even became almost clinical. It was another limb. Another part to draw—

Memories rushed forward. Her throat went dry. Hoku’s cheeks flushed red with embarrassment and her eyes instantly trained themselves hard on her paper, refusing to budge.

But this was—but he was—that—

Her gut twisted sharply, unsettled. Hoku’s throat went dry. She kept her eyes on the paper, on the paper—

“You won’t get freaked out or anything right?” Hoku flinched. But this is different. This feels—

Wrong. Weird. Private. Intimate. Imposing. Intruding.

She… She knew Ace and Sabo. She’d played with them as kids. Had funny, weird, awkward moments when they were teenagers—seen them with missing teeth and dumb grins—

But this is different.

“See?” Ace’s smooth voice, teasing, flooded the room. “She can’t even handle it.”

Hoku’s head snapped up instantly. Her cheeks hot but—No, no, that’s not it. I’m sorry, I’m not freaking out—

Hoku froze. Ace’s eyes were on Hotaru, a smirk on his lips. Sabo looked vaguely amused, leaning back on his hands as Hotaru panted on her knees in front of him, hands on his thighs and—

It’s just a drawing. Hoku said. She shut her mind down. Shut everything else out. You took this job. It’s not weird. It’s human. It’s intimate. It’s a scene. It’s like a play. Just draw the scene. Just draw. She gathered her footing back beneath her.

Hoku turned her eyes fully onto the scene unfolding in front of her.

Sabo’s length stood out from the folds of his robe. Hard. Erect. Revealing the muscled, toned top of his thighs. Hoku refused to study it in any more detail, keeping her eyes trained on Hotaru’s face. Hotaru shuffled forward, pressing herself flush between his legs. Sabo’s expression didn’t even flinch or shift. Neutral.

Professional.

There. It’s just another… Hoku’s neck felt hot. She felt a little queasy. Don’t think about whose that is. It’s just another body part.

“See?” Hotaru said breathily, lashes fluttering. “Look at you, baby. Look at how hard you are for me. This did something for you too, didn’t it? You liked this.”

Sabo watched her. Expression void. His eyes were dark and Hotaru pressed a kiss to his thigh. “Normally I have to work so… so hard to get you like this for me… I knew I did something for you. Aren’t I a good girl?”

Hoku’s gut twisted.

Sabo’s erection was hard. Swollen at the tip. Ramrod straight. Hotaru pressed another kiss to his inner thigh, as though seeking permission. Sabo didn’t even flinch despite the physical reaction, expression calm and collected. His lids were lowered, eyes dark and unreadable from where she was.

“You’re so big,” Hotaru said. Hoku’s ears went hot. Please stop. Oh my god. “So thick. You’re perfect, Sabo. I want it so bad. Please, let me make you feel good—”

Her hands inched up his thighs. Sabo watched in almost cold silence.

“What did it?” Hotaru panted. “The dress, baby? The shoes? The hair? I tried to do everything you told me to—was I too bad? What’s getting you off this time? What’s turning you on that I didn’t do before—”

Ace’s hand shot out like a snake. He fisted a handful of those thick, curly locks, tugging back sharply.

Hotaru yelped. Hoku jumped, almost hitting her knees into her desk. Her heart raced in her chest.

“Look at you,” Ace chuckled, dark, throaty. Hotaru moaned, hands flying up to where Ace held her by her hair. “Who said you could run that filthy mouth of yours? You’re so desperate, aren’t you? Crawling all over him like that—you’re dying for it.”

“Please!” Hotaru pleaded. Her cheeks were hot. She tried to turn around to Ace, hands flying to the button on his jeans. “Please! Touch me—anything—please! I’ll be good. I’ll do whatever you want—”

Ace let her get far enough to unbutton them. She unzipped his pants, trying to pull him free from his confines.

Her work stationed seemed miles away and still not far enough. The room was hot—the air was heavy.

Should I be doing this?

Her eyes dropped to her paper.

“We really needed the help for this job.”

Job. It’s just a job. It’s an act. Job. Job. Job—

“Look at me.” Hoku’s pencil almost slipped against the papers. Sabo’s voice left no room for disagreement and she glanced up.

He’d thankfully readjusted the folds of his robe. Leaning forward with one elbow on his knee. His gloved hand covered the lower half of his mouth, holding it there as he watched Hotaru in heavy, shuddering silence.

Hotaru watched him, chest rising and falling with each breath.

“Are you in any place,” Sabo said softly. “To be making demands?”

Hotaru shuddered.

“We’re all here to do this for you,” Sabo said. “And you go and run your mouth like that… is that anyway to repay us?”

Hotaru shook her head desperately, eyes wet. Her cheeks were such a dark red, panting heavily.

Sabo had complete hold over her.

Absolute control.

Sabo reached over for the little box. His thumb hit a button softly.

The reaction was instant.

Hotaru tossed her head back, writhing with her hair still in Ace’s loose grip. Her legs shuddered, jerking this way and that. Hotaru moaned, back arching. She bucked into the air once, twice. Ace and Sabo watched in silence as the low hum filled the room.

Hoku pressed a hand to her mouth. Her eyes were wide at her paper. Her face flushed red in embarrassment and she folded in on herself. That’s—That wa—Earlier—

Suck it up, you wimp. It’s just a—

Sabo hit a second button.

“Oh, god!” Hotaru cried. She panted, chest rising and falling and her entire body twisted about, lashing this way and that as she tried to find some kind of purchase, any kind of relief for the pleasure coursing through her body from the little device. “Please—oh, please! Let me come, Sabo. Please, please—”

Hoku filled her head with any other thought. It’s just—this is just porn! This is literally just porn—Usopp! Usopp and—that time you walked on Usopp in the shower—

“You think she deserves it?” Sabo questioned curiously. Looking at Ace over the top of his fingers.

Hotaru’s pitiful moans filled the entire room. Ace gave her head a little pat, watching her squirm. “Why not?”

“Please!” Hotaru gasped, back arching sharply. Hoku flinched. “Sabo! Ace! Please! I’m so close—”

Sabo hit the controller. Hotaru moaned. Her feet skidded across the floor, the humming cutting out completely. She whimpered, hips bucking upwards uselessly as the convulsions ceased and Sabo leaned back onto his hands.

“Take it out.”

Hotaru’s eyes snapped open wide. Hoku choked. Isn’t that a bit harsh—

“Some people are into that.”

Hotaru’s lips trembled. She looked up at Ace pleadingly, but he merely carded his fingers through her hair, offering her a low smile. His canines peeked through. Hotaru whimpered, spreading her legs open as she lowered her hand down to her tight dress. Sabo watched her, hand resting over the lower half of his face, eyes shaded darkly.

Hotaru’s fingers disappeared beneath her dress. She tossed her head back onto Ace’s thigh with a moan, spreading her legs apart. Her eyes kept themselves on Sabo, seeming to hope it’d get him moving.

Sabo remained motionless.

Hotaru let out a little whine. Her fingers tugged and then a ribbon and a thin cord came out, followed by the egg shaped vibrator—

Hoku focused on her paper. She had the entire room sketched out in vivid detail. Shaded in and everything. She had enveloped forms but no real figures. No pose—

“Good girl,” Sabo praised. Hotaru shuddered, watching him hopefully. “Now on your feet.”

Hotaru’s lips parted in desperate protest. Sabo’s face was cold. Unrelenting. Her mouth fluttered shut and she whimpered, slowly gathering herself on wobbly knees and walking toward him like a newborn fawn.

Ace followed behind her, stopping at her back. His fingers dipped into his back pocket, pulling out a foil package. He handed it to Hotaru over her shoulder, slipping it into her hand.

The proud, confident woman that had walked into the room just moments ago was nothing like what she had been. Her knees quivered. Her hair was disheveled. Her lips wet and red from all her biting and Hoku could see the slick shine to the inside of her thighs where her dress had hiked up almost completely and revealed she wasn’t even wearing anything beneath.

She was at their mercy.

Hoku’s eyes flickered to the door and back to her drawing. The events transpiring were leading to one finale. I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t be seeing this—

“It’s just a simulation of sorts.”

Too raw. Too vivid—

“Sabo—”

“Alright,” Sabo said. Hotaru’s eyes brightened, a kind of desperate Hoku had never seen on anyone before. Not in a situation like this. So… pitiful? “If you want it, then you do the work.”

Hotaru’s lips quivered. She looked about to protest for a moment and Ace stepped closer, hands coming around her sides and dipping low where Hoku couldn’t see.

Hotaru jerked. She moaned, nodding her head rapidly. She struggled with the condom for a second, ripping it open and then she quickly stepped between Sabo’s legs. He shifted further onto the bed, the first move he’d made in what felt like ages. Hotaru followed after, unrolling the condom. She placed it between her lips and her head ducked down.

Hoku turned back to the paper, starting to sketch out the forms onto the bed. There. That’s it. You don’t have to watch the specifics—get the feeling of it.

Hotaru’s lips fell over Sabo’s heavy tip. She licked a long stripe up the side of his length, following a heavy vein and finally moving the condom back between her lips. She took his head into her mouth, moaning just at the fact that she was finally, finally getting closer to what she wanted. Sabo looked almost amused above her, robe pooling down around his elbows as he leaned back and let her work, not moving a finger.

Hoku’s eyes landed on the vivid scar against his left side. The way it carved up his ribcage to his shoulder. She drew that part carefully, softly, on the form that was starting to give more shape to Sabo. She thought about the scar. Focused on that.

Hotaru moaned around him. Wriggling her hips impatiently. Ace knelt on the edge of the bed. He swiftly pulled his shirt off. Muscles rippled across broad shoulders, traveling down to almost slender hips.

His hand reached down, tugging his pants down lower on his hips. He pulled his cock free from its confines, hard. Precum gathered at his tip. Heavy, hot in his hands. His finger dragged across the slit, moving around the heavy head. His slickened hand dropped down, starting from the base and slowly working his way up.

Ace’s head tipped back, barely breaking a sweat. His eyes seemed focused on something else, working almost lazily at his own. Sabo watched Hotaru continue for a second longer, the condom fully sheathed over his length as she pressed kisses to the tip and bent lower—

“That’s enough,” Sabo said. “Go on.”

Hotaru eagerly clambered forward. She panted, reaching up and struggling to unzip the top of her dress. Ace seemed to take pity on her for a second, tugging it down swiftly and she tugged it low, letting her heavy breasts free as she groped desperately at herself. Hotaru twisted one of her nipples, rolling her breast and gazing heatedly at Sabo.

“Am I doing it right?” Hotaru begged. “You like this, right, Sabo? Tell me, please.”

Sabo leaned back on his elbows, calm and collected.

Hotaru groaned in desperation. She readied herself, lining up with his tip and she shot him another heated look, lips quivering, waiting.

Sabo simply blinked, watching in silence.

Hotaru turned, cheeks flushed. Hair clung to her cheeks, to her lips as she let her back face Sabo and she faced Ace. His hooded eyes watched her, inclining his head as he worked at his cock and Hotaru whimpered.

Hoku didn’t watch. Couldn’t watch. Her ears burned.

Hotaru’s blissful, desperate moan flooded the entire room like a siren as she sank low onto Sabo’s length. She took him in entirely, taking him all the way to the hilt as she slotted her hips over his and braced herself on his thighs.

“Oh, oh, oh,” Hotaru repeated. She lifted herself up and slid back with a lewd slick. Hoku winced. “Yes. Yes. Finally—Sabo! Sabo, you feel so good. Baby, you’re so big—so big, so hard, so good. Come on, help me—ah. Sabo, help me—”

Hoku realized just how much a prude she must be after all. Even—even during sex, she’d never been able to utter anything like that-—

Sabo shut his eyes for a second. He tipped his head back, golden strands shifting around his chin. The most of a reaction Hoku had seen so far. She focused on that, ignoring what was transpiring in front of her and how—

Intimate this is—

She remembered every sensual thing she’d ever drawn. She’d drawn sex before—intimate depictions of models—it’s just that. It’s just people.

But no matter how hard she tried—isn’t this too much? She’d never done anything like this before. Panic seized her. She’d never witness something so personal like this where it was happening before her and making her feel so, so—

Uncomfortable.

Hoku froze.

“If you ever feel uncomfortable—”

“If it’s ever too much—”

“Can’t handle it?”

She swallowed. Her throat went dry. Hoku’s eyes hardened and she shoved her pencil to the paper. No. No it’s not. It’s not too much. I’m not uncomfortable. You can do this, Hoku. You have to. So what if it’s new—it’s just different. You wanted to change and try new things—

“Why don’t you put that mouth to use?” Ace said huskily.

Hotaru’s eyes fluttered open and she crawled forward eagerly. Ace was on his knees, hand slipping from his cock and sliding back behind Hotaru’s head. She lifted her hips desperately, bringing them back down onto Sabo’s over and over again, chasing the feeling each time.

The sound of skin on skin. The air heavy.

Hotaru opened her mouth obediently. Ace’s grip tightened on the back of her head and he pushed forward past her lips. His head tipped back, eyes shutting at the feeling before he rolled his hips back and thrusted forward, fucking himself with her mouth.

Hoku couldn’t help the wince. I don’t think I could ever—

Hotaru moaned. Pleasure lined every crease of her face. She worked desperately with her mouth, letting Ace fuck himself as he liked while she moved, Sabo not lifting a finger as she rode herself on him as fast as she could. It was rough, it was desperate and almost pitiful and yet she looked so pleasured—

Hoku’s fingers twitched. I could draw that. Ace was in the picture now. It was obvious the client wanted something like this depicted—it’s just like people who write harlequin novels or direct porn. Just draw it.

You’re not involved.

The single sentence seemed to free Hoku from every other thought. That’s right, you’re not involved. She wasn’t part of the picture. She was safe here behind her station. Look at it from perspective. She had no reason to feel anything else but—

Professional.

Hoku pressed her pencil to her paper, ready, at ease. The faces started to blur and sharpen. She saw bodies. Movement. A scene unfolding.

That’s all it was.

Hoku’s pencil started to move rapidly. She watched the scene less and less, glancing up and down back to it. She had her mold now. She didn’t need to think about anything else. Her mind focused on the drawing and nothing else. The sounds fell deaf around her ears, the actions—

Hoku drew.

Dark eyes watched her from beneath blonde waves. His gaze was heavy, dark. Sabo’s lips twitched and he let out a small sigh through his nose, leaning back onto his elbows as he watched Hotaru get off, riding him with reckless abandon while she took Ace in all the way to the back of her throat, moaning each time.

The perfect picture of nothing but carnal desire. Lewd. Filthy. Raw. The vivid fantasy of any man’s dreams.

Sabo’s eyes narrowed. His lids lowered. Not even watching the moving body riding him like her life depended on it. His gaze remained trained on the only figure out of his reach.

For now.

Ace’s eyes flickered up at the soft sound. His fingers were threaded through Hotaru’s hair, meeting his brother’s gaze over the top of her head.

Ace glanced to the side, watching the way Hoku worked, glancing to them with unfocused eyes and back to her work from beneath his hair. She was seeing them but not seeing them. Watching but not watching. Zoned out as she drew.

Disconnected.

His brows creased slightly. Ace’s grip on the back of Hotaru’s head tightened. He thrust forward with a little more force and she moaned. Loud. Shameless. She worked herself desperately, chasing her high as she came down over and over again on Sabo’s length, grinding her hips, twisting this way and that.

Hoku felt the drawing start to come together. She worked on the details around Hotaru’s face, shading in softer areas, trying to capture the look. Her body curved, meeting both Ace and Sabo so she didn’t worry about anything else. Hotaru was the most exposed.

Ace watched Hoku. His fingers threaded harder. Hotaru moaned desperately around him. His lids lowered. He watched her eyes flicker to and fro, watched her mouth move soundlessly, followed her lips, the way her tongue peeked out as she worked harder at something on the paper—

Ace shut his eyes. He grit his teeth. Heat pooled, fast and molten in his stomach. Hotaru worked faster, bobbing her head up and down while she sloppily lifted her hips to come crashing back down.

Hotaru popped off suddenly, lips bruised and swollen. She panted out desperately with a keen, “Come for me, Ace—”

Sabo pulled her down hard onto his length, driving himself deep into her. Hotaru’s voice cut off with a high, stuttering moan. Her eyes went wide, face flushing with pleasure and Ace grabbed the back of her head, muffling her moans as he thrusted back into her mouth.

Ace’s breathing quickened. His eyes darted back to the desk. More labored. Sabo’s eyes flickered to him. Ace bowed his head, thrusting faster and harder into Hotaru’s mouth without mercy. Tears peeked out from the corners of her eyes, moans punched out with every shift of his hips.

Hoku adjusted his expression based on the sound. Already far, far away from what was unfolding in front of her. Focused on the drawing. The room slipped back into a studio. The bed another prop. The people forms to draw.

Sabo sat up. Hotaru moaned around Ace’s cock at the shift, moving her hips erratically to chase the deeper feeling he’d done just seconds ago, trying desperately to imitate the pleasure he could give her—find it for herself—

Useless.

Sabo’s gloved fingers slid around her waist. His fingers found the swollen nub, working it fast and quickly between his fingers. Hotaru’s eyes went wide and she keened, swallowing around Ace’s thick cock as he fucked her mouth and tears and drool dripped down her chin—

Hoku barely blinked, figuring everything was starting to come down. The room would slip from its high. Her hand worked faster at the drawing. Almost there. Finish up.

You can do this.

Hotaru’s entire body shuddered. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Sabo’s textured fingers rolled a few more times expertly over her clit, stroking it as her hips jerked. She clenched hard around him, trying to tug him over the edge with her. Not knowing how far back at the starting line he still was.

Sabo’s eyes were hooded. He let her ride it out with another sloppy jerk of her hips and then gently, sweetly, patiently guided her twitching hips forward and off. His cock slipped out, still fully erect. It pulsed, heavy and hard. He felt each hot throb beneath the slickened condom and he sat up further as Hotaru fell forward toward Ace.

Hotaru choked. The muted sound muffled as Ace grabbed the back of her head and held her there. He let out a low, ragged breath, barely a groan. He shut his eyes tight, bowing his head low as he came.

Hot spurts filled her mouth and Hotaru’s throat bobbed rapidly, working to swallow it all as she shut her eyes tight. Her hips twitched. On her hands and knees as the bitter taste flooded her mouth.

Hoku erased a part of Sabo’s expression. It didn’t quite fit. She reworked at his eyes, focusing on finishing.

Ace’s fingers unthreaded her hair. He sat back on his heels with a breathy exhale.

Hotaru’s lips slid off him with a wet pop. She breathed, ragged. Her face was flushed a dark red with pleasure. Sweat rolled down her neck, past the swell of her breasts. Her hair disheveled, clinging this way and that. Dress creased. Her entire body shook with effort. A bit of thick white trailed down the corner of her mouth.

Hotaru weakly looked up, eyes wet and hazy. She started to turn over her shoulder. “Sa… Sabo… let me… help you—”

Ace’s large hand slid over her eyes. Hotaru shuddered, letting herself be pulled back into his lap and flush against him. Ace’s free hand snaked around her hip, slowly running a teasing trail right back down to her throbbing, wet heat.

Hotaru sucked in a sharp breath. She moaned loudly, tossing her head back. Eyes covered by Ace’s hand. “Ah, baby—again?”

Sabo leaned back against the cushioned headboard. His fingers nimbly tugged off the slickened condom, tossing it to the side of the bed. He pulled his glove off with his teeth. His hand tugged a small bottle off the nightstand with familiar ease, popping the cap and lathering up his fingers.

The blonde exhaled a long, heavy sound. Sabo relaxed back, slowly wrapping his fingers around the base of his cock. It pulsed beneath his slick fingers, throbbing.

Hoku glanced to his expression for a second and burrowed down into the desk, not even watching any further. It sounded about done—I’m almost done here too.

You can do this.

Ace slid two fingers with ease into Hotaru. She moaned, writhing in his lap, legs opening shamelessly despite the stimulation. Ace kept his hand over her eyes, nudging her legs open a little further as Sabo slowly started to stroke himself, watching.

“Want to help him get off?” Ace whispered by her ear. He nipped at her neck and Hotaru nodded desperately as he continued to pump his fingers in and out of her, working her to a second high. “Repeat what I tell you to say like a good girl.”

Sabo’s fingers slid from the base to the head, shifting. He ran a thumb over his slit, eyes following the soft top of white hair flickering in and out of his view. Pinning her in place.

“Sabo,” Hotaru said, listening to Ace’s heatedly whispered words. She gasped, breathy. “Sabo, I missed you so much.”

Sabo let out a heavier exhale. His teeth worked at his bottom lip. His hand tightened around his cock.

“I’m sorry I was gone for so—ah—so long,” Hotaru panted. “I’m sorry—” Ace shoved his fingers harder into her, hitting home. “I’m sorry! I won’t—Ace! I won’t… I won’t leave again!”

Sabo groaned. Hoku worked faster. His most… The most reaction from him this entire time.

She blocked everything out. No other sound slipped past. Completely in her own world.

Deaf.

His cock throbbed harder. Sabo shut his eyes, letting his head roll back as he worked faster, harder, pumping himself over and over again. His lips moved. His teeth ground together.

Ace whispered into her ear, thrusting his fingers up.

“Ah! A-Ah… Please,” Hotaru repeated. “Please… I wan… I wanna feel you. Missed you. I-ah-I’ll be good… so… so… teach me!”

Sabo’s breath quickened. His hand worked faster and faster. He screwed his eyes shut tight, muscles growing taut. Sweat rolled down the side of his chin, past his neck.

“I’ll do whatever you say,” Hotaru babbled. “I won’t ever leave again—oh, god, please—”

Ace shoved his fingers, hitting Hotaru’s spot repeatedly and she cried out the heated words whispered into her ear—

“I’m yours, Sabs!”

Sabo stiffened. His back arched. He tossed his head back against the headboard and shuddered, a low, sweet groan escaping his lips.

Hot spurts of come splattered onto Hotaru’s thighs. Painting them white. She panted, chest rising and falling rapidly as she sank back into Ace’s grip. Ace casually slipped his fingers out of her, wiping them off on the bed sheets as he pulled his hand off her eyes.

Sabo struggled to catch his breath for a second. He reached up with his other hand, pushing his hair back from his face. It slicked over the top of his head, remaining there. He inhaled and exhaled slowly before his eyes fluttered open, glancing to Ace as he watched his brother set Hotaru down on her side, a panting, blissed out mess.

Their gazes met. Ace and Sabo watched each other for a moment before their gazes swung to the side of the room.

Hoku stopped. She stared at the drawing that had finally come to life in front of her. Her eyes went round in disbelief, almost in awe.

For a moment—everything else fell away.

The studio, the people—she’d done it. You did it! Hoku, you did it! You finally made something new—

You handled it.

Pride flooded her chest, desperate and unbidden. The small achievement. This strange, harrowing finish line in the midst of something she didn’t realize she’d started—but you did it. See? You just needed to tune everything else out—

You’re moving.

Ace brought one leg up, resting an arm on his knee. Sabo tipped his head to the side, his hand covering the lower half of his face, hiding his mouth and the way his lips were turning—

Hoku touched the drawing. You did your job. You did it. You’re moving again.

The circumstances wild, crazed. She couldn’t think about anything else except that it finally felt like she was moving again and out of this rut.

Two pairs of eyes, hooded and smoldering stared back at her from the drawing, mimicking the pair watching her just over the top of her desk. Across the room.

The path beneath her feet started to shift. Hoku happily ran forward, eager to be moving.

She didn’t notice the fences sliding up on either side of her.

Didn’t notice the signs pointing where to go.

Didn’t know where she was going. Just happy to be going. Happy to have a destination again and not knowing—

There was no escape.

[hollyhomburg]

BTS on Their Honeymoon

A/n: The honeymoon is where the sex happens right? 

W/C: 3.1k 

Tags: Pregnancy kink, non-explicit sex, smut, mentions of unplanned pregnancy

Seokjin 

Takes you to a private island for your honeymoon.

Imagine Seokjin in a rolled up button down shirt with the first few buttons popped and a pair of sunglasses. 

Seokjin spares no expense - renting out this upscale bungalow, a fully stocked fridge with booze, that has it’s own boat in case you want to go back into town. 

You walk into a bed covered with rose petals and a bottle of champagne waiting for the two of you, Seokjin kisses every inch of you and makes you serenade the crashing waves with choked moans of his name all night. 

You spend the first day walking along the beaches wading in and out of the crystal blue waters. 

You both go scuba diving to see the reefs and the colorful fish and end up getting a picture taken underwater with a sea turtle that becomes your favorite photo taken on the trip. 

At night Seokjin takes you out to sit and watch the cruise ships coming into shore and even drags you into the water. 

you leave your clothes in the sand, and press your bodies together,  skin to skin in the warm tropical water, making love in the warm water with your legs slung around his waist. 

During the daytime, it’s your turn to push him down into the sand- on the secluded beach with no one around.

you shuck off his beach bottoms, and sit astride him with your hands on his shoulders, he runs his hands up and down your back, unable to feel enough of your body. 

you slowly ride him- most of the time he’d mind the speed but not now, not when he can look into your eyes and see the love in them.

saltwater rolling off your hot bodies to pool in the sand as you make him groan and close his eyes in bliss, making him mutter your name like a prayer. 

Seokjin literally can't get enough of your body for the entirety of the honeymoon, by the end of the 5th day spent rolling around in the sheets, you even say, “I don’t know how you still have the cum for this,”

And Jin just laughs and kisses your shoulder, “I always have more for you.” and it’s gross and a little cringey- but in the end that’s your husband. 

He does relent, taking you to pet some of the dolphins and manta rays and even to a large island for a dinner of crab and lobster. 

“Anything my wife desires,” he tells the waiter.

Yoongi

The two of you spend a full 2 weeks in a secluded cottage in the mountains. 

It’s a cute cozy place full of duvets, fur rugs, and automatic fireplaces that throw heat like no body’s job and keep off the winter chill.

The two of you spend the first few days hold up in each other’s arms, enjoying the quiet away from the city. 

You don’t need anyone else in your little warm bubble on the side of the mountain; you guys don’t turn on your phones or computers- you just drink each other in. 

But your relationship with Yoongi had always been 50% unconditional all-consuming love and 50% endless passion. 

So For Yoongi, the honeymoon would 100% be about making love to you as many times as he could and in many varied and kinky ways that would make you so vocal he feared you would trigger an avalanche 

Yoongi makes love to you in front of the fireplace on the soft fur rug, the kisses he presses to your lips and to your skin burning like he was lighting a flame in you from the inside out.  

Thrusting into you as such a speed that you surely have bruises after. Growling lowly as he came that you where his- you’d be his forever. 

Ties each of your limbs to the corners of the four poster bed, and makes you cum so hard that you can barely walk the next day- not that he minds- he just ends up carrying you everywhere. Even to the hot tub out back which does a good job of relaxing your muscles 

he cants stop drinking in the way the jets of water are coaxing moans out of you, your lips parted as your cheeks pink up from the cold outside in contrast to the warm water 

Which of course results in him pulling you into his lap to make you moan for him, you hadn’t even bothered to bring a bathing suit so he took advantage of the fact that you were already nude. 

He fucks you Up against the cold window in the middle of the night so that anyone out in the woods would be able to see your naked forms. 

Before you go back- Yoongi treats you to a couples spa day in the city you fly out of.

Pampering the fuck out of you with a full body massage, facial, full body aloe Vera treatment, a fresh manicure and pedicure, and a deep conditioning treatment for your hair. 

You make him get the facial with you and he relents after you catch him falling asleep after the steam that yeah it wasn’t so bad- and he’ll probably end up getting them more often with you when you go back to Korea.

And you’re fucking glad that he warns the female masseuse that you have a lot of… ugh, love marks in unfortunate places.

Your honeymoon ends up being just what you need and you return to your lives sated…. for now. 

Though being married to Yoongi, you know it’s only a matter of time.

Hoseok 

You decide to have a little more of an adventurous honeymoon- you don’t have a set return date in mind when you set out on you a road trip across the continental us and parts of Canada.

With a start in Portland where you get to see some of your favorite artists play together at a festival. 

You hop from city to city exploring urban exhibits, museums, and staying in a new hotel every night (which might be good, seeing as you too tend to make the beds very messy)

You get to hug the massive trees in the redwood forest and see the coast of California.  

Hoseok and you drive into the middle of the desert, and he makes love to you under the Milky Way galaxy with only the stars as your witness among the cactuses. 

He touches your face and marvels at how lucky he got that you became his. 

borrows Jungkooks camera and takes a ton of pictures

You go to the Grand Canyon and go spelunking in the caves of the Colorado River, marveling over the stalactites and stalagmites. And laughing when a bat startles Hobi. 

You guys go dinosaur bone hunting before you head down to New Orleans and dance the night away in a real New Orleans jazz club, and Hoseok tells you he could stay in New Orleans forever just for the music if it wasn’t so humid and smelly. 

You whale watch in the Gulf of Mexico while you take a luxury ferry boat down to Miami and then a car to Disney world

You almost die of laughter when Hoseok rides the tower of terror.  The two of you take dorky photos wearing Mickey ears and wear buttons that say- just married. 

The two of you watch the fireworks in magic kingdom and he presses his lips to yours and tells you that every wish he’s ever made was for you. And it’s cheesy but it still makes you cry and you know you’ll remember it forever. 

There are marvelous misadventures as well such as the condom breaking when you’re 3 days into your first backpacking trip- way too many days away from the morning after pill. 

And you’re realizing that they’res no use for you to hike out and try to take it while you're witnessing the sunrise over the mountains that color the  field of wildflowers light yellow  when Hoseok takes your hand and presses the back of it to his mouth and says, 

“Even if the worst happens I know well both meet it together.” Because really- even though you got married young, Hoseok is 100% devoted to you and wouldn’t mind having kids with you now. Though it would be nice to wait a few years at least. 

So when you take the test the day before you fly back to Korea, and find that yes- you defiantly made a baby with Jung Hoseok, he can’t find it in himself to be anything other than incandescently happy.

Namjoon

The two of you spend three weeks in Italy, spending the first week in Venice where he rents out an entire canal side apartment with a rooftop garden and stargazing sight and back patio. 

Your honeymoon is slow and leisurely, time spent lingering over meals and in bed in the mornings. 

He takes you on a gondola ride the first day. 

You do all of the touristy things- visit museums together, walk the streets in the afternoons when the light is all golden and the streets are hazy 

You attempt to try every flavor of gelato and quickly get preoccupied with the different types of chocolate, which Namjoon thinks is adorable. 

You both could spend a lifetime wandering the city streets arm and arm and never get bored, finding the back alley hole in the wall places that have the best food. 

He takes you to a different famous restaurant each evening and to a wine and painting class underneath the hot Mediterranean sun, 

And at night Namjoon will lean in close to you and asks you how misses Kim is enjoying her honeymoon, her food, or her wine, 

and sometimes you’ll coyly look away, and he’ll kiss you his lips tasting like gelato or pinot noir as he asks “how about now?” and then another kiss “now?”

And he’ll drag you home to make love to you with you bent over the railing of the rooftop garden, 

“You gotta be quiet honey- you don’t want anyone to hear us up here do you?” 

The next week you spend in Rome where the two of you go to see the Vatican- and almost get kicked out for being too handsy, 

You get a private wine tour and the hosts let you loose in the wine fields, you guys are a little tipsy and a little too enamored by the smell of the white grapes and fertile Italian dust, 

So you hardly protest when Namjoon hoists you up- and in a show of strength that he’s proud of slings your legs over his shoulders with your back pressed against an olive tree, and eats you out like you’re a damn full course meal, 

By the time you wander back, your legs are jelly and he won't wipe the smirk off his face. “Did your wife get sunstroke, Mr. Kim?” the hostess asks, inquiring after your dazed expression  

“Maybe- we better turn in, don’t worry, I’ll take care of Mrs. Kim”  

And take care of you he did. 

Your honeymoon was more a relaxing adventure than anything else and you come back to your lives, ready to start on projects that you’d both abandoned before.

Jimin 

Jimin really wants to be a literal fairy tale prince for you- so the two of you spend nearly a month in France, even renting an actual chateau for part of it- though you do tour a fair few as well. 

You guys take a tour of champagne France, and Jimin gets progressively more and more complementary the more he drinks the bubbly liquor mixed with peaches or lemon. 

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you where an actual princess- we should check your family tree.” 

“This prime rib tastes good but I’d rather eat something else if you know what I mean.” 

“is it just me or am I the luckiest man in the world?” 

And the two of you get so wasted that the owner has to drive you home giggly. 

But once you’re back in the castle, the walls of yellow wood and gold leaf are warm and inviting. Jimin hugs you from behind, hooking his hands into the tops of your jeans by his thumbs and kissing your cheek, his lips sliding down the side of your face to suck on your neck. 

“Will let you make you mine in every way Jagi? Now that we’re married?”

Needless to say, you guys defiled every single inch of the chateau, you had sex in what used to be a dukes bedroom, on the wide dining room even against what you found out was a very very old painting. 

Even when he takes you to Paris he continues to act possessive of you- kissing you on the neck in public- something he’d never done before, pinching your ass in your short skirt.  

He even drags you into a back alley at one point in time, you’ve always loved how adventurous he was with your sex life, and married life has not changed that one bit- if anything it’s only made it hotter. 

He takes you shopping in Paris’s garment district loving the fancy French lingerie so much that he nearly buys have the store. 

He takes treating you as a princess really seriously, by making sure room service is ready when you wake up, and Makes sure every hotel puts roses on each bed. 

you put a love lock on the love bridge togeather. 

You go to the top of the Eiffel tower and see Paris at night time, walking through the streets all giggly and drunk after dinner, 

He takes you to the Paris opera house and even takes you on a special behind the scenes tour. 

Your honeymoon was just about spending time together- about you having him all to yourself, and as your prince and husband; Jimin was delighted to oblige you

Taehyung 

The two of you decide to take a mini trip around California for two weeks, going to see the redwood forest but also content to spend most of your time in San Francisco and la. 

After a day of traveling after your wedding you and Taehyung hole up in this nice but generic hotel when you’ve got week long reservations at a Sonoma vineyard. 

And Tae pulls you close to him while he sits on the edge of the bed, intent on just holding you while he falls asleep- tired from a day of traveling- but he’s woken from dozing when you softly whisper that you have a little surprise for him. 

“I talked to the doctor a few weeks ago… she took me off my birth control…” 

And he sort of looks up at you with this dumbfounded look, suddenly more awake then he’s been and years, and you’re trying to conceal your small but shining smile.

Tae’s been bugging you about kids since forever, but you’d always said you weren’t ready. He touches your face softly and reverently, you can see that you’ve almost reduced him to tears. 

Fingers skim across your stomach as he looks up at you with eyes full of wonder and says with his famous boxy smile “let's make a baby.”

Taehyung makes love to you and fucks you every single way over the course of your honeymoon.

Groaning like a porn star every single time he cums inside of you. You even laugh and tease him over his new kink because you swear he’s never cum that hard before. 

“I didn’t even know I liked it to be honest!” he says, blushing harder than he has in years. But your teasing is all in good fun. Teahyung shows you that Making a baby can be very very kinky and very very fun.  

“Beg for it, Darling,”

You spend a few nights in a little Sonoma vineyard trying all the best wines. And spending half the day in and out of bed- Taehyung hasn’t become any less insatiable. 

He doesn’t stop even after you remind him that it will probably take your body a little while to adjust to the absence of hormones.

In the end, he try’s so hard to get you pregnant that he forgets about having fun on the honeymoon all together, though in his mind it was still an amazing time. 

at night he brushes his hands over your (still flat) stomach pouting and saying, “I just want to start a family with you already”

Jungkook 

Your Engagement might have been a little bit rushed, seeing as Jeon Jungkook had accidentally knocked you up the one time you didn’t use a condom. 

But he knows that he could never love anyone else the way he loves you, you and your little baby bump. 

He spends your entire plane flight talking about how cute your bump looked in your dress, you’re only 4 months along- really just starting to show in any significant way.

Jungkook had popped the question to you the second you’d told him. 

Sure you were young, but he knows that he wants this with you. He wouldn’t want it any other way. 

The first few days of your honeymoon are unexpectedly chaste, the two of you decide to go to Japan together, mostly because of how close it is (Jungkook didn’t want to put you under the stress of a long flight) 

You guys have managed to time it perfectly to see the rolling hills of flowers that sit below mount Fuji 

You spend the days with him, walking among the flower paths, taking the sky tram to the base on the mountain, and visiting some of the temples. 

But a few days in- you can sense he’s getting restless, 

His hands linger on you when you go to the local hot springs, his hands grabbing at every inch of you under the hot water, but he never makes the moves you want him too. 

His hand hovers on your knee while you’re out at dinner trailing close enough to the middle of your thigh that it makes you squirm. 

You eventually ask him what’s wrong and he backs you slowly up against the door of your hotel room, his forehead rested against yours as he presses a hungry kiss against you, his stomach brushing your pump as your back hits the door softly. 

“I want to make love to you for the first time as your husband, do you think its ok? You know for the baby?” his eyes flicker down to your stomach, he looks so unsure

“Of course! I’m surprised you didn’t ask sooner- I thought that- that you didn’t…like me like this.” Your insecurities feel silly now that you say them out loud to him, his eyes go wide as he almost jumps to say “God no honey you’re absolutely gorgeous- I’d say even more now!”

His hands brush over your swollen breasts as he lies you down on the hotel bed, 

“you’re so beautiful like this, of course, I want to-“ he breaks off in a groan. Nipping at the skin exposed by the deep v of your dress “I’m so lucky.” He pants out. 

Let's just say your daughter, who was born 5 months later- was the first of many children you had. 

[its-sad-boy-hours]

A Story For Adora

Rating: G

Category: F/F

Fandom: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)

Relationship: Adora/Glimmer (She-Ra)

Characters: Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora (She-Ra), Catra (Mentioned), Shadow Weaver (mentioned)

Adora has never been told a bedtime story, so she goes to Glimmer to help fix that

                                                          ---

It wasn’t uncommon for Glimmer to find Adora in her bed, or at her door in the middle of the night. In fact, the princess had grown used to being roused to the soft sound of Adora calling out her name from below her bed, or by the mattress underneath her slowly being weighed down by the other girl.

Usually, on nights like those, it’s a nightmare about the Horde or Shadow Weaver that draws Adora to Glimmer’s side, leaving the blonde in or close to tears. Glimmer never pried too much though, knowing that talking about Adora’s past always brought up unwanted memories and emotions. All Adora really needed on those nights where a hug and reassurance that everything was okay, and Glimmer was always more than happy to provide.

But tonight was different, Glimmer awoke to find Adora next to her, lying flat on her back, wide awake and staring blankly up at the ceiling.

“Adora?” Glimmer mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, “You okay?”.

She nodded but didn’t say anything.

“Did you have a bad dream again?”.

Adora shook her head.

“No, not this time,” she said.

Glimmer sat up and look down on her friend with concern, “Then what’s wrong?”.

“I’m… not sure, I just can’t seem to fall asleep,”.

“Oh, well that’s normal. Sometimes I can’t sleep either”.

Adora nodded again, slowly and hesitantly.

“Can I still stay here with you? I- I don’t think I want to be alone tonight,”.

“Of course,” Glimmer said with a soft smile, “Do you want a hug too?”.

“That would be nice,”.

Glimmer would be lying to herself if she said she didn’t enjoy hugging Adora, nearly every chance she got she’d throw her arms around the taller girl, eager for the embrace.

“Do you want anything else? I can get you a glass of water if you’d like?”.

“I’ll be okay,” Adora said, hugging Glimmer a little tighter, before pulling away, “Well, actually, I uh, I did want to ask you something but uh… it’s kinda stupid,”.

She couldn’t help but smile, “Adora, nothing you ask me could be stupid, go ahead… you can tell me,”.

Adora hesitates again, blushing slightly in the darkness.

“I um. Can you- uh, *sigh* ugh, this is stupid, nevermind,”.

Glimmer couldn't help but giggle a little, finding it odd seeing Adora act flustered and shy, “It’s okay, Adora. Just take a deep breath, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, just know you can always talk to me,”.

“I- I know, Glimmer, I just-” Adora paused and took a deep breath before continuing, “can you tell me a story?”.

Glimmer blinked.

“What?”.

“I told you it was stupid,”.

“No no, it’s not, I just… you want me to tell you a story?”.

Adora nodded and pulled her knees up to her chest, burying her face in her arms. “Yeah, if that’s okay. Like... like the ones your aunt Castra was talking about... children's stories, I... I know I'm like, way too old for that stuff but-”. “You’re never too old for stories, Adora. But… I’m guessing that you didn’t have fairy tales in the Horde?”.

“No… I don’t think so. I- I can’t really remember much about being a really small kid in the Horde, aside from… from her and Catra,”.

“Oh,”.

“The story I heard at the festival, the one when we first met? In Thaymor? I liked it, I've never heard of fairy tails before that,”.

Glimmer smiled and reached over, placing her hand on Adora’s shoulder, “Okay… I’ll tell you a story. I’m going to have to make one up though, I haven’t had my storybooks in here since I was a kid,”.

“Are you sure?”.

“Of course,” she replied, “Anything for you Adora,”.

The taller girl smiled, pulling her face away from her arms.

“Thanks, Glimmer… you’re the best,”.

Glimmer simply hummed and patted the mattress next to her, “Now go ahead and lay down while I think of something,”.

Adora nodded and flopped over, staring back up at her pink haired friend with large, grey-blue eyes.

“Okay… here we go-”.

“There once was a Princess who had gone on an adventure by herself, far from the castle without telling anyone, and was soon found and captured by a passing enemy soldier. The soldier swore to bring the captured Princess to her camp, but they soon became lost in the vast forest they were exploring. They loathed each other from the start, blaming each other for their army taking away someone they loved.

‘Your Army killed my father!’ the Princess told the soldier.

‘You’re Army killed my friends!’ the Soldier spat back.

And they fought back and forth for hours, getting themselves more and more lost as the soldier tried to find her way home,”.

“Did they ever get out of the forest?” Adora asks softly, eyes still full of wonder.

Glimmer shrugged.

“They wondered the forest for months, surviving only on the Soldier's survival skills. For her sworn enemy, the Princess found that the Soldier was kind by nature, and despite being harsh and abrasive towards her, always seemed to help her out of tricky situations, and she did the same for the soldier.

If the soldier got hurt fighting the monsters in the forest, the Princess would tend to her wounds. And if the Princess got sick, the soldier would nurse her back to health.

They began to talk, slowly becoming friends. But still, they didn’t know each other’s name, so to each other, they were just Princess and Soldier. Neither of them knew it, but, despite being enemies, they were falling in love.

The Soldier stopped gloating about her army and the Princess stopped gloating about her kingdom, in the forest, they were no one but themselves and both found that life was much better when they were free.

For the first time in their lives, they were truly happy”.

Adora shifts around a little and yawns, “What happened to them?”.

“Well. one day, the Soldier became very ill, a curse had been put on her by the spirit of the forest for trespassing on his land, and the only way to cure the illness was for the Princess to travel to the heart of the wood and find the witch that lived there. She would be able to break the curse and no one else, but the trip there was dangerous and no one had ever made it and lived to tell the tale.

But the Princess cared for the Soldier so deeply, that she was willing to risk her life to get her help,”.

Glimmer had gotten so caught up in her story, she hardly realized she’d reached over and started combing her fingers through Adora’s hair. It had felt like such a natural thing to do her mind just didn’t question it, so… hoping she wasn’t making Adora uncomfortable, Glimmer pulled her hand away.

“No,” Adora whispered suddenly in a sleepy voice, “Keep doing that… it feels *yawn* it feels nice,”.

“Okay,” Glimmer said, continuing to brush her fingers through her friend's surprisingly soft hair as she once again continued the story:

“So the Princess and the Soldier set out on their final journey together, facing all the hardships the forest threw at them. The Soldier was no longer able to fight, so through her sickness, she taught the Princess to fend for herself, knowing that she might not be there to protect her for much longer. And in return, the Princess taught the Soldier healing techniques, hoping that she’d be able to use them on herself once she recovered.

Finally, after a weeks travel, the Princess and the Soldier found the heart of the forest, except it was an island floating in the middle of a thousand foot chasm. The only thing connecting the forest and the island was a rickety old rope bridge, stable for only one person to cross.

The Soldier was unable to walk on her own, the illness beginning to spread to her legs , and if the Princess was unable to get her to the witch on the other side, she was surely going to die,”.

Glimmer couldn’t help but chuckle at Adora’s slight gasp.

“The Princess refused to give up, but the Soldier had already accepted her fate, thanking the Princess for the wonderful time she had given her.

‘Thank you,’ she said, ‘I never knew what life was like beyond the walls of my castle before I ran into the woods and found you, and you have made it complete,”.

The Princess shook her head, still refusing to let the girl she cared for perish. So, using what little strength she had left from the long journey, she began dragging the Soldier to the bridge, not caring about the danger.

The bridge creaked and groaned with each step they took, the ropes starting to fray as they drew closer to the other side. The wooden boards beneath their feet began to break and splinter beneath them, but the Princess and the Soldier carried on… until finally, the bridge broke,”

“Did they make it?” Adora asks, “They’d come so far…”.

“Before the bridge fell from under them, the Princess felt a hand grab onto her, pulling away from the ledge, the Soldier still in her arms. It was the witch, of course, she had been waiting for their arrival.

‘Bring her inside,’ the witch said, pointing to the now unconscious Soldier.

The Princess obeyed immediately, and took the Soldier to the small hut in the center of the island and watched anxiously as the witch worked over the other girl, saying words foreign to the Princess’s ears. It didn’t take long for the witch to say that the curse was lifted, but the Soldier still needed to rest from the journey.

The Princess was relieved, having been worried that she’d lost the Soldier forever to the illness, but she fell asleep that night knowing that the Soldier would still be there when she woke up.

And sure enough, The Princess woke up to find the Soldier wake and alive, still sluggish the illness had left on her body, but still there. But before they reunited, the witch stepped between them, refusing to let them come any closer to each other.

‘She is your sworn enemy,’ the witch said to the Princess, ‘why did you help her?”.

Then the witch turned to the Soldier.

“She is the one you’re sworn to fight and yet you still long for each other?’

The Princess and Soldier knew the answer, and for the first time, we're ready to admit it,”.

“They were in love,” Adora whispered so softly that Glimmer could barely hear her. Clearly, she was trying to fight off sleep, but Adora was losing the battle.

Glimmer hummed a little and smiled:

‘We are in love,’ they said in unison, ‘our pasts don’t define us, it’s what we chose to do with the future that matters’.

The witch knew it was true, her magic was useless against the power of true love. Now, with nothing more to do, the witch sighed and looked between them. ‘Your love is very powerful, care for it, nurture it, allow it to grow… be patient. Great things await you in the future,’.

Finally, The Princess and the Soldier ran to each other an embraced, sharing true love’s first kiss at last. All they asked of the witch before she left was for her to make the trees bare endless fruit and for the animals never be hunted out.

They knew that if they were to leave the island and the forest, that they would surely be killed. If the Princess’s kingdom found out that she’d fallen in love with the enemy... the Soldier would be shunned or killed. And if they were to return to the Soldier’s home, the Princess would be captured and held for ransom.

So they decided that the island forest would become their new home, knowing they’d be safe from judgemental eyes.

And they lived happily ever after,”.

It wasn’t a very good story, Glimmer thought, but at least it was a story.

“How was that? Did you like it?” she asked, looking down at Adora who had actually fallen asleep, a light snore passing over her lips.

She smiled, unable to help herself as she leaned down and pressed a light kiss against Adora’s cheek.

“Sleep well, My Soldier”.

Let me know if you want a part 2

[peterpan-ouat-imagines]

Just A Love Game: Part 7

“But this isn’t right!  I have a family back in the real world! People who are worried about me!” I vent.

“But doesn’t the love from me outweigh the love of them?” he asks.

“No, and if you did care, you’d return Ryan’s heart.  You know I like it when people think of others, taking his heart just means you saw him as a threat.  I know you pan,” I remind him.

“Fine then, I’m not worried about you switching sides to wanting to go home, or Ryan anymore,” He moves his hand flat and with smoke a heart appears, “Now go ahead,”

“Thank you,” I say and run off.  I run back to find Ryan.

I find Ryan where he last was, “Ryan!” I yell and run over to him.  I sit next to him, “I got it!  Pan gave it to me!” I squeal.

“What was the price?” he asks.

“I’m stuck on the island forever till I find a way to escape,” I share.

“So you love him?” He asks.  I nod, “Then my heart is worth nothing if I can’t have the one thing on this island I want most!” he turns away.

“Look at me,” I face him.  “This will be worth it,” I tell him and plunge his heart in his chest.

He inhales deeply and looks at me.  “Oh my gosh, y/n, you did it, you got my heart back, I knew you would.  I’m sorry about everything I said before even though some of it is true,” he confesses.

“It’s okay, let’s just go back to camp,” I tell him and we walk back together.

We enter together and it causes suspicion from other lost boys.

“So this is your new boyfriend now?” one of them asks.

“Me and Ryan aren’t a thing,” I tell him.

“Why do you spend so much time together then?” Another questions.

“We’re good friends!  Can everyone back off please?” I say.

“Only if... you share the details of you and pan,” The first one asks again.

“I don’t have to answer these questions!  Ugh!” I storm to my tent.

Before I go in, Pan magically appears in front of me.

“Don’t you think you should share with everyone the good news?  Or should I?” he asks putting my hand around my waist and turning me around, “Boys, y/n has agreed to stay on Neverland!”

“It’s because I lost to a game,” I clarify.

“It’s because you said you love me,” he debates.

All the boys break into a chorus of “Ohhhhhhh!!!!!!”

“You know what, if you loved me, you would let me go, even if it hurts you!” I yell getting in my tent.

Several hours later I cool down as I think of the timeline of events, including everything from the previous time I was here.  Does he really love me? I ask myself.  He does, and I love him, I should be overjoyed he decided to let me stay, but I’m not. 

I leave my tent and search for him.  I stand in the middle of the forest, “Pan!  Come out!”

The magic boy appears behind me, “Yes my darling,”

“Okay, so I love you, but I’m still not happy, why is that?” I question.

“I-I don’t know,” he answers, “Love is supposed to be enough for everyone,”

“I’ve only come up with one idea that makes sense.  You love the island and care about yourself more than me,” I state.

“Y/n, I love you more than anything,” I look in his eyes as he says that.

“Liar!” I tear up, “I spent a year loving and knowing you and I know when you lie!” I cry, “If you can’t love me the most let me go!” I exclaim.

“Y/n,” he begins, “Okay I do care about myself, but I would let nothing hurt you,” he assures.

“Bullshit!” I yell, “I thought that was true, but it isn’t!”

“Do you want the truth?” he asks, “When you cut me two days ago, your punishment was that so I could focus on myself and to make sure things were in place on the island in case you did something else psycho!” he exclaims.

“See, made sure things were in order on the island and with yourself then trying to make me feel better or assure me you aren’t bad,” I comment, “Just take me back.”

“No, I refuse to, and it isn’t possible to get off alone,” he tells me.

I push him, “Fine, let me fight my way off, if you win I stay, if I win, I leave tomorrow,” I challenge, “Unless your scared you’ll lose,”

He makes two sticks appear on the ground and we each pick them up.  I make the first move stepping in hitting his stick many times as he backs up.  He comes back doing the same but then I duck and hit his leg, putting him on the ground.  He then rolls over and I miss pointing my stick at his throat and he does the same moves to me.  I grab his stick from the ground and pull it so he is defenseless.  I stand there happy that I won, when I don’t pay attention to him standing up and grabs me, one of the sticks towards my heart.

“No!  No!  No!  This can’t be happening!” I start crying, “Get out of here!” I yell.

“No y/n, I’m going to stay,” he says.

“Why though?  Why stay when you’re the reason I’m stuck in a place I’ve been trying to escape from?” I exclaim.

“You may not see it but I do love you, we could make a child-” he starts.

“Make a child?  Just because you love me and I can’t shake being in love with you doesn’t mean I would ever want to have a child with you!  You’re revolting!” I scream running out.

All I want is to go home!  I love him and want a life with him, but this isn’t the way.  I want to grow old with the person I love.  Not stay forever young and never be able to explore the world!  I’m not even able to say goodbye to my family!

I run to mermaid lagoon and talk to all them to try to calm down.

“Hey y/n, it’s been so long since we’ve seen you,” one of their silky voices says.

“Yeah, I just need to get away from everyone,” I tell them.

“Jump on in the water, it feels nice,” one of them say moving her tail.

“You know what, I think I will, it might get the attention I need to get out of this place,” I say getting in.

“Swim with us!” another says.

I swim with them knowing that Pan will sense me being in danger and save me and take me back home knowing I can’t stay without putting myself in harms way all the time.

I swim deeper and deeper and they start to pull me down not letting me get air if I even wanted it.

I wait and wait to be saved but no one drags me up, I start to lose consciousness as I still feel and see no one coming to my rescue.  My eyes close and nothing can stop me from drowning anymore as I completely blackout. 

[preoccupiedpens]

Dream Hunters Chapter 4: Push and Pull

AFTER YESTERDAY’S MISSION, Daisuke, Riku, and Jack unanimously agreed to spend their rest day by absolutely doing nothing productive at all. As usual, Daisuke decided to hang out at the shrine of Maria. He’s basically a self-proclaimed elven guard of the shrine by now.

           “Are you sure you do not want to find another place to hang out?” Pinelia asked.

           “Naaah. I’m good at the shrine. Besides, I can act like its personal security guard.” Daisuke casually replied.

           “Oh well, as long as you’re not spending your free time here at home. I’d rather see you do nothing with your friends than doing nothing here.”

           “Awwwww. You really are the most supportive mom.”

           Daisuke and Pinelia laughed it off.

 As soon as Daisuke reached the shrine, he paid his respects to Maria, the champion of Yora village. Today, he brought his runestone of Laniagaea Vol. 1. He has already finished reading the book years ago, but he never gets tired of reading it all over again. Seeing the illustrations of other countries from all over the world is what matters to him. It gives him the motivation to continue and improve, all for the sake of visiting various places and bringing back the wooden statue of Maria.

           Somehow, the book also contains some information about the rise of treasure hunting in the world. According to the book, there was a period in time when most of the countries closed their borders to foreigners, the Dark Ages. But soon, one country decided to travel the whole world to discover new things, meet other races, exchange knowledge and technology, and hopefully form alliances. This country was known as the Arcobaleno Kingdom.

           Arcobaleno Kingdom has been a very advance country. They pioneered land and sea exploration. Soon, many countries followed their footsteps. Government and nobles funded the explorers. Those that wanted to explore but have no funds became adventurers and formed guilds. And then those who became notorious for traveling to deeper unexplored lands and even trespassed into different territories became what’s known as treasure hunters. He was busy reading his book that he didn’t notice someone went inside the shrine.

          “You really are not difficult to find, you know.” Jack said.

          Daisuke raised his head and saw Jack. “Hmmm. And you’re not the kind to visit the shrine.”

          “Well, we actually came here to see you.”

          “We?”

          Outside, Riku is standing at the observation deck. Like Daisuke, she also likes the view from that spot. Seeing the panoramic view of the southern part of Yora village, the ever-busy harbor, and the calm sea. Daisuke and Jack went to the observation deck to meet Riku.

          “Oh! Hey Daisuke.” Riku smilingly greeted Daisuke.

          “Yo. What’s up?” Daisuke replied.

          Riku explained that she and Jack would like to train him for the upcoming Seeker Trials. As they have observed, Daisuke’s weakness is his poor mana control. The first time Daisuke failed the trials, he was easily overwhelmed by his opponent. The second time, he managed to win the combat trial, though it was a sloppy one. He created trees all over the place, and even managed to downright destroy the whole stage. And since the result of the combat trial does not certainly depends on the winner and loser of the match, Daisuke still failed the trial.

          “I know we all decided to just loaf around. But Jack and I thought that we could just use our spare time to, you know, help you.” Riku added.

          “So, what do you say, Daisuke?” Jack asked.

          “You guys…” Daisuke was tearing up, then hugged Riku and Jack. “I love you guys!!”

          “Ugh...” Riku and Jack sighed in unison.

 They went to the Eastern Beach, the same beach where the Fishbone Hunters landed to siege the island. The beach has a great view of the sea. The sand is white and fine. Coconut trees are everywhere. This is where Riku and Jack decided to train Daisuke.

          “The thing is, you used too much mana yesterday.” Jack told Daisuke.

          “Yeah, I sensed it too.” Riku confirmed.

          “I know. I’m just unable to control my mana output.” Daisuke told them. “It’s like, when I try to use a bit of mana to produce a seedling, a torrent of mana will come out, and a sapling or even whole mature tree would emerge.”

          “The key to clear the combat trial is not just to win, but to show that you can survive the battle. Evading an attack is and getting out of an impossible battle is not a sign of weakness.” Said Jack.

          “Basically, the combat trial is to test our creativity on using our power and of course mana management.” Riku added.

          “Great. Now what am I supposed to do?” asked Daisuke?

          Jack faced him. “He have practice combat trial. You and I.”

          Daisuke agreed, thanking his friends for always helping him. While Jack served as his opponent, Riku served as the referee of the match. She will decide whether Daisuke will pass the trial or not.

          “Remember Daisuke, the goal is not to win but to use you power efficiently.” Riku reminded him.

          “Got it!” Daisuke replied.

          Riku then gave the signal. “Begin!”

          Daisuke was the first to charge. Riku has always taught her to imagine his body like a faucet and his mana the water. He only needs to open the faucet slightly to let a few drops of mana to drip. This is what Daisuke tried to do. He tried to produce a sprout, which he successfully did. Jack saw it and prepared to defend himself.

          Jack taught Daisuke about different applications of elven power in combat. They could fight either in short, mid, or even long range. Depending on their mana control, short range would be the most efficient. But of course, many elves are skilled with their power usage.  They would only need to consume a certain amount of mana to create a weapon made of plants. Jack used his power to create a tree branch from both of his arms, and at the end of the branches were huge jackfruits. He created a Jackfruit Mace, a weapon based from his father’s Durian Mace.

          Daisuke continued to let his mana flow on the sprout he created, until it became his signature Wooden Arm. He used this arm to punch Jack, but Jack timed his move well and managed to whip the wooden fist with the right Jackfruit Mace. When Jack saw the Daisuke lost balance, he continued to hit Daisuke with his left Jackfruit Mace. Luckily, Daisuke managed to create a left Wooden Arm and used it to block Jack’s follow up.

          “That’s two Wooden Arms now, Daisuke.” Jack changed his stance. He started to spin his right mace, getting ready for his attack.

          Daisuke removed both his Wooden Arms and ran towards Jack. This time, Jack was the first to attack by throwing the spinning mace towards Daisuke. Using his mana, he produced more branches to extend the mace until it reached Daisuke.

          But Daisuke managed to dodge by growing a tree directly under him, launching him through the air. When he was high enough, he used his power to punch midair. And when he did, a tree came out of his right arm towards jack at high speed. The tree changed shape, resembling a fist. But even before Jack could get hit by the extending wooden fist, it suddenly stopped. Daisuke landed and unable to stand.

          “Two Wooden Arms, one mature tree to dodge, and another mature tree to attack midair.” Jack enumerating the actions of Daisuke earlier. “What do you think, Riku?”

          “Well, he basically wasted mana again.” Riku responded.

          Daisuke tried to talk but was out of breath. He was now just lying down on the sand of the beach.

          “You got carried away again Daisuke.” Jack said, sitting next to Daisuke.

          “For comparison,” Riku now sitting as well next to Daisuke. “Jack used his mana to create two maces, while you created four trees from afar. You are essentially using your mana as the necessary energy to force the trees to grow.”

          “I tried to do same thing when I threw you my mace.” Jack added.

          Daisuke was trying to speak, but it was inaudible.

          “Well, you recharge your mana quicker than the rest of us. We can continue after you have recovered.” Jack told Daisuke.

             “Yeah. You just need be pushed a little bit more. We’re sure you’ll improve in no time.” Riku smilingly added.

          Daisuke mumbled something that seems to agree on Jack’s and Riku’s words.

          The three of them stayed at the beach until night time, training Daisuke to control his mana. Jack would have a sparring match against Daisuke, while Riku would remind Daisuke about the proper mana control. And while they were training, a silhouette can be seen that seems to be watching the three.

 That same night at the Council House, Sequovas was preparing to go home already when Durant approached him to talk.

           “The day of the trials is coming soon.” Durant picked up a book and handed it over to Sequovas. “Your son is still yet to clear the combat trial.”

           “What is it that you really want to talk about, Durant?”

          “Daisuke does not belong here and you know it.”

          Sequovas stopped from cleaning up his stuffs. “I would rather have him stay here on the island than let the greedy humans get him.” Said Sequovas. “It was you, wasn’t it? You brought those humans here.”

          “And I am the one who told her scouts.”

          “You are out of your mind, Durant. Bringing humans here? You are lucky that I have no intention of telling this to other council heads so you better stop this now.”

          Sequovas and Durant are now speaking face to face. Both of them are emitting a faint amount of mana, though enough to cause a pressure that could push anyone.

          “You speak like I am the only one guilty of something. Tampering with the Seeker Trials is also punishable. Still, I am thankful for you not reporting me. But you must understand that I am only trying to protect our people.”

          “To protect from a kid?!”

          “To protect them from a potential attack from the avatar of an Ishvara.”

          Sequovas was infuriated from the claims of Durant, causing his mana to break the floor from where he was standing. The amount of pressure could have blown Durant away, but Durant’s mana protected him.

          “From this point, Durant, you might want to consider the next words coming from your mouth.”

          Durant lowered his mana output. “I know you are the one who keeps pulling Daisuke to fail. You keep on messing with his already pitiable mana control. I will not reveal him that. But I will keep telling Jack to train him to pass the trials.”

          “And I will do everything to keep Daisuke on this island. I will not let anyone use him as a weapon.”

          “So you would rather have him rampaging here on our island? Threatening the lives of your people?”

          Sequovas finally lowered his mana output and continued to clean up his stuff. He then breathed heavily and faced Durant. “If that time ever comes, I will be the one to put an end to his life. Not you, not Mahogry, not anyone from this island. It will only be me.”

          “Sequovas, trust me, I know how you feel. There are no words to describe the pain of losing a child. Believe me, I know. But you have to understand; there is no escaping destiny. Whether or not he learns to control his power, he will eventually turn into an Ishvara. The likes of him are cursed to die a painful death over and over again. Daisuke is no exception.”

          “I will no longer warn you again, Durant. I am not the one you wanted to be an enemy.” Sequovas took his satchel and left the Council House.

[fallinglntokillugon]

Unexpected Surreality Chapter 1: Morning Shenanigans

A Fluffy KilluGon Fanfic by Falling lnto Pieces and Flufflecakez

Synopsis: After the Heaven’s Arena Arc, Gon and Killua take a break on Whale Island. This is some of the fun days they spent together, exploring all the Island has to offer. Filled with awkward situations galore, enjoy fluffy KilluGon as they adventure and grow closer.

Characters: Gon, Killua, Aunt Mito, and Grandma Abe

Pairing: KilluaXGon, KilluGon

Genre/Mood: Boys Love, Cute Fluff, Roleplay, Awkward Situations 

Rating: G

So this was originally an RP I did with Fluffle @flufflecakez on the KilluGon Gang Amino! I am Gon while Fluffle is Killua. I changed some things and fixed some errors, but otherwise the overall story is the same from what we typed on our phones. I love (teasing) you, Fluffle~ 

The sun worked its way up the pale sky, shining its rays across the blue horizon of the ocean. On Whale Island, the tree leaves fluttered in the warm sea breeze, the grasses and flowers of the rolling meadows joining in this morning dance.

The birds were the first creatures to awaken, tweeting their gentle calls to the world around them. In town, people were getting out of bed in order to set up shops and ready the fishing boats. The feeling of being outside was a pleasure to all, especially with the late summer wind. It was an average morning for those on the island.

With blankets twisted in the most impossible of ways, and one of two pillows still on the bed, a pair of young boys dozed masterfully as the sun rose. For now, the couple was unaware of their future morning make-out seshes with the floor.

Gon was dreaming about an ocean of orange juice, complete with dolphins shaped from orange slices and a boat made out of a hollowed half of an orange peel. The black-haired boy had been riding in this boat for a while, watching as the dolphins splashed and played in the bright waves.

Killua dreamed of being with a certain someone, someone that had always smiled at him childishly. In his dream, they were so close that their breaths mingled, their lips about to meet for the first time. Unfamiliar hands suddenly latched onto Killua’s arm, trying to pull him away from the moment he so desperately wished for.

It had been a fun adventure on the orange juice waves, but without warning, a dolphin rammed into Gon’s boat. The boy struggled to keep the vessel stable, but it only prolonged the capsizing. As he toppled out of his citrus peel and into the ocean, he grabbed desperately for anything. His hand caught on the rim of the boat.

Fiercely trying to escape from the grip on his arm, Killua used his whole body to attempt to break away from this unidentified being. His heels dug into a floor that was soft and had no traction, while his free hand reached longingly for his certain someone. To his distress, that person turned away from him with a disappointed expression.

Gon clutched at the boat rim with all the force he could muster, but somehow, it fought back. The boat grew a foot that kicked him in the gut, causing him to let go. Right before Gon crashed into the juice ocean, it froze. Like a sheet of orange creamsicle, he hit it face-first before he could put his arms out.

The vice-like grasp suddenly released Killua, making his body act like an elastic band and barrel towards his certain someone. In slow motion, the person turned back to look at him in surprise, but just before their lips collided, Killua’s eyes snapped open. His vision was surrounded by blue carpet right before his face smacked the floor with all the force of falling out of bed.

“Ah, my nose...”

“Argh, what the heck!” Killua quickly sat up first, rubbing his forehead ruefully. “Oi, Gon, I think we need to control your sleep… grabbiness?” He glanced behind him at the bed, seeing it empty. “Uhhh, Gon?”

The boy in question slowly popped his head over the foot of the bed, revealing that he was also on the ground. “I think it’s bleeding… is my nose bleeding, Killua?”

Killua’s cheeks flushed a little as he glanced at Gon, recollecting his dream. He rapidly shook off those remaining thoughts. “Um, yeah, it’s kinda bleeding. What were you dreaming about to give you a bloody nose?” he scoffed.

“Darned orange dolphins…” Gon mumbled this to himself while rubbing his nose with the back of a hand. “The dolphins. They pushed me out of the boat,” he explained to Killua, as if the other boy had also been aware of the contents of his dream. The more he rubbed, the more blood began to flow out of his right nostril.

“Hey, stop that,” ordered a slightly confused best friend, frowning, “and get some tissues, you idiot. I was going to hope that those dolphins or whatever knocked some sense into you, but obviously that’s not going to happen anytime soon.”

“That’s mean to say, Killua! I’m smart,” came a backless defense. Gon left his nose alone in order to pick up the pillow that was lying next to him. He grabbed a corner with one hand and chucked it with a good amount of force at the younger boy.

“Ha! Smart?” Killua snorted. “As i-” Suddenly, his speech was cut off by a mouthful of feathery cushion. As it slid down his face, Killua clutched the pillow, his blue eyes glaring threateningly at the person who threw it. “Gon, the only reason I won’t kill you right now is because washing the blood off of everything in this room would be too much of a hassle.”

Gon smiled triumphantly, nearly forgetting about the crimson already gushing from his nose onto his black tank top. “You’d never be able to kill me anyway, Killua.” He gave a smug giggle and searched the bed for the other pillow.

The ex-assassin looked at his best friend blankly. “Yeah, not if Mito-san doesn’t kill you first for bleeding all over the place on your own.” He snickered, hand subconsciously raising his pillow as a shield before the next attack was to come.

Seeing this motion as an opening, Gon threw the second cushion, but himself right after it. It was almost like what he had done during his fight with Hisoka at Heaven’s Arena about a month ago. Would Killua, especially morning Killua, be able to guess this surprise attack?

With ease, the younger boy dodged the pillow, but just barely managed to evade Gon. “Ew, idiot. You’re getting blood on the carpet,” he groaned. “I swear I’m gonna hit you if Mito-san doesn’t.”   

Turning back to his best friend, Gon started to say, “Then try it”, but halfway through, he let out a big sneeze. Red splattered on everything in front of him.

Killua rushed to cover his face as blood flew out of Gon’s nose at him. His arm could only block so much. “Ugh, Gon! What the hell was that for?!” From his spot, the tissues were close by. Grabbing the box gingerly, he took a few for himself before chucking the box at Gon’s head. “Cover your face next time!”

“Sorry,” Gon blushed as he was scolded by his best friend. He wiped at his nose with some tissues before rolling one up and sticking it into his nostril. With the problem handled for now, Gon gazed at the mess he had made. Indeed, he had gotten blood on everything: the carpet, the bedsheets, the blankets, the pillows, himself, and even Killua. He thought it was probably best to take a morning bath, even though they normally didn’t. What about all this dirty bedding? A moment of musing gave him an idea. “Hey, do you think I can wash the sheets and take a bath at the same time?”

At first, Killua simply crossed his arms and gave a disapproving look at the sheepish Gon. But, his eyes widened a little once he processed Gon’s question. “Wow, that’s actually pretty clever.” In mock seriousness, he put a hand to the black-haired boy’s forehead. Looking him straight in the eye, he asked, “You’re not sick, are you?”

Gon childishly stuck out his tongue, tasting the blood that had dried on his upper lip. “No, I don’t think so… but I still blame those dolphins.” Jumping up, the boys gathered the blankets, and the pillowcases, in order for Gon to throw them in the bathtub.

“You better hurry,” Killua mumbled as he added the blue comforter cover to the stack in Gon’s arms, “or else Mito-san might notice.” The younger boy plopped down on a bloodless area of carpet, supporting his head in his hands. “I’ll be waiting here until you’re done.”

Gon gave a nod before opening the door to his room and slinking down the hall to the upstairs bathroom. He unceremoniously dumped all the cloth he was holding into the tub. Turning on the water, he checked that the temperature was warm before he took off his clothes. He threw his black tank top in, followed by his shorts and underwear. Pushing them under the surface, he realized that his sneeze had probably gotten blood on Killua’s garments as well. Running back to the room with only the wadded tissue in his nose, he flung the door open and whispered, “Killua, are your clothes okay?”

The boy on the carpet snapped his head towards the noise, immediately regretting the reflex. Turning away with burning cheeks, he hissed, “U-use a towel, you idiot! Where’s your common sense?!”

“Are your clothes okay?” Gon repeated.

“Do you even have any dignity?” the other boy murmured, looking down at himself. He frowned, seeing that not only the arm he had shielded himself with was speckled with dried blood. “Oh great, you did get it on my clothes. It’s probably in my hair as well… Augh, I should just take a bath too.”

“C’mon then,” Gon said with a smile, bouncing over to grab Killua’s hand, “the water is running.”

“W-what?! That’s -! No!” Killua sputtered, his dream coming back to the forefront of his mind. He pulled himself out of Gon’s grasp and turned to face the window so he could hide his embarrassment. “Y-you have all the blankets in there with you anyway,” he reasoned, “so both of us wouldn’t fit in the tub, stupid.”

“Right… I’ll go first then. But give me your clothes now,” Gon said, holding out empty arms.

Killua breathed out a shaky sigh. Damn, his heart was beating like crazy at the thought of the naked Gon innocently standing behind him. Looking up and over his shoulder, he narrowed his eyes while reluctantly pulling off his dark gray tank top. He tossed it behind him, hoping that Gon would catch it. “I can wash my shorts myself, thanks,” he said flatly, ears tipped with red.

“Okay,” Gon grinned, catching the shirt before it fluttered to the floor.

“Yeah. Make sure to actually clean it.”

“Of course.” With that, the older boy ran back to the bathroom with the new item.

Draping it on the rim of the tub, he turned off the water and got in with all the fabric. In the dim bathroom light, Gon scrubbed the pillowcases, then the blankets, then his clothes. When he got to Killua’s shirt, he lifted it with both hands to look it over. It seemed like there were just a few specks of blood, nothing big. What a relief.

Before Gon dipped the dark colored shirt in the water, he gave it a sniff. With his strong sense of smell, he breathed in Killua’s scent. It was sweet, like all the chocolate the white-haired boy loved, musky, from all the training they did together, and a little metallic...  He liked the smell a lot, though he felt like it would be embarrassing to tell his best friend something like that.

Killua stared absentmindedly out the window. After he had gone and grabbed a dark purple tank top from his bag in the far corner, there wasn’t much to do until it was his turn to bathe. I guess I’ll clean the floor then, he thought, pushing himself off the ground in order to look for something to use as a rag. Of course there was no such thing just lying around in Gon’s room, so he realized he’d have to head to the bathroom.

Stepping silently down the hall, his hand stopped on the doorknob, about to turn it. Was he certain Gon was in the bathtub? Killua focused and listened to some light splashing, then a strangely long inhale. Ugh, let’s just get this over with… With a shaky sigh, he mumbled, “Hey, Gon, I’m coming in for a wash rag.”

Hearing his best friend’s voice, Gon immediately breathed out and shoved the shirt onto his lap with a loud splash. “Y-yeah? You can come in then,” he called back softly, a light blush dusting his cheeks for almost being caught doing something weird.

Killua opened the door and cautiously peeked in when he got the go-ahead. “Did you, like, slip or something?” he asked, referring to the noisy splash just moments before.

“N-no,” the older boy sputtered, pretending to scrub at Killua’s shirt under the water. He watched as his best friend walked in, grabbed a blue face towel from underneath the sink, and started to run it under the faucet.

“What’s that for, Killua?”

“Oh this? This is ‘cause you decided to not only make a mess of yourself and all the blankets, but also the carpet.” Killua deadpanned, wringing out the piece of cloth. “And since I’m such a great friend, I’ve decided to bless you with my help.” He shook the small towel to make sure it wouldn’t drip.

“Thank you, Killua,” Gon smiled as the white-haired boy walked back out into the hall and shut the door behind him. He then proceeded to actually clean Killua’s tank top. Unfortunately, because it was wet, he wasn’t quite sure where the spots of blood were anymore.

“Yeah, no prob,” Killua murmured to himself as he returned to the bedroom. Lazily rubbing the crimson spots out of the blue carpet, Gon’s voice echoed in the back of his head. 

Whenever he had finished an assassination job, no one ever appreciated his putting his life on the line for the family business. Now, his best friend seemed to always be grateful for anything he did for him, no matter how small. On top of that, whenever Gon said his name along with the thank you, it always made Killua’s heart skip a beat.

In the bathroom, Gon finally tossed everything out of the tub except for himself. As he drained the water, he took the nose tissue out and shampooed his hair. Then, he turned on the shower and give his body a soapy scrub. With a quick check in the mirror above the sink, Gon made sure his face was clean before ending his shower and drying off with the white towel from the bathroom shelf. Now what to do with all the wet things on the floor...?

Killua heard the shower turn on and, a few minutes later, turn off. Footsteps made their way back to the bedroom and the door opened. Dropping the slightly dirty rag, the ex-assassin complained, “Damn, Gon, I -” He stopped once he saw his best friend.

“What is it, Killua?” Gon questioned as he ruffled his wet hair with the small green towel around his neck. The bigger one was in place around his waist.

Damn, Gon… he actually looks kinda se-,  Killua mentally slapped himself to stop his train of thought. Totally not flustered, he picked up his clean tank top and briskly walked past Gon. “I w-was just wondering how much time you were gonna take.”

“I didn’t take that long,” Gon mumbled, “it was mainly all the- oh yeah, Killua, what should we do about all the wet things? If we hang them out to dry, Mito-san will find out really fast.”

“Just say you pissed the bed or something~” Killua sang as he walked into the bathroom and shut the door. He stepped around the pile in question before stripping off his clothes. He threw the shorts in with the blankets and put his boxers and tank top on the empty towel shelf.

“BU-BUT I DIDN’T DO THAT!” Gon yelled, finding this fact more important than staying quiet. Now panicking, he scanned his room looking for some way to dry all the blankets without being discovered. If he were discovered, Mito-san would probably think he had wet the bed. ANYTHING BUT THAT.

“I’m just kidding~” laughed the white-haired boy, closing the curtain and turning on the water for a shower. Stepping into the tub once the temperature was fine, he mumbled, “Just saying we decided to do the laundry for her probably wouldn’t cut it…” 

He stopped thinking about the matter in order to enjoy bathing. Gon could be so cute when he was teased into a tizzy. But it was so easy. Killua chuckled as he washed off whatever blood was visibly speckling his skin. He stayed in the shower for at least ten minutes. By the end of his refresh, all he could think about was how quiet it was without Gon...

“Hmph,” Gon pouted, sitting in the middle of the floor of his room, still just wearing towels. He had been unable to think of a plan for what to do with all the wet things in the bathroom. Killua was so smart, but wouldn’t help him. Gon wished he could be so smart and cool and awesome like his best friend. He wondered what had caused the white-haired boy to become that way. His natural talents? His upbringing? His food choices? His way of showering? Gon grinned to himself as he rose to his feet.

With his nen ability of zetsu, the black-haired boy snuck into the hallway to stand in front of the bathroom door. Leaning down, he peeked through the keyhole with one eye. Killua had closed the shower curtain, but he could make out his best friend’s shadow moving behind it. In Gon’s delusion, he looked for anything special Killua might do while bathing. Unfortunately, all he did was shut off the water.

Stepping out of the tub, Killua searched for a towel. Gon had one, so there must be another one somewhere in the room. He was checking under the sink when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Shoot.

“What in the world are you doing?” a female voice asked calmly into Gon’s right ear. Gon had been so in the zone that he had forgotten his surroundings. With a yelp of surprise, he turned his head to find himself face to face with Aunt Mito! She had her hands on her hips and a concerned expression. “Are you… peeping on Killua-kun?”

Hearing that, Killua walked over to the door and realized there was certainly a sizeable keyhole. Gazing through it, he was startled to see Gon’s bare chest. He stared dumbly at the view for a moment before he realized what his best friend had probably seen of him. “W-WHAT THE HELL, GON!” he shouted at the door, stepping backwards to more quickly find a towel. Instead, Killua let out a grunt as he slipped on the tiles and fell back on the pile of cold, wet blankets.

“Killua-kun?” Mito called out when she heard him fall. She turned the knob and tried to open the door, but Killua stopped her halfway with a foot.

“D-don’t come in! I’m not decent!” the boy called in a flustered tone, grabbing something from behind his head and slapping it over his crotch. Gon’s worried face popped into view. “You idiot! If she can’t look, that doesn’t mean you can!”

“I was just checking if you were okay,” Gon defended, seeing that his damp tank top was being used like a modesty towel.

As the pair began to bicker about the situation, Mito snuck a peek, wide eyes scrutinizing the mound of sopping wet items Killua had fallen back on. She had come up the stairs simply to tell the boys that it was almost time for breakfast. The woman was well aware of all the noise they had been causing this morning, though hadn’t really given any thought to why. This certainly wasn’t what she was expecting, but Mito did know one thing.

“Killua-kun, I really do hope you’re okay.”

“Y-yeah, thanks,” Killua mumbled awkwardly, still not used to people, other than his family, caring for or about him.  

“Breakfast will be ready when both of you have some clothes on. So, we’ll leave you to dry off. ” Taking Gon by the ear, the orange-haired woman dragged him to his room. The boy yelped pointless apologies the whole way, but she paid them no mind.

“With what?” Killua asked under his breath once they had gone. He sighed and laid his head on the pile with a squish. This morning was definitely a crazy one.

Back in the bedroom, Mito made Gon sit on the floor and asked for a good explanation to why all the bedding was in the bathroom. He looked down at his fingers, which were starting to fidget nervously. “I… Killua said we should clean them… because I… he… I swear I didn’t wet the bed though! I swear!” In his head, he was screaming, Killua, please save me, over and over again. Mito sighed and crossed her arms, not buying whatever words had tumbled out of Gon’s mouth.

“Just put on your clothes and wait for Killua.”

“Ah, right… it’s not just blankets in that pile…”

“What?!”

Killua luckily had enough small towels from underneath the sink to dry himself off. He let out a snicker when he stopped to listen to the loud conversation going on in the other room. Putting on his dry dark purple tank top and boxers, he realized that he had forgotten to grab a clean pair of shorts. Ah man…

Gon was grovelling as Mito expressed her displeasure when Killua walked through the open door, sheepishly holding a wet pillowcase in front of his waist. The pair paused to look towards him. Killua awkwardly told the woman in the room, “I forgot… to grab a… pair of shorts…”

Mito’s face changed into a warm smile, as if she hadn’t been scolding Gon, and she allowed the conversation to be cut short. “Of course, Killua-kun. I’ll go and set the table then. Come down when both of you are ready.”

Killua nodded gratefully as Mito-san walked out in order to return to the first floor. Breathing a sigh of relief, the white-haired boy closed the door with a swing of his foot. Watching Gon sit up, he huffed, “Today’s your lucky day. I may postpone your death because I don’t want to cause more trouble for your aunt.” He went over to the corner where his bag was and dug through it. Pulling out his khaki shorts, Killua glared over his shoulder when he heard his best friend giggle. “What is it, idiot?”

“Thanks for saving me there. She can be so scary when she’s angry…” Gon locked gazes with Killua, his eyes full of affection. His lips formed an appreciative smile. Beaming, he continued, “If I knew that you’d come if I thought hard enough, I’d think about you all the time, Killua.”

Killua choked harshly, hurling the moist pillowcase at Gon’s too-bright face. “Quit saying stuff like that so carelessly!” he fumed, slipping into his shorts as the older boy’s vision was compromised. “I-I’m gonna go dry my hair some more. In the bathroom!” Stomping out of the room, he focused on breathing in order to calm down his strongly beating heart. In the bathroom, he ruffled and combed his damp locks until he was satisfied.

What did I do wrong? Gon wondered to himself. Getting up, his bath towel dropped from his waist as he went to his closet to grab a pair of briefs and his remaining set of clothing. He let the smaller green towel fall to the floor so he could properly put on the white turtleneck tank top. Then on went his whitey-tighties and his green short shorts. Gon was settling his belt buckle into place while walking the hall. He met Killua at the top of the stairs and they went down to breakfast together.

Gon bounced into the dining room, hungry after all the morning shenanigans. Aunt Mito seemed to be back to her chipper mood and Grandma Abe was already seated at the table, sipping a cup of green tea. Gon slid into his chair and licked his lips at the food placed in front of him.

Killua was much more relaxed as he entered, smelling the delicious aromas filling the air of the house’s first floor. He grinned, happily sitting in the seat nearest to Gon and eying the wonderfully cooked cuisine on his plate. “Man, Mito-san is such a great cook,” he commented aloud, picking up his fork.

“I know… right?” Gon said with a full mouth, “She’s so great… at everything! Cooking, cleaning… laundry, cooking… and taking care of people!”

“Yet you still give her trouble,” Killua teased, digging in and eagerly stuffing his cheeks with the wonderful breakfast.

The two fell into eating noises as they scarfed down their meals. Gon slyly reached for a piece of Killua’s breakfast sausage with his fork. The action did not escape the younger boy’s blue eyes, however. With a flash of silver, his utensil deflected Gon’s.

“Oi, your plate is in front of you.”

“But I’m still hungry…” Gon whined, licking at his empty platter with a desperate tongue. A few seconds later, the plate was shining, so he said in a whisper Abe couldn’t hear, “After what just happened upstairs, I don’t think Mito-san will give me any more.”

“You didn’t even ask her.”

“He doesn’t need to ask me, Killua-kun.”

“Oh.”

“I just want one more bite…” Resting his chin on the thoroughly cleaned porcelain, the black-haired boy gazed up at Killua with puppy-eyes.

The response was an emotionless stare back. The ex-assassin slowed down, savoring each bite with every chew. After watching Gon start to drool, he stated, “I dunno, you look pretty full to me.”

Gon’s chocolate puppy-eyes got bigger, rounder, and cuter. “Killua… I’ll do anything for your sausage.”

“W-what?” Killua tensed, stabbing a bit of scrambled egg a little too hard.

“Your sausage, in my mouth, please,” Gon begged.

That sounds so dirty… The white-haired boy gulped, blood rushing to his face. He tried to eat the egg he had lifted to his lips, but he couldn’t do it because his hand was shaking. Letting go of the fork, he gave in. “F-fine, you jerk!” he grumbled in defeat as it clattered onto his dish. With a unsteady sigh, Killua put his elbows on the table to properly cover his burning visage.

Cheek still on the plate, Gon closed his eyes and opened his mouth expectantly, “Aaaah…”

“Oh my god, you’re so embarrassing,” groaned Killua. He shook the egg off his fork, forcefully stabbed the breakfast sausage, and shoved it into Gon’s open maw. “There. Happy?”

“Mmhmmm,” the older boy smiled while he chewed. Killua could say mean things and tease him, but if he pushed enough, Gon knew he could always get what he wanted from his best friend.

Killua mentally kicked himself for a few moments until Mito dropped two new sausages onto his plate. That brightened his mood back up and he was able to enjoy their meaty goodness for himself. They were quite juicy and had a nice herbal flavor that he'd never tasted before. 

As he finished off his meal, he leaned towards Gon and whispered fearfully, “You think we have to wash the dishes?” He had never had to do so, given the amount of servants always in the mansion, but this wasn’t his home.

“Probably… I’ll do them if you figure out what to do with the blankets.”

“We just need to hang them out to dry, right? That’s easy.”

“Then that’s the plan,” Gon grinned. “Mito-san, I’ll do the dishes!”

“And I’ll hang the blankets,” Killua offered, looking over at the orange-haired woman. He pushed out his chair and got up. “The meal was amazing again, Mito-san.” Putting his hands behind his head, he stretched before going to head up the stairs.

Mito beamed at the complement from her place at the kitchen door frame. “Killua-kun, I’ll help you with that pile,” she called after him. “Gon, once you finish the dishes, wipe down the entryway, alright? Then you two are free to do whatever you want to today.”

“Alright,” was the reply as the dark-haired boy carried the plates and utensils to the sink. The extra cleaning was a lighter punishment than usual, so he was content.

Upstairs, Killua groaned upon seeing the mound of wet blankets and clothes. They had created a massive puddle that hadn’t quite reached the drain in the tiled floor. I should probably wring everything out before I attempt to bring them downstairs, he thought to himself. He got started as Aunt Mito entered the bathroom with an empty laundry basket.

The woman rolled up her sleeves before she picked up the blue comforter cover. It was soggy and crumpled. She couldn’t help but let her eyebrow twitch in annoyance. That son of Ging’s… Together, Killua and Mito tried their best to get all the fabrics as dry as possible before putting them in the basket.

“So, what exactly happened here? Gon didn’t really explain anything to me.”

“Um, we made a bet and Gon lost. But we didn’t know what the loser should do, so I decided that he’d wash the blankets and our clothes as punishment. We didn’t have anything else… to do…”

“As soon as you woke up this morning?”

Frick, Killua mentally screamed. “We woke up super early?”

“Alright,” Mito said slowly, putting Killua’s indigo shorts on top of the pile. She could see through such a blatant cover up, but she was just happy that Gon had brought a friend home. Best friend, even. Killua didn’t seem to be the most comfortable around people who weren’t Gon, but Mito hoped that he would become like a second son by the end of the Whale Island visit. Now that they were finished in the bathroom, the woman moved to pick up the basket. 

“Let’s go hang these to dry outside.”

“I can take it for you,” Killua said, putting a hand lightly over hers.

“Oh, it’s fine, Killua-kun. I don’t want a guest to lift anything so heavy.”

“No, I insist,” came a dazzling smile, the boy easily pulling the basket away from her grasp, “You deserve a break after cooking us such a wonderful breakfast.” He deftly hefted the basket with one hand and placed it on his shoulder.

“Ah, thank you…”

Mito laughed dryly to herself once Killua had left the bathroom. Of course any friend of Gon’s would have to be as strong as him, possibly stronger. She wasn’t expecting Killua to have been a normal twelve-year-old, but he sure acted like it more than her nature boy.

The ex-assassin stepped down the stairs, through the hallway, and to the entryway. He set down the basket in order to put on his shoes and open the front door. Once outside, he basked in the sun’s warmth as he strolled to the side of the house where the clotheslines were. Dropping the basket in a flat place, he gazed up at the blue sky, which was painted with a few white cotton candy cloud wisps. It was definitely a great morning for fun adventures.

As Mito exited the house, she smiled when the light sea breeze rustled her skirt and played with the strings of her apron. Making her way to where the white-haired boy was, she grimaced at what she saw. Killua had flung a white sheet speckled with faded brown spots over the clothesline.

“Mito-san, it’s like this, right? And then you straighten it out and pin it?”

“Y-yes, that’s right.” The woman grabbed a handful of clothespins from where she kept them in a cleaned out coffee can. She affixed Killua’s work in place before slipping a few into his pocket. Then, Mito took a better look at what the dim bathroom had kept hidden from her as she started up a conversation. “I’m so happy Gon’s friend is so helpful.”

“Well, we were the ones who created this mess…”

“I know it was mainly Gon’s fault, right?”

“Oh, uh, then I’m glad I can help.”

“I was worried what types of crazy creatures Gon would drag back to the island, but I’m glad it turned out to be such a well-mannered and clever boy. Since you are Gon’s first best friend, I have to assume you are quite a patient and understanding person as well, Killua-kun.”

It was certainly strange to hear praises coming from the mouth of an adult. All he ever heard were ‘murderer’, ‘killer’, ‘assassin’, ‘monster’ from terrified mouths saying their last words…  Killua shut his eyes to clear these labels from his mind. I’m free from that now, right? He shook out a sheet and threw it over the line.

“So, what do you think of Gon?” was the next question. After all, Mito could only ask such a thing without the black-haired boy within earshot. “He’s a good child with a big heart. Would you agree?”

“Gon?” came a slow response, “He is pretty honest and sociable. But he seems to attract danger and strange people, if I were to be frank.” Hiding a cattish grin, Killua added in his head, He’s also a total idiot.

“He’s also not the brightest,” Mito remarked, as if able to read the boy’s mind, “so I hope that you can be there for him whenever he’s in a bind.”

“O-of course,” Killua stuttered, holding a pillowcase to the clothesline so she could pin it.

“But please don’t cover for him over things like this,” the woman sighed, finally revealing that she knew the truth, “because when it comes to bloodstains, you need to quickly use cold water, not hot…”

“Oh, so you’ve noticed.” Killua blushed, feeling bad about lying. He pulled a piece of clothing out of the basket in order to avoid her possible scrutiny. He stared down at what he was holding. Gon’s shirt… didn’t I… she should definitely wash this for real.  

“Yes. I’ll have to redo all of these again, but with spot cleaner. We can still hang them though, so I can see how much damage has been done.” Mito turned her head to see Killua gazing at Gon’s black tank top in a way that didn’t seem to be searching for blood splotches… “Killua-kun?”

Hearing his name, Killua snapped out of his trance. “O-okay. Sorry we didn’t know how to clean it,” he apologized, quickly using the pins in his pocket to hang the shirt.

“No worries,” the woman replied, smiling as her motherly instinct kicked in. She had suspected something was special about the bond the boys had, especially the way Killua seemed to hang around Gon like a skittish kitten, but maybe it was something more hormone-based than she first thought. The woman had been single all her life, but she definitely knew enough to guess Killua’s situation. Boy, did he have a tough road ahead.

With only the sound of the wind blowing through the grass, the two hung the remaining things. As they finished, Mito dismissed her helper. “I’m going to inspect these, so you are good to go.”

“Osu,” Killua nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets. Running back to the house, he couldn’t help but feel slightly excited to spend the day with Gon. He wondered what his best friend had planned. In the entryway, he found Gon wiping at the hardwood floor with a cloth. “Gon! You almost done here?”

The older boy had scrubbed the dishes and hardly dried them before putting them in the cupboard. He was currently finishing a less than acceptable cleaning of the entryway. Looking up once he heard Killua open the front door, Gon knew he had to complete his chore faster. “Yeah, give me another few minutes.”

“You need any help? You don’t look like you’re doing a great job.”

“I’m fine,” Gon stuck out his tongue in response to what he thought was teasing. “Can you go grab the lunch basket from the kitchen? Grandma Abe said she made us sandwiches.”

“Alright,” Killua obliged, kicking off his shoes, “I’m gonna grab some socks first.”

“Okay.”

Killua disappeared down the hallway and back up to their room. He put on a pair of white ankle socks from his bag before heading back down to the kitchen. As he passed the dining room, he noticed that Abe was still sitting at the table, but with a new piping hot pot of tea. It’s probably good manners if I thank her, Killua reasoned, popping his head into the room.

“Hello there, Killua-kun.”

“Um, thanks for making us sandwiches, Grandma Abe.”

“It was my pleasure,” the old woman chuckled.

“Hope you have a nice morning,” Killua beamed, ducking out to take the food from the kitchen. He spotted the wicker picnic basket sitting on the countertop and grabbed it by the handle. As soon as he did so, he heard Gon yell, “I’m finished!” joyously.

“Awesome, then let’s get going!”

“Silly Killua, do you even know where we’re going? I didn’t tell you.”

“I know, but you were just so slow. I wanna get outta the house, like, right now.”

“Okay, okay.”

The boys put their shoes on as rapidly as they could. Gon sat down to pull on his boots while Killua shoved his feet into his sneakers on his way out the door.

“C’mon Gooooon,” the ex-assassin teased, the basket hanging off his arm. He jokingly tapped his foot and checked an imaginary watch on his wrist, “It’s already ten o’clock.”

“Geez, give me one sec,” Gon giggled, jumping to his feet to dash past his best friend.

“Hey, that was cheap, you jerk!” Killua shouted good-naturedly, turning quickly on his heel and exiting the house with a slam of the door.

Gon waved at Mito, who was still inspecting the blankets, before taking off down the dirt path. Killua did the same. She yelled after the pair, “Come back for dinner, alright?”

“Got it~” the boys sang in reply, leaving the Freecss household behind them.

“Did I wash everything alright?” Gon asked as they followed the sunny road.

“No way,” Killua scoffed, a sly smile curling on his lips, "She realized it once we started to hang things up."

“Oh no! What did you tell her then?”

“Only the truth… that you wet the bed!” the younger boy teased with a hoot while he sped up the pace.

“Nooooo! I did not, Killuaaaaaa!”

The pair was excited to spend time together. Gon was eager to show his best friend the natural wonders of Whale Island while Killua was content to do whatever his best friend had planned. Little did they know what thrilling adventures the midsummer day was going to offer them.

[readerwinterbarnes]

Rebellious Asgardian

Esme Thorinson OFC x Avengers (platonic), Thor x Jane, Uncle Loki, Avengers

Summary: Esme is the daughter of Thor and Jane born on Asgard. Who’s never been or seen Earth before. Lucky for her, she has the brains of her mother Jane, the mischief of her uncle Loki and thirst for adventure of her father Thor. What could go wrong?

Word Count: 1,944

Warnings: Rebellious teenager, breaking rules, amused Loki, light angst, jealous Tony, Loki is a really cool uncle

A/N: I know! I know! I was planned on posting something yesterday, but I got sidetracked into writing the next part of Motionless...soo....I hope you enjoy this one tho! I also have no idea how last names work on Asgard, so….my bad if I did wrong. 

Esme knew what she was doing was wrong, but both her parents were busy. And her Uncle Loki was busy training his newest apprentice, so…..now was the perfect opportunity. She’s been planning this for months now and wasn’t going to let this open window close on her. She had a strong feeling that Loki knew she was up to something, but he never said anything. So while no one was paying attention, she put her plan into motion.

She managed to sneak herself out of the palace and down to her private speeder she made herself. Well, with the help of Loki. But it was small enough to fit through tight spaces, it was fast and with her brain she inherited from her mother, it had the ability to fold itself up like a scooter. Or whatever people on Earth called it. Double checking that she had everything, Esme sped across the water and took the secret entrance to Earth - which she did not snoop through Loki’s things and found the location of - and headed straight through it. Finally, finally she was going to be landing on Earth. If her calculations were correct, she would be landing somewhere in the Avengers tower. Esme knew her parents were going to be angry with her, but come on! She’s never seen or been on Earth, and she really wanted to meet the Avengers. They were her heroes and often asked Heimdall what they were up to.

A flash of bright light swallowed her up and the next thing she knew. She was in the Avengers tower. Her calculations were more than correct. She was in fact right in the living room of the Avengers tower. Where the team was now standing with shocked expressions. Clearly scaring the shit out of them, no one expected for this to happen.

“That. Was. Fucking. AWESOME!!” Esme exclaimed as she jumped off her speeder. Everyone’s attention was now on the man in the corner who was yelling out in anger.

“Who the HELL are you?! How the HELL did you do that?! And how do I get one?!” Tony yells from across the room. Completely ignoring Tony’s outburst, Esme began making her way around the room. Shaking everyone’s hands, and only hugging Bucky because obviously he was her favorite. Excitedly telling them how big a fan she was and that Heimdall tells her everything. And immediately goes off to explaining how JARVIS is so cool, congratulating Tony on how she loves Nat’s Widow Bite, Steve’s shield, Clint’s bow, Sam’s wings, Tony’s Iron Man bracelets that can call over his suit. Then talking to Bruce about how much the loves his love for science. It was as if she wasn’t even breathing. Who could blame her? She was literally standing amongst her hero’s.

Meanwhile on Asgard…..

Thor bursts into Loki’s study, Jane on his heels. The door slamming open, shaking the walls, Loki was pretty sure the whole of Asgard heard it.

“Loki! We must talk!” Trying not to let his brothers rude entrance get to him, he gave his apprentice his homework and sent him on his way before he fainted of absolute fear from the God of Thunder.

“What is it, brother? To what do I owe this pleasure?” Loki asked Thor while putting away his notes. Rolling his eyes at the event taking place.

“Esme is gone. According to the royal guard, he saw something speed off towards the cave opening. Did you know about this?” Thor’s voice was demanding, but had a slight tone of worry tied along with it. Loki’s shoulders stiffened. Without looking at either of them, he walked up to his bookcase where he kept his vast amount of books neatly placed. And sure enough, there was a book slightly out of place. It was the book where he kept the location kept, along with a few other things as well.

He smiled privately to himself, actually quite proud of his niece. He knew she was planning something, but being the curious man he was, decided to let the events unfold and see what would happen. She was apparently planning a trip to Earth.

“I do believe, she has traveled to Earth if I am not mistaken.” Loki turned to face the couple, Jane was, of course, angry and Thor looked relieved to know where she was, but quickly tensed up again. They were definitely going to be giving Esme a lecture when they found her.

“Let us go to Heimdall, I think it’s time we meet with old friends.” A few minutes later, the three of them were being transported down to Earth.

Back in the tower…..

“Wait, Heimdall?” Steve asked her, slowly starting to put the pieces together. “You mean you’re-” a beam of white light interrupted Steve and then a booming voice followed.

“Esme Thorinson!” The team stood shell-shocked, looking from Thor, Jane, and Loki to Esme, then back to the group. Esme only groaned, rolling her eyes at her parents and how they were being over dramatic.

“Esme Rose Thorinson!” Now Jane was the one yelling, pointing her finger at her daughter, clearly pissed. “You young lady are grounded! What have we told you?” Jane scolded her.

“But it’s the AVENGERS mom! The. Avengers. They’re so COOL! Plus come on! You and dad never let me come down to Earth! I’m nineteen, I’m not some child who can’t take care of herself. Why are you both being dramatic?” Jane was about to speak up when Thor took a step forward.

“Because you are our daughter. When we asked the guards where you were, no one knew where you went. Only to find out you planned this behind our backs. We thought we lost you.” Esme looked at her father’s expression, she could read him like an open book, knowing all the signs if he was lying or angry for that matter. When she saw none, she asked both her parents.

“If I were to tell you what I was planning, would you have let me leave?”

“Absolutely not. Remember what happened when you decided to travel to the Alfheim realm, one of the Nine Realms your father was trying to finalize a treaty with?” Jane spoke up, she was still upset about Esme betraying their trust like this. Esme pointed at her mother.

“Ugh, that was ONE time! Plus their geology and ecology were so far advanced and even matched ours.”

“That still doesn’t cut out the fact that you never told us about this and went ahead and left anyways,” Jane responded, not backing down. But Esme was relentless.

“See dad, THAT’S why I didn’t tell you! I wanted to explore something new and different and Earth seemed like the best bet. I already mapped out all of Asgard anyways. There’s an island close by that has more materials we could use, there’s also this really cool cove about twenty miles past the south docks that’s really amazing! It has these really interesting glow worms that live in these leaf pods. OH! And at night I used the spell that Loki taught me, the one where I can make a ball of light, and the areas around the rivers and pond glowed! My light reacted to them dad!” Now it was Loki’s turn to be surprised, however the team were the only ones that seemed to notice. It wasn’t every day you got to see the God of Mischief be surprised of anything.

“Esme, how did your light react to it exactly?” Loki took a step forward and asked. He hasn’t spoken since they arrived, now everyone could see he was curious to know more. Not to mention, how excited Esme got when Loki gave her the go ahead.

“Uncle, it was amazing! It looked as if it was dancing! It flew out of my hand and started flying with the fireflies. I wanted to tell you, but I kinda got sidetracked about the whole coming to Earth thing…” Esme looked down, slightly deflated. Loki always made sure that he set aside time for Esme whenever she found something new she wanted to share with him. He loved his niece, even though it might not show, but he loved her dearly.

Walking up to her, he lifted her face up. “Esme, I will make it a priority for us to go explore your new discovery as soon as you are done here.”

“Really?” Esme perked up.

“Of course.” He kissed her forehead and faced Thor and Jane. Thor was smiling from the interaction between his brother and daughter. He knew how much Loki doted after Esme, even if he never showed it. Jane still looked unsure, but at least she didn’t look like she was going to scold her anymore.

“I believe, it is time we make our leave brother. I am certain the Avengers will take care of Esme, for she will be in good hands. Unless you think she is not capable of making her own decisions?” Esme knew the question was aimed at her mother, but he looked at his brother, knowing Jane would have to make the final decision. Jane looked at Thor, who nodded in agreement, then back at Esme who was clutching onto her side bag tightly.

With a sigh of defeat, she relented. “Very well, she can stay. But only for a week young lady. A week and then you’re coming home. Understood?” Esme was all smiles as she ran towards her mother, hugging her tightly.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Don’t worry, I’ll be home by then, thank you, mom, for letting me do this.” Jane hugged her daughter, kissing her hair lovingly. It was hard for her making this choice, but she knew it needed to happen. Esme hugged her father and laughing when he picked her up off the ground, telling her to be careful and to listen to what the Avengers had to say. Also telling her that pop tarts are a necessity on a daily basis. Lastly, she walked up to Loki and gave him a hug as well. She’s always been close to her uncle, he taught her many things and helped embrace who she was. What happened next shocked everyone, including Thor.

Loki wrapped his long arms around Esme’s shoulders and hugged her back. It was very short lived, only lasting for a minimum of three seconds, because that’s all that was needed, but it was still a sight to see. After Jane politely, but sternly threatened the team if they did anything to harm her daughter or come onto her in any way, she was going to make sure they died a very painful death. Then they were swallowed up by the bifrost, leaving Esme with the team.

Tony grumbled under his breath. “See, I TOLD you! But nooo, you didn’t listen. Thor has no respect for anything. First, he leaves the Bifrost mark burned into the grass and now the marble floor is permanently stamped. Dammit, Pepper’s gonna kill me when she finds out.” The team smiled as Tony headed back to his lab, knowing full well FRIDAY was informing Pepper about the floor. The smug bastard.

Esme, turned towards the group, eagerly to get started on exploring Earth. Carefully, she placed her bag on the couch and couldn’t help but ask.

“My dad said something about pop tarts? I’m not quite sure what they are, but I’m excited to try them.”

“Man, this is going to be fun!” Clint spoke up, just as excited as Esme to get started. She already knew she was going to have a fun week.

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