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mamabearcatfanfics · 3 years

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It was already written, so I didn’t have to keep you in suspense for long. Here’s Part Two of Song and Dance Man. You can read the first part here, or go read the whole thing on AO3. Enjoy!

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When Kagome had lifted her heavy head from her pillow the next morning and looked at her phone, there were ten messages. One from Shiori, one from Sango, and eight from Inuyasha.

She let her head flop back on the pillow, deciding not to open any of them yet. She wasn’t hiding, not exactly. This morning, she just wanted to pretend for a little while that everything was okay, have a quiet breakfast with her family, who she hadn’t seen for nearly a month, and then deal with the fall out.

The message from Shiori would no doubt be calm and caring. Sango’s message would also be caring, but she was pretty sure it would not be calm. And Inuyasha. She didn’t know. She didn’t know what to think. She’d put that in ‘after breakfast Kagome’s’ problem pile. Right now, she felt like crap, her period had finally arrived, and she needed to stand under a hot shower for at least, forever.

So she dragged herself to the bathroom and took some pain relief, had a shower, rummaged in her childhood bedroom for any clean clothes that still fit and found a pair of cut off jean shorts and a t-shirt from drama club that proclaimed Theatre is my Sport, then walked downstairs to the kitchen to sit listlessly at the table.

Grandpa read the paper, flicking the pages noisily every time he turned a page, making comments on various stories that no one replied to. Mama bustled around in the background, insisting on making her a cooked breakfast even though she’d said she wasn’t hungry. Souta clomped around noisily, calling out to Mama as he tried to find all the missing parts of his soccer uniform and put them in his bag for his game that morning.

Mama slid a plate in front of her and Kagome stared down at the single fried egg on toast as it glared at her accusingly. She deserved to be glared at. She had fought with Inuyasha. She had yelled at him, even after he’d been nothing but kind all morning at her bad mood, hurling her words at him like arrows, aiming to wound. Do you even care at all? Or are you just in it for the sex?! She felt the small amount of appetite she’d had leave her.

The back of Kagome’s eyes prickled with unshed tears, and she stabbed at the egg viciously with her fork, watching the yolk ooze out onto the toast. She should have known things were going too well.

Every few months, her period threw her a curve ball where her emotions got entirely out of whack and she became a paranoid anxious overthinking mess. If it happened when she was working at the theatre and they weren’t too busy, Jakotsu usually sent her home, recognising she wouldn’t be at her best. He jokingly called her mood swings her ‘little demon’ which made some of the youkai members of the crew roll their eyes, but it was true. She felt like an entirely different person when it happened, almost like she was watching someone else use her voice and say things she wouldn’t usually ever say out loud.

It had been so much worse this month, a slowly building feeling of anxiety and paranoia ever since she’d had the Depo Provera shot, wanting to try a birth control that was impossible to forget now she was in a relationship. Her doctor had been asking her to keep a diary of her symptoms, but she kept forgetting, and now look what had happened.

Sometimes Inuyasha said things without thinking. She knew that. He’d just been teasing her. And usually she’d just roll her eyes at him and tease him back, and they’d have a playful argument that led to a tickle fight or something a lot more hands on. But yesterday, she’d taken his words and twisted them. She could see that now. Yesterday, it had felt like her anxiety was looking for reasons to tear the world down around her. That look on his face – she’d hurt him. She had ruined everything.

She loved Inuyasha, even though sometimes he wasn’t the easiest man to love. He was a logical, practical person with a body to die for, who felt safest when he had order and control in his life. It was easy to see he was used to living alone, and sharing his personal space with her still threw him for a loop sometimes. He could be a little grumpy. A little obnoxious. A genuine diamond in the rough who carefully guarded his emotions. He was more a man of action than words, and she could appreciate that. But his sweet nature had been gradually revealed by the caring things he did for her, no matter how gruff his exterior could be sometimes.

She adored him. She’d never dated a hanyou before, and that came with a few extra complexities compared to being with a human, but she had grown to love his youkai traits. The way his ears told her how he was feeling. The way his pupils dilated when he was aroused. The way he took it upon himself to see to her physical needs, wanting to feed her, touch her, care for her. The way he relished how she smelled, how she tasted. He was a much more physical partner than she’d ever had before, and she loved it. How a simple touch from him, a spoken word in that low rumble could fill her with desire. In his hands, she felt cherished, desirable, wanted. She’d always thought she’d had a fairly average libido before, but with Inuyasha… she felt insatiable.

She’d had a couple of girl talks with Inuyasha’s friend Sango about him, and she'd hinted at a troubled childhood without giving any details. After that, Kagome had decided she wouldn’t push him out of his comfort zone before he was ready. He’d probably had to deal with so much growing up, and it was easy to deduce that he found talking about emotions difficult. That was okay, not everyone was good at that, he more than made up for his lack of words with his physical attentiveness and the way he looked at her. She could read the way he felt in those golden eyes.

To her delight, just recently he’d started to share things with her all on his own, just little details here and there, about his Mama or his Pop, family traditions they’d had when he was small, and she’d treated those tiny pieces of information like the gifts they were. And now look what she’d done. He’d probably never share his thoughts like that with her again.

It felt like there was a tight band around chest, making it hard to breathe properly. Her back was stiff from a night of tossing and turning, her lower belly twisted with cramps now that her period had finally arrived, along with a thumping headache that made her head heavy. She hoped the painkillers she’d taken in the bathroom would kick in soon.

The doorbell rang, adding to the family noise in the kitchen, and Souta ran to answer it, a piece of toast clutched in his hand. He was expecting a teammate who was getting a lift to the soccer game with him and Mama, and they heard him call out excitedly from the front room as he opened the door. Her mother sat down at the other end of the table.

“What are your plans for today, Kagome?” she asked absently, stirring her tea.

All Kagome wanted to do was go back to Inuyasha. Touch Inuyasha. Be with Inuyasha. But first they would have to have a Talk. Would he be like her previous boyfriends, and dump her for being ‘difficult’? Kagome sighed and slumped back in her chair. She shouldn’t have run yesterday, but she’d felt like a passenger in her own body, and had been frightened she would say something even more unforgivable than she already had.

Instead of going back to her apartment, she had caught a bus to the other side of the city to her childhood home, rushing in the door to fall into her mother's arms to sob hysterically, and had then taken some painkillers to dull what felt like an oncoming cluster headache and gone straight to bed before dinner.

“My plans? Oh nothing much. Mostly eating humble pie”, said Kagome dejectedly, pouring herself another cup of tea and pushing the impaled egg off to one side with a grimace.

Her mother lifted her head at that and inspected her daughter over the top of her teacup. “It’s going to be alright you know”, she said with a gentle smile, but before Kagome could ask her what she meant, Souta wandered back in, still eating his toast.

‘It wasn’t Kenji, it’s some guy for you, Kagome,’ he said vaguely.

‘Me? But nobody knows I’m here.” Puzzled, Kagome pushed back her chair and went to the door.

And there was Inuyasha. Her heart leapt with joy and the world, which had been dully monochrome and all askew, abruptly righted itself and sprang back into colour, just like the moment Dorothy had opened the door and found herself in Oz.

“Inuyasha?!”

She drank in the sight of him on the doorstep. He was looking more dressed up than she’d ever seen him, wearing an open-necked button shirt and jacket, his hair braided neatly. Even his jeans seemed to have no holes, and his black motorcycle boots looked polished. But otherwise he was indisputably, wonderfully Inuyasha. Her eyes roved over the austere angles of his face, his amber eyes and pointed silver ears, the stern mouth that made her knees go weak, the quiet solidity of him.

She wanted to throw herself into his arms and apologise profusely, but the strained look in his eyes, the tautness around his mouth, made her pause.

“Is everything okay?” she asked hesitantly.

“Fine.” Inuyasha cleared his throat. “Yeah it’s…uh, fine. I just came by because…um, I wondered if you had a balcony”, he finished in a rush.

Kagome’s jaw dropped. She didn’t know what she had been expecting, but it wasn’t that.

“A balcony?”

“Yeah. A balcony. Do you?”

Was this a peculiarly vivid dream? He seemed solid enough, standing there in a shirt and jacket she didn’t even know he possessed, his neatly braided hair revealing every nervous twitch of his ears.

“There’s a back verandah”, she said cautiously, blinking up at him.

“That’ll do. Can we go there now?” he asked tensely. “If you’re not too busy that is?”

Kagome stared at him. “Inuyasha, are you sure you’re all right? You’re behaving very strangely.”

He huffed. “I know”, he said, his hands fidgeting with the edge of his jacket. “It’s just there’s somethin’ I need to do before I lose my nerve.”

“And this something needs to be done on our back verandah?” said Kagome slowly. He nodded.

She stood aside and Inuyasha stepped past her into the house. Maybe she was still asleep, and this was some sort of lucid dream brought on by those painkillers she’d taken last night. It definitely felt surreal. She blinked slowly and pinched herself, but he was definitely still there. Kagome led him down the hall and through the kitchen to the back door, ignoring Mama and Grandpa’s intense discussion about the need to clean out the storage shed, interspersed with polite requests to pass the tea.

“Well, here we are on the back verandah”, she said cautiously, wondering what might happen next. This day wasn’t turning out at all like she thought it would.

Inuyasha looked around anxiously and then gestured towards the old-fashioned swing seat that her father had made for her mother when she was a little girl. The paint was faded and peeling and it listed slightly to one side because the chains hanging from the beams were a little off centre.

“Sit down”, he said as he steered Kagome towards it.

“Inuyasha, what’s going on?” She watched as he walked down the two steps to the lawn and moved to stand in front of her, almost treading on her mother’s petunias, his hands clenching and unclenching.

“Just… don’t interrupt.” He took a deep breath, and opened his mouth. And then closed it again.

“What is it? Can I help?” she asked, twisting he fingers together. Kagome was getting really worried. Had he come all the way across town in his best clothes to dump her and now felt unable to go through with it?

Inuyasha cleared his throat savagely. “Sorry”, he said. “I’ll get it this time.” Another breath and then, to Kagome’s astonishment, he began to sing.

You were meant for me I was meant for you!

Kagome’s eyes blurred with sudden tears. It was unmistakably You Were Meant for Me from Singing in the Rain. His voice was actually quite pleasant, a deep baritone that went off key a little here and there as he hit the higher notes, but mostly rang true. And then, when she thought she couldn’t be any happier, he began dancing! True, Inuyasha was no Gene Kelly, but he was definitely shuffling from side to side and every now and then he even tried a twirl.

Nature patterned you, an' when she was done You were all the sweet things rolled into one!

His expression wasn’t really that of a lover delivering a heartfelt sentiment. It was intent, frowning as he tried to remember the words and coordinate his dance steps. Once he found himself facing the wrong way, and had to turn round hastily and pick up his routine again.

You're like a plaintive melody That never lets me free

And then he was holding out his hand, inviting her to dance with him, drawing her up from the seat and leading her down the steps to the garden.

I'm content, the angels must have sent you And they meant you just for me!

Smiling through her tears, she let him swing her round until he came to a halt with a flourish, looking into Kagome’s eyes at last with a mixture of relief, trepidation and excruciating embarrassment. Even the tips of his white pointed ears were red.

“Inuyasha,” she said, starry-eyed. “You were singing. And dancing.”

He coughed, then smiled at her hesitantly. “I’m not very good, I know. But I-“ She pushed her fingers over his lips to stop him talking.

“That was the best version of You Were Meant For Me I’ve ever heard.” Her voice cracked a little as she stood on tiptoe to put her arms around his neck. “The very best”, she whispered, “and I should know because I’ve heard it a lot.”

He gave her a relieved grin and pulled her close, leaning down for a kiss. But before their lips met, there was a burst of applause from the back door. Kagome’s family, evidently distracted from breakfast by Inuyasha’s singing, were beaming broadly and clapping. Souta whistled.

“Excellent! Very well done!” said Grandpa.

“Kagome’s always needed someone who will dance with her”, said her mother when Kagome introduced Inuyasha to them.

“I’m not really much of a dancer”, he confessed sheepishly, glancing down at Kagome with a blush.

“You looked like you were doing fine to me”, said Grandpa, which just went to show how much he knew about dancing.

Her mother, it appeared, knew more about what had happened yesterday than Kagome had thought.

“I have to admit young man, I had my doubts when you called me yesterday evening. When my daughter arrived here she was very unhappy”, she said, regarding Inuyasha with the severity she reserved for shoppers at the fruit market that squeezed the avocados hard and then put them back. And then she smiled. “But, you seem to have redeemed yourself. Welcome to the family.” Kagome giggled at Inuyasha’s wide eyed expression.

“We don’t like Kagome being unhappy”, her grandfather added. “She was born for laughter.” He broke off as the doorbell rang and her mother clicked her tongue as she checked the time on the kitchen clock.

“That’ll be your friend, Souta. You’d better let him in and then finish getting your soccer kit organised, we need to leave in fifteen minutes.” She turned back to Kagome and Inuyasha with a twinkle in her eye. “If there are to be any more song and dance routines, you’ll have to keep the noise down, I’m afraid, unless you want a larger audience.”

“I think once was enough”, said Inuyasha ruefully. He took Kagome’s hands as her family disappeared. “Was… once enough, Kagome?”

“Yes”, she said, her fingers tightening around his. She knew just how much that dance must have cost him. “Oh, Inuyasha, I can’t believe you did that for me! Especially after yesterday.”

“It was the only way I could think of to tell you how much I love you”, he said softly, stroking back her fringe. “I remembered what you said once about your job. That even though everyone in the company works hard to put a show together, being part of the backstage crew is always faceless because the audience is only there to see the actors shine. I wanted to show you that you’ll always shine like a star to me.”

Kagome’s throat was so tight, she could hardly talk. “Inuyasha…” was all she managed to choke out.

“I love you, Kagome”, he said, his eyes locked on hers. “If you want me to sing and dance for you every day, I will.” He grinned a little, one fang poking over his bottom lip. “You never know, I might even get better at it.”

“You don’t need to do that”, said Kagome, finding her voice at last. Drawing her hands free, she reached up and put them on his shoulders, feeling his strength and his solidity. “You don’t need to dance for me, or sing for me, Inuyasha. You just need to be you. You just need to be there. You just need to love me.”

“Now that, I can do”, said Inuyasha, so obviously relieved that a daily song and dance routine would not be required that she laughed, giddy with happiness. He laughed too and kissed her soundly, lifting her up and swinging her wildly around in a circle. Wild joy surged along her veins, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. The kisses didn’t get too heated, both of them very conscious that they were standing in her mother’s garden and could have an audience at any moment. But the promise of heat was there, and Kagome shivered in anticipation.

“I missed you”, she mumbled at last between kisses.

“I missed you too. You were gone for less than a day and it felt like a year.” He held her tightly, and she leant against him with a great sigh of contentment. “My apartment sounded so empty without you singing in it. I had to leave that damn musical running to fill up the silence.”

“Really?” giggled Kagome, delighted. “So that’s where you learnt the words! And how did you work out the dance routine?”

“Ah.” Inuyasha breathed out a deep sigh. “That was Jakotsu. When you wouldn’t answer your phone, I kinda panicked. Shiori said you didn’t go home, and Sango didn’t know where you were either. I called the theatre to see if you were there, and Jakotsu answered. When he worked out who I was, he made me tell him everything. And when he asked what I was going to do to win you back and I said I was going to sing for you, he said I couldn’t do it without a dance routine too. Made me come to the theatre to learn one. Longest fucking night of my life.”

Kagome giggled even harder. “He probably enjoyed himself.”

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. “He said that if you were prepared to talk to me after seeing the way I danced, you must really love me.”

“He’s right”, said Kagome, standing on tiptoe to kiss him again.

“Now you know why I was so nervous when I arrived. I was terrified I would lose my nerve.”

“I’m glad you didn’t. That’s a song and dance routine I’ll never forget.” Her smile faded. “Seriously, I know how hard that was for you, Inuyasha.”

“I felt pretty stupid. But sometimes, taking a risk and letting go means you can win everything you’ve ever wanted. And I want you Kagome. I want this relationship to work. If you feel I’m taking you for granted, please tell me. I’m sorry I didn’t notice before. I’ve just lived alone for so long, sometimes I forget. I'll make an effort to ask you more about your day, and the very next show at the theatre, I’ll buy a front row ticket. I know I’m not very romantic, but if you like, we could start going out for dinner. I could bring you flowers…”

Kagome shook her head, smiling. “It’s okay. I don’t need flowers. And I don’t need by the book romance. Your dance routine… now that was romantic. All I need someone who’s prepared to take a risk for me, someone who’ll grit his teeth and make a fool of himself to show me that he loves me.”

“And I need someone who’ll make me laugh and push me out of my comfort zone and make me feel”, said Inuyasha, gathering her into him for a long, sweet kiss, then sighing in contentment as he breathed in her scent, nuzzling his nose into her hair.

“So, about yesterday”, he asked carefully. “Are you feeling better today?” Kagome sighed.

“I am so, so sorry about yesterday”, she said. “I started on a new type of birth control, an injection instead of the pills I usually take, and I think it’s not a good fit for me. I’ve never felt that out of control before. I think I need to go back to my doctor and discuss it.”

“Would you mind if I came too when you have your appointment? So I know what’s going on? You really worried me yesterday Kagome", he said seriously, stroking her cheek. "I didn’t know what to do.”

“You would do that?”

Inuyasha scoffed. “Well, it’s not like you’re taking the birth control just for you”, he said, a light dusting of red on his cheeks. “And if it’s makin’ you feel bad, I want to know the right things to do.”

In the garden, a blackbird started to sing, a pure trill of joy. Kagome felt the sunshine on her shoulders and Inuyasha’s warm arm around her, and when she pressed her face into his throat and breathed in the scent of his skin, she thought she would shatter with happiness.

“I think I feel a song coming on”, she whispered, snuggling her head under his chin.

“Yeah?” he said. She could hear the smile in his voice, feel it as he kissed the top of her head. “I don't mind that. Just as long as it’s a duet.”

#mamabearcat fanfics #inukag fanfic #song and dance man #inukag

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andrewmoocow · 3 years

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Steven Universe Alternate Future chapter 21: Playdate (originally posted on August 2, 2021)

AN: After that really long chapter last week, time for something that's hopefully a lot shorter. And as I write this, I finally saw Space Jam: A New Legacy in theaters, which was a lot of stupid fun in my opinion, so I might have a lot to work with in terms of basketball stuff here. But enough about the movies I've seen, let's see how Spinel is doing.

Synopsis: Spinel comes to Earth to have fun the human way.

Cast:

Zach Callison as Steven

Sarah Stiles as Spinel

Patti LuPone as Yellow Diamond

Jim Conroy as Radio announcer

Jeff Bennett as Fanny pack seller

Tom Kenny as Pepe's Burgers cashier

Daran Norris as Basketball Commentator

Kari Wahlgren, Eden Riegel, Erica Lindbeck & Grey DeLisle as Empire City Vipers cheerleaders

Neil Flynn as The Officer

Featuring Hugh Jackman as Beckham Jordan

James Monroe Iglehart as Coach Matt Monroe

Karen Fukuhara as Makoto Fuji

Jeff Bergman as Ben "Bugs" Avery, Referee

Michelle Creber as Chloe

Kacey Musgraves as Yvonne

And Rhiannon Giddens as Herself

One afternoon in Beach City, Steven was once again left alone in the beach house. However, there thankfully was no sociopathic Rutiles wanting to break in and gaslight him into turning against his friends today. Instead, he stood in his room while gazing at a sign that said "Days since Turning Pink" hanging on his wall, with a blank spot that had the number 3 written on it.

"Wow, three days since my last outburst." Steven congratulated himself before patting his shoulder. "Good job Steven, making real progress." However, his pride soon turned into worry as he began contemplating how long it would take before he would explode again. "At least, for now."

Suddenly, Steven heard a loud rumbling sound coming from outside that made everything in his room shake, and he raced outside to find a massive yellow arm descending from the skies and heading straight for him. "Yellow?"

The arm immediately stopped itself before turning over and opening its palm, allowing Yellow Diamond to emerge with her arms folded behind her back and a genial smile on her face. "Good day to you Steven." The Diamond greeted Steven. "I suppose you're probably wondering why I come here today."

"If you're asking for any of the Gems, I don't think they can come today." Steven answered. "They're on the hunt for Black Rutile's current whereabouts, but every time they think they found her, she's always one step ahead of them."

"Everyone on Homeworld is still doing their part to quell her uprising," Yellow responded. "but one of us just wants to see you again." Once Yellow finished speaking, a pink and white blur bounced up from behind her and tackled Steven to the ground.

"Steven!" Spinel cried, wrapping Steven into a tight hug. "It's been so long! How you been buddy?!"

"I'm doing good Spinel." Steven laughed nervously, both at once again hiding everything he's been through recently and at how the last time Spinel's been on Earth, she nearly destroyed it, before disentangling himself from the stretchy Gem's embrace. "So, how have things been going for you on Homeworld? The Diamonds treating you okay?"

"Oh, it's fine Steven, no need to worry!" Spinel assured Steven. "Sure, they do coddle me a bit, but I'm overall livin' the dream there! I get to meet so many new Gems, learn about everything that's happened while I was stuck in the garden, and I also get to use Pink's old room! But I thought it would be nice to get a real taste of Earth without, y'know, trying to destroy it because I was left behind."

"I figured that since I'll be busy all day searching for more Gems allied with Black Rutile, Spinel could use what you humans call a babysitter." Yellow stated. "Would you be willing to watch over her here?"

"Sure, it'd be nice to catch up with Spinel." Steven agreed to the offer before he got an idea. "Hey, I got an idea. Why don't I take you to Empire City?" he asked Spinel. "It's an Earth city not too far from here, and I think you'd really like the sights there."

"Wow, a new place?!" Spinel cheered. "That'd be so much fun!"

"Yes, that would be delightful." Yellow smiled before she retreated into her ship. "Now I'll be back by nightfall, so do come back by then."

"Bye Yellow!" Spinel waved the Diamond goodbye as it flew away from Earth. "So, when can we leave Steven?"

"We can leave right now if you want," Steven answered. "I just gotta get ready first."

"Yay!" Spinel cheered.

A few minutes later, Steven led Spinel into the Dondai Supremo and drove away from Beach City to Empire City, and Spinel was super excited to get there.

"Are we there yet?" Spinel asked.

"No." Steven laughed.

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"How about I turn on the radio to pass the time?" Steven offered before adjusting the dials on the car radio.

"-nd that was Royalty with My Lord." The radio announcer declared. "And coming up next on 13.2 "The Band", we got Rhiannon Giddens with her hit single Wandering Roads!"

"Wandering roads that carry me home, lead me through both right and wrong." Rhiannon Giddens sang over the radio. "I may love and I may lose, still I know I'll always choose."

"What kinda music is this?" Spinel asked Steven while the song continued.

"This is what humans call country music." Steven answered. "Not a lot of people like it very much."

"Well, I like it." Spinel said before she began to sing along with Rhiannon. "Since the day that you were born, footsteps fall on a path well-worn. Strings that pull, you'll never see. Chains that bind you, set you free. All on your journey home."

"I thought you'd like it." Steven chuckled at the singing Gem as they passed a sign saying "Now entering Jersey", signifying that their long journey to Empire City was almost at an end. "Hey, wanna head to a rest stop?"

"Do I?!" Spinel took a break from singing to answer Steven's question. "Uh, what's a rest stop?"

"That's a rest stop." Steven pointed to a rest area that he pulled the car into before the two got out. "I'm just gonna go to the bathroom, be back soon."

"Sounds good to me." Spinel agreed as she leaned against the Supremo while Steven walked away to the restroom. Although the pink Gem obediently stayed behind at the car, her curiosity of the world around her got the better of her and Spinel decided to look around the rest stop.

Touring the oasis around her, Spinel could see many humans milling about the establishment. Some came alone, while others had friends, family, or both to spend time with at the included restaurants, arcades, and gift shops. And there was one item at the gift shop that caught her eye.

"Find something you like little girl?" the burly gift shop owner with a massive blonde pompadour asked Spinel while she gazed at his inventory.

"Yeah, what's that supposed to be?" Spinel inquired, pointing at a white bag with red heart designs in front of her.

"That fanny pack?" the salesman replied. "It can be yours for only $14.99."

"Sorry pal, I don't have any of that." Spinel declared. "What else can I use to get it?"

"You got a credit card?" the seller asked, and Spinel shook her head. "Check?" Spinel shook her head again. "Lotto ticket?" Again. "Any possessions you can trade me?"

"Still no." Spinel admitted. "I barely know what you're talking about, I just want that bag."

Just then, Steven finally emerged from the rest stop bathroom and found Spinel conversing with the gift shop owner, so he walked up to the pair to see what's going on. "Anything the matter here?"

"I want this thing, but I don't got any of what this guy's talking about!" Spinel explained while sticking a thumb out to the seller and the fanny pack.

"She some kinda hobo?" the seller asked Steven.

"No, she's just an alien with barely any knowledge about our Earth currency." Steven said while pulling out his wallet. "How much for the fanny pack?"

"$14.99." the seller answered, and Steven replied by handing him fifteen dollars. "Thank you kid, here's your butt sack."

"Hehe, butt sack!" Spinel giggled at the name of her new fanny pack while she put it on around her waist. "So what do you think Steven," she asked Steven while showing off her new accessory by swinging her hips. "do I make this look good or what?"

"Yeah, it really suits you." Steven answered before the two began walking back to the Dondai Supremo. "But why do you want that?"

"I just thought the butt sack looked cool." Spinel answered. "Plus, that's what I'm calling it from now on, my butt sack."

"Aside from looking cool, the butt sack can also be really useful." Steven said while turning on the car and driving away from the rest stop. "It's basically a bag, but you wear it around your waist so you can carry stuff while keeping your hands free."

"Sounds neat!" Spinel exclaimed. "So, how much longer till Empire City?"

"Not too long." Steven answered while checking the map between Beach and Empire City on his phone. "The trip usually takes around three hours, so we can find ways to spend the time until we get there."

"Then what are we waiting for?! Let's have some fun!" Spinel declared before she switched on the radio to a country music channel and began singing along, and Steven soon joined in.

A few hours later, Steven and Spinel finally arrived in Empire City. The metropolis itself was utterly mindblowing to Spinel, as she saw seemingly endless skyscrapers outside the window and all sorts of humans wandering the streets. Some looked a little like Steven, and others were completely different.

"So this is Empire City?" Spinel asked Steven while he parked the car.

"You bet it is." Steven declared before the two got out. "We're currently in one of its boroughs, Brooklyn. Here you'll find Coney Island, the House of Yes, DUMBO, and many more." He said while gazing at his phone to look up things to do during their trip. "Where do you want to go first?"

"I wanna go to that Coney Island place." Spinel answered as she gazed over Steven's shoulder at his phone. "Are there actual cones there?"

"No, it's only one of the most famous amusement parks in the world!" Steven declared. "I think you'd like it there. Besides, it's only a forty-minute drive."

"Aw, another drive?! But we just got here!" Spinel complained before the two got back in the Supremo.

"Oh, don't get so down," Steven assured as he started the car again and set off for Coney Island. "The journey will surely be worth it."

And indeed, the journey was worth it. As soon as the two reached Coney Island and Steven paid for admission into one of the amusement parks, Spinel raced in to try out as many rides & games as she could and won as many prizes as she could fit into her new fanny bag, and Steven indulged in her excitement all the way.

Unfortunately for Spinel, the fun could only last for so long and the pair had to leave to see some of the other sights of Empire City, but she still found it all worth it for all the fun she had at Coney Island.

Steven and Spinel's tour of Empire City soon took them to the Bowery, where Steven decided that they should take a break to eat at Pepe's Burgers, the same restaurant that used one of Greg's songs in their commercials which made him a millionaire.

"Here you go miss, five triple-decker cheeseburgers and two large fries." The cashier announced while handing Spinel five large burgers & two packs of French fries that she happily took away from the counter and back to the table where Steven was sitting.

"Thank you so much for taking me out Steven," Spinel said gratefully while stuffing her mouth full of burgers and tenderly stroking a stuffed rabbit poking out of her fanny pack. "this is the most fun I've ever had in thousands of years!"

"You're very welcome Spinel." Steven smiled happily. "I'm glad you're having fun here, but me? I'm getting kind of tired. We should probably head back to Beach City soon."

"Geez, no need to be a buzzkill." Spinel complained again while eating another cheeseburger. "But then again, we never did something you wanted to do, this has been all about me today. What do you think we should do next?"

"WEDNESDAY, WEDNESDAY, WEDNESDAY!" an announcer on a television behind the duo yelled, taking them by surprise. "Hey you, sitting down! You on a trip with a friend and they ask what you want to do?!"

"Why, yes!" Steven answered. "That's a little convenient."

"Well, I know what you're going to do today!" the television continued before cutting to an aerial shot of a massive basketball stadium, the sight of which made Steven excited. "Come on down to Maramba Stadium, home to the Empire City Vipers where they'll be playing their most important game this season! It's ECV versus the Keystone Coyotes! Be there, be there, be there!"

"The Vipers, that's it!" Steven realized happily and burst from his seat. "Come on Spinel, let's go see the Empire City Vipers!"

"YEAH!" Spinel exclaimed as she jumped out after Steven. "Uh, who are the Vipers?"

"The Empire City Vipers are my favorite basketball team ever!" Steven explained while pulling out his wallet to show off a basketball card depicting a middle-aged man with large sideburns dribbling on the court. "Their star player is one of my heroes, Beckham "Muttonchops" Jordan!"

"Nice hair." Spinel commented on Beckham's trademark sideburns.

"Come on, let's go!" Steven said while taking Spinel's hand, but the game would have to wait.

"Hold on a second kid!" the cashier stopped Steven and Spinel in their tracks. "You still need to pay for your meal."

"Sorry sir, got a little excited." Steven apologized as he took some money and left it at the table before getting back to racing out of the restaurant.

"Ladies, gentlemen, and everything in-between, welcome to the grand playoffs between Empire City and Keystone!" a basketball commentator announced at Maramba Stadium, where dozens of excited fans gathered to watch the epic basketball game, Steven and Spinel included. "We're bound to have a good day today folks, so without further ado, your starting line-up for the Empire City Vipers!"

First off was a young man in a blue and yellow basketball uniform with a smug grin on his face who strolled into the arena with a stride in his step. "BEN "BUGS" AVERY!"

Next up was an excitable dark-skinned fellow who put up peace signs for his adoring fans. "DANIEL "DAFFY" JONES!"

A stout and meek man was up next, giving a polite wave to the spectators. "PERCY "PORKY" FRELENG!"

A much skinner guy was up next, excitedly jogging in place with his tongue out. "RORY "THE RUNNER" MCKIMSON!"

Finally, a much taller, hairier, and more muscular man emerged from the corner to join his teammates on the court, waving to the fans along the way. "AND FINALLY, THE MAN HIMSELF! HIS ROYAL SLAM-JESTY, BECKHAM "MUTTONCHOPS" JORDAN!"

"MUTTONCHOPS! MUTTONCHOPS! MUTTONCHOPS!" the crowds began cheering for Beckham Jordan as the Empire City Vipers took their places on the court, standing face to face with their rivals from Keystone. Although Steven was joining in on the chanting, Spinel was left completely lost.

"I don't get it. What's so appealing about this?" Spinel asked out loud. "What is it about these guys that makes everyone so excited?"

"It's the intensity of the game that gets everyone on the edge of their seats Spinel." Steven replied as the big game began. "Two teams of five players compete to see who can score the most points by dunking the ball into either team's hoop."

"So that's it, just throwing a ball around?" Spinel muttered. "Puh-lease, I did the exact same thing with Pink, and there weren't thousands of humans to watch me!"

"You'll learn to like it Spinel, I'm sure of it." Steven assured his mom's old best friend while the game continued, and Beckham quickly scored a point for the Vipers. "WOO, GO BECKHAM!"

As the game went on, Steven and Spinel's reactions were as different as night and day. While Steven continued cheering on his favorite player, Spinel just watched with a mild interest in the event while stroking the head of the stuffed bunny in her fanny pack. "Hey, I got a question. What's with all the funny names these players have?"

"Those are all nicknames Spinel." Steven explained once again. "For example, The Runner gets his name because he's so fast on the court, Daffy is absolutely unpredictable, and Bugs really likes getting under his opponents' skins."

Down below in the grand game between the Vipers and the Coyotes, Bugs Avery demonstrated just how annoying he could be to his rivals while snatching the ball out of an enemy player's hands. "Gotcha doc!"

"Hey, that's my ball!" the Charm City Coyotes' power forward bellowed.

"No, it ain't!" Bugs sneered.

"Yes, it is!" the other player yelled.

"No, it ain't!"

"Yes, it is!"

"No, it ain't!"

"Yes, it is!" Bugs declared.

"No, it ain't!" the enemy player said before he suddenly realized that Bugs had played him for a fool. "Wait, what?!"

"And Bugs employs his classic reverse psychology!" the commentator declared as Bugs made a bank shot, scoring a point for the Vipers. "How despicable!"

"That's Bugs's signature move!" Steven exclaimed. "He doesn't even need to use his hands for that one, just a little way with words!"

Just then, a horn sounded as the score was displayed as 25 for the Vipers and 15 for the Coyotes, and below it was a sign declaring "HALFTIME!"

"I say, I say, time out!" the referee exclaimed while forming his hands into a T.

"Looks like we got halftime, folks!" the announcer boomed while the players stopped what they were doing and returned to their respective locker rooms. "Let's allow our stars to relax for a bit while taking a moment for the ECV cheer squad to take the stage!"

As soon as both basketball teams left the court, a group of young women in midriff-baring tops bearing the colors of the Vipers & blue skirts holding matching-colored pom-poms marched out onto the court and got ready to perform.

"Ready?" the head cheerleader, an olive-skinned Asian woman with spiky red hair in a high ponytail asked her squadmates.

"OKAY!" the other cheerleaders yelled as they began to dance. "Come on Vipers, you can't miss! Show them how you really hiss! Just like a rattlesnake, you know how to make them shake!"

"What are those humans doing?" Spinel gasped in amazement at the cheerleaders as they started stacking themselves into a pyramid.

"That's just the Empire City Vipers' cheerleading team," Steven said. "They're really good at pumping up the crowd."

"Please, I can do better!" Spinel boasted before she took off her fanny pack. "Hold my butt sack." Spinel then started glowing and changed her attire to be an exact copy of the cheerleaders' uniform, though with her heart-shaped gem in place of the ECW on the top, while tying her hair into a heart-shaped ponytail. "How do I look?"

"Uh…." Steven muttered confusedly while Spinel struck a few poses in her makeshift cheerleading costume before she bounced away. "Spinel, wait!" Steven called out to the elastic Gem as Spinel took over the cheer squad's pyramid while turning her hands into pom-poms.

"WOO, GO VIPERS!" Spinel yelled as she stood on top of the head cheerleader at the tip of the pyramid, making everyone go deathly silent. "Hey, come on guys! You all love the Vipers, don'tcha?"

"Who's this chick?" one of the cheerleaders at the bottom of the pyramid whispered to another.

"I think she jumped out of the audience." The other cheerleader replied.

"Okay girls, let me down." The head cheerleader commanded her squadmates to carefully carry her down the pyramid and back onto the floor. "Megaphone." She then asked for a bullhorn to speak into. "Will whoever's watching over this stretchy pink girl please come down to pick her up?"

"Spinel!" Steven facepalmed at Spinel's disruption and got up from his seat. "Excuse me, you guys." He apologized to the spectators he sat between before hopping up in the air and hovering over to the court.

"WITCHCRAFT!" one audience member yelled, inciting mutters of shock and amazement at Steven's abilities as he landed next to Spinel, and some even took out their phones to record.

"Spinel, did you really have to do that?" Steven groaned exasperatedly at the pink Gem, who was looking very apologetic. "You just made a big scene all because you just wanted to show off!"

"I'm sowwy Steven!" Spinel apologized while sounding like a little kid. "I thought we were gonna have fun here!"

"I'm sorry too Spinel," Steven replied. "But-"

"Something the matter here?" the voice of a black man wearing a T-shirt bearing the colors of the Vipers asked as he stepped out into the court with Beckham Jordan.

"Hey Monroe, this girl here just hijacked our routine." The Vipers' head cheerleader said, gesturing to Spinel.

"And I see she's got a friend, Makoto." Beckham Jordan replied as he turned his attention to Steven & Spinel, the former left to gasp and gape in utter shock at his favorite basketball player looking right at him. "Something the matter, sport?"

"Sorry, he's a real big fan." Spinel laughed before slapping Steven in the face, bringing him back to reality.

"Thanks Spinel." Steven said gratefully before his jaw dropped again at the sight of Beckham. "Beckham Jordan is talking to me?!"

"Yes, Beckham Jordan is indeed talking to you." The star player of the Vipers beamed. "This is our coach, Matt Monroe." He then introduced the black man. "And I suppose you're familiar with my good friend here, head Vipers cheerleader Makoto Fuji."

"Nice to meetcha, I'm Spinel!" Spinel introduced herself by shaking Beckham's hand and giving him a big kiss that covered most of his head. "And this is my buddy, Steven! Say hi Steven!"

"Uh, uh, hi." Steven sheepishly greeted his Royal Slam-Jesty.

"Looks like lil' flyboy here's a bit starstruck." The commentator pointed out. "Anyone got anything to say or are we just gonna keep up the silent treatment?"

"Come on boy, say something ya big shnook!" the referee called out to Steven, giving him the courage to properly speak to his basketball idol.

"My name's Steven Universe." Steven introduced himself to Beckham. "I'm a super huge fan of you Mr. Jordan, loved you ever since I watched you with my dad on TV back in 2006, I think."

"Ah yes, the good ol' Jayhawk Pussycats." Beckham declared nostalgically. "Nice place, Jayhawk was. If you're ever in the area, come on down to a little place called Los Pollos Hermanos and tell 'em Beckham sent ya."

"So, are we in trouble?" Spinel nervously asked.

"Naw, it's okay girlie." Matt chuckled deeply. "This ain't the first time it happened this season."

"I still recall when we had to call security on that girl." Makoto added. "Though we did give her a free uniform as compensation."

"Hey, I got an idea." Beckham stated. "Steven, why don't you and Spinel come on over to my place after the game so we can shoot some hoops together?"

"Me, play against you?!" Steven gasped excitedly. "It would be an honor, Mr. Jordan!"

"Pleasure's all mine, little guy." Beckham replied gratefully. "And please, just call me Beck."

"Well, that was certainly the weirdest halftime we've gotten this season!" the announcer boomed over the speakers as Steven and Spinel returned to their seats and Beckham to the locker room. "Not only did we get another cheerleader hijacking, but a flying Beckham fanboy too, and a lucky one at that!"

"You still mad about what just happened?" Spinel asked remorsefully.

"It's alright Spinel." Steven laughed. "Besides, thanks to you, I'm gonna play with Beckham Jordan and see his penthouse!" he added before giving Spinel a big hug. "Thanks so much!"

"No prob Bob." Spinel replied just as happily while wrapping Steven in her extendable arms while the game started back up.

Eventually, the big basketball game ended with the Empire City Vipers winning against the Charm City 55-49, to the delight of their fans. As soon as Beckham Jordan, Matt Monroe, and Makoto Fuji left the stadium with Steven & Spinel in tow, a limousine was there to drive the five away from Maramba Stadium to their destination at Beckham's penthouse.

"Well, here we are you two." Beckham, now having switched his uniform for a T-shirt & jeans, announced as they got off the elevator at an opulent apartment building and he turned on the lights, revealing a grand living room before them all. "Welcome to my pad and our favorite hangout spot."

"Like what you see?" Makoto, now clad in a burgundy sports bra underneath a tank top with a picture of a dancing frog holding a top hat & cane and some spandex shorts, asked the pair.

"Like it? I love it!" Steven exclaimed while looking around at the big screen TV, massive couch, refined kitchen, an entrance to what he assumed to be Beck's training court, and many, many posters depicting his accomplishments, including one featuring Dogcopter that caught his eye. "Wait, is that the Vipers vs Dogcopter movie?!"

"Yeah, good ol' basically a commercial for my line of sneakers." Beck answered. "I was young and needed the money, but I still had a fun time nonetheless." He then motioned towards a picture of himself shaking hands with a man in a suit who was pointing at Beck with a cheerful smile. "And this is me with Secretary of Health Benjamin Rouleau. Real talkative fellow, he was."

"Protein shake?" Makoto offered while getting some milk from the fridge.

"I'll take one!" Spinel accepted. "Gems don't need to eat, but I'd sure like to."

"Don't need to eat?" Makoto gasped after pouring the milk in a blender and turning to get some more ingredients for the shake like fruit, yogurt, and peanut butter. "Wow, sometimes I wish I didn't need to eat either so I wouldn't hog all the snacks!"

"So, a Gem, eh?" Matt asked while fishing a diamond ring from his pocket. "You mean like this?"

However, the sight of the ring made Spinel very confused and start questioning everything. "Uh, where did you get that?"

"I think it's best we don't ask any questions Spinel." Steven declared just as nervously as he sat Spinel down on the couch. "But to answer your question, Gems are not entirely like your jewelry. They're immortal light-based beings that come in pretty much every color you can think of. Their powers depend on what kind of Gem they are. Like for example, Spinel can stretch her body and bounce around since she was made to be a playmate for my mom."

"And I'm going to assume your mom was a Gem too?" Matt asked while sitting down next to their two new friends as Makoto served the shakes.

"Yeah, she was one of the rulers of all Gems, the Diamonds." Steven continued explaining to the trio. "However, she got tired of her life, combined with being mistreated by her fellow Diamonds, so she disguised as another Gem, faked her death, and started a war."

"And left me behind in the process." Spinel added sadly, eliciting feelings of sympathy and curiosity. "I was made to be Pink's best friend, but she started getting sick of me after she got her own colony, which was Earth by the way, until one day she left me in this garden we played in for the next six thousand years while she went off fighting wars to protect Earth. Then when Steven made his little message to the universe, it happened to reach me and really set me off, causing me to come down with a massive Injector to try and poison Earth."

"Parent issues, huh?" Beckham said while placing a hand on Spinel's shoulder. "Kinda reminds me of my relationship with my dad. Well, minus the whole wanting to destroy Earth because you were made about being left stranded for thousands of years thing. He was really harsh on me, sometimes even a little too harsh. I turned to basketball to vent my frustrations, and with help from friends I made over the years," Beck then pointed to Makoto & Matt, who grinned happily. "I was able to turn that anger around and make myself a legend. Just goes to show no matter how garbage your life is, you can get back up no matter what."

"Wow, neat story." Steven said while sipping his protein shake.

"Indeed," Matt replied before hugging Beck from the side. "Beck and I have been thick as thieves ever since he was starting out."

"And I first met him when I wasn't even team captain of the Vipers cheer squad." Makoto added. "I was super awkward and unsure I even had a future in cheerleading, but Jordan was there to pick me up and help me become a superstar."

"But enough about us, let's get to why you wanted to be here." Beck emerged from the warm embrace of his two friends to point at Steven. "You still ready to shoot some hoops?"

"You bet I do!" Steven answered, dramatically slamming his almost empty drink on the table in front of them before turning to Spinel. "And you and Makoto can cheer from the sidelines Spinel, without interrupting anything."

"Sounds good to me!" Spinel cheered as she assumed her cheerleader outfit once again and bounced on over to Beck's personal court.

"This is going to be so much fun." Makoto said while doing some stretches to limber herself up as Steven and Beck took their places on Beck's training court.

"Let's see if you can bend as much as I can, sweetie." Spinel taunted good-naturedly.

"I got some frequently washed yoga pants that'll prove you wrong." Makoto replied.

"Okay ladies, focus on the real competition here." Matt chuckled while getting between Steven and Beck. "Y'all ready for this, boys?"

"I'm so ready!" Steven answered.

"Just give it your all, Steven." Beck told his young fan.

"Now let's slam!" Matt declared before blowing his whistle, cuing the game to start. Steven gunned for the ball first and dribbled it to the basket on the left side of the court, scoring him a point.

"WOO, GO STEVEN!" Spinel cheered while waving her pom-pom hands around.

"Come on Jordan, you can beat him!" Makoto yelled, raising her pom-poms in the air, causing the two to glare at each other.

"Please, I can cheer better!" Spinel bragged to Makoto.

"Wanna bet?" the cheerleader challenged the Gem and pulled her phone from her gym bag to play some music.

"Go go Steven, you're the man! If you can't do it, who else can?!" Spinel began singing while Steven scored another point. "Beckham is still pretty neat, but my pal Steven can't be beat!"

"Come on Beckham, you can do it! You're so good, there's nothing to it!" Makoto began swaying her toned body to the beat as Beckham scored for the first time. "Steven may be your biggest fan, but to me, you are the man!"

"What makes you think he can win this? You are sadly mistaken, miss!" the two began harmonizing. "We could cheer till the end of the night, hope you're ready for a fight song fight!"

"Nice music girls!" Steven called out to the cheerleaders, allowing Beckham to catch him off guard and steal the ball away to score a point.

"Too slow Steven!" Beckham laughed.

"Two to two, gang!" Matt called out. "We're at a tie here, but let's see who can turn this around!"

"Jordan's been doing this for years, and I've been there to give him cheers!" Makoto continued singing as Beckham scored his third point. "Your friend is pretty good little bud, but he ain't got the sweat, tears, and blood!"

"Well cutie-pie, you're dead wrong! Allow me to end this song," Spinel replied while Steven scored his third point as well. "by telling how much Steven can fight! He can take a hit and get up right!"

"What makes you think he can win this? You are sadly mistaken, miss!" Spinel and Makoto declared. "We could cheer until the end of the night, who's the winner of this fight song fight?!"

"AAAAAND the game goes to Beckham!" Matt yelled as his buddy won the fourth point, winning the game. "Good try Steven, but you can't beat the pros!"

"Good game Steven." Beck complimented his young opponent by shaking his hand.

"Yeah, good game." Steven replied, returning the handshake before looking at his watch. "Oh my, Yellow Diamond could be coming back soon! We gotta go!"

"Already?" Makoto said in mock disappointment. "But we were having so much fun!"

"I agree, but I still have a family of my own to come back to." Spinel said. "Hopefully we can do this again someday!"

"Yeah, maybe I could properly introduce you to the rest of the cheer team." Makoto replied.

"By the way, let me get something to remember us by." Beckham said before walking away and coming back with a dirty white & red jersey. "This is my uniform from back when I played for the Jayhawk Pussycats. Be sure to take good care of it, Spinel."

"I will." Spinel smiled before packing the jersey into her fanny pack. "Well, see y'all real soon!"

"Wait, let's take a selfie first!" Makoto offered, pulling out her phone and bringing Steven, Spinel, Beck, and Monroe in for a picture while making some duck-lips. "My thousands of followers are gonna love this!" With that, the selfie was taken.

When Steven and Spinel finally left the apartment building that Beck's penthouse suite stood on top of, night was beginning to fall, yet the city still shined brightly like thousands of lanterns all around them.

"This is so beautiful." Spinel muttered in amazement at the pretty lights around them.

"I know." Steven said, just as astonished. "Now, the Dondai shouldn't be too far. I think it's back at Maramba Stadium, which hopefully shouldn't be too far from-"

"Wait wait wait, you hear that?" Spinel asked, turning her finger into a horn that she put up to her ear as she faintly heard someone crying. "Come on, have a listen!" She then put the horn to Steven's ear, making him hear the crying too.

"I think someone needs help." Steven realized before the two began walking closer to the source of the crying, which turned out to be a little blonde girl playing with a cube while she kept on sniffling.

"Where are you?" the little girl quietly sobbed, not even noticing Steven and Spinel before her.

"I think I can handle this one Steven." Spinel declared before she walked up to the girl and got super close to her face. "Hey kid, can you stop crying and look at me?!" However, the girl yelped in fright and suddenly went quiet. "Oy, eyes up here sport!" Spinel continued with a snap of her fingers, but the girl refused to speak. "Not that much of a talker, are ya?"

"I think it's because you're being a little too direct. Let me try." Steven suggested before he sat down next to the child. "Hello, sorry about my friend. I'm Steven, what's your name?"

"Chloe." The girl said quietly. "Are you here to help me?"

"Of course we are." Steven smiled. "Can you tell me where your mother is?"

"I don't know." Chloe answered. "I only turned around and she was gone, and I have no idea where she is."

"It's alright, just stay calm and let us help you." Steven said before pulling out his phone. "Here, I'll call the police to help us out."

"You rang?" a police officer asked while appearing from seemingly out of nowhere, taking the three by surprise. "Apologies for the scare, I just heard someone say police officer and rushed right on over. What seems to be the matter?"

"This kid lost her mom." Spinel answered the officer. "Can you help us find her?"

"Oh sure," the Officer replied. "Just come with me to the station and we'll get to work!"

"Yay!" Chloe cheered, flapping her hands.

"I didn't know humans could do that!" Spinel said before beginning to flap her hands as well. "Am I doing it right?"

"Doesn't matter." Chloe beamed. "Some people always thought my hand flapping was strange, but my mommy always helped me learn how to be myself."

"Sounds like you got a pretty good mom Chloe." Spinel said before she hoisted Chloe over her shoulders and took her for a piggyback ride. "I know what it's like to be left behind, and I won't let it happen to anyone else."

"Thank you so much!" Chloe said and gave Spinel's head a big hug as the two of them, along with Steven and the Officer, began walking to the police station. "By the way, what's your name?"

"Call me Spinel." Spinel answered.

Later at the Empire City police station, Steven was having a talk with the Officer in another room while Spinel played with Chloe's cube outside, and Chloe was drawing something.

"So what's with this thing anyways?" Spinel asked Chloe. "Why did I see you playing with it?"

"That's my fidget cube." Chloe replied. "My mom got a few of them to help me focus because I sometimes have a hard time paying attention to things."

"Where can I get one of these?" Spinel asked again more eagerly.

"Maybe when Mom comes, I can ask her to give you one." Chloe suggested before Steven and the Officer emerged from the other room. "Anything Mr. Steven?"

"I was mostly just telling the Officer here about myself, since he did meet my friends in Los Diego." Steven answered.

"Now, all we need to do is get your mom's phone number and she'll be right on over." The Officer said as he picked up a phone. "Could you tell us to the best of your ability?"

"Of course!" Chloe said eagerly. "It's 1 (723) 201-1995."

"Nine-nine-five." The Officer repeated to himself and put the phone up to his ear. "Hello? Yes, this is the Empire City Police Department. Are you the mother of a little girl named Chloe?" he asked someone on the other end. "Good, cause a couple of tourists found her all alone and helped me bring her to the station. Can you come pick her up?"

"There, your mom should be comin' for ya tout sweet!" Spinel declared before Chloe gave her a big hug. "Aw, you're so nice."

"How are you able to memorize her number?" Steven asked Chloe.

"I just have a knack for those kinds of things." Chloe responded before a blonde woman, presumably her mother, came barging into the station. "Mommy!"

"Chloe!" Chloe's mother cried as her daughter came racing up to hug her. "Oh, I'm so sorry for leaving you behind like that! I didn't even notice I left you until the police called me!"

"You can thank us for that ma'am." Spinel stated, introducing herself and Steven.

"You truly are a lifesaver." The mother thanked the Gem. "My name's Yvonne, and thanks again for helping my daughter."

"Oh, that reminds me, Mom." Chloe said. "Would it be okay if Spinel got one of my fidget cubes as thanks?"

"I don't see why not." Yvonne agreed before fishing through her purse and finding a pink cube. "Here, I think it suits you."

"Aw shucks miss, you're making me blush!" Spinel thanked the mother sheepishly when she got an idea of her own. "Here, you can have this Chloe." She said, pulling the stuffed rabbit from her fanny pack and giving it to her new friend. "The least I can do."

"Thanks Spinel." Chloe said, swapping her drawing for the bunny before she and her mother began to leave the station. "Goodbye!"

"You're very welcome!" Steven called after the mother and daughter while Spinel gazed tenderly at the drawing of her and Chloe in her hands. "So Spinel, ready to go?"

"Of course." Spinel sniffed loudly and put the drawing and the cube in her pack.

"Well, it was nice meeting you Steven, tell those Gems I said hi." The Officer told Steven. "And by the way, don't start cracking up too much, if you get what I'm saying."

"I'm sorry, what?" Steven asked, but instead of a proper answer, the Officer disappeared like he was never there. "Who was that guy?" he muttered as he and Spinel left to go find the Dondai Supremo.

Soon, the Dondai Supremo finally returned to Beach City, and Yellow Diamond once again parked her ship in front of the beach house as she waited for Steven and Spinel.

"Now what could be keeping those two?" Yellow asked somewhat impatiently while gazing at the night sky when suddenly, she spotted a little car driving towards her. "Oh, there they are."

"Hi Yellow!" Spinel exclaimed, bursting from the car and racing towards the Diamond. "You'll never guess the fun day I had with Steven today! I got a ton of cool stuff from some people we met along the way and learned about human sports!"

"Oh that's delightful, I'm glad you had a good time today." Yellow grinned before becoming more serious. "Now come along, we still have work to do regarding a certain Rutile."

"Okay!" Spinel answered and then turned to Steven. "Thanks for everything today Steven."

"Pleasure's all mine Spinel. Maybe we can do this again someday." Steven said gratefully before Spinel gave him another big hug and then raced back to Yellow's side. "Don't be a stranger you guys!"

"We won't." Yellow shouted back before she and Spinel entered her arm ship and it finally took off into the night sky.

"So, what did you and Steven do today Spinel?" Yellow asked Spinel as the ship cruised back to Homeworld.

Spinel took one look at everything in her butt sack, from the Coney Island prizes to Beckham Jordan's Pussycats jersey, the fidget cube, and Chloe's drawing, before giving her answer with a smile.

"Everything."

And that's enough of Spinel, Pink Diamond's playmate turned near-destroyer of Earth turned companion of the Diamonds, country music fangirl, wannabe cheerleader and friend to the neurodivergent! Well, for now at least, she will be making a comeback in Part 4. And speaking of Part 4, that Secretary of Health that met Beckham will be making an appearance there as well and played by Ryan Reynolds. Yes, THAT Ryan Reynolds, so technically Deadpool and Wolverine met without even needing to speak to each other onscreen. But anyways, we've all had our fun with Spinel, but next chapter is when we start getting into what I call the Tearjerking Three, consisting of Pumpkin Patch, Mr. Universe and Fragments. Your bodies better be ready, because I'm bringing the feels!

#steven universe #steven universe future #fanfiction #steven universe alternate future #steven quartz universe #spinel #yellow diamond

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sophi-s · 4 years

Text

Day 29 #Grief

Whoops. I actually ended up writing a short piece for this one as well and uh... I think I accidentally created a new ship... :O

To Mourn Together

By: sophi-s (me)

Franchise: Darksiders video games

Words: 1 961

Warnings: None

Characters: Uriel, Nathaniel, Abaddon (mentioned)

_________________________________________

With utmost certainty, one could say it was one of the brightest nights in the White City. Of course, with the buildings in the color of gilded snow, every night seemed bright. But that one particular night the full moon spilled its cold, silver light all over the angelic city, bathing it in a pale glow that reflected in the smooth surfaces and illuminated the warm darkness as the gentle gusts of wind blew through the quiet and empty plaza.

Aside from the sentries patrolling the streets, all of the Heaven's denizens were long asleep in their homes. All of them.

Except for one.

A figure of a lonely angel threads lightly through the city, grand white wings folded neatly at his sides, just like his hands behind his back. His golden battle armor is discarded in favor of a simple set of clothes. There's nothing threatening him after all. Lost in thought, he doesn't acknowledge guards greeting him as he passes by. He walks seemingly without purpose, reconsidering the not so recent events.

Your friend serves the Shadow.

The Archon? Corrupted?!

Impossible!

Leave me, Horseman. I must think of what to do now…

He shook his head with an exasperated sigh. One hundred years. It's been over one hundred years since all of this happened. And yet, all this felt far too fresh in his head. As though it happened merely yesterday. Sweeping his gaze over his surroundings, he realised he'd left for the outskirts of the White City, where the grand Tree of Life stands tall and magnificent as it has since the day Heaven was created. But to his surprise, he wasn't alone here after all. At the foot of the Tree, his keen white eyes spotted another angel. A woman. The same silver hair, any other angel possesses, fluttering on the wind, wings of golden, radiant feathers slumped sadly against her back as she stood there, gazing out at the locked gate to the Well of Souls. Strange. He assumed he would be alone.

Since he wasn't trying to sneak up on her, she heard him approach quite early and whipped around to face him, her own robes billowing, but the moment she laid her golden eyes on him she simply sighed.

"Oh. It's just you, Nathaniel.."

"So it is."

Nathaniel murmured, silently wondering who she'd been actually expecting, and stood for a few long moments, looking at her. A black ribbon with a darkened feather tied around her right wrist caught his attention and something twisted painfully in his chest. Even blackened and bathed in Hellish corruption, the ribbon was unmistakable and the feather spoke for itself..

"What are you doing here, Uriel?"

He found himself asking nonetheless. It's been a long while since they last talked. After all, Nathaniel had been sent away from the Hellguard shortly after Uriel joined their ranks. And it was so long ago.. Humming quietly, Uriel turned away to look up at the Tree's tangled canopy of small fluttering leaves.

"A year…"

She sighed when Nathaniel came closer and stood beside her, watching her stare into the black sky where the moon gazed down on them like a gigantic, round eye.

"It's been a year since Abaddon died.. exactly a year, day to day."

Nathaniel nodded in agreement, looking at Uriel's fingers absent mindedly stroking the end of the ribbon tied around her forearm. Even though he'd been away from the White City for quite some time, rumours about the commander of the Hellguard reached Nathaniel even in Lostlight. If they were true, then no wonder Uriel takes Abaddon's demise so personally. He could only imagine what was going on in her head throughout this year. He wasn't going to stop her from spitting out what she'd been choking up inside of her.

"And yet.. I still sometimes wonder. If I should've done something. Stopped War… I don't know."

"He'd been the Destroyer, Uriel. As much as I disagree with it, you couldn't do anything else for him."

Furrowing her eyebrows, Uriel huffed and lowered her head.

"I know. But… I still have this in my head. The sight of him reaching out to me for help. What if…"

She hesitated, something that was very unlike her. Nathaniel raised his eyebrows curiously, waiting for her to speak up. He had his suspicions from the moment Death brought the news of Abaddon's fate and he couldn't help but wonder if Uriel thought the same way.

"I refuse to believe he'd planned it from the beginning. What if all of it wasn't his choice? He can't have been in his right mind! What if before War killed him, in his last moments Abaddon, the real Abaddon, came back? What if… there was still something worth saving in him?"

Nathaniel's suspicions turned out to be true. She thought just like he had. Now it was his turn to look up at the sky. Indeed, there was something so enchanting about this particular night..

"I wondered myself, Uriel. Many times in fact…"

The younger angel crossed her arms and glared down at her boots as though they'd done something wrong. The branches of the Tree creaked mournfully as the wind tugged on them and ruffled feathers of both angels standing below. Its gusts were getting stronger and its voice whistling against nearby structures brought to mind a sorrowful cry of a lost soul.

"Abaddon taught me everything I know. I had known him my whole life. It feels so… empty without him."

I can't believe he's gone. That's what she truly meant to say and Nathaniel knew it but said nothing of it. He knew that feeling quite well. Better than most. Abaddon had been his friend after all…

"Sometimes I feel like he's still here. Watching over me like he always has.."

Uriel chuckled humorlessly, as though she meant to laugh off the ridiculousness of her claim but Nathaniel didn't feel like laughing. He laid his hand on Uriel's shoulder, nearly making her jump in the process.

"Who says he isn't?"

He could clearly see her jaw visibly clench tightly at his assumption. Not that he could blame her. Nathaniel knew all too well what Uriel was going through. He didn't want anyone to feel like he does and he wished to offer her comfort, compassion. But it's not easy to do so while he grieves as well.

"Do you think I could've changed it?"

Uriel suddenly asked, making Nathaniel's eyebrow wander up.

"During the initial Endwar.. Do you think if I was a little faster back then…"

"Uriel."

The deep tone of his voice had just the result he was counting on as she cut off to finally look him in the eye. Nathaniel placed his other hand on her other shoulder and said sternly

"Even if so, it doesn't change anything. We can't turn back time. Thinking this way won't make you feel better."

"And how could you possibly know?"

It was just the matter of time before Uriel snapped and brushed Nathaniel's hands from her shoulders. There was fire in her eyes, burning like the hottest blaze of Hell.

"You don't know how I feel."

Frowning gently, Nathaniel heaved out a long suffering sigh.

"Quite the opposite in fact.. I know exactly how you feel…"

This seemed to have given Uriel a pause.

"I've known Abaddon even longer than you have. He was my close friend, one of the very few I had. When the news of his fall reached me I kept wondering if it would've been different if I was there. This one, wretched thought stayed with me for a whole century, like a festering wound that refuses to heal. If you seek understanding, I assure you, you will find it in me."

Would it have been different if I knew of the darkness that threatened Lucien? Sometimes he still has those doubts... In shock, Uriel opened her mouth a couple of times only to shut it again as she couldn't find suitable words. Until..

"I'm… sorry. I had no idea…"

With an unhappy smile, Nathaniel shook his head. He wasn't going to take offense. Grief does strange things to people. Uriel snapping at him wasn't the worst thing that could've happened.

"Past cannot be changed. Blaming yourself will not bring you peace of mind. We must march into the future."

Snickering quietly, Uriel looked away.

"You speak words of wisdom.. But I cannot decide if they help me either."

Humming thoughtfully, Nathaniel measured Uriel. Her heart was bleeding profusely, even though she kept it hidden away. He knew how to recognise inner turmoil. From his own experience.. Fortunately, he knew just the way. And honestly, after all this.. Abaddon's treason, Lucien's collapse into the hateful darkness.. he probably needed it as much as she did. Carefully, but insistently, Nathaniel reached out to Uriel and gently pulled her into his arms.

"Nathaniel? What.. are you doing?"

Uriel didn't stop him, probably because of confusion and surprise. Not getting pushed away was a small victory in itself. He was more than happy to explain it to her. Going back to memories of that peculiar human who accompanied Death everywhere always warmed his heart.

"A good friend of mine had told me once that embraces can bring comfort. Especially in sorrow. Does it help you ?"

For a long moment Uriel didn't answer. She was thinking. Up this close Nathaniel could feel her heart rapidly hammering against her ribcage. But then she finally returned the embrace and placed her head on his chest with a heavy sigh.

"It does. Even if a little.."

A tiny note of wonderment in her voice was barely perceptible but definitely there. For a few minutes both angels stood like that in silence before Uriel spoke again.

"Do you think he's at peace? Abaddon, I mean…"

Staring at the shorter angel in his arms, Nathaniel harrumphed. The Charred Council was surely bent on condemning Abaddon, sentencing him to damnation even after his death. He only hoped that the Horsemen made short work of them before they were able to fulfill their dire promises and cast the already tormented soul into Oblivion. Nothing was sure. The only way to confirm either was to travel to the Kingdom of the Dead. Nathaniel couldn't say for certain that Abaddon has his rest or if his spirit in this very moment wastes away in nothingness. The mere thought made his stomach churn. But he didn't speak his fears out loud. He didn't dare.

"I do sincerely hope so…"

An answer as good as any, he supposed. It wasn't a "yes" but neither it was a "no". Perhaps it would be just enough..

"Thank you, Nathaniel.. I'm glad you came here…"

Somehow, an odd, heavy presence lingering about was abruptly lifted from the air when Uriel whispered into the edge of his coat but stayed motionless where she was, unwilling and not ready to pull away just yet. Mourning is always easier with a companion. For just a second Nathaniel could've sworn he saw something… someone… move out of the corner of his eye but just as suddenly as they appeared, they were gone. It was most likely nothing. Just a fleeting trick of his imagination. Nathaniel rested his chin on top of Uriel's head and closed his eyes, listening to the wind blowing gently overhead and to her heart beating right next to his own. Two different rhythms that seemed the same. He didn't wish to leave just yet either. Luckily, he didn't have to. There was no need for hurry. It was still the middle of the night. No one will see them here, vulnerable and weak, slowly mending their broken hearts from the pieces.

They still had time…

_________________________________________

Bear with me, I just wanted those sad dorks to lift each other's spirits up. It's not my fault that I'm so trash 😂

At least I drew Nathaniel properly, as I promised :P

Darksiders Inktober drawing prompts by @imagine-darksiders

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wisdomrays · 3 years

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TAFAKKUR: Part 424

THE SUN

SURELY EVERY PERSON AT SOME TIME LOOKS UP AT THE SUN AND MOON AND THE BRILLIANT STARS AND ASKS, WHO POSITIONED ALL THESE SO PERFECTLY ON THE FACE OF THE SKY’?

People have always marvelled at the stars and planets. But they have not always realized that there is a harmony in their positions and movements, a law and order, as indeed in the whole universe. For example, seen from the perspective of the ancient Greek astronomers, celestial bodies in the universe are aimless objects. That seems to be the implication of the term ‘planet’ which means ‘wandering’. The Greeks may have thought the ‘wandering stars’ or ‘planets’ moved in unstable orbits, more or less randomly.

The ancient astronomers’ judgement was not founded upon the Oneness of the Creator Who orders everything in the universe. Inevitably they did not have a clear grasp of the orderliness of the macro-cosmos and did not seek it.

The Qur’an revealed many centuries ago that it is Allah who created the heavenly bodies and put them into their peculiar orbits. There is nothing in the Islamic teachings that argues the view that phenomena or events are random.

Do they not look at the sky above them, how We have built it and adorned , and there are no flaws in it. (50.6)

We have built above you seven strong (heavens) and placed therein a blazing lamp. (78.12)

The ‘blazing lamp’ referred to is the sun.

People have always been fascinated by the thousands of gleaming lights sprinkled across the night sky. Today many enjoy looking into the heavens and learning about the patterns and positions of the stars, and discovering what stars can tell us about our universe as a whole. From our planet, if very high buildings and city lights permit, we can see about 6,000 stars with the naked eye. They change in colour, size, and brilliance.

We are near enough to one particular star, the sun, to find out many details about what these celestial bodies are made of and how they function. A star is composed of gases and other substances compressed together under the force of gravity. The pressure at the core of a forming star is sufficiently intense to initiate nuclear reactions that begin generating energy. During this process, matter is converted into energy, releasing large quantities of heat and light.

The sun may not catch up the moon, nor may the night outstrip the day. Each one is moving smoothly in its own orbit ( 36.40). Here an essential fact is clearly stated, namely the existence of the solar and lunar orbits. At the time of the Revelation, it was generally believed that the sun orbited a motionless earth. This, the geocentric system, had held sway from the early second century (the time of Ptolemy). It continued to do so until the sixteenth century. Fourteen centuries ago, the Qur’an directed the inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula and, through them, all of mankind, towards the truth. The demonstration of the existence and details of the solar and lunar orbits is one of the recent achievements of modern astronomy.

Those who do not believe in One Creator maintain that everything comes about by chance. They do not realize that every creature in motion, from minute particles to the planets, displays on itself the stamp of the Eternal and of His Unity. Also, by reason of its movement, each of them, in some sense, takes possession of all the places in which it travels in the name of Unity, thus including them in the property of its Owner. As for those creatures not in motion, each of them, from plants to the fixed stars, is like a seal of Unity that shows the place in which it is situated to be the letter of its Maker. That is to say, each flower and fruit is a stamp and seal of unity that demonstrates, in the name of Unity, that its habitat and native place is the letter of its Maker. What all that inter-connectednes means is that one who does not have all the stars within his command does not have command over a single small particle either.

There are two other verses in the Qur’an about the sun and the moon and their usefulness to human beings, not only as light, but also as points of reference for space and time:

Allah subjected the night and the day for you, the sun and the moon. The stars are in subjection to His Command. Verily in this are signs for people who are wise. (16.12)

Allah is the One Who made the sun a lamp and the moon a light and ordained for it mansions, so that you might know the number of years and the reckoning (of the time).

Allah created this in truth. He explains the signs in detail for people who know (10.5)

The solar system comprises the sun and the nine planets that orbit it. The closest to the sun is the planet Mercury, at an average distance of 58 million km; the farthest, Pluto, is 5,900 million km from the sun. The closer a planet is to the sun, the shorter the time taken to complete its orbit. Thus, Mercury takes only 88 earth days to go round it, while Pluto orbits the sun only once in 248 earth years. Absolute time and distance are nowadays both measured in terms of light speed–a metre, for example, can be defined as the distance the light travels in a certain ‘space’ of time, in fact, 0.000000003335640952 seconds.

It is hard to think of the sun as a passing event. Nevertheless, its ‘term’ is fixed–the Qur’an is explicit on this point: And the sun runs its course for a period fixed for it (36.38). So, how long has the sun left to run? Astronomers nowadays calculate about 4.5 billion more years in its present state. It will still have nearly the same surface temperature (6.000 Â°C) and yellowish colour that it has now but it will appear about twice as bright because it will be about 60 percent bigger. Its next 4.5 billion years will have begun to take their toll on the sun’s nuclear fuel supply. What then? We don’t really know. Any calculations we make can only be made on the basis of theory.

The sun is full of gases composed of two thousand trillion tons (2x103 kg) of matter,

with the remains of other elements. For every million atoms of hydrogen there are about 85,000 helium atoms and only about 1,000 of any other kind. Pressure from all that mass compressing into the centre of the sun is high enough for the hydrogen atoms to fuse in the core to form helium. This simultaneously creates new energy which keeps the sun from collapsing further and provides the energy that allows it to (or makes it) shine. A series of nuclear fusion reactions, whose end result is the conversion of hydrogen to helium, happen on a vast scale and release very great amounts of energy in the form of heat, light, X-rays and so on. A part of this reaction must be the release of so-called neutrinos. Neutrinos are particles that interact so little with other matter that they can probably float through entire galaxies without being affected. They exist but have no mass nor any other physical property, which is like saying that they simultaneously exist and do not exist: we know they must be around by the way the movement of other (‘real’) particles is affected. If the theory about the way that the sun shines is correct, the sun should be producing about 180x1036 neutrinos each second. Obviously, only a small portion of these neutrinos will come in the earth’s direction.

The sun generates magnetic fields deep in its interior. Through mechanisms not yet fully understood, some of these fields erupt periodically through the sun’s surface, the photosphere. The high temperature and structure of the corona are produced by energy pumped from the photosphere up into the outer layer of the sun’s atmosphere along these magnetic fields.

The sun has been fusing hydrogen into helium throughout its present lifetime of 4.5 billion years, using up less than half of the available hydrogen in its core. By another 4.5 billion years, 90 percent of the available hydrogen in the core will have been converted into helium. Serious questions about the fusion rate in the sun still remain, but according to one theory, the humans of the future will face a sun that is running out of core hydrogen.

When that happens, the gas temperature and pressure will drop and the interior of the sun will collapse under the weight of the surrounding mass. The pressure in the collapsing gas will build up sufficiently for a rind of hydrogen to start burning around the core, now helium. This fusion will provide an outward force on the outermost layers of the sun, pushing them farther out than they are now. The surface of the sun will expand outward until it reaches the orbit of Venus.

Finally, this hydrogen outside the core will run out. The core of the sun will continue to contract, trying to replace the heat no longer generated by hydrogen burning. When the internal temperatures reach 100 million Kelvins, the helium (generated by the hydrogen burning) will itself start to burn. This will happen quickly, forming a carbon-rich core. Around this burned-out core, helium burning will start, and then the rind of hydrogen also will start to burn. The vast energy released by both rinds will push the sun’s outer layers further out until they reach the orbit of Jupiter. Earth will then be ‘inside’ the sun. The temperature on the surface of earth, around 6.5 billion years from now, will be around 30,000 Kelvins, and everything organic will be burned to a crisp.

Intelligent beings on earth 5 or 6 billion years from now, if any, would face the pressure to leave earth and, indeed, the solar system. They would need to have colonized planets around younger (therefore more stable) stars in order to survive. It is likely that humans in the near future will move off the earth in search of mineralogical and economic gain, whereas the future beings of our speculation will move off in order to save the species. The ageing sun will give future life a focus and a goal. And then, if we may be permitted to use the expression, a sort of Doomsday will have happened: certainly, the sun will have run to the end of its appointed (muslaqarr) time.

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jabbers-wild-world · 4 years

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Jabber’s Muse List (as of 5/16/2021)

;; All right, everybody. If you were looking for a current and complete list of all of my muses, as updated as it can be for now (since you all know I am always adding more), look no further than right here. This is as complete as it gets until I add more again!

Aaarrrghh (Tales of Arcadia)

- Very large, but affectionate, “pacifist” troll currently allied with Jim Lake Jr. and friends, Toby’s ‘wingman’

Aaravos (The Dragon Prince)

- Startouch Elf, unknown motives, appears to be evil but that is as of yet unclear, usually very polite and dignified

Ace (Kuni no Alice)

- The Red Knight, clueless idiot frequently getting himself lost, generally friendly but does have a mild dark side

Adam (RWBY)

- Bull Faunus, perceived evil and leader of the White Fang, mild canon divergence

Adam (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

- Half-minotaur, has an unfortunate aggression problem due to minotaur bloodline, suitor to the princess

Aden (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

- Human suitor to the princess, generally rather calm and friendly, usually polite and very honest

Adrien (Miraculous)

- Current wielder of the Black Cat Miraculous, sheltered rich kid who just wants to be like everyone else his age

Ahanu (OC, The Untamed Wilds series)

- Centaur, American Paint Horse, Lawson’s second in command, is generally more serious and reserved than Lawson, but he has been known to crack a joke or two from time to time, and he is a force to be reckoned with if you cross him.

Aizawa (Boku no Hero/My Hero Academia)

- Pro Hero Eraserhead, teacher to Class 1-A, generally his usual mood falls in a category of “meh” and “too tired for this shit”

Ajali (OC, The Lion King*)

- Teenage gorilla, left home and now wanders, is generally kind but can be a little reckless from time to time, even on accident

Ajax (OC, Ascension**)

- Captain of the starship Ascension, ladies’ man, also referred to by some as “king of the crash landings”

Akabane (GetBackers)

- aka Doctor Jackal, former combat physician, has knives concealed in his body, currently works as a Transporter

Akei Okami (OC, Wolf Song)

- 23-year-old singer/songwriter/guitarist with the ears and tail of a red wolf and a lot of behaviors to match, he’s working on trying to make it big, and only recently got away from an abusive, blackmailing, and rather possessive manager, but not without some of that blackmail getting spread to the public, somewhat tanking his career so far

Akira (Persona 5)

- aka Joker, generally mild-mannered and quiet, even perhaps seen as a little serious, he is genuinely friendly, Phantom Thieves’ leader (no i will not call him Ren Amamiya, i don’t like it!)

Akiru (OC, The Cat Returns)

- a teenage black LaPerm cat, who may look innocent at first (and he does have a good heart and good intentions) but he is actually the leader of a band of feline thieves who are trying to fix what’s wrong with the cat kingdom society

Akisu (OC, Harry Potter)

- secretly a baku disguised in human form, he just wants to learn magic like the human/wizard children do, is generally shy and fairly awkward, but he is genuinely kind and gentle, and very affectionate if he’s comfortable enough with someone.

Aladi (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

- boisterous ball of energy and enthusiasm, cute and charming human suitor to the princess, he worked as a tailor in the kingdom of Ha’adan, but had a need for adventure and so he traveled across the sea, and when he heard the call for suitors, he joined in the fun

Alekai (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

- one of a pair of half-demon brothers from the kingdom of Tesak, usually more soft-spoken, is currently another suitor to the princess, and he usually has to act as damage control for his brother a lot of the time

Alexios (Assassin’s Creed)

- Greek assassin, snarky and pretty bold, he’s not afraid to stir up some trouble, and flirt with just about anybody

Aljunn (OC, Poison Daggers)

- Shadowman, basically a Nordic boogeyman, he’s charismatic and cunning, so far unclear motives, but he does have some rather impressive hidden abilities, so he is one to be watched out for

Altair (Assassin’s Creed)

- Syrian assassin, can occasionally be somewhat cocky and sarcastic, hates being called ‘novice’

Amani (OC, The Lion King)

- lioness cub, enthusiastic and curious, often likes to run off and explore new places

Amon (OC, Solomon’s Key)

- a Marquis of Hell, ranked as seventh in their hierarchy, he is crass and relatively aggressive, a bit of a ‘lone wolf’ type, and that’s not said ironically, given that he is actually fairly wolf-like, and often takes the form of a wolf. His true demonic form as well, is a large werewolf-like beast standing upright as a man and with the tail of a snake

Anchor (Finding Nemo)

- a well-meaning, if maybe a little confused, hammerhead shark who’s pals with Bruce and Chum, and is a member of the FEA. “Fish are friends, not food!”

Angus (OC, untitled novel)

- a Highland bull Minotaur, he’s generally rather gentle and kind, though he does have a bit of a temper from time to time, he runs a shop in a small town and sells hardware and general goods as needed

Anik (OC, Portal Skip)

- a teenage boy of about seventeen, he along with his best friend and partner Galen, are time-jumpers as part of a task force in the future, and it’s their job to either retrieve necessary persons, gather important knowledge, or prevent certain historical disasters before they happen. He tends to be the quieter of the pair, and is more of a logical thinker, and a realist.

Anubis (OC/mythological figure, untitled novel)

- Egyptian god of death and mummification, generally rather even-tempered and understanding, but he can come across a little grumpy sometimes

Apollo (Olympos)

- overly dramatic and very bratty/needy Greek god of the sun, he likes to pester Ganymede for attention, but can also get easily offended and is very spiteful

Aramis (OC, untitled novel)

- somewhat smug and aloof male dragon, but underneath his initial impressions, he is generally a good-hearted and well-meaning individual. He.. does have a fondness for shiny things, though, so guard your jewelry and your money, and all other shiny valuables.

Archer (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

- monkey demon, suitor to the princess, he can be a bit of an idiot from time to time, as he tends to think more with his stomach than his head, but he’s also very affectionate, if a bit overly energetic

Archibald (Tales of Arcadia)

- aka Archie, a well-spoken and somewhat sarcastic dragon in feline form, and the familiar to Douxie

Archimedes (OC, Secret of NIMH)

- a very articulate albeit sarcastic companion to a badger named Dodger, Archimedes is a bat, and he’s just as misplaced in the world as Dodger is.

Argent (OC, The Edovin Trilogy)

- half-breed Svalden/Mogani hybrid, Argent is the brave and diligent guardian to Yudar the oracle, as well as being a member of the Edovin Resistance. He takes Yudar’s safety seriously, and is also probably the only one who understands him best aside from Nils.

Argo (OC, untitled novel)

- (coming soon)

Argus (OC, untitled novel)

- (coming soon)

Arius (OC, The Edovin Trilogy)

- asshole, but with a heart of gold, Arius is a criminal and exile, sent to live in the Outlands around the country of Delanar, where the city of Edovin resides, for the crimes of arson and attempted murder

Arno (Assassin’s Creed)

- French assassin, present during the events of the French Revolution, Arno is rather sarcastic at times, but he is actually a bit more diligent than some of his predecessors, and he takes things personally

Arqaedyn (OC, Overreach)

Arrow (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- A scout, and Gadget’s chosen best friend, Arrow is the more polite of the pair of them. He is clever and quick-witted, and he is certainly much more reserved than his tinker friend. But he is nothing short of charming, and he is certainly a gentleman. But he actually depends on Gadget, for most of what he does. Arrow often makes special requests for Gadget to work on. Ideas and inventions to help all scouts do their best work.

- Ultimately, Arrow is far more of a tactician than a combatant, but just because he’s more brains than brawn, doesn’t mean he can’t pack a punch and rumble with the best of them. And actually, he’s the one to watch in any fight, because he’s such a clever tactician. And perhaps he’s a bit of a show off, especially for the ladies, but he is still good-hearted and kind.

Arsene (Code:Realize)

Arsene Lupin (OC, The Mysterious Cases of Arsene Lupin)

Arten (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Artimaes (OC, The Horseman Series)

Artix (AdventureQuest/DragonFable)

Aspen (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Well, it would be a lie to say that Aspen isn’t a bit of an odd one. An almost obsessive addiction to sweets, the tendency to appear in places no one would ever expect he’d be, and.. he carries around an odd little doll. For a winter animal talent, he’s definitely on the strange side, and everyone on the winter side knows it. And as much as they might want to question it, most choose not to. But that’s just it, there’s always more to the story than just that.

- The truth of it is, Aspen is nearly blind. He still sees shapes and movement, and maybe a bit of color, but not much else besides that. His doll is his comfort, as are sweets, and he’s gotten amazing at sneaking up on people, because he does everything he can to mask his steps so he can be sure to hear better, just in case of any danger.

- It’s actually because of his near-blindness that he also keeps companionship with a snowy owl he calls Lune. Lune keeps a lookout for him, making sure everything is safe for his vision-impaired little friend.

Asra (The Arcana)

Asra (OC, Black Souls Rising)

Asra Fisher (OC, Harry Potter)

- Ravenclaw

Asta (OC, Ascension)

Astaroth (OC, Solomon’s Key)

- the 29th Duke of Hell, he is a demonic entity alongside Amon and seventy-one others that hold such titles, but unlike Amon, Astaroth is exceedingly friendly and even flirtatious. He tends to favor more serpentine forms, or his ‘adorable and sexy’ human form.His true demonic form, is in fact a large, bronze-scaled naga with a line of spikes along his back. But he, among all other seventy-two Goetic demons, is very unique in one particular ability.

- Astaroth is a seer. He can see all things past, present, and future, and he answers all questions asked of him. Of course, his seer abilities are not always within his control, and he cannot always choose the when of what he sees.

Aurelio (OC, Seas of Stormfall)

- man-eating sea demon

Auren (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- A light talent with somewhat of a gruff attitude, Auren doesn’t always come across as entirely friendly, but the truth is, he’s a very relaxed and easy-going guy. He sees all his fellow talent members as family, as one big clan, and he looks out for all of them.

- Even if there’s not really any leader among light fairies, Auren still takes it upon himself to be someone all his fellow talent members can come to when they need advice or comfort, or even just a little bit of proper direction.

- Honestly, his attitude often makes him seem like he’s the leader of some sort of gang of thugs, or something like that, but honestly it’s just the way he is. He’s gruff, and a bit of a tough guy, but he’s honestly just looking out for his fellow talent members like a big brother looking out for his siblings.

Avel (OC, The Faded Legends saga)

Averin (OC, Firestone)

Avis (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Avos (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Aym (OC, Solomon’s Key)

Azir (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Azkhal (OC, untitled novel)

Azra-Khal (OC, untitled novel)

Azriel (OC, Crossover)

- the Angel of Death

Bael (OC, Solomon’s Key)

- the first King among the seventy-two Goetic demons, Bael is the leader of them all, and second only to Lucifer himself.

Bagheera (The Jungle Book)

Bakugou (Boku no Hero/My Hero Academia)

Balthasar (OC, Down the Rabbit Hole)

Balthazar (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Balto (Balto)

Ban (GetBackers)

Banjo (Banjo-Kazooie)

Banzai (The Lion King)

Barik (Nora: The Last Chronicle of Devildom)

Baron (The Cat Returns)

Barrel (OC, Pokemon)

- Golem

Bartleby (OC, Down the Rabbit Hole)

Bartleby (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Batty (FernGully)

Beast (Beauty and the Beast)

Bear (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Gruff, pushy, and honestly a pretty solid wall of sparrowman, Bear is just as his name sounds like he’d be. He’s a little intimidating to talk to, or even to be around in general, but honestly, he’s very unlikely to hurt anyone. Well, unless someone were to seriously push their luck and actually get on his nerves.

- He’s relaxed and fairly gentle, unless he’s pushed to his limits. He is quite literally the embodiment of the phrase ‘don’t poke sleeping bears’. He’s not very social, unlike some other animal talents, and tends to spend more of his time around animals than other fairies.

- For reasons yet unclear to other fairies around them, Bear seems to have a rather aggressive and spiteful rivalry with Viper. While the two never seem to really get physical with each other, there’s never a shortage of sarcasm and insults tossed between them any time they’re in the same vicinity. Especially if they’re forced to cooperate with each other for any reason. Honestly, it’s a wonder how the two of them even started interacting in the first place, but then comes the realization that they are only around each other because they are both mutual friends of Spark.

Beetle (Kubo and the Two Strings)

Beta (OC, Viral Infection)

Black Jack (OC, The Untamed Wilds series)

Black Joker (Kuni no Alice)

Blaine (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Blitz (OC, How to Train Your Dragon)

- Skrill

Blood (Kuni no Alice)

- head of the Hatter Mafia

Boomer (OC, Neverland Fairies)

Boris (Kuni no Alice)

- the Cheshire Cat that lives at the Amusement Park

Bow (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power)

Bowser (Mario)

Branch (Trolls)

Break (Pandora Hearts)

Briggs (OC, Finding Nemo/Finding Dory)

- a grumpy and cynical adult tiger shark who’s been through more in his life than he’d really like to talk about, and through a rather annoying and frustrating series of events, he’s now apparently responsible for a very energetic and friendly blacktip reef shark who he believes he could do without, or so he says

Buer (OC, Solomon’s Key)

- the tenth Lord of Hell, and one of the Goetic demons in Bael’s company, he is generally rather mild-mannered and sociable, and is actually capable of healing injuries. Mostly, he tends to mind his own business unless he is required to be present, preferring to keep out of the way. Ultimately though, he is actually rather shy and hates large gatherings.

- Buer tends to favor more equine forms, either that of a large white stallion, or a form much akin to Sagittarius the centaur archer, the latter actually being his true demonic form, and one in which he chooses to wear a black blindfold across his eyes. He can take a human form as well, but does not do so often.

Bunnymund (Rise of the Guardians)

Caine (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Cale (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Callum (The Dragon Prince)

Campbell (Camp Camp)

Canterbury (Black Butler)

Capper (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Cassius (OC, Brightwire)

- A former soldier of the Avran military, particularly as a General of the Airstrike Militia, Cassius swore never to involve himself in another war as long as he lives. The bloodshed he witnessed while involved in the battles of a decade past still haunt him, and as such is the case, he very rarely spends time among living company, and he does his best to avoid forming any attachments to any person for long.

- Over the last decade, Cassius has taken on the occupation of being a merchant of alchemical goods, among other various cargo, and he has quickly become well-known as a merchant of reputable standards and quality service. He has become acquainted (unfortunately in his opinion) with a young man named Finnian, who calls himself ‘an affordable alternative to mainstream service’, which Cassius insists is just a charismatic way to say he’s a back alley thief.

- But aside from Finnian, the elven captain has also managed to reacquaint himself with an old friend of his, a mage named Marquis. But now, Marquis is traveling with a young lady named Wren, and thanks to Finnian’s 'helpful’ advice, Wren has sought out the elven airship captain to aid her on an apparently important quest, and Cassius found himself unfortunately manipulated into agreeing to getting involved by Finnian. So, now he’s become the primary mode of transportation for Wren and her questing party, much to his chagrin

Caster (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- He used to be a dust keeper around Pixie Hollow, but he has since gone rogue, and did so even before Tinker Bell was born. He stole pixie dust, especially a bit of blue dust, and he was experimenting with it long before Zarina tried. Like her, he too joined up with pirates for a while, but he left them of his own accord when they were no longer of use to him.

- He’s shorter than most sparrowmen, at a height of about 4.8 inches. But he’s created something even Zarina never figured out. Anti-dust. While normal pixie dust helps others to fly and objects to float about, this black dust with its crimson glow does the opposite. It weighs everything down, and could even create a crushing weight if enough of it is used.

- So beware of the rogue dust keeper. He isn’t your friend in the least. He is the one they all warn the newbies about, and the reason why the blue dust is so vigilantly guarded. But.. maybe Oleander knows something about why.

Catra (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power)

Chardonnay (Sweet Beginnings***)

Charlie (Monsterkind)

Cherry (Sweet Beginnings)

Chester (Tales of Phantasia)

Chouza (Itsuwaribito)

Chris Blackford (OC, Crossover)

Chrono (Chrono Crusade)

Chuuya (Bungou Stray Dogs)

Colte (OC, Viral Infection)

Conn (OC, The Arcanum Chronicles)

Connor (Assassin’s Creed)

Connwaer (named by me, with permission from crimson-chains)

Cornelius (Thumbelina)

Creek (Trolls)

Cress (Tales of Phantasia)

Crosjando (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Crow (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- For an animal talent, Crow comes across as very intimidating, even downright terrifying to some. But underneath that gruff exterior, he’s actually genuinely kind and caring, and is sort of like a big brother figure to some others, particularly to Gale and maybe a couple others. Still, he’s very rough with his affection usually, and many have said that maybe Crow should have been a scout instead of an animal talent.

- It doesn’t help either that Crow does have a tendency to carry around a rather large hawk talon, as a method of defense. Where he even got the talon, no one is quite sure. All that is known is that, well, he has it and he’s not afraid to use it.

Crowley (Oz+)

Cryptic (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Cysero (AdventureQuest/DragonFable)

Dagan (OC, untitled novel)

Daisuke (D.N.Angel)

Daniel (Camp Camp)

I hate him

Dantalion (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Dante (Devil May Cry)

Dante Ignatius (OC, untitled novel)

Dante Kronos (OC, Down the Rabbit Hole)

Dante Rhodes (OC, Harry Potter)

Darien (OC, Misplaced Magic)

Dark (D.N.Angel)

Dark Law (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Dark Pit (Kid Icarus)

Darrow (OC, untitled novel)

Dastan (OC, Silence Lost)

Data (OC, Viral Infection)

David (Camp Camp)

- a ray of sunshine,”Ooooooooh~! There’s a place I know that’s tucked away..”

Dazai (Bungou Stray Dogs)

Deaikil (OC, Ascension)

- a bad attitude given a full arsenal, he is an alien species called a Ganavir, and is actually a hornless subspecies of them. But that makes him an outcast among his people, and it makes him angrier and more feral than they are. And Ganavir are already a war-hungry, violent bunch.

Decim (Death Parade)

Delta (OC, Viral Infection)

Devil (Sweet Beginnings)

Devon (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Devon (OC, The Camp Mythos series)

Dezimir (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Dhambi (OC, The Lion King)

Digit (OC, Viral Infection)

Docks (OC, untitled novel)

Dodger (OC, Down the Rabbit Hole)

- the Dodo, and a historian

Dodger (OC, Secret of NIMH)

Don Karnage (Talespin)

Double Trouble (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power)

- what is gender?

Dr. Facilier (The Princess and the Frog)

Drake (OC, Black Souls Rising)

Drossel (Black Butler)

Duststorm (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

E (AdventureQuest/DragonFable)

Ed (The Lion King)

Eivan (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Elias (OC, The Pariah Chronicles)

Elias (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Elijah (OC, The Edovin Trilogy)

Elliot (Kuni no Alice)

Elliott (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Elliot Redmond (OC, Seas of Stormfall)

Emmett (OC, Down the Rabbit Hole)

Envy (Full Metal Alchemist)

Envy (OC, The Intentions series)

Eravi (OC, untitled novel)

Etienne (OC, untitled novel)

Euro (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- A dust keeper with a penchant for mischief. Not really the best combination, especially considering he’s friends with Jinx the lock-breaking tinker. He’s often seeking out Jinx, and if he isn’t looking for his friend or doing his job, he actually also has a fondness for placing bets. He has a great mind for games and probabilities, as well as managing dust.

- But it’s the fact he works with dust that can be a little bit of a problem. Euro has his own hidden stash of pixie dust, and he occasionally adds to it. But.. why does he even have it? Well, that’s because he uses it for betting. And sure, it’s great for emergencies too, but a little harmless gambling isn’t so bad, right?

Ezio (Assassin’s Creed)

Ezra (OC, Star Wars)

Fai (Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles)

Falkor (The Neverending Story)

Fallon (Sirius the Jaeger)

Fangtooth (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Farren (Lego Elves)

Felix (Satan and Me)

Felix Agreste (Miraculous Ladybug)

Fengari (OC, RWBY)

Fenris (Dragon Age)

Ferio (Magic Knight Rayearth)

Ferran (OC, GrimmalWar)

Ferrin (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Ferris (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Festus (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Finn (OC, Brightwire)

Fisk (OC, Neverland Fairies)

Fox (RWBY)

Gadget (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Everyone’s heard of a social butterfly. Well, guess what! They come in the tinker variety too! Gadget is the perfect example of a social butterfly, jumping from fairy to fairy. And he is even a bit flirtatious too, claiming he’s ever so charming, even if the truth is that his friend Arrow is really the charming one. But there is one problem with Gadget’s exceedingly social nature.

- He is a very physical being, and he loves to just be all on top of those he considers friends. From an arm around the shoulder, to fully draping himself and all his weight on them, Gadget can be a bit of a nuisance. Still, he’s got a good heart and a clever mind, and he’s absolutely thrilled that tinkers now get to play with lost things! Still, there is a secret about him that only Arrow and Fisk know, and it’s not a happy thing that Gadget likes to talk about.

- In fact, he’s deeply ashamed of it, and actively tries to hide it, especially since.. Well, he’d be in big trouble if a certain scout fairy were to ever find out. But Gadget is a vampire. And so far, he’s the only one he knows of in Pixie Hollow. Or at all, really. He can usually keep himself in check by indulging in the occasional nectar mixture that Fisk makes for him, but there are nights when his need to feed becomes too much to hold back.

- Usually, he has enough sense of mind to seek out either Arrow or Fisk, but if he puts it off too long, and ignores the hunger too much, he can turn dangerous and may attack innocent fairies who otherwise know nothing about his vampirism. In fact, he has actually attacked a couple of fairies in the past, and was nearly caught by Venn. Now, he’s extra careful about his late night activities, because if Venn finds out he’s the vampire, it would mean the end for Gadget.

Gage (OC, The Edovin Trilogy)

Gajeel (Fairy Tail)

Gale (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- A fast flyer with a kind heart and huge determination, he may be a little guy, but he does what he has to to get his job done, and make sure his friends are okay. Not to mention that while he may be the youngest of his group of friends, he won’t let that stop him either. But while he generally seems to look on the bright side, Gale’s early experiences in Pixie Hollow weren’t quite as pleasant as some might have hoped they would be.

Galvyn (OC, untitled novel)

Ganta (Deadman Wonderland)

Gareki (Karneval)

Garrett (Quest for Camelot)

Garrick (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Garry (Ib)

Gavin (OC, Seventh Shard)

Gawl (Generator Gawl)

Geilver (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Gideon (Seven Princes of the Thousand-Year Labyrinth)

Gil (Pandora Hearts)

Gilvein (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Gin (OC, My Hero/Boku no Hero Academia)

Ginji (GetBackers)

Ginko (Mushishi)

Ginti (Death Parade)

Gintoki (Gintama)

Gintoki (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Giza (OC, The Lion King)

Gizmo (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Ever met a moody tinker? Well, here’s one. Gizmo isn’t the type to make friends, and instead would rather keep to himself, building complex parts to the mechanisms that are used all around Pixie Hollow. Unfortunately for him, Kestrel doesn’t take no for an answer. As much as Gizmo may insist that they aren’t friends, he just can’t get rid of him.

- Gizmo has been called rude, grumpy, bad-tempered or even aggressive. But it’s just mostly that he’s a loner and likes to be left alone. But.. does he really? Underneath his moodiness, there is a softer side. He isn’t great with affection, despite secretly wanting it, and that’s due to the fact that shortly after his birth, he was somewhat looked over. That, and he got lost deep in the woods for a few months, having to survive entirely on his own for what seemed like an eternity.

- He was eventually found by Kestrel, but by then, he’d become reclusive and harsh, actively refusing the company of others.By the time Kestrel had found him though, he was hungry and weak, cold and wet, and utterly exhausted, even a little battered and bruised. It’s that that is the reason Kestrel keeps checking up on him, and Gizmo knows that. But he spent too long alone, so soon after he’d been born that it was most of what made up his early experiences, and made him shy away from others rather than seeking them out.

Gizmo (OC, Beyond the Rainbow)

Glitch (OC, Viral Infection)

Gojyo (Saiyuki)

Goku (Saiyuki)

Gourry (The Slayers)

Gowland (Kuni no Alice)

- the “Duchess” and current owner of the Amusement Park

Graham (OC, Assassin’s Creed, Harry Potter, Outlander)

Gray (Fairy Tail)

Gray Ringmarc (Kuni no Alice)

- the Lizard

Griffin (Quest for Camelot)

Grillby (Undertale)

Guy (The Croods)

Guy Cecil (Tales of the Abyss)

Guy Diamond (Trolls)

Hades (Olympos)

Hagane (OC, untitled novel)

Hak (Akatsuki no Yona/Yona of the Dawn)

Hans (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Hapsun (OC, Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic)

Harper (OC, The Moonlight Ring)

Harrison (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Harrow (OC, Neverland Fairies)

Haru (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Haruka (Tactics)

Hatari (OC, The Lion King)

Hatch (OC, untitled novel)

Hatchet (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Hatchet, or Hatch as most call him, is a difficult individual to actually like. Even as a scout, he’s somewhat of a bully, and though he usually means it in a friendly sort of way, he’s very gruff and forceful in everything he does, so it’s no surprise his jokes are actually pretty harsh and insensitive. He actually has referred to Lock as ‘cyclops’ more than once. No one is really safe from his rough humor.

- But the truth is that he’s looking for someone that disappeared shortly before Tinker Bell had even arrived in Pixie Hollow. He knows that they’re out there somewhere, but he can’t figure out where. As a result, he actually doesn’t trust anyone, even if he claims to, and his harsh jokes are his way of keeping others at a distance. He doesn’t want to be attached only for someone else to disappear on him.

Hatsuharu (Fruits Basket)

Hawke (OC, Beyond the Rainbow)

Hector “Striker” Marques (OC, untitled novel)

Hibiki (OC, Boku no Hero/My Hero Academia)

Hikae (Itsuwaribito)

Hiraishi (OC, untitled novel)

Hiro (Big Hero 6)

Hiruko (Itsuwaribito)

Hiruko (Nightmare Inspector)

Hisago (Itsuwaribito)

Hisirdoux (Tales of Arcadia)

Hook (Okashi na Shima no Peter Pan/Sweet Neverland)

Hunk (Voltron Legendary Defender)

Ibal (OC, untitled novel)

- deity of destruction and decay

Ifari (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Ikuto (Shugo Chara)

Impey (Code:Realize)

Indivar (OC, Seventh Shard)

- a very moody djinn

Inuyasha (Inuyasha)

Isaac (OC, The Stormfront Chronicles)

Isaac Vivre (OC, Camp Camp)

Isaiah (OC, Evermore)

Isandro (OC, Black Souls Rising)

Izaya (Durarara!!)

Izmael (OC, Dead Man’s Day)

Izo (OC, untitled novel)

Izrael (OC, Cantor Descending)

Jabber Quill (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Jace (OC, Down the Rabbit Hole)

Jacquimo (Thumbelina)

Jack (Rise of the Guardians)

Jade Moonfeather (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Jael (OC, untitled novel)

James (Pokemon)

Jasper (OC, The Moonlight Ring)

Jasper Taigan (OC, The Sand Skulls Series)

Jax (OC, Misplaced Magic)

Jay (OC, Camp Camp)

Jellal (Fairy Tail)

Jericho (Kuni no Alice)

- the Dodo

Jester Ring (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Jinx (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Jinx is a tinker. He knows his way around all sorts of tools and devices, and he can figure out almost any puzzle thrown his way. But it isn’t just that. While tinkers usually are of a mind to build and create, Jinx is much more likely to take things apart, even if it’s something the other tinkers just finished working on.

- Queen Clarion has acknowledged it as boundless curiosity, but he is advised to keep his curious nature in check. And he does keep it in check. Most of the time. He does have a tendency to get into trouble along with Euro, Ridge, and Nero quite often. Especially when Jinx has taken apart or picked a locking mechanism that is supposed to keep everyone out of important places. As such is the case, most scouts and those in charge of keeping things in order.. aren’t always fond of him. Or the other three.

Johnny (Sing)

Joker (OC, Down the Rabbit Hole)

Judal (Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic)

Julius (Kuni no Alice)

- the Clockmaker

Jumba (Lilo and Stitch)

Justin (OC, Camp Camp)

Jyugo (Nanbaka)

Kade (OC, Plague)

Kaelan (OC, The Wild Warriors series)

Kagura (Demon Love Spell)

Kai (OC, untitled novel)

Kal (OC, untitled novel)

Kale (OC, Animorphs)

- an Andalite warrior

Kaminari (Boku no Hero/My Hero Academia)

Kanda (D. Gray-Man)

Karimu (OC, The Lion King)

Karkat (Homestuck)

Karma (Assassination Classroom)

Kasi (OC, The Lion King)

Kaspar (OC, The Tangled Series)

Katsuo (OC, Persona 4)

Kaushal (OC, Desert Sands)

Kavit (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Kazuki Fuuchouin (GetBackers)

Kazuki Muto (Busou Renkin)

Keidynn (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Keith (Voltron Legendary Defender)

Kestrel (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- This is the sweetest, most gentle sparrowman anyone could ever meet. Kestrel is genuinely kindhearted and just full of love and affection to give to others. Even those who aren’t so friendly to him. Like a young tinker by the name of Gizmo, for example. Kestrel is an animal talent, but often goes out of his way to check up on his young friend. Making sure he’s eating right and all that. He knows he doesn’t have to, but he likes to do it anyway. Kestrel does have a secret, though.

- After an encounter with a strange animal no one had ever seen before, during which Kestrel was wounded by the creature’s claws, Kestrel has to make regular visits to the healing fairies, or else the toxin still in his body even now will force him to change, and lose his sense of self for a while. Beware if Kestrel’s blond hair turns silver, because he will not know friend from foe, and the normally gentle sparrowman has turned aggressive and dangerous.

Keturi (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Khazroq (OC, untitled novel)

Khireus (OC, untitled novel)

- deity of justice

Ki (OC, untitled novel)

Kifo (OC, The Lion King)

Kin (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Kirishima (Boku no Hero/My Hero Academia)

Kizami (Corpse Party)

who wants to talk about MURDER~~? :D

Klarth (Tales of Phantasia)

Klein (OC, Down the Rabbit Hole)

Korand (OC, The Edovin Trilogy)

Koro-sensei (Assassination Classroom)

Krampus (OC, untitled novel)

Kratos (Tales of Symphonia)

Krin (OC, Ascension)

- precious innocent child, and amazing prodigy in mechanics, he is of an alien species called Ch’taar, which appear much like caterpillar-taurs in their youth, like Krin, and their full-fledged adults resemble something akin to mantis-taurs with butterfly wings. Krin is a very shy and soft-spoken young boy, and is only four of his planet’s years in age, but that is approximately the equivalent of a thirteen-year-old in Earth years.

Kuhani (OC, The Lion King)

Kuiba (OC, The Lion King)

Kuro (Servamp)

Kurogane (Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles)

Kutal (Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Kweli (OC, The Lion King)

Kyle (OC, Desert Sands)

Kyo (Fruits Basket)

Lark (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Lark is an animal talent, and still fairly new to life in Pixie Hollow, and in general! He’s energetic, somewhat reckless, not always the brightest firefly in the field, but he means well and generally is a sweetheart, but.. he does also occasionally have a little bit of a temper, and if he notices it, he will call others out on their bullshit.

- He is actually unable to fly, because on his first day after being born, he got a little too excited about his talent, and proceeded to run right off the edge and tear his left wing. So now if he needs to get somewhere fast, he rides a black-footed ferret he named Willowby.

Lavi (D. Gray-Man)

Law/Lawrence (OC, Plague)

Lawrence (Seven Princes of the Thousand-Year Labyrinth)

Lawson (OC, The Untamed Wilds series)

- a very rough-and-tumble mustang centaur, and a cowboy ruffian in the American Wild West, Lawson is actually pretty polite when he needs to be, but he’s got a stubbornness to put a mule to shame, and an attitude like an ornery old goat coupled with a strong dislike for authority. He’s seen as an outlaw and a no-good son-of-a-bitch by most townfolk, but that’s because they tend to see centaurs as much the same as their non-verbal equine kin, and treat them as slaves. And that’s something Lawson is fighting to change.

Leif (OC, Neverland Fairies)

Leon (OC, Beyond the Rainbow)

- the Cowardly Lion

Leonardo (Oz+)

- the Cowardly Lion, given a human form, and he is a beautiful, handsome.. himbo.

Leraje (OC, Solomon’s Key)

Levi (OC, untitled novel)

Li (CardCaptors)

Lily (Servamp)

Lincoln (OC, untitled novel)

Link (Breath of the Wild)

Lion-O (Thundercats 2011)

Lionheart (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Locien Kei (OC, untitled novel)

Lock (OC, Pokemon)

- Arbok

Lock (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- While he may not be the friendliest of sparrowmen, Lock is determined and loyal, and very attentive to his work as a tinker. He often tends to be the one handling tools for use by the scouts, whatever those things may be, and he is diligent and hard-working. But he comes across very rough and cold to just about everyone in Pixie Hollow. He isn’t interested in making friends, it seems, and he keeps to himself. But.. there is a reason behind his behavior.

- And her name was Luna. They were born fairly close together, though not from the same laugh. She was a scout while he is a tinker, and she made a promise to him. A promise, that she would always make sure he was safe, that she would protect him first and foremost. And it bonded them together, they were nearly inseparable as a pair, even to the point that he fell deeply in love with her, and she loved him in return.

- She was headstrong and brave, always pushing her way through and never letting him be alone. She was his guiding light. Until one day, she asked him to come with her deep into the forest. She had found something, she told him. She had found something he needed to see. And he listened, following her further and further into the woods, until she had led him to what seemed to be a large, black stone in the middle of a dark, and eerie part of the forest.

- She pulled him to it, showing him her discovery, excited to have him to share it with. It could be some kind of new ore that tinkers could use, she thought, something special to help make their tools stronger! But then.. it moved. It revealed itself as no stone or ore, but a deep black avian beast! Immediately Luna shielded Lock behind her, guarding him from the threat she had brought him straight to, and then- It attacked.

- Sharp talons and a wild serpentine tail slashing and swinging about, and Lock tried to flee, tried to get away to get the rest of the scouts to help- but the monster followed him, catching him within its talons and snapping its beak. One sharp talon found purchase, its tip digging deep into his left eye.. and he screamed as his body was being crushed, his eye reduced to nothing but a bloody hole in his face, and-

- There was Luna. She kept her promise, defending him and rescuing him from the wretched creature she’d awoken, and.. she gave her life for his.. Somehow the creature was sealed away and trapped where it couldn’t bring any more harm, but Luna’s life was lost in the process.. Leaving Lock entirely alone, with no one to love, and no one to make him feel safe..

Loki (Kamigami no Asobi)

- Norse god of mischief

Lokus (OC, The White Game)

Lotus (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Calm, quiet, usually minds his own business except to keep others from getting hurt, Lotus is the sort of water talent that can often be found meditating on a lily pad in the middle of a pond. He’s curious, but not enough to seek out trouble like some others might. He’s more likely to be the one who gets dragged along on adventures by others who are more energetic and outgoing.

- Like Nova the highly exuberant light fairy, for example. Lotus actually came very close to being a scout instead of a water talent, and he has a very high instinct to protect. But at the last moment, it failed and he was instead a water talent. Not that he minds. He knows all the action the scouts get involved in, and he’s content to just take life one step at a time, even if he does always have an eye out in case of trouble.

Lowell (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Lucas DuSauvage (OC, Crossover)

Lucian (OC, Catching Smoke)

Lucian (OC, untitled novel)

Lucien (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Luka (Miraculous)

Luke Ainsworth (Sacred Blacksmith)

Luke fon Fabre (Tales of the Abyss)

Lune (The Cat Returns)

Lux (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Here comes trouble. A common phrase uttered throughout Pixie Hollow when Lux is around. Especially when he’s got a particular twinkle in his eye. A light talent with a bad habit of getting into mischief, Lux loves to play pranks. And, well, not everyone enjoys his tricks as much as he does. He gets a good laugh, but oftentimes, he is the only one laughing.

- Especially when his pranks have accidentally caused someone to get hurt. He usually doesn’t mean for things to go that far, and when they do, he’s often pretty quick to apologize for his mistake. Well.. when he’s stopped laughing, that is. And.. only if he wasn’t intentionally hurting them, since he can be a bit vindictive.

- Aside from his prankster nature, Lux is also a fairly jealous individual. There are few who he actually really considers close friends, and he loves it when they dump their attention on him. But.. when they give attention to someone else, instead of spending time with him, Lux can get a bit jealous and possessive.

- He can even be somewhat rude and pushy, forcing his way to the forefront of his friends’ attention. He’s much like a bratty child at times, pouting and throwing mild tantrums from time to time, even bullying those who he thinks are stealing his friends’ attention.

- When he likes someone, though, he is very affectionate and friendly, actively seeking out companionship and bringing them things he thinks they will like. He’s happy and cheerful, and generally fun to be around when he actually considers someone a friend. But.. watch out if he doesn’t like you, because you are very likely to be the main target of his worst pranks. Usually though, he is thankfully kept in check by Umbra and Torren. Just be careful not to steal their attention too much. Lux certainly won’t thank you for it, and he’ll have no one keeping him in check.

Lyric (OC, Second Moon)

Lyric (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Mad King (X-Ray and Vav)

Mael (OC, untitled novel)

Majestic (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Makoto (Free!)

Marco (Animorphs)

Marius (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Marius (OC, Down the Rabbit Hole)

- the JubJub Bird, and with a severe attitude problem

Markos (OC, untitled novel)

Marquis (OC, Brightwire)

Marshall Lee (Adventure Time)

Mason (OC, untitled novel)

Masquerade (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Mauti (OC, The Lion King)

Maverick (OC, untitled novel)

Max (Camp Camp)

Maximus (Tangled/The Tangled Series)

Mercury (RWBY)

Merlot (Sweet Beginnings)

Merrick (OC, untitled novel)

Messiah (Seven Princes of the Thousand-Year Labyrinth)

Micah (OC, Micah’s Guidebooks series)

Michal (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- A snowflake talent, Michal is intuitive and protective, and for quite some time has been somewhat of an older brother figure to quite a few of the winter fairies, but mostly to Wolf, on the other side of the border. They met once by accident, and were nearly inseparable since, as Wolf often came by when he needed advice, or just someone to talk to.

- And Michal looked out for him and occasionally he has teased him for various little things. As big brothers do. But recently, Michal has disappeared without any warning, the only sign that he was ever there at all being a few broken snowflakes around where he usually works.

Midnight Star (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Mifune (Soul Eater)

Migs (OC, The Camp Mythos series)

Mikasi (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Mikhael (OC, Fall of the Titans)

Mikhael (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Milori (Neverland Fairies)

Mist Flare (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Mitsuhide (Akagami no Shirayuki/Snow White with the Red Hair)

Mitsuru (Nanbaka)

Mizani (OC, The Lion King)

Mkali (OC, The Lion King)

Mogar (X-Ray and Vav)

Momotaro (Free!)

Montague (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Monty (OC, Pokemon)

Morgan (OC, untitled novel)

Morgana (Persona 5)

Musashi (Nanbaka)

Mushra (Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Muta (The Cat Returns)

Myles (OC, Rewrite)

Mzungu (OC, The Lion King)

N (Pokemon)

Nagi (Deadman Wonderland)

Naro (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Nathan (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Nathaniel (Miraculous)

Natsu (Fairy Tail)

Nephr (OC, The Edovin Trilogy)

Nero (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- A fast-flyer with more than enough energy to go around, Nero is honestly of the friendlier sort than some other fast-flyers may be. He actually enjoys zipping back and forth across Pixie Hollow just to run errands for others. Need some food for a baby animal? He’ll go fetch it! Oh, that basket has to be delivered somewhere? Say no more, Nero is on the job! And what about those seeds? They need to be scattered out in the field? Nero definitely has that handled too!

- But when he’s not doing his job or helping others, he’s hoarding some cool human things he’s found. Or he’s getting into some trouble alongside Jinx, Euro, and Ridge. Honestly, he’s not quite sure what the plan is half the time, but he’s having fun with his friends, and that’s what counts!

Nguvu (OC, The Lion King)

Nico (Nanbaka)

Nico (OC, Black Souls Rising)

Nicolae (OC, untitled novel)

Nicu (OC, untitled novel)

Nightdream (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Niklaus (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Nikolae (OC, D. Gray-Man)

Nils (OC, The Edovin Trilogy)

Nirav (OC, Desert Sands)

Nix (OC, untitled novel)

Njozi (OC, The Lion King)

Nod (Epic)

Noir (OC, The Cat Returns)

Nora (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Nora (Nora: The Last Chronicle of Devildom)

Obi (Akagami no Shirayuki/Snow White with the Red Hair)

- a smartass ninja/assassin originally sent to threaten Shirayuki, but who found himself instead given a job by Prince Zen and who has been welcomed as a part of their group

Oga (Beelzebub)

Ojiro (Boku no Hero/My Hero Academia)

Oleander (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Oleander is more than just a little unusual, especially for a garden talent, but he actually manages it fairly well and manages to go through life just the same as anyone else. Except for one, tiny detail. He seems to have no regard for his own life, and actually may even find enjoyment in near-death experiences. He’s what other fairies and sparrowmen call a ‘tossaway’, as it seems he would gladly toss away his own life, for hardly any reason at all.

- But there is a secret behind all of this. Behind his casual charisma, and his apparent humor in a tossaway lifestyle. He was once best friends with Caster, and actually went rogue alongside him for a while before he grew a conscience and returned to Pixie Hollow to do penance for the things he had done, and what he helped Caster to do. He supplied Caster with the ingredient to make his black ‘anti-dust’. A black Narcissus flower. Now he behaves rather flippantly and acts as if he has no care in the world, but every day that goes by he still regrets what he did, and still misses his best friend.

Oriander (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

- baby

Orion (OC, untitled novel)

Orpheus (OC, Edge of Legend)

Orson (OC, The Stormfront Chronicles)

Orson (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Orson Gibbs (OC, Plague)

Oseru (Nora: The Last Chronicle of Devildom)

Ouro (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Like Styx, Ouro is trouble with a capital ‘T’, but he’s not aggressive the way Styx is. He has a similar sense of humor for sure, but he doesn’t actively put others in danger with his jokes. Instead, he’s far more likely to sneak up on someone and give them a little bit of a jump scare. Among all the residents of Pixie Hollow, Ouro is known to be the stealthiest of the scouts.

- He has even managed to sneak up on some of the best, much to the annoyance of some. Nyx is a good example of a scout that doesn’t always appreciate Ouro’s sense of humor, or his chosen uses of his stealth skills. However, if anyone were to ask where Ouro’s deepest loyalties lie, there are only three individuals he actually truly respects enough to have the most unbreakable loyalty toward. Queen Clarion, a healing talent named Clover, and Tyr, a scout leader much like Nyx.

- It’s because of this loyalty to only specific individuals though, that makes Ouro really kind of frustrating to some. But of course, there is a reason for this intense loyalty, as there is for everything.

Oz (Oz+)

Oz Diggs (OC, Beyond the Rainbow)

- the Great Oz, wizard of the Emerald City

Ozpin (RWBY)

Pallum (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Pax (Satan and Me)

Peter Pan (Okashi na Shima no Peter Pan/Sweet Neverland)

Peter White (Kuni no Alice)

Phalanx (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Philip (Sirius the Jaeger)

Pips (FernGully)

Piras (Awaken)

Pit (Kid Icarus)

Pteryn (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Qivral (OC, Ascension)

Quinn (OC, untitled novel)

Quirin (The Tangled Series)

Qwan (Qwan)

Rafiki (The Lion King)

Rai (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Rai (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Raimundo (Xiaolin Showdown)

Raito (OC, The Cat Returns)

Raitou (OC, Boku no Hero/My Hero Academia)

Rajan (OC, Desert Sands)

- angry djinn, he may be sexy, but he will kill you if he doesn’t like you, or if you cross the line

Rama Anin (OC, untitled novel)

fashion is immortal, and so is this male model from Ancient Persia.

Rampo (Bungou Stray Dogs)

Ratchet (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Ratchet is one of those sparrowmen that’s just generally hard to figure out. He’s great at what he does, of course, tinkering and making all sorts of handy things. Much like Tinker Bell, he has a very curious mind. Where others might ask why, he asks ‘why not’. Can it be done? Maybe. Should it be done? Who knows! Will he do it? Absolutely. Leave no stone unturned, and nothing left untinkered. Generally, he seems like an okay guy, even downright friendly and without worry. But.. there’s just one problem.

- Ratchet has a very bad habit. One that, try as anyone might, no one can ever get him to break. And of course, Styx doesn’t help, and in fact encourages it. Usually Ratchet’s bad habit has fairly harmless results, but sometimes it can get out of hand. Especially when he’s been hanging out with Styx. But in general, the fact of the matter is that Ratchet is a liar. White lies mostly, but sometimes he can take a lie too far. Still, thankfully no one has been physically hurt by his lies yet. Even if Yarrow may find them mentally and morally taxing.

Ravenblade (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Reik (OC, untitled novel)

Reiss (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Remus (Harry Potter, Marauders’ Era specifically)

Remy (X-Men, personal adaptation)

Ren (RWBY)

Rhett (OC, Finding Nemo/Finding Dory)

a very enthusiastic, energetic, and boisterously friendly teenage blacktip reef shark, he’s the type who’s more likely to befriend his fish prey rather than eat them, which does cause a few problems for him, but thanks to an amusing series of events, he’s got Briggs looking out for him

Rick O’Connell (The Mummy)

Ridge (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Definitely not the smartest guy out there. Among garden talents, Ridge is honestly just usually the muscle, rather than the one who takes on more delicate tasks. He’s rough and tumble, and often down in the dirt with the larger bulbs and things like that.

- His pride and joy though is the large and gnarled willow tree just past the edge of the Hollow, that has become the hangout spot for him and his friends. That aside, though, he is actually a fantastic cook.

- Anyone in Pixie Hollow who thinks they know good food, hasn’t tasted anything like Ridge’s blackberry bread rolls, or his orange and lemon sugar pies. Even his roast tomatoes and baked apples are unlike anything else ever made. It’s honestly surprising that he’s a garden talent, and not simply a cook.

Rin (Free!)

Rin Okumura (Blue Exorcist)

Rishi (OC, Desert Sands)

Rivan (Nora: The Last Chronicle of Devildom)

Rivaren (OC, The Kingship Quartet)

River (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Born completely blind, River was often treated as if he was helpless and needed extra assistance, but it only served to frustrate him. He has always been perfectly capable of handling things himself, he just has a different way of doing it, but in the beginning, no one really seemed to understand that. So instead, some of the other fairies had taken to helping him and doing certain tasks for him. He knew they were just trying to help, but it was more of a hindrance than a help, and it was bothering him to no end.

- So, one day he left Pixie Hollow. He left and instead ventured deeper into the woods. If everyone was going to insist he was helpless, then he was going to prove to them that he was far from it. It was no surprise that his disappearance had others worried, but he avoided anyone who might be looking for him, knowing he had to succeed on his own, or no one would ever leave him be.

- So for three months, he lived in the woods and fended for himself, training himself to be strong and to be independent. And on his own, he fought off snakes, a hawk, and more than a few nests of wasps.When he finally returned to the Hollow, he came back scarred, but strong.

- He was welcomed back with open arms and worried voices, but he only smiled and shrugged. He knew what he had done, and they knew it too. He was stronger than they had all thought him to be, and he had proven exactly that. Now no one needed to help him with anything, for they all knew he’s perfectly capable on his own. Being blind has never stopped him from that.

Roane (OC, untitled novel)

Robin (Disney’s Robin Hood)

Rock (Nanbaka)

Rocky (Chicken Run)

Roman (RWBY)

Rome (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- It isn’t recommended to trust Rome, no matter how charismatic and charming he may be, or how much he may play on someone’s sympathies. He is a thief, and a bitter soul with a strong dislike of Queen Clarion. A light talent, Rome has all the same abilities as any other light fairy, but he was born different.

- While there are others still living in Pixie Hollow who have lost limbs or other body parts in events of conflict, or were tortured, Rome was born the way he is. Missing his right arm, and his left leg. As a result, he has had his fair share of struggles, and much of the time, he failed to keep up, and so he grew frustrated and angry and began to lash out at his fellow talent members.

Eventually, he actually ended up exiled for good from the Hollow, and now he’s gone rogue and is very much a problem to everyone in Pixie Hollow, and outside of it. Rome isn’t alone though. He has managed to gather his own followers, and has formed a criminal gang of sorts, and they have their own community deep in the farthest reaches of the forests. A place where all misfit fairies gather.

Ronin (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Ronin is a scout. It’s in his job description to protect Pixie Hollow and everyone who lives there. He’s fast, and an agile fighter, but.. he also has a tendency to go off on his own to explore, as well as the fact that he does like to tease a bit. He’s a smooth talker, most of the time, and he’s fairly well-liked around the Hollow.

- However, he’s pretty bad at handling real affection directed toward him, especially the physical kind. As he usually is on guard and prepared for combat in some way or another, surprise affection can really get him on edge, and even if it’s something like an accidental kiss, he may run away like he’s been shocked, if only just to process his confusion. Fairies and sparrowmen do only feel one emotion at a time, after all.

Rowain (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Roux (OC, Neverland Fairies)

Roy (Full Metal Alchemist)

Roy G. Biv (Monsterkind)

Rukh (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Runaan (The Dragon Prince)

Rush (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Rush is generally rather rude and pushy, and he prefers for things to go his way, otherwise he can be a bit of a brat. Kyra and Wren are usually fairly on top of keeping Rush’s bad temper in check, but sometimes this storm talent sparrowman can get quite a bit out of hand. He’s certainly not afraid to use a bit of lightning to get his point across, and he can be more than a little overconfident sometimes. He also has quite the tendency to mock others and likes to put himself first.

- Still, he’d be nothing without Kyra and Wren. He owes his very life to them, after he nearly got himself eaten by a snake, and the two of them put their lives on the line to save him. So, as cocky as he gets, he does have quite the soft spot for them, and will often actually follow them around when he’s not busy with other things. But if he’s not with them, and he’s not doing his job, he unfortunately can be found harassing another sparrowman named Sahar, with whom he actually has a fairly intense rivalry, and honestly the two seem to hate each other.

Rusty (OC, Blackwater)

Ryo (OC, Crossover)

- the god of fate, please resist the impulse to make short jokes or you may find that your ultimate fate and the end of the line arrives sooner than expected

Ryuji (Persona 5)

Ryuma (Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Ryuu (OC, Boku no Hero/My Hero Academia)

Sadir (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Sage (OC, The Kingship Quartet)

Sago (Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Sahar (OC, Neverland Fairies)

Saiqeit (OC, untitled novel)

Samon (Nanbaka)

Sanji (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Saru (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Sasha (OC, Pokemon)

Satan (Satan and Me)

Scar (The Lion King)

Scissor (Okashi na Shima no Peter Pan/Sweet Neverland)

Senji (Deadman Wonderland)

Sesshomaru (Inuyasha)

Shade (OC, Neverland Fairies)

Shahad (OC, The Edovin Trilogy)

Sharrkan (Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic)

Shere Khan (The Jungle Book)

Shetani (OC, The Lion King)

Shin-Ah (Akatsuki no Yona/Yona of the Dawn)

Shiro (Voltron Legendary Defender)

Shirou (Brand New Animal)

Shizuo (Durarara!!)

Shock (OC, Pokemon)

- Raichu

Shockwave (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Shuseki (OC, My Hero/Boku no Hero Academia)

Sigma (OC, Viral Infection)

Silence (OC, The Intentions series)

Sindar (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Skek (OC, DnD, untitled novel)

- “Skek demands to be taken seriously!”

SkekMal (The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance)

Soren (The Dragon Prince)

Soul (Soul Eater)

Spark (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- The friendliest ball of energy in Pixie Hollow, Spark is the type who generally seems completely innocent and naive, and like he has no idea that two of his closest friends apparently hate each other. However, he actually knows very well what’s going on, and actively inserts himself between Bear and Viper in order to keep the peace. Or sometimes he’ll drag Willow into it just to balance things out, and of course the effeminate sparrowman has a hard time refusing. Even Holly and Shade can’t say no when Spark asks them for the occasional favor.

Staz (Blood Lad)

Steele (Balto)

Stein (Soul Eater)

Sting (Fairy Tail)

Stormblade (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Strix (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Alongside Kestrel, Strix is one of the kindest souls anyone could ever know, and he will go out of his way to make sure others are feeling comfortable and happy, especially new arrivals, no matter their talent. It was honestly by pure coincidence that he wasn’t the one helping Tinker Bell settle in when she was trying out all of the other talents.

- He had actually been on his way to do just that when he’d seen that the other fairies seemed to have things well in hand. Though.. he did have a very terrified baby bird to handle after Fawn had left Tinker Bell alone with it. Still, he is proud of how far Tink has come since the start, like a father watching a child grow. It’s only a shame he will never be able to actually say so.

- Because Strix is mute. And no, he wasn’t born that way. When he was new to Pixie Hollow himself, he was as vocal as any other fairy or sparrowman, and often he spoke up to volunteer his help. As well, he was the type who loved to sing, and in fact, his voice was known to be one of the most beautiful whenever he had an audience, intentionally or not.

- He sang lullabies and gentle tunes, especially to frightened animals in need of comfort, and to other fairies who needed just the same. However, his voice was violently stripped from him, and now he can’t do much more than give a soft wheeze or a huff every now and again. But.. the worst thing is, his voice wasn’t even the first injury he’d suffered.

Styx (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Stay. Away. From. Styx. At least, that’s what most tend to tell the newcomers. He is the scout that other scouts warn about. He’s highly dangerous on his own, and has actually a bit of a violent and aggressive tendency. And you know, when even a scout is unsettled by their own talent member, it’s bad. However, he’s really only a problem when he’s left to his own devices and doesn’t have his best friend to manage him.

- That best friend, being Ratchet. Styx has been around longer than Ratchet has. Quite a while longer in fact, and honestly, Tick and Queen Clarion may be the only ones who actually do know how long Styx has been around. Queen Clarion doesn’t discuss Styx’s behavior, except to say that he never used to be this way. And there won’t be much to get out of Tick either, except the very same.

- However, if pressed further, only Tick will give a little more, but his answer is still vague. ‘What happened to make Styx like this?’ ‘Three.’ That’s all Tick will give, and most are nervous to ask Styx himself. The truth is, Styx has nearly died. Three times. Each one worse and more traumatic than the last. And now he has become almost like a cold, calculating predator. When he’s not with Ratchet, that is.

- To those who have seen the dark side of Styx, tend to avoid him, but when he’s with Ratchet, he’s like a completely different sparrowman. He’s enjoying himself, and laughing and even getting into just some general mischief, which is of course much to the chagrin of Yarrow, who unfortunately often gets dragged along in Ratchet’s plans.

Sugino (Tactics)

Sumu (OC, The Lion King)

Sun (RWBY)

Sun (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Sunny Pine (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Surefire Arrow (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Sval (OC, untitled novel)

Swift (OC, Neverland Fairies)

Syaoran (Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles)

Syuro (OC, untitled novel)

Taavi (OC, untitled novel)

Taeval (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Taigus (OC, untitled novel)

Taiyou (OC, untitled novel)

Takhal (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Tamani (OC, The Lion King)

Tatizo (OC, The Lion King)

Tempest (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Terra (OC, untitled novel)

Terra (Kingdom Hearts)

Terence (Neverland Fairies)

Thomas O’Malley (Aristocats)

Thompson (Black Butler)

Thor (Kamigami no Asobi)

- Norse god of thunder

Tick (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- A more mysterious fellow than most, Tick keeps to himself and hardly ever ventures away from his work. He is a tinker, but he is a very unique sort of tinker. He keeps watch of the passing of time in Pixie Hollow, and he is the only one who does. Just as Zarina found her own unique talent within the broader subject, Tick found his own unique subset of tinkering. Clockwork tinkering. Though while discovering his unique skill, it wasn’t always as smooth-going as it is now. He actually suffered a bit of backlash from his own projects, and now has just a bit of trouble seeing out of his left eye.

- However, it is ultimately thanks to him that there are proper schedules, and the seasons are tracked and recorded correctly. He may be a little odd to some, but he knows the balance of time, and how important it is to keep things on time. However, there is something else to his actions. Every now and again, Tick ventures away from Tinker’s Nook, but it isn’t clear where he disappears to. All that is known, is that he keeps a second record of the days, and disappears with it for an hour or so, returning without the extra records.

Timber (Black Butler)

Tink (Okashi na Shima no Peter Pan/Sweet Neverland)

Titan (OC, Dragonmist)

- tarantula-taur

Titian (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Titus (Seven Princes of the Thousand-Year Labyrinth)

Tjarron (OC, Brightwire)

Tobias (Animorphs)

Todoroki (Boku no Hero/My Hero Academia)

Tokiya (Time Guardian)

Tokoyami (Boku no Hero/My Hero Academia)

Toris (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Torren (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Torren is very much the strong, silent type. He only speaks when he needs to, and especially when it’s really something important to say. Most of the time though, this big guy usually just sort of grunts in acknowledgement, or shrugs or shakes his head. Not many actual spoken words needed to get his point across. He’s a gentle giant most of the time as well, but it isn’t wise to anger this particular sparrowman. He is a lightning talent after all, and he is very protective of Umbra and Lux.

Train (Black Cat)

Travis (OC, Camp Camp)

Tyr (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- A leader among scouts, Tyr doesn’t actually go out and fight or patrol as much as Nyx does. Mostly, he trusts her judgement and lets her handle that side of things unless he’s needed in action, and instead he usually handles the more diplomatic side of it all, and well.. paperwork and documentation. Written records of patrols, and encounters, and all that sort of thing. He hates the paperwork part of his job, and can actually often be found skipping his duties on that front.

- He’s great at the social and personal aspect, and certainly a skilled fighter, but he’d just rather not do the paperwork. More often than once, he has actually been found skipping those duties to instead just explore and enjoy some more frivolous activities, as well as interacting with other fairies and sparrowmen. Often he has been escorted back to his paperwork by two of the scouts under his direct command, Romulus and Kyrie.

Tyrian (OC, The Edovin Trilogy)

Tzekhal (OC, untitled novel)

Tzuriel (OC, untitled novel)

U-1146/White Blood Cell (Cells at Work)

Ueki (Law of Ueki)

Umbra (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Everyone knows Umbra, and everyone sincerely enjoys his company. Of course, this is with the exception of newer fairies, but everyone gets to know him sooner or later, because he loves welcoming everyone new, whether they’re his fellow talent members or not. Umbra is highly social, and genuinely sweet and kind to everyone. Of course, this also means that he is extremely popular, and his good looks of course add to that as well, much to the severe annoyance of Lux.

Undertaker (Black Butler)

Uno (Nanbaka)

Uno (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Uriel (Satan and Me)

Utsuho (Itsuwaribito)

Vafa (Arabian Dreams)

Valiance (OC, The Stormfront Chronicles)

Varian (The Tangled Series)

Vasha (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Venn (OC, Neverland Fairies)

Venture (OC, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Vheildar (OC, Ascension)

Vince (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Viper (OC, Neverland Fairies)

Warren (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Watanuki (xxxHolic)

Wesley (Oz+)

Weston (OC, Beyond the Rainbow)

White Joker (Kuni no Alice)

Willow (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- At first glance, most would look at Willow and think that he’s female. He certainly has a very slender, and almost effeminate body shape, and his long hair doesn’t help either. All around, he genuinely appears female. Even his name could be considered effeminate. However, he is as male as they come, and he does actually take a firm dislike to being mistaken for a girl. Honestly, if someone were to call him a girl too many times, they should be very prepared for a willow whip to the face.

He’s fairly tolerant if it isn’t too often, but.. It’s generally better not to push it too much. Generally, Willow is kind and easy-going, and he takes most things in stride. He’s always willing to help out if he can, except.. If it puts him in a rather demeaning situation. He’ll go along with things for a while, but if he feels at all demeaned or uncomfortable, he will make his feelings known and will stand firm on his refusal to participate.

- There has been the occasional instance of a fairy convincing him to try on a dress, but it doesn’t last long before he gets very annoyed. He also has been flirted with by a few other sparrowmen before they realized he was male like them. Willow’s first appearance in Pixie Hollow was a bit of an event in and of itself, and there was certainly confusion about his gender even then, as his long hair masked most of his figure and even Queen Clarion was fooled for a moment.

- Once he’d settled in with the other garden talents though, it seemed things would be much less confusing, and certainly less exciting, from then on. And for a while, it was. Things had settled down and life went on as it always had. At least.. Until what Willow will now only ever refer to, as the Incident.

Wisp (OC, Neverland Fairies)

Wit (OC, Beast in the Bottle)

Wizardmon (Digimon)

Wolf (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- In the case of this particular sparrowman, the term ‘lone wolf’ isn’t just an expression. This animal talent really tends to be found on his own more often than not, and he is usually working with animals like wolf pups or fox kits, even the occasional bear cub tends to be in his charge. Why? Because despite how he looks, Wolf is actually one of the physically strongest sparrowmen in all of Pixie Hollow, following close behind Ridge and Hatch. He can handle an unruly bear cub, or a mischievous fox kit, no help needed.

- So he tends to be by himself with only animals for company, and occasionally comes across as having little emotion or being somewhat cold. He does have a reckless streak though, and tends to act before he thinks, especially if he feels that what he’s doing is right. Hm. Maybe he should have been a scout instead of an animal talent. But, well, it is what it is. And of course, there is unsurprisingly a reason for his loner behavior.

- There is only one other individual he ever felt remotely close to, even to the point of an almost older/younger sibling dynamic. And that is Michal. Only ever able to see each other from opposite sides of the winter border, Michal had been born a few years before Wolf, and Wolf has always looked up to him, feeling a bond between them that couldn’t be explained.

- And now, the pair of them are excited to be able to visit each other across the border as well, thanks to Tinker Bell and Periwinkle. However, recently, Michal has disappeared, and Wolf is trying to find out why.

Xander (OC, The Faded Legends Saga)

Xavier (The Tangled Series)

Xelloss (The Slayers)

Yamato (Nanbaka)

Yarrow (OC, Neverland Fairies)

- Yarrow tends to be the more serious type, taking his role as healer very seriously and not taking no for an answer, especially if he knows someone needs help but is refusing to accept it. He has even been known to purposely wound himself and perform complex procedures on himself while conscious, to demonstrate that it can be done and there shouldn’t be any concern about it.

- He’s very direct and straightforward, and maybe sometimes the way he goes about things can be considered a little extreme, but he’s practical and everything he does has its purpose. And his life has been relatively calm for the most part. At least.. It was until Ratchet fell into his life. As a matter of fact, it was quite a literal incident, in which Ratchet came crashing through the roof of Yarrow’s home.

Yasuo (OC, untitled novel)

Yogi (Karneval)

Yosuke (Persona 4)

Yudar (OC, the Edovin Trilogy)

Yukito (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Yukito (OC, The Cat Returns)

Yuliy (Sirius the Jaeger)

Yuri (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Yuri Plisetsky (Yuri on Ice)

Zack (OC, Camp Camp)

Zeig (OC, The Edovin Trilogy)

Zeik (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

Zelgadiss (The Slayers)

Zen (Akagami no Shirayuki/Snow White with the Red Hair)

Zera (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Zevran (Dragon Age)

Zigisu (OC, untitled novel)

Zoroaster (OC, Blossoms of the Heart)

Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Zwei (OC, Shinzo/Mushrambo)

(Notes:

* - Fanon OC

** - Original works

*** - Tumblr-made comics/OCs)

#muse list dump #long post under the cut #i think if I keep this pinned #it will help me when i need to update it #and it will help anyone trying to find my muse list #lol

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katehuntington · 4 years

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Title: Changes - part eight Word count: ±4800 words Summary “Changes”: Huntress Zoë Sullivan (OFC) crosses paths and swords with the Winchesters, when the brothers stumble on a case she’s already working. When complications arise, they are forced to work together. Summary part eight: Zoë meets with Terry Cliffer, or is it the shapeshifter? She tries to find out fast, but can’t prevent bullets from flying. Episode warnings: Dark! NSFW, 18+ only! Angst, gore, violence, character death. Description of blood, injury and medical procedures. Demon possession, supernatural creatures/entities. Smut, swearing, alcohol use/addiction. Kidnapping, mentions of torture and murder, illegal/criminal practices. Mentions of nightmares and flashbacks. Music: Boulevard Of Broken Dreams - Greenday. Author’s note: I couldn’t be more excited to share Supernatural: The Sullivan Series with you. There are quite a few people I want to thank: @coffee-obsessed-writer, @soupornatural & @mrswhozeewhatsis, who edited the early drafts, and my girls @girl-with-a-fandom-fettish & @winchest09 who are deciphering the recent version. Everyone who encouraged me to go for it, you are awesome!

Supernatural: The Sullivan Series Masterlist 01x01 “Changes” Masterlist

Zoë sips her cappuccino as she observes the foam floating on top of her hot drink. She’s at Beetle’s, sitting on a stool at the bar. Cigarette smoke fills the air, and even though she would love to light one, she ignores the smell. Instead the huntress stares at the bottles across from the counter, exhibited on the shelves, the back wall is a mirror to create the illusion that they have a lot more drinks in store. It’s a modern kind of place, the only history it shows are some pictures, pinned to the wall. The current number one hit Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Greenday plays in the background. She listens to the lyrics, the song appealing to her. I walk this empty street, on the boulevard of broken dreams Where the city sleeps and I'm the only one and I walk alone My shadow's the only one that walks beside me My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me 'Til then I walk alone

The long nights are taking their toll. Although strangers still see a stunning young woman, she herself notices the signs of fatigue in her reflection, despite her makeup, that is a little more prominent than usual. Zoë finds it thrilling to pretend to be someone she’s not. She traded her leather biker outfit for a white blouse, a black blazer, matching suit pants and pumps. Her straightened dark hair is combed back and tied together in a bun. It’s funny, leather or business, she still gives away the same message; don’t mess with me.

Her eyes capture the bottle of Johnny Walker Red again. She would kill for a glass, but having a shot wouldn’t be a smart thing to do. Focus is the issue here; no way she’s letting her guard down. The damn bastard shot her once and she doesn’t feel like peeling a bullet out of herself for the second time today. But one glass wouldn’t hurt, right? Zoë shakes her head, deciding against it. This appointment can go two ways: either the shapeshifter shows up and this bar and its customers are going to have the most ‘exciting’ evening of their lives, or Terry Cliffer shows up and this will be nothing more than a boring interrogation. Not to mention, this case will once again take longer than anticipated, because by now, the fucker could’ve easily shifted into someone else already.

She finishes her coffee and leaves the empty cup on the bar. Carefully, she glances over her shoulder. Zoë can’t put her finger on it, but she can feel a pair of eyes burning in her back; someone’s watching her. The shapeshifter maybe? She remembers Sam’s words and realizes that even if she meets Cliffer within fifteen minutes, the son of a bitch might actually be here right now. Suddenly, she hears something sweeping towards her over the wooden bartop. Startled, she turns to the bartender, who still has his hand folded around a glass of whiskey. “You’ve been eying that Johnny Walker bottle for twenty minutes and you look really tense. You need a drink, on the house.”

She looks him in the eye, trying to decide whether or not to trust him. She smiles politely and takes the glass, but doesn’t drink, just yet. “Thank you,” she says, observing him. “You’re the owner of this place? Rob Michaels?” “That’s me,” Rob answers while he polishes a glass. We’ll see about that, Zoë thinks to herself. The bartender could be the shapeshifter, for all she knows. She needs to figure out if he is, without giving him the impression that she’s suspecting him. “Then you probably know most of your regulars, right?” she questions. “Right…” Rob hesitates. “Am I being questioned?” “Whatever you wanna call it,” she flashes him her FBI identification.

He raises his eyebrows. He thought there was something more to her than just a businesswoman who’s getting a drink after work, but a fed? He had city police over, even state police at one point, this is a new one. He leans in for her to hear his whispered words. “Something shady going on in my bar?” he asks, looking around for anything suspicious. She puts her ID away in the inside pocket of her blazer, after which she folds her hands together, ignoring his question. “What do you know about Terry Cliffer?” Rob chuckles. “Are you kidding me? Terry wouldn’t hurt a fly.” “We’re not just around to catch the bad guys, Mr. Michaels. We actually intend to prevent crimes from happening, too” she states, pretending to be insulted. “Is he in trouble?” the bar owner wonders. “I think I’m the one who’s doing the questioning here, Rob. Can I call you Rob?” Zoë grabs a hold of the conversation again, not impressed. “S-sure,” he answers, intimidated. She glances at the clock, it’s 5:55. Then she continues. “Tell me what you know.”

Zoë’s eyes are penetrating, yet calm and the bartender soon begins his story, but he doesn’t start off with anything new. Shy guy, father of two, yada yada yada. Her thoughts wander off to the whiskey bottle on the shelf again, as she partly listens. Shit, she wants that heavenly brown liquor, and she wants it bad. Although there’s a full glass in front of her, she still refuses to drink it. Zoë hasn’t actually seen him rinse the glass, nor if he poured the whiskey straight from the bottle; it could be spiked. The huntress contemplates on dragging him over the counter and cutting him; if he screams out in terror, he’s not the shifter, if he doesn’t, he is. Yeah, maybe not such a great idea, Zo, she thinks to herself. And all this time she keeps staring at the Johnny Walker Red.

“He moved into town a few years back with his family. I believe he still owns some property about a mile or three out, though. Somewhere on 110th Ave,” Rob says with a lowered voice. Suddenly there’s the sound of glass breaking. The bartender turns around and is surprised to find the bottle of whiskey in pieces on the floor. “Ah, damn it! Must have left it too close to the edge,” he mutters as he kneels down to pick up the biggest pieces of shattered glass. Startled, Zoë stares over the bar, recapturing what just happened. Did she just… Ah shit, not this again. “That’s a shame,” she comments to break the silence. “Sure is,” he agrees, but then pulls his hand back with a little screech. “Ow!” He gets up and Zoë immediately detects the bleeding cut on his finger, which causes Rob to hiss in pain. A shapeshifter wouldn’t feel a thing when being cut by glass; so much for her theory. As if she was waiting for the lights to go green on a racetrack, she puts the glass to her mouth and lets the whiskey ooze down her throat. My God, she so needed a drink.

In the meantime Rob takes off to the kitchen, probably to bandage the cut. It’s when the door closes behind him, that his last words sink in. 110th Ave! Cliffer owned land there? She quickly gets her ducks in a row. She knows O’Brien, Middleton and Gibson, the missing people, have all been at 110th Avenue over the last month, but no one actually owned a place there. This might be a major lead! Why didn’t she learn about this sooner? She has to find the exact address and pay a visit as soon as she’s done here.

As the place gets more crowded during these after work hours, Terry Cliffer walks in. Zoë straightens her back and looks over the crowd. Insecure, the guy in his mid-forties searches the place, then he carefully approaches the bar. He’s not a tall man and he seems thin. It surprises Zoë that the shapeshifter chose his body to copy in the first place. He glances behind the bar, probably looking for Rob to ask if there has been anyone around looking for him. By this time, Zoë has hopped off the bar stool and walked up to the guy. Her gun, loaded with silver bullets, hangs from her belt and burns in her flesh through the fabric of her dress pants. If he attacks, runs, or does something else that she doesn’t like, she’s going to shoot him. “Terry Cliffer?” He turns around and looks her in the eye. Not a sign of recognition. The shapeshifter would recognize her, after all, she is the one hunting him. Nothing strange, nothing out of the ordinary happens, he just puts out his hand to greet her. “Are you the FBI agent?” he assumes, carefully. “That would be me, yeah,” she takes out her federal agent identification again. “Shall we take a seat?” They move to a table in the far corner and sit down. A good spot, one she picked out the moment she walked in. From here, she has a clear view over the entire place, yet it’s private. She signals Rob, who probably took care of his little problem and is back behind his bar. In a few seconds he halts next to their table.

“What can I get you?” he takes out a pen and a small notebook. “A beer, if that’s okay?” Terry glances at the woman across from the table. “Be my guest,” she approves and looks up at Rob. “Plain water please.” “Oh, and can I get something to eat? I didn’t actually get the chance to have dinner, yet.” The last sentence was more directed to Zoë than to the bar owner, excusing himself again in that self-conscious way. “The usual?” the owner of the place asks. Terry nods. “Anything else?” Rob glances from one to the other. “No, I think we’re fine,” Zoë answers. “Okay then, coming right up.”

Rob leaves the table and finally Zoë can start her conversation. She begins with an attempt to break the ice, since Terry seems to be pretty tense. It’s not every day that you have a one-on-one with an FBI agent. “Not planning to have supper with your family?” she assumes. “Not today, my wife took the kids to their grandparents for the week, down in Preston,” Terry tells her. Good, they are safe, Zoë notes. She folds her hands together leaning on her forearms on the edge of the table, ready to start the interrogation, but Terry beats her to it. “I don’t want to be rude, but I expected to meet a man today,” he admits with a nervous laugh. “Right, I heard you talked to my partner. He called in sick,” she makes up quickly. “It was really odd, he didn’t know your name,” Terry tells her. “For a moment, I thought I was being pranked or something.”

Uh-oh. Is he suspecting something? She has to come up with something good now to keep a good impression. “I actually got married a week ago,” she lets a smile play on her lips, turning her mother’s engagement ring on her finger, drawing attention to the piece of jewelry. “I changed surnames. What can I say, he doesn’t like change.” “Congratulations!” Terry smiles back, seemingly buying it. Pfew, that was a close call. Now it’s her turn to ask some questions, because all she has been doing during the last five minutes is covering the Winchester’s fuck ups. Just as she takes a breath to begin, Rob shows up next to the table with their drinks and a cutlery set for Terry. Zoë lets out an annoyed sigh and looks away.

“One beer and plain water.” He puts down the glasses from his dinner-tray, which he holds up with his left hand. As he sets down Terry’s beer, the meat knife slips from the plate and falls, the sharp edge pointing down. Zoë looks up just in time to see the knife penetrate the hand of the man she’s about to negotiate. She almost lets out a moan of disgust, but strangely enough, Terry doesn’t even notice it until he glances at his hand. “Terry, Jesus Christ! I’m so sorry, it - it just fell off!” Rob stammers, but neither of them hear him. It’s not a silver knife, it’s stainless steel, Zoë realizes instantly. Slowly the person - no - creature, on the other side of the table lifts his head until he looks directly at her. His facial expression is no longer insecure and friendly, but self-confident and sadistic. For a brief moment his eyes flash white, as the eyes of a cat reflect when it stares into a pair of headlights.

“You son of a--” There’s no time to finish her sentence. In a split second, the shapeshifter draws his gun and Zoë is just in time to flip the metal table over on the side. She goes for her Smith & Wesson as well, as the shapeshifter backs up, causing his chair to fall over. Several people turn around to see what’s going on as Rob turns pale and steps back. Just before he unleashes a bullet on her, she shouts a warning. “Everybody on the floor!” As screams are let out by people inside the bar, the shifter fires two bullets at her, but by using the steel table as a shield, she stays unharmed. “No way you’re gonna shoot me twice, fucker,” she snarls as she aims her gun over the edge of the table and pulls the trigger. Making sure not to injure any civilians, Zoë fires three shots in a row. She’s not sure if any of them hit the target, but he’s still running. “Fuck!” she curses as the third shot shatters the glass of the front door.

Quickly, she follows and intends to run outside. Good thing she takes cover behind the doorpost as she glances around the corner, because the huntress stares right into a barrel. Just in time, she retreats and the two bullets shoot by her. Stumbling back inside, she takes a short second to catch her breath with her back against the wall and her gun tightly gripped in both hands and pointing it down. Several frightened and panicked eyes look straight at the FBI impersonator. One face stands out, Rob stares at her as if he just saw a ghost. “I hope you’ve got insurance, Rob,” she comments, out of breath from all the excitement. He nods his head, dumbfounded, unable to get a proper ‘yes’ or ‘no’ out of his mouth. “Good, have a nice evening. Sorry ‘bout the mess.” She smiles uncomfortably and gives him an awkward wave.

After gathering her courage, the huntress exits the bar. With the gun pointing ahead and her index finger off the trigger, Zoë clears the area, but there’s no one there but a bunch of thrill seekers who probably heard the gunshots. Zoë lets out a sigh and lowers her nine mil; she’s back to square one. There’s no need to follow him, he could be anywhere and anyone by now. She moves back to the small alleyway next to the bar where she parked her Harley, still expecting an ambush behind every corner. When she walks up the street, she notices a shiny fluid on the sidewalk, which catches her attention. Curious she kneels down and touches it with the tip of her finger; it’s blood. A grin appears on her face; looks like she managed to hit him after all.

When she looks further she notices a blood trail leading to a manhole in the center of the alley. The shifter left the cover off, allowing the huntress to stare down into the black depth. “Hope my bullet hurts as much as yours did, fucking lizard!” she bellows down. Zoë gets up and makes her way to the Harley, thinking through her next move and forcing herself to focus, even though the adrenaline is still rushing through her body. Terry Cliffer’s property at 110th Avenue; that is her first priority. She would bet money on it: this has to be the location of the shapeshifter’s lair.

It’s quiet in the parking lot when Zoë pulls up to the motel, but she doesn't pay much attention to the silence, determined to close this case tonight. She rushes inside while taking her helmet off, doesn’t bother to pay attention to the man behind the counter and quickly opens the door to her room. Her Macbook is still buzzing softly and as soon as she presses a key, the screen activates. She selects a tracking website from her favorites and types in the information she has. After several seconds a complete address shows: 3841 110th Avenue NW. Quickly she kicks off her pumps, changes her dress pants for jeans and her blazer for the new leather Harley Davidson jacket. As she’s lacing up her biker boots, when three loud bangs on the door startle her. Cautious, the huntress takes her gun in her left hand, finger still off the trigger, and silently approaches the door. “Mrs. Johnson! I know you’re in there!” She recognizes that voice, it’s the owner of the motel. Quickly she puts away her weapon and opens the door. The old man is waiting with a phone still in his hand, he doesn’t seem amused. “I just received a call from one of my guests who was dining at Beetle’s Bar, said he saw you shooting up the place,” he recalls. “I can explain that,” she states, calmly. “I bet you can. You know what? I’ll bet your real name isn’t even Johnson. I want you out. I said I didn’t want any trouble,” he insists, pointing down the hallway. “Just give me a sec.” She goes for her ID in her inside pocket while her other hand makes a calming gesture, then she shows it to him. “My name isn’t Johnson, you’re right. It’s Evans, Sarah Evans. I’m a federal agent and I was working undercover,” she explains. “FBI? Yeah, right. I don’t give a damn. Now, get out of my motel,” the man decides. “Alright, let me get my stuff,” she sighs, putting back her identification.

Instead of pulling back her hand empty, she grabs a small flashlight, turns it on and points it in the old man’s eyes. Her suspicion is confirmed, because his eyes flash white. For a brief moment the shapeshifter is overwhelmed by the reveal, enough time for Zoë to drop the flashlight into her striking hand, breach the space between them and slam her fist right up his nose, giving him one hell of an uppercut. He goes down in the hallway and looks up at her, staggered. “Come on. Did you really think I was gonna be that easy?” she chuckles, flipping the torch up in the air and catching it skillfully.

She grabs him by the collar and drags him inside her room, shifting the fight between four walls instead of on the corridor, not wanting innocent bystanders to get caught in the crossfire. She drops him to the ground, glaring down on him with disgust as she takes her gun from behind her waistband. The shifter clears his throat, wiping crimson red from his lip. “Actually, I did. I almost shot you twice. Reckoned this would be a piece of cake,” he gloats with a grin, after which he struggles to get on his feet, holding his hands up. “You wanna shoot me in a fully booked motel? Try to explain that to the neighbors.” Zoë narrows her eyes at him, mentally kicking herself for leaving the gun suppressor in her storage locker the last time she was there. The bastard has a point; shooting what looks like the owner of Motel 6 through the heart, will definitely draw attention. She scoffs, pursing her lips, then she takes the magazine from her weapon and lays it on the bed. “We’ll finish this the old fashioned way, then,” she agrees confidently.

They face each other, challenging. Zoë adjusts to a back stance, putting her left foot behind her and bending her knees slightly. Her hands lift up in front of her face as she flexes her fingers, ready for anything that son of a bitch is going to throw at her. “I have to say, you got me fooled. Making me believe Terry Cliffer was going to be your next dress-up party, while he actually was your first. Smart,” she admits. “If you admire me so much, why waste me?” he tests, blood dripping from his nose. She smirks at that, entertained by his arrogance. “Don’t give yourself too much credit.”

He steps towards her, but she beats him to it. In a quick move she defends, blocking his attack with her forearm and swings her back leg up with force, kicking the shifter hard against his temple. He goes down, shaking his head to ward off the black spots that are inevitably swimming in front of his eyes. When he looks up, the huntress has taken her rear foot stance again. One fist with her palm up on her hip and ready to strike, the other is ready in front of her to defend. “Gotta say, you fight pretty good for a girl,” He gets to his feet again, wiping his brow. “Or should I call you the Karate Kid?” “Oh, I’m not a kid. I’m more like a ninja,” she smirks, staring him down. “Ninja or not, you’re no match for me.”

He charges her, faster than humanly possible. Despite his supernatural speed, she dodges his jab and releases another kick, against his ribs this time. The creature locks her leg before she can retreat, however, and steps in while Zoë has lost her balance. With a fierce strike, his fist hits her in the jaw, hard. He still has a hold of her leg and twists it, forcing her on the floor, pulling a groan of agony from her as the ligaments in her knee stretch further than possible. Not giving up that easily, she pushes her left foot from the ground, using the leverage of him still holding her right leg tight to swing the other to his head, hitting him on the side of his face with her instep. He releases her and she breaks her fall, rolls, and gets up again, all in one swift movement. The arm that had a strong grip on her only seconds ago, is now twisted to the shifter’s back. Roughly, she forces him to his knees; he can't go anywhere.

“What did you do to those people?” she demands, not asking very nicely. “Oh, don’t worry, I don’t actually kill them. It’s far more fun to watch them suffer,” he responds, sadistically. “You son of a—” She doesn’t have time to finish her sentence, because the shapeshifter throws his head back and hits her hard in the teeth. Sharp pain shoots through the roots into her skull and for a moment there she’s sure he broke off a tooth or two; so much for looking fabulous. In that split second, the chameleon manages to fight free, grabs her by her arm and violently throws her over his shoulder. Zoë lands on her back, the air slamming out of her lungs. She gasps sharply, unable to catch her breath. No time to recover from the pain, though, because she receives a kick in the gut a moment after.

Losing control over the fight fast, she tries to push away from her attacker to buy herself some valuable time, but her opponent takes the liberty to help her up, forcing her to stand by pulling her hair, before she suffers a blow in the chest with a strength that exceeds that of a human being. The huntress slams into the table, the edge bruising her lower back, feeling the tight grip of the shifter's hands on her throat when he roughly pushes her into the wooden surface. With a devilish grin on his thin lips, he chokes her, clearly enjoying the display: how his victim fights for air, trying to pull in desperate breaths as he crushes her throat under his fingers.

“You know what I do to them? I keep them somewhere safe, safe from the world, where no one can find them,” he tells her, his speech eerily slow, as if he’s reading a chapter of a horror novel. Zoë glances aside briefly. Although she can’t move her head, she notices the empty whiskey bottle she and Dean left last night, still laying on its side in the window sill. She reaches out, almost touching the glass, but the bottle remains out of reach by an inch or two. The shapeshifter laughs at her attempt and continues his story, as if he has all the time in the world to tell it. “Humans are such strange creatures, you know? If you keep them together in a tiny cage for a while, they tend to behave like spiders. They attack each other, eventually kill and actually eat their own kind out of pure desperation. How amusing is that?”

Zoë can’t hold back a gag, but forces herself to concentrate on the bottle. It vibrates almost unnoticeable, then the bottleneck turns towards her slightly. Focus, Zo! You can do this! She sends all her energy through her stretched out arm towards the nerve endings on her fingertips. It works, because the bottle flies into her hand. With an unexpected strike Zoë breaks the bottle on the shifter’s head, who stumbles back, finally letting go of her neck. Trying to suck oxygen down her painful windpipe, she coughs uncontrollably. Alright, that’s enough. A fair fight seems noble and all, but having a face off with a supernatural being, might not have been one of her smartest ideas. The huntress reaches for her gun and takes the magazine from the bed, swings around, aiming at… nothing? The room is empty. “Fuck, not again,” she curses, bummed that she can’t put twenty years of jujitzu training in good use because of the runner.

Before bolting out the door, the experienced huntress glances both ways down the hallway, her gun ready. Shit. No sign of the shifter. She lets out a frustrated sigh and moves in, rolling her tongue over her straight teeth in the meantime, checking if they got chipped after the nasty headbutt she received. When she clears the foyer, she is surprised to find the real motel owner, tied up to a chair in nothing more than a shirt and trunks, his mouth taped. “Are you alright?” she asks, as he ‘hmm’s’ loudly. In a quick movement she rips the tape from his mouth, unleashing a rant of curses and shouts. “Ouch! That son of a bitch! Where is he?! Where is that bastard who did this to me?! I’m gonna kill him! I swear, I’m gonna--”

Zoë stares at him for a moment, feeling a headache coming on, then grabs the roll of duct tape from the counter. While the manager keeps on raging, she rips off a piece of tape and presses it over his mouth. There is no way in the world she’s gonna release the pissed off elder; he needs some cooling down time. Casually she picks up the phone and for a moment considers dialling 911, but decides this isn’t really that much of an emergency and calls the local police. “Hello? Yeah, hi. I just found an old guy tied up to a chair in not much more than his undies… Motel 6, 2107 Highway 52 North... My name? Yeah, it’s Not Interested.” She hangs up and clears her throat, wiping her prints from the horn, then walks away, bored, with the roll of duct tape in her hand, leaving the furiously moaning motel owner behind the counter.

Back in her room, she gathers her things and stuffs them in two duffels, which fit into the two big leather saddlebags on her Harley perfectly. She makes quick work of getting rid of all the evidence, including the glass she shattered on the shifter’s head. With both bags on her shoulder, she takes a last look around and leaves the room, waving at the motel manager on her way out while hiding her face from the security camera. The cover of the manhole in the center of the parking lot is removed; her shifter went underground again. He's running back to his hideout, only he doesn't know that she knows exactly where that is. “3841 110th Avenue Northwest,” she mumbles to herself as she gets on her bike and puts the helmet on her head.

That’s where she’s going, that’s where this is going to end. The Harley engine roars loudly when she accelerates. Its back tire spins for a moment before the motorbike takes off as the evening sets in. This is going to be her last night in Rochester and his last night on the face of the earth. Zoë is determined: this hunt ends tonight.

Thank you for reading. I appreciate every single one of you, but if you do want to give me some extra love, you are free to reblog my work or buy me coffee (Link in bio at the top of the page).

Read part nine here

The Sullivan Series tags: @a-gir1-has-n0-name @destielhoneybee @fookinghelljensensthighs @idksupernatural @laphirablack @magssteenkamp

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huntertales · 4 years

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Part Two: Don’t Get Too Preachy. (I’m No Angel S09E03)

Episode Summary: When Ezekiel tells Sam and Dean about a group of angels that are hunting Cas, the reader and the boys race to find their friend before the angels do. Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader Word Count: 3,473.

Previous Part | Supernatural Rewrite Masterlist

The next morning you and the boys were at the local police precinct that reported the crime of your dead pharmacist that was your next big lead in trying to find Cas’ latest whereabouts. You greeted the detective who was working the case with a lie that you were here on the behalf of the FBI to lend out a helping hand. While he led you up to his office, he told you about the strange details in the case that left him scratching his head. And the reason why you were here in the first place.

You stepped out of the elevator when all of you got up to the level in the building where his office was located, following behind him through the busy floor with other officers going about their day. "Damnedest thing if I ever saw. Vic had a stab wound, but it's not what killed him." The detective continued on. “It’s like his insides were—”

“Vaporized?” Dean cut off the man, giving him a word that might help describe what he saw a little better. The detective turned his head to give the older Winchester a sort of surprised look at how eerily accurate he was. Deans shrugged. “It’s been going around.”

“So, this guy was a pharmacist from Ohio?” Sam asked the detective.

“Apparently. Total family man, religious. One day, just hops in the S.U.V, takes off, dies under a bridge here from God knows what.” The detective said. You stopped at his desk so he could grab two large evidence bags filled with the victim's belongings and handed them over to you. "This is his stuff. Help yourselves.”

You smiled and mumbled a thank you, watching as he went on his business somewhere else so you and the boys could privately take a look at whatever sort of junk the pharmacist was carrying around. You dumped one of the bag’s contents onto the desk and took one glance to realize most of it wouldn’t be helpful for you. It was nothing more than a bunch of loose change, car keys, his wallet, phone and a pocket sized bible. You grabbed the bible and flipped through the pages with doubt that you were going to find anything useful in here. Dean took his chances with the man’s phone. He scrolled through the text messages and apps on his phone, trying to find anything that might raise a few red flags.

“Anything?” You asked, tossing the bible back down to the table in defeat.

“Nothing weird. Crappy music, a lot of podcasts, all the same.” Dean said. “Reverend Buddy Bolye’s ‘Goin’ for glory hour.’”

“Cop said he was religious.” Sam noted.

You leaned over to stare at the phone's tiny screen when Dean pulled up the reverend’s most recent podcast to see if it might be the least bit helpful in trying to figure out what happened. At first glance it seemed like the rest of the stereotypical religious crap people of faith watched. Some overweight middle-aged reverend preached with his open bible with a little too much enthusiasm about what he was saying, all while behind a backdrop that people could only wish was what was waiting for them at the pearly gates.

“Join me in a heapin’ helpin’ of glory, friends. When you’re in the presence of the divine, you’ll know it. And if you let yourself, you’ll hear it.” Dean didn’t seem to be the least bit impressed as you rolled your eyes from the mumbo jumbo the reverend was trying to preach to all of his followers. He fast forwarded to near the end of the podcast, presuming the rest was filled with the same kind of stuff. “So, remember, when angels come a-knocking, let ‘em on in.”

You furrowed your brow slightly from the context of the preacher’s words that might be taken a different way for a faithful person. There was more of a deeper meaning to those words, you knew that for sure. “Angels can’t possess a human without permission, right?” Sam asked. You nodded your head. It seemed angels were starting to get desperate for a warm body to possess if they were using some sort of propaganda to fool humans into saying the magical word. “So, what, they’re using this guy to find vessels?”

“It’s a willing audience. They’re all religious types like our pharmacist here.” You said. “Buddy Boyle was telling them to let the angels take them over.”

“Like body snatchers.” Sam said.

“How big a reach does this Boyle guy have?” Dean asked, wondering what kind of scale of angels might have over people they were able to reach.

Sam pulled up a new browser and typed in the podcast’s name into a search engine, hitting enter and clicking on the second link that popped up. You stepped closer to the computer and examined the map of the world on the reverend's official home page, your eyes wandering over the many, many red dots on the map. You let out a frustrated sigh from what this meant. He was more than just a local celebrity. The word of the Lord traveled all over the entire world, reaching anyone who has access to the internet. Which was just about everyone these days.

You and the boys shared a quick glance at one another before deciding you saw everything you needed. Sam clicked out of the browser and headed to the exit with you and his brother. Since this lead had done nothing more than wasting your time, you needed to figure out a new one quick.

+ + +

"Look, for the billionth time, we're just looking for some information, okay? We're not cops. I mean, do we look like cops?" Dean tried once again to reassure the four people of many more others weren’t in any sort of trouble. You decided to try your luck and check out the spot where the pharmacist was killed, hopeful that someone might have seen something. However everyone clammed up when you started asking questions. You and the boys had long ditched your fed suits in favor for your regular street clothes. But it wasn’t everyday people like yourselves go poking around in their living space. One of the homeless people nodded his head, mumbling a yes to Dean’s question. “Well, we’re not cops.”

“We just need to find a friend who’s in trouble.” You explained to them the real reason why you were here so they would understand they weren’t going to get busted for trying to survive. “He might have been here the night that guy was killed. Were any of you here then?”

“Maybe.” Your eyes jumped over to a man who came over to join the conversation, probably wondering why a couple of people were asking questions. He seemed hesitant, unsure of your reasons for finding the man were sincere.

“Oh, okay. Uh, he’s got dark hair, blue eyes, a little out of it.” Dean gave a description of the person you were looking for, hopeful it might jog the man’s memory and help point you in the right direction. The man thought about it for a moment, only he was drawing blanks.

“He maybe called himself Clarence?” Sam added. It seemed the name made him remember the face his brother described. The man nodded and smiled slightly, making it seem they had some sort of contact while Cas was here. “You two talk?”

The man shrugged, “Not much.”

“And…?” Dean trailed off, silently hinting for more information he knew the man was withholding.

“I think he was on the run.” The man said.

“You see him with the vic?” Sam asked him. You cleared your throat ever so quietly, making the younger man correct himself from the lingo that sounded awful familiar to what a cop would say. It was the exact image you were trying to steer clear from. “Uh, victim?”

“No.” The man said. You noticed that he was starting to become hesitant about telling you more about what happened to Cas from the more you asked. You gave him a friendly smile in some sort of attempt to put his mind at ease that you weren’t going to hurt Cas. It was the exact opposite of what you were trying to do. “He went off to sleep in another part of the resort.”

The man tried to leave the conversation at that as he walked off. You and the boys followed right after him, not letting him leave so quickly. “Where?” Dean asked.

“He’s not there now.” He said, tossing the garbage bag he was holding into the pickup of some old rusty truck you would be surprised to if it was still able to run.

“Where’d he go?” You pressured him for a straight answer.

“I saw him running from under the bridge to the highway.” He said.

Dean waited a few seconds for the man to add on any sort of details as to the direction of where Cas might have gone. However all he got in return was silence, making him grow annoyed at the game of twenty questions all of you seemed to be playing for a simple response. “You gonna pay us for all this teeth pulling? Where was he headed?”

“He flagged a truck heading north. Detroit, probably.” The man said. You furrowed your brow at the location that sounded a hell of a lot like a guess, but he sounded sure enough of himself that he was right. Truck was marked 'Motor City Meats.'”

+ + +

A hunter’s diet wasn’t filled with nutritious meals and five servings of vegetables. You were lucky half the time if you managed to find a piece of fruit that wasn’t all the way rotten when you made a pit stop at the gas station for a quick meal. Since living in the bunker you were able to have more food in the kitchen that wasn’t going to lead you into an early death. There was only so much fast food and microwaveable meals someone could digest over the years. You missed the opportunity of having a home cooked meal that was now more accessible since you had a roof over your head. However you were never going to deny yourself a chance at indulging in your favorite junk food for the road to Michigan for the long drive ahead of you.

You snuck a hand inside the plastic bag Dean was carrying for your food as the three of you headed out of the convenience store and to the quiet streets. You smiled in amusement as Sam took it upon himself to lecture his brother about his unhealthy choice in pie as he read the list of ingredients that weren't good for a human body. Sam tried his hardest to treat his body well, choosing healthier options when he could. However Dean was a bottomless pit. You had no idea how he still managed to look the way that he did with the diet that he had kept up for all of these years.

“Look at these chemicals.” Sam said, shaking his head. “Do you even read the label?”

“No. I read ‘pie.’” Dean snatched his beloved dessert out of his brother’s hand and shoved it back into the bag for safekeeping to enjoy later tonight. You quietly chuckled at their banter that was never short of amusing in your eyes. “The rest is just ‘blah, blah, blah.’”

“Okay, listen, when we hit Detroit, I say we start with the homeless shelters.” You suggested the next plan of action as you took another bite of your food. You and the boys kept on walking, passing by someone who was using a pay phone on the street. “If that doesn’t lead to anything, then we should hit up the encampments, soup kitchens.”

“Yeah, and I can check for vagrancy arrests.” Sam added another possible way you could track your friend down.

“Yeah, and, you know…” Dean mimicked his head exploding. “odd deaths.”

You crossed the street and headed down a dark alley, casually going about your business as one might think. You weren’t stupid. You knew there was someone following you. The guy who was at the payphone was now several feet behind you, trying to make it seem he was going about his night. You got suspicious when he happened to be going the same direction you and the boys were. You crumbled up the food wrapped and tossed it into the dumpster and reached for the demon knife tucked in the waistband of your jeans. When the man turned down the exact same alley expecting the three of you to be there, he stopped when he noticed there seemed to be nobody around except for himself.

He stood there for a moment as he looked around the alleyway, trying to figure out how three people managed to vanish into thin air. One of the things a hunter learns quickly on was how to figure out if someone was following them. And confront the person who was stupid enough to go after someone like you. The man took a few more steps down the alley, wondering where you might be hiding. While he was thinking to himself was when the boys made their move. They slammed him up against a chained fence, pinning him down with an angel blade pressed against his throat. He realized that he was up three against one. Didn’t matter what he was, there was no way he was getting out of this alive if he didn’t answer a few questions of yours.

+ + +

Reapers were your least favorite kind of people to deal with. The few times you crossed paths with one trouble always followed. One of you was always fighting to save your life, and then there was that one time where you made a deal with Death himself to get Sam’s soul back from the cage. The poor reaper, Tessa, was stuck with you for twenty-four hours. She wasn’t a particular fan of you from the stunts you pulled that made her job harder. While you bumped into her by pure coincidence, the one who had been trailing you and the boys seeked you out for a particular reason.

You managed to get some information out of him after you went somewhere a little more private. The reaper, who was known as Maurice, flinched in pain when Dean slashes him once again with the angel blade when he wouldn’t properly cooperate with you. His chest was covered in several masks with his wrists cuffed to some exposed pipe, rendering him under your mercy. You learned so far that the angels were asking a favor from the reapers to find a certain someone.

“So, Maurice. You bounty hunters are like Delta Force reapers. Why would they sic you on Cas?”

“He warded himself.” Maurice said.

“Naomi hire you?” Dean questioned the reaper, wondering if the angel you had only met once before was behind all of this.

“You really are out of the loop.” Maurice chuckled at the lack of knowledge either one of you knew. You furrowed your brow slightly, wondering why that was that was so funny to him. “Naomi's dead. Resting in pieces.”

“So then who's running things now?” Sam asked. Maurice responded with the silent treatment. You rolled your eyes in annoyance from how complicated he was making things for himself.

“Answer!” Dean shouted at the reaper, his patience wearing dangerously thin.

“Her protégé, Bartholomew.” Maurice responded unwillingly a few seconds later. “He's an up-and-comer.”

“So he figured we'd lead you to Cas.” You said, connecting the dots on your own. It was a typical tactic trying to get their hands on their least favorite sibling. They must’ve known you would go looking for Cas after he dropped off the map. But they were stupid enough to believe you would eventually catch on. You found yourself circling back to a name Maurice mentioned a few seconds ago. “This Bartholomew, is he the one who’s organizing the angels?”

You raised your brow slightly when the reaper continued to give you the silent treatment, leaving your question unanswered. You gave him a moment before Dean slashed Maurice over the chest once again.

“That's all I know.” Maurice admitted to you. Dean stepped forward and placed the tip of the blade against the reaper’s throat. The sharpness of the blade caused him to flinch and tilt his chin upwards, forcing him to look the older Winchester in the eye, and for him to realize all of this would be child’s play compared to what you could do to get more information. But he wasn’t scared. “You can kill me. It won't matter. If I don't find Castiel, there are others that will. But do what you want.”

Dean decided he would do just that. You weren’t the least bit fazed by the mentions of angels and reapers on your tail, you had something hunting you almost all of the time. You were already expecting the extra competition. You and the boys had a mutual agreement Maurice wouldn’t be much help to you. So it seemed useless to keep him breathing. Dean shoved the angel blade into the reaper’s chest, killing him without a second thought. You might be chased by angels and reapers, and they might be able to track you, but it didn’t mean you were going to give up so easily.

+ + +

You and the boys spent almost all night driving around town, following every possible lead you could think of with the hopes that Cas might be hiding somewhere safe from harm. All it turned out to be was wasted effort on your part. He was nowhere to be found, making you start to fear for the worst that you might be too late. Dean pulled up into a parking lot and shut off the engine. The sun had risen over an hour ago and you were wasting time. Either Cas was heading somewhere new, or a reaper managed to get their hands on him.

You casually looked out the backseat window and to your outside surroundings, wondering if you might get lucky and find the man wandering around. When you found nothing you turned your gaze straight forward, where you met eye contact with Dean. You furrowed your brow slightly in confusion as to why he was staring at you. “What’s up?”

“We've been chasing our tails all night. No Cas. ‘What's up?’ I'm fried.” Dean said. He was tired of doing things the hard way. There was a potential lead neither one of you had tried yet. Time was running out, and there wasn’t much else Dean could think of to find his best friend. “I think it's time for plan B.”

“I'm not following.” You mumbled, looking between the boys when you heard Sam let out a sudden sigh of frustration from what his brother was implying. It seemed he managed to catch on, but you were left in the dark.

“I'm letting you know.” Dean spoke his words deliberately slow and meaningful, as if he was trying to tell you something in secret.

“O-okay.” You said. You were officially lost as to what the hell was going on. “Um, letting me know what?”

“I'm letting you know.” Dean was more slower and delberite with his words, as if he was trying to get you to unlock some memory in your head that you were suppressing. Or he was trying to talk to someone who you didn’t know was there.

You kept staring at him like he had grown a second head, that was, until your eyes suddenly flowed a bright blue, your expression changed as you sat up straighter in your seat. Dean managed to get through to the person who he was trying to reach. Ezekiel was now officially behind the wheel. And he didn’t look too pleased about it. “What is it, Dean?”

“We need your help.” Dean said, admitting defeat after brushing off the angel’s offer a few days before.

“That is flattering. We've been through this.” Ezekiel said. “I cannot be making public appearances.”

“Oh, I understand that. I'm not asking you to walk the red carpet, Zeke, okay? I need your help finding Cas.” Deans stated the real reason why he was speaking to him in the first place.

“It cannot be done.” The angel said. “He is warded.”

“I know that, but maybe you can use your intergalactic, hyperspace, X-ray eyeballs to find someone else.” Dean said. The way he explained things to the angel got a lack of uncertainty of what he was talking about. “There might be a reaper for rent on his ass. Could you find them?”

“I could try.” Ezekiel said.

Ezekiel shut his eyes and put his concentration on tuning into angel radio to eavesdrop on the chatter among his siblings. The boys anxiously waited for a response that was their only chance at finding Cas. Ezekiel kept to his word, giving a location that wasn’t too far from here. If Dean was fast enough, all of you would be able to get there in record time. When you came back around, it was like no time had passed at all, but you were confused when Dean turned the engine back on and slammed his foot on the gas.

[Next Part]

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thewhumperinwhite · 4 years

Text

Café: Gas Station

Previous: Teaser 1, Teaser 2, Hospital/Squad Car, Empty Bar, Used Car Lot 1, Used Car Lot 2

TW for: referenced domestic abuse, traumatic flashback caused by past abuse

@whumpitywhumpwhump

They’re ten miles outside of the city by the time they run out of gas.

“I can’t fucking believe we’re stopping already,” Sol says, frowning out the window. The rain has turned into a thick white fog that hangs low over the road and makes the lights of the gas station smoky and indistinct.

“Not my fault you picked a car with only half a tank,” Paxon sing-songs, but when Sol turns to glare at them he sees that their shoulders are tight and their hands are sort of white-knuckled on the steering wheel.

“Do you think it’s safe here?” Kent asks from the back seat, and Sol turns back to frown at him. He fell asleep almost the second they started driving, his bruised forehead resting against his window in a way that seems like it must hurt, and Sol is--a little more worried about him than he wants to admit, maybe.

He looks--pretty awful, Sol thinks. Well, they both do, really, but like, Kent looks especially awful.

“Should be,” Pax says brightly, and pops their car door open like there’s not a thing in the world to be afraid of, though Sol notes that they’re very quick to open the backseat driver’s side door and pick up their sword from where they put it when they climbed in. “The bleeders don’t spread that fast, so I’d be pretty surprised if they’ve made it this far already.”

Without really meaning to, Sol exchanges a worried look with Kent. Kent bites his lip, looking— a little afraid.

Sol has a sudden, insane desire to reach out and ruffle Kent’s hair and tell him it’s all gonna be okay, which he mashes down inside himself with savage force.

“Hey,” Sol calls, crawling over into Paxon’s vacated seat and rolling down the window, “don’t you think it’s gonna be a little suspicious if somebody sees you pumping gas while wearing a huge fuckin’ sword, genius?”

“Like you’d be brave enough to complain about it,” Paxon says sweetly. “You guys wanna go buy somethin’ from the store? Advil or something, at least? You’re lookin’ a little green around the gills, sunshine.” Sol notes with some annoyance but no surprise that their voice is a lot less snide when they’re talking to Kent, which— tracks, honestly.

“No, that’s alright,” Kent says softly. “We wouldn’t want to leave you all by yourself out here.”

Surprised, Paxon turns back to look at Kent, and Kent holds their gaze with an expression Sol can’t read for the life of him— but it seems to make Paxon uncomfortable.

“Uh— yeah,” they say, with an awkward laugh, and turn back to watch the pump, fidgeting. “We’ll— all go in together, then. I could use some coffee if we’re gonna keep driving.”

Sol looks from Kent’s unreadable expression to Paxon’s tight, uncomfortable-looking back, confused. “Uh— what the hell was that?”

Kent’s face clears immediately, and he gives Sol a smile. It’s— kind of unsettling, actually. “What was what?” he asks, and sounds for all the world like he’s honestly confused.

“Uh— “ Maybe he’s imagining things, and nothing significant passed between them after all. Sol shakes his head. “Nothing, I guess.” He frowns at Paxon’s back— they’ve swung their sword back over their shoulder, like it was when he first saw them. “You’re not really gonna go into a convenience store with that thing, are you?”

Paxon fishes around in the pockets of the hideous pink motorcycle jacket they’ve got on under their equally-hideous poncho. “Guess I am,” they say lightly, though their cheer sounds even more forced this time. “Sunshine’s right— we would stick together, us three.”

As they say this they turn back to tip Sol a wink over their shoulder. Rolling his eyes, he relaxes a little. Guess it was my imagination after all.

Apparently, the “bleeders” have not reached this little highway gas station yet. On the bright side, that means nobody suddenly gnawing on his arm as they walk through the parking lot. On the downside, boy do they get funny looks from the front desk clerk, who seems to be debating whether he should kick them out or not.

Kent flushes under his bruises and tries to absolutely no effect to rearrange his blood-caked bangs, but Paxon just shoots the clerk a wide scarred grin and bids him a cheerful ‘good evening,’ and the clerk quails under Paxon’s gaze and apparently decides it isn’t worth it.

Despite Paxon’s assertion that they should ‘stick together,’ he and Kent almost immediately dart off in separate directions— Paxon to the coffee machine, Kent to the pharmaceuticals aisle. Sol is torn for a second between his desire to keep a sharp eye on Paxon at all times and the need to make sure that Kent, who is not exactly steady on his feet, doesn’t keel over, and he— isn’t sure how to feel about the fact that it’s the second impulse that wins out. Keeping close on Kent’s heels, Sol compensates by glancing over his shoulder at Paxon.

Paxon, noticing, pauses in the act of dispensing coffee to raise an eyebrow and waggle their fingers at him. He flips them off.

“Hey, Sol,” Kent says in a low voice, as they reach the aisle filled with over-the-counter pain killers and also chewing gum, for whatever reason. “Are you doing okay?”

Sol stares at Kent, whose entire torso seems to be made out of bruises. “Are— are you fucking kidding me, man?”

“Your wrist, I mean,” Kent says, gesturing at the offending limb. It’s gone sort of purple and is swelling a little, and Sol doesn’t mind admitting to himself that wow it does hurt a lot. “You hurt it when you were fighting— didn’t you?”

Sol was kind of hoping Kent hadn’t noticed. He looks away, shuffling his feet. “It’s no big deal. I didn’t even notice, in the moment.” That much is true, anyway— he was too pumped full of adrenaline to even register the pressure he was putting on the recently-relocated bones until they’d already been in the truck, at which point he’d had to fight pretty hard not to cry in front of Paxon Fields— but Kent was asleep by that point, anyway.

Kent gives him a look that says pretty clearly how much of Sol’s bullshit he’s buying, and reaches for a box labeled Motrin.

He freezes before his fingers touch it, though, and his face goes totally blank, like someone has just hit his ‘off’ switch.

“Uh—” Sol reaches out for his shoulder.

Smiling, Kent moves just out of Sol’s reach, like he’s trying to be subtle about it. “Sorry,” he says, a little too loudly, and grabs a box of Advil, instead. “This should help with the swelling,” he says, pressing it into Sol’s good hand— the one he reached out with.

“Uh, yeah, thanks,” Sol mumbles, frowning down at the box, which is the same damn medication as the first one, and Kent smiles at him brightly for another second before turning to wander back over toward Paxon.

Sol tries to ignore the uneasy fluttering in his stomach. Because— goddamn, he has way bigger things to worry about than Kent Graves’s mental wellbeing.

Maybe it was a mistake to come with him, Sol thinks, miserably.

——

Sol is still staring down at the box of Advil Kent handed him, and Paxon is preoccupied with pouring far too much sugar into their coffee, so Kent takes a second to press his hand over his mouth and close his eyes.

He thinks of the first time he ran to his mother, after his father’s fist sent him crashing to the ground. She’d smiled, and dabbed at the blood on his face with a tissue, and told him that everybody lost their baby teeth sooner or later. And when he told her that it hurt, she handed him painkillers.

She didn’t even notice the first time he hit Chase, so it had been Kent’s turn to pass along the lie

(it’s alright, it just happens sometimes when he gets angry)

and climb up to the top shelf for the Motrin.

Chase—

(IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT!)

Kent runs a finger over his scar and forces a smile back onto his face. Because he’s alright. He can do this, if only because he has to. He’ll get to St. Ben’s, and then—

Well. He guesses Sol will know the whole thing, then. That thought turns his stomach even more than he expects it to.

Maybe it was a mistake to let him come.

——

Pax doesn’t actually like coffee, which is why they’re currently stirring their third packet of sugar into the cup; but it’s a hell of a lot cheaper than any of the energy drinks and they have a feeling neither of their two freeloaders possesses a penny to their names, which means they better start saying up.

...Okay, maybe ‘freeloaders’ isn’t really fair.

This, they’re starting to realize, might be a little bit harder than they thought it would be.

Solemn Michaelis, whatever else he might be, is at least easy as hell to read— he doesn’t trust Pax, and probably never will unless Pax really works at it, which they aren’t sure they need to bother with. In fact, he said as much, when he shepherded Kent into the back seat and climbed into the passenger seat himself.

“Boy, I’m flattered,” Pax said, grinning. “Didn’t expect you to be so eager to sit with me!”

And Sol said, “Fuck you. I just wanna be right here if you try anything funny, asshole. Kent might be dumb enough to trust you,” (he said this very loudly, and Kent serenely ignored him) “but I sure as hell don’t.”

And then he proceeded to glare at Pax for the first twenty minutes of the car ride. Which is fine. Pax doesn’t need Solemn to like them, particularly.

Which brings them around nicely to Kent Graves, who was nothing but polite and courteous to Pax until he went quite peacefully to sleep in the backseat, which had of course led Pax to dismiss him as a bit of an idiot.

Which. Is actually a little embarrassing, now.

Because all he had to say was that he didn’t one to leave Pax on their own, and Pax immediately saw what he really meant, which was— well, he didn’t trust Pax either. And Pax hadn’t noticed that at all until just now, and they were fairly certain the only reason they knew how he felt now was because Kent Graves wanted them to know.

Maybe it was a mistake to take him with, Pax thinks, taking a sip of sickly-sweet coffee.

#whump #original whump #the café at the end of the world #ptsd flashback #domestic abuse whump

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osakaso5 · 5 years

Text

IDOLiSH7 4th Anniversary Special Story: Best Wishes...

Chapter 3: Gacchan's Inspection

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5

Momo: Good work this week~! Just a little longer, and we'll have our vacation day!

Yuki: Right. We should go out together on our next off day.

Momo: Really!? I hope you're not just saying that, and planning to sleep through the day anyway.

Yuki: We can go out in the evening. You know, somewhere... in the neighborhood.

Momo: It's our long-awaited day off, so I wanna wake up early and go to the sea or the mountains! I wanna do something recreational!

Yuki: You're so energetic... I'll need five consecutive vacation days before I'm even mentally prepared to go to the seaside or mountains.

Yuki: Let's just watch a DVD together. I can't handle the splatter stuff that you love, but I did like the film we watched the other day.

Momo: Liar, you slept through it.

Yuki: I didn't, I swear.

Okazaki's Voice Through Speakers: Good work today.

Momo & Yuki: .......!?

Momo: What!? Where's Okarin's voice coming from!?

Yuki: Ah... There's a speaker fixed to the ceiling.

Momo: Huh!? You're right!

Okazaki's Voice Through Speakers: Can you hear me?

Momo & Yuki: We can hear you.

Momo: What's up with this?

Okazaki's Voice Through Speakers: That foreign TV show, "Johnny's Venuses", has been popular recently, yes?

Momo: Yeah. It's about an all-female detective agency, where their boss Johnny gives orders to the Venuses.

Okazaki's Voice Through Speakers: Yes, that one.

Okazaki's Voice Through Speakers: Our president said he wanted to try that...

Yuki: Is he an idiot?

Momo: That's the reason he put up speakers!?

Okazaki's Voice Through Speakers: He wants to try giving out orders. I'm sure he'll get tired of it in due time... My apologies...

Yuki: I don't want someone's disembodied voice telling me what to do... Especially Rintaro's...

Momo: But it does sound kind of fun! Okarin, try talking like the boss of a detective agency.

Okazaki's Voice Through Speakers: Gentlemen, I have a new mission for you.

Momo: Like that! That's cool!

Yuki: Crap. I think my heart just skipped a beat.

Okazaki's Voice Through Speakers: Did you like that?

Yuki: I want to do it next.

Momo: Me too, me too!

Okazaki's Voice Through Speakers: Ah, before that, I must tell you about your next job. After you finish filming in Hokkaido tomorrow, you'll go to Sky Blue Mall, which is here in the city...

Momo: Say it like a boss!

Okazaki's Voice Through Speakers: You'll infiltrate Sky Blue Mall and investigate "Anniversary", its new organic café.

Momo: Boss!

Yuki: Boss!

Okazaki's Voice Through Speakers: You're to have a shoot and autograph the walls of the establishment before it opens its doors. A mission that I'm sure is within your caliber.

Yuki: I'm assuming we'll be fairly compensated?

Momo: I'll like, totally do my best, Boss!

Okazaki's Voice Through Speakers: That is all.

Okazaki's Voice Through Speakers: Did you understand what I just told you~?

Momo: Yeah, no problem!

Yuki: Anniversary, how nostalgic. We worked for them after we'd just debuted.

Momo: That's right! We used it for our very first fan meet.

Momo: They asked for our autographs before the opening, but since we haven't had the time to visit, it'll be really last minute.

Yuki: We can finally return the favor. I just hope our plane won't be late.

Door opens

Rinto Okazaki: I'm back.

Momo: Welcome back.

Rinto Okazaki: Oh, about tomorrow. Try to disguise yourselves the best you can, so no one recognizes you.

Rinto Okazaki: It seems Sky Blue Mall is doing many secret events for its re-opening, so they have strict regulations in place to prevent information leaks.

Momo: Really?

Rinto Okazaki: Yes. They don't allow the possession of cameras or smartphones without permission.

Yuki: They're like a particularly strict art museum.

Rinto Okazaki: As acquainted as we are with them, there'll likely be chaos if people know Re:vale will be there...

Momo: Got it. We'll try not to stand out! Though my Yuki is such a handsome man that he'll probably stand out, anyway!

Yuki: True.

Rinto Okazaki: I'm sure it'll be difficult to have to come back here for work after a whole day of filming in Hokkaido, but I'm counting on you!

- - - -

Mall Event Staff: Nice to meet you, ŹOOĻ. We look forward to your concert at the re-opening event tomorrow.

Mall Event Staff: Today we'll have a prep meeting and rehearsal. We'll try not to keep you here too long, but...

Ryo Tsukumo: That aside, why do even I have to give up my phone?

Mall Event Staff: As you've been informed, a permit is required to carry filming equipment here... You may use our internal communications line if you need anything.

Ryo Tsukumo: Yeah yeah, I get it.

Toma Inumaru: We look forward to working with you.

Minami Natsume: We look forward to working with you.

Minami Natsume: There are many workers here. They must be in a hurry to finish before the opening. Perhaps some will even have to work overnight?

Torao Mido: Huh...

Haruka Isumi: It's pretty fun to see the shops before they open.

Mall Event Staff: Well then, allow me to guide you to the space reserved for the opening ceremony and your concert.

- - - -

Riku Nanase: Wow, so this is VR LAND!

Mitsuki Izumi: Our signs are lining up the walls!

Tamaki Yotsuba: And they're playing an ad on the monitor at the front of the place!

VR LAND Staff: IDOLiSH7's VR experience will be held in the main space inside the facility! Please, take a look!

Tsumugi Takanashi: Do you plan to film the footage one by one?

Cameraman: That's right! I'd like to get about 5-10 minutes with each of them!

Yamato Nikaido: Understood. Who's going first?

Tamaki Yotsuba: I wanna go!

Sogo Osaka: Tamaki-kun, you'll get bored if you have to wait too long after your own shoot. Why don't you let others go before you?

Tamaki Yotsuba: I'll be fine. I wanna go first.

Nagi Rokuya: OH! There are so many balloons!

Iori Izumi: They're most likely for the visitors tomorrow. Such cute balloons...

Riku Nanase: There's a VR space exploration experience! I want to come play here sometime!

VR LAND Staff: Would you like to try it right now? As long as you have the time, of course!

Riku Nanase: May I? Yay!

- - - -

Soba Chef Matsuda-san: Gaku-cha... Ah, I mean, Gacchan! Mind checking what's in that box for me?

Gaku Yaotome: Sure thing. It's bowls... Tecchan, help me count these bowls.

Tenn Kujo: OK, Gacchan. Tsuna-chan, can I leave this to you?

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Yeah, I'll assemble the rest. Go help Gacchan.

Kaoru Anesagi: Massan! I'll leave the tea you asked here!

Soba Chef Matsuda-san: Thanks a lot, Kaoru-chan!

Gaku Yaotome: Phew... This is taking pretty long. I don't think we'll be done by 9 p.m., like we're supposed to.

- - - -

Anniversary's Owner: Ah, I didn't think you'd actually come... Seeing as you're some of Japan's top idols now...

Momo: Shh, we're incognito today. Here's a souvenir from Hokkaido! It's white chocolate!

Yuki: I can't believe you're opening a branch near the station now. What kind of misdeeds did you commit to get a place like this?

Anniversary's Owner: The same as you. Lots of hard work. Ah, try this.

Momo: Wow! This really brings me back! Anniversary's roll cakes!

Rinto Okazaki: Let me take a picture of it, please! Stand together, you three!

Rinto Okazaki: One, two...

Snap.

- - - -

Ryo Tsukumo: Ah. There was a place I needed to call.

Ryo Tsukumo: Torao. Go find an internal communications line.

Torao Mido: Someone from the staff will be here in a minute. Ask them.

Ryo Tsukumo: Forget it, then.

Toma Inumaru: What did you need to make a call for?

Ryo Tsukumo: Oh, nothing big. Several people will only lose their jobs if they don't get an answer from me.

Toma Inumaru: ...Go make that call! I'll find a spot where you can use the phones.

Ryo Tsukumo: Yeah, make it snappy.

Toma Inumaru: Got it.

Ryo Tsukumo: .........

Ryo Tsukumo: Don't you think he's taking too long?

Torao Mido: He just left!

Minami Natsume: Ryo-san, you're not very patient, are you?

Haruka Isumi: Hey, stop tapping your foot.

Ryo Tsukumo: Haruka, go after him.

Haruka Isumi: Just wait until Toma comes back!

Ryo Tsukumo: He might've stopped looking, so he could laze around somewhere. Hurry up and go.

Haruka Isumi: Ugh... I'll go.

Minami Natsume: Be careful not to get lost.

Haruka Isumi: Got it.

Ryo Tsukumo: .........

Ryo Tsukumo: Don't you think he's taking too long?

Torao Mido: He's not.

Minami Natsume: He is not.

Ryo Tsukumo: Hey, one of you could...

Torao Mido: No.

Minami Natsume: I refuse.

Ryo Tsukumo: Do you not care that good people could lose their jobs over this!? You celebrities are so heartless.

Torao Mido: Just wait.

Ryo Tsukumo: Doing what?

Minami Natsume: You could meditate.

Torao Mido: Count your fingers, for all I care.

Ryo Tsukumo: Aaah... I'm so bored without my phone... Aaah, it's so irritating...

Torao Mido: Stop hitting the displays.

Minami Natsume: Don't bite your nails.

Ryo Tsukumo: Fine, I'll go myself!

Minami Natsume: You could just wait.

Torao Mido: It's fine, let him be.

Ryo Tsukumo: This is the worst..! I'll tear through entire floors of brand new goods to find that internal line if I have to!

Torao Mido & Minami Natsume: .........

Torao Mido: Hold on a sec, Ryo-san!

Minami Natsume: Please don't make a scene. Ah...

Bzzt

Minami Natsume: ...A blackout..?

- - - -

Tamaki Yotsuba: Is the shoot gonna be done soon?

Iori Izumi: Not for a while. Are you already bored?

Tamaki Yotsuba: Hey, what do you think that is?

Riku Nanase: I was wondering about it, too! An arcade, maybe..? It's like some kind of attraction..?

Tamaki Yotsuba: Rikkun, you done shooting?

Riku Nanase: I am! Maybe we could go take a closer look.

Tamaki Yotsuba: Let's go!

Iori Izumi: They just told you not to wander off.

Riku Nanase: We won't wander off, we'll be back in a minute. Don't worry, we're wearing our disguises!

Tamaki Yotsuba: Yeah, we'll check it out on our way to the toilet!

Riku Nanase: Yep!

Iori Izumi: ......... I worry about what you two might get up to by yourselves. I'll come with you.

Iori Izumi: Manager, excuse us for a moment. We'll return shortly.

Tsumugi Takanashi: Alright!

Tamaki Yotsuba: Hey, Rikkun! Wanna check what's over there, too?

Riku Nanase: What is that!? A sweets shop?

Iori Izumi: Hey! Wait, you two!

Bzzt

Iori Izumi: .......!

Iori Izumi: ...The lights... Even the emergency lamps went out...

To be continued...

#idolish7 #anniversary story 2019 #translation #i7 #trigger #re:vale #zool #other translations

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blue-honeycomb · 4 years

Text

Escape Artist: Prologue [Aizawa x Reader]

Sorta reader insert, but not entirely. It's complicated. Either way, let's see where this takes us.

Masterlist

Prologue | Part 1

--------

Anyone would expect something as unnatural and intense as interdimentional time travel would have a lot of prompt and circumstances surrounding it, but the reality of it wasn't quite so complex. See, one moment she was sitting on her living room couch playing lazer pointer with her kitten, then she blinked and found herself on her ass in an alley. A clean alley, granted, but decidedly not her couch.

The short of it was that she'd somehow ended up in Japan, several hundred years in the future and in an entirely different dimension laden with superpowers and acid trip worthy mutations. Her only saving grace was the 'quirk' this new place saw fit to gift her with.

It's called 'The Gamer', and as anyone who's not been living under a rock for the better part of their life can guess, it basically gives her the perks and abilities of a videogame character. Namely, for her most immediate needs when she'd first arrived, the ability to function optimally without food, water, sleep, a toilet or even hygiene. For a woman who's suddenly found herself homeless, helplessly displaced and legally non-existent, it was truly the greatest boon this world could have given her.

So she wandered the streets, aimlessly but just put together enough thanks to her quirk to not draw unwanted attention. She found the language option about five hours after she'd arrived, and that helped a lot with just about everything. As did the subtitles option for any signs she came across, because, as she learned quickly, a audio-based translation system only works if words are spoken.

Other than those few changes she'd made to help her function in her new world though, she didn't think too much about her quirk and its implications while she grieved the loss of her family and precious fur-babies. It wasn't that she wasn't capable or able to, but rather that she just wanted to put her thoughts in order before she set up her life in the new place. Having the ability to coast through life on the minimal certainly gave her the option to.

That changed, however, three days into her displacement when she came across an unexpected variable to her plans- or lack thereof.

She'd been walking through the parts of the city with a more active night life to avoid any awkward question as to her nightly wanderings, when she'd heard a commotion in the alley over. Normally, she'd have ignored it all together or even steered clear of the sound to avoid conflict, but be it luck or fate the alley the noise came from was wide and bright giving her a glimpse at to it's secrets.

A young child was attempting to get into a dumpster, successfully perched on stacked boxes in order to reach the lid but lacking the strength to get the lid up. Honestly, it was quite pitiful and she couldn't for the life of her understand how a child could be so blatantly roaming the streets without having drawn the attention of near every adult walking by. But somehow there was indeed a homeless child trying to break into a dumpster and adults walking by not ten yards away. So she did what she'd assumed any good person would do in just such a situation.

"Do you need help, little one?" She asked with a warm smile, calling upon her years of customer service and babysitting experience to brighten her expression and pitch her voice to its sweetest, softest tone.

The child cast a startled glance her way before stilling and watching with barely contained suspicion as she stopped no more than 3 meters away. This close, a few things about the child's situation began to become clear to the woman.

His clothes were dirty but still in good condition, so she concluded he must have only recently become homeless. He was small, possibly even too small for his age and that's why he looked younger than he probably was. There were dark lines below his eyes that were too solid to be painted, so she concluded it must be one of those oddities everyone seemed to possess in this world. It was the half healed bruises that really caught her attention though. Simply put, the boy was littered in them from his lined cheeks to his filth covered hands.

Something dinged twice in her ear, but she chalked it up to some unseen mechanism in any one of the electric-based oddities scattered along the alley walls. It wouldn't be the first time something built after her time had left her confounded or startled out of the blue.

The stare off continued for a few moments until the boy suddenly begun to glow blue from the lines on his face and under his clothes and bolted down the alley faster than her eyes could track. He was there and gone before she could even blink, only the faint shifting of misplaced air left in his wake.

And that was that. Or at least, it might have been for anyone else.

It was as she was about to head back for the main road that something dinged again.

It took her longer than she'd like to admit to figure out it was coming from her quirk.

[New skill aquired: Observation]

[Congratulations! By aquiring your first skill you've passed the tutorial level. You now have full access to all of your quirk's abilities, including 'Stats', 'Skills', 'Bio', 'Inventory', 'Perks', 'Equipment' and 'Storyline'. Good luck, Gamer!]

And so, her life in this new world truly began.

---

Week 2

---

In all her years as a law abiding citizen in her former world, she never thought she'd become a career thief (Well, burglar, but she doesn't care much for technicalities). Then again, she never thought she'd end up with such an OP power either. Like right now walking around a darkened grocery store in the middle of the night, alarms flashing but completely unconcerned as she stuffs her inventory with food, drinks and any little nicknacks that might be useful.

With the ending of the tutorial came the swift realization that though she didn't need to eat to survive, the use of her quirk drained her energy reserves and that eating and drinking were the quickest- maybe even only- way to replenish them.

Her [Environmental Awareness] skill detects the approach of a hero (like, actual hero with powers and everything) and in the span of a heartbeat she's cast in the muted grays of her ID creation. She simply walks to the window, busts it open with a bat from her inventory and carefully slides herself from the store with minimal fuss, ever mindful of the broken glass.

Then she walks away, down a empty street void of life and color. Far away from the store she'd just robbed and the hero who'd come too late to stop her.

And just like that the underworld's newest villian, The Escape Artist, strikes again.

---

Week Three

---

The glowing boy was in the same part of town as he'd been when she'd first seen him, if a bit more out of the way this time. It took time to find him though, because the little shit was fast as a jack rabbit when startled and just as mean, but she eventually managed to get him cornered. Well, cornered was a strong word for what she'd done. More like followed him until he whipped around and glared her down like an unimpressed alley cat.

He glared, she offered food. The rest, as they say, was history.

He was the first, but he was far from the last.

---

Month 2

---

"You can have another one you know." Escape Artist said softly, holding out a still steaming meat bun to the skittish child standing a good five feet away from her, eyeing the food hungrily. The evidence of his first was still on his fingers and face, but evidently one just was not enough this time.

She'd had this child come to her before. Not to live with her as many of the other children she'd come across did, but simply because he knew she'd feed him if he just stuck close enough after her bi-weekly raids. He didn't have a name as far as she could tell, or more than likely does but just won't tell her, so she just refers to him as the Feral Grimlin. Which would have been funnier if the rabid little creature understood a single thing she said.

Not because he didn't understand his native language, but because she couldn't speak a lick of Japanese and apparently her Language options is a one way deal. Something, unfortunately, she didn't find out until she was asked where a karaoke bar was by some random drunk. After she'd pointed and told him where she'd seen one he'd given her a disgruntled expression, called her a 'damn foreigner' and then walked away in a huff. Not fun, but better than it could have been. It had simply been the first time she'd talked to someone who hadn't run away the moment she'd opened her mouth.

The child stared her down with his slitted, pale gold eyes, the length of his pointed ears pressed flat to his skull as he crept forward a step before stopping. In a moment of inspiration, Escape Artist pulled another bun from the rapidly depleting pile, offering both to the feral child.

His eyes lit up at the sight, before he seemed to remember himself and leveled her with a less than intimidating glare. He looked more like disgruntled kitten than anything and she had to fight not to chuckle.

To her left her first ever adoptee gave an unimpressed snort, mouth still stuffed with meat bun and gray eyes just as suspicious as ever as he eyed the gold eyed child with vague condescension.

She cast the little brat a sideways glare, equally unimpressed by this attitude as he was with the Grimlin child's. That moment of inattention was all the Feral Grimlin needed to dash forward and swipe the buns from her hands though, vanishing away into the dark a heartbeat later.

The gray eyed boy huffed a laugh, the lines across his face and body glowing faintly with each burst of sound that escaped him. His recently washed hair gleamed with the light too, pulled tight into a ponytail that flashed blue against the lamplight.

She smiled, still a little off put but not as much as she probably should have been. He was a little shit, yes, but he was hers and she loved the pint sized bastard too much to ever really be mad at him for long.

It was the first time in a long time she'd felt so shamelessly happy.

---

Month 4

---

She stole a child for the first time. Or, more specifically, she saved a child from being stolen by stealing her from whoever it was who'd been in the process of transporting her to some unknown location. In short, Escape Artist's world seemed now to revolve around who was the better thief and sometimes the consequences was another mouth to feed.

Luckily, one trip to the local police station later in ID mode and a brief appearance in the waiting room to plop the confused, sugar-loaded, sticky-faced child into the nearest chair and Escape Artist's part was done. Thankfully, with one less mouth to feed to go with the seven others waiting at home (plus about 3 other feral shitheads who lived elsewhere).

That was the first child she'd ever stolen, and that day the villian Escape Artist, the uncatchable thief of petty goods, earned the beginnings of a different reputation all together.

That child was the first, but she was far from the last.

And this is when the story truly begins.

#BNHA #Escape Artist AU #Gamer AU #Aizawa x Reader #Aizawa Shouta

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fountainpenguin · 4 years

Note

Not part of an ask meme, but how do you picture the legal system in your FOP fan fiction? What are punishable crimes? What are common, considered reasonable punishments? Is Abacatraz the only jail? If a Gyne goes to jail what happens to his drones? And if a drone goes to jail what happens to him? Thx

Fairy World is pretty lax. Possessions can be easily replaced, it’s difficult to hurt others, and magic allows for criminals to be traced more easily than with nonmagical forensics.

At the end of “The Same Game” (Season 1), Wanda cheerfully bashed Cosmo in the head with a cinder block, saying it was all in good fun. I’ve based Fairy World’s casual, playful attitudes on that: their species isn’t easily hurt and they take that sort of thing lightly (See also, H.P. literally throwing a baby from one rooftop to another in a recent Origin of the Pixies chapter). Well, Cosmo seemed pretty upset with the cinder block thing, but presumably they made up later. Pushing each other’s limits might be considered play in Fairy culture. Who knows.

The biggest crime in Fairy World is endangering the population: revealing that Fairies exist is a big deal. Changeling children traditions have been banned for a long time. Interfering with love is off limits for anyone besides Cupid’s family, and searching for loopholes around that (or similar rules) might land you in trouble too. Unlicensed dragon rearing is also illegal since dragons are canonically immune to fae magic and are difficult to control. Otherwise the main crimes are, like, tax evasion, bribery, and setting national parks on fire.

Having licenses revoked is always a major threat (whether you’re a doctor, a godparent, or just a licensed magic user). Losing licenses is serious and you shouldn’t expect to reclaim one for thousands of years (if you get it back at all). With a million year lifespan, you guard your reputation carefully. If your record is bad enough, you won’t receive the endorsements you might need for your dream career (and most have new dream careers every few centuries).

Fairies are free-spirited creatures… They probably won’t change their behavior if you take away items or money (Stuff they can regain easily), but they hate hate hate being deprived of their freedom. You don’t see many fines in Fairy World. Most punishments involve community service (i.e. manual labor without a wand), training (either physical exercise or retaking classes), or prison time. Prison time leads to high rates of behavior changes for Fairies… Most don’t enjoy hundreds to thousands of years without magic.

Taking over Fairy World in “Pixies Inc.” resulted in the Pixies getting thrown at a wall target and presumably let go after Jorgen was done messing with them. I suppose jail is saved for top offenders and most crimes just don’t go that far. On the flip side, Foop went to jail for his crimes despite being a baby, so something’s screwy with this system.

Gynes don’t face prison sentences for killing each other, but they are expected to pay wergild (monetary compensation) to the family of the gyne they killed. As long as you can pay the fine, killing another gyne won’t get you sent to jail. Fairy World’s aristocratic families are always uneasy around one another, knowing they can all afford wergild if it comes down to it.

There are lots of different jails, but Abracatraz is definitely the most difficult one to get out of. It’s not technically part of the “cloudlands” (Plane 3 is the lowest level) and is part of the dregs: Plane 1. Leaving the building is relatively tough, but leaving Plane 1 is harder. On any other plane, you can fall out of the sky to a lower level. But this is the bottom, so the only way out is up.

If you’ve escaped Abracatraz, you should have been deprived of magic. No flight, no poofing. At least Alcatraz escapees could swim, but that’s not an option here. The only way out is leaving the tiny island Abracatraz sits on, somehow crossing the gulf of empty space to solid land without flying, traveling to the Bridge that connects Plane 1 to Plane 2 (Earth), and losing your enemies among the crowd. You’re pretty much not getting out unless someone on the outside breaks you out. The very few Abracatraz escapees there are will try to vanish into the human world, knowing they’re much more likely to be caught if they return to the cloudlands.

Foop’s escape plan had an advantage in that there weren’t any of those red, magic-depriving suits to fit his chunky square body, I suppose. Being able to fly gave him a massive advantage: He was able to dig a tunnel to the edge of the island (avoiding watchful guards) and fly across the gulf of empty space that most prisoners can’t.

When a gyne is killed, his drones get taken up by the gyne who killed him. That’s not a legal law- a drone can still theoretically walk away, but under most circumstances, they’ll change hands. Even Sanderson, famous for his loyalty, will switch sides and express that loyalty to whoever his new boss is if the Head Pixie is brought down by another gyne. If you recall the 130 Prompt “Minion,” one of his biggest fears is that he might not actually like H.P. and only hangs out with him because of his pheromones. He lives in fear that someday, he’ll turn his back and walk away with no ability to stop himself.

If a gyne is arrested, that’s different: a gyne is removed, but there isn’t a new one for drones left behind to drift towards. In most situations like this, you’ll see the drones hang out around the property for another several days. As pheromones fade, they’ll become more and more restless. One might head out to buy groceries and never come home, even leaving possessions behind. One drone might pack his things and deliberately head out in search of a new gyne. Another might wait around the property as long as he can. It’s not unusual for a gyne who finds an unattached drone wandering the city to determine where the drone came from and visit the property of the detained gyne, picking up any drones who are still around there.

Recall that for drones, pheromones are what soothes their rapid energy swings and keeps them functioning and happy. It’s possible to live with constant emotional whiplash, but comfort is preferable. They don’t like staying where they’re unhappy, so few drones will wait around a barren property for long. Without pheromones, they’re eternally restless and will seek a new source.

Some drones might hold out longer than others, either powering through energy swings or using a secondhand source (like bottled donor pheromones) to get by. But if someone is jailed for hundreds or thousands of years, do you want to put yourself in an uncomfortable situation until they get out? Depends on the person. If those donated pheromones came from your own gyne, you’ll eventually run out. If they didn’t, loyalty will switch to a new gyne anyway and a drone might not feel comfortable staying on another’s property (feels like barging into someone else’s house and making yourself at home while the owner is away). Pheromones are individual, not easily interchangeable.

You may recall from “Timmy’s Secret Wish” that the Fairy Council is notoriously fast at moving cases through court. Maybe trying to get falsely accused gynes back home is one reason why.

I feel like drones would do well in jail, though. If they’re out on a distant property where nobody knows they’re there, they’re not likely to find the emotional support they need. In jail, exposing drones to pheromones is easy, especially if you’re not picky about what kind of donor pheromones you give them. Drones like consistency. Consistency means safety and stability. A drone exposed to hundreds of years of the same donor pheromones will prefer those scents and have a harder time switching back to his original gyne’s pheromones when he goes home. He might be more likely to complain and, if he was exposed to certain pheromones excessively, might try to leave. However, varying pheromone exposure in jail makes it more likely he’ll be satisfied with his usual gyne once he’s receiving the same scents consistently.

Drones aren’t brainwashed by pheromones, simply influenced. They can still act out, but overall they’re generally well behaved and satisfied as long as they receive regular pheromone exposure. They probably get let out early for good behavior.

I’m sure the jail system is horribly biased. I feel like the majority of Fairy World sees drones as simpleminded and incapable of being very cruel. Punishments for drones are pretty light. Gynes are often portrayed in Fairy World as slaves to their insect biology (the polite term is “prince of destiny”), so they too probably have some cruelties written off as not wholly their fault (For crying out loud, murder is excused if you’re a gyne).

Those darn kabouters, the least influenced by their animal biology, should know better tho >:(

#asks #Anon #FAIRIES!#ridwriting #Origin of the Pixies #Long post

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vosh-rakh · 5 years

Text

After the fall of Nova Orsinium under its last king, the coward Shorab gro-Goreg, the people who found refuge and prosperity there were scattered to the wilds. The usual suspects, in the usual places, of course: orcs, goblins, ogres, various beast races, returning to subsistence nomadism, afraid to try to reintegrate into the Empire that allowed this to happen. Their hopes for a homeland crushed yet again, another sacking punctuating another era. Though the spirit of the orcs is strong, often after such downfalls it requires a generation or two to recuperate and replenish its courage.

And so halfway through the second century of the fourth era, Malacath’s people grew sick of their suffering and sought to restore the pride of their people. Naturally the Trinimac cult, still prevalent even after the days of Gortwog gro-Nagorm, used this opportunity to reinsert their ideas into the popular consciousness. They were weakened after their loss, and would likely never again rule as they did, for the people learned from their elders that all the pride of Trinimac means nothing without the survival of Malacath. But the old mer god would forever remain relevant in the eyes of the orcish people.

Orsinium today is not just a city, but a kingdom. Its heart is hidden. Since this iteration’s inception, the policy was that the world outside the Dragontail and southern Wrothgarian mountain ranges could not be trusted, and should be interacted with minimally. We produce ourselves most of our needs, and whatever else is acquired via the proxy of Orsinium-allied khajiit caravans. But not even they are trusted with the capital city’s true location: they are met at strongholds near the border, and our people take it from there.

In fact, there are few citizens of the lands of Orsinium who know where the city lies. Even the city’s residents, who likely travel little, could probably not tell you. Those who are trusted by the king, Gortwog gro-Torug (a pseudonym held by every king of Orsinium; his true identity is a well-kept secret) to be the interface between the city and the rest of the kingdom are sworn to secrecy upon fear of death and a blood price only Malacath himself can exact.

The strongholds of Orsinium are legally all named after the city itself, to further confuse potential invaders. But as this is not conducive to travel or administration, many have colloquial names, either as derivatives of “Orsinium,” the names of local legend figures, or the name of the dominant tribe of the stronghold.

Further, due to the heightened diversity of races in the Nova Orsinium, the races left in its wake were likewise varied, and developed their own tribes before the reunification in the late 150s. As both a strategic effort to concentrate the population into more easily defensible positions, as well as encourage integration of every race of Orsinium, tribes of orcs, goblins, ogres, argonians, dunmer, etc. were forced to coalesce into singular, larger strongholds. This policy has not been without criticism, as the years between the Nova Orsinium and ours has given each surviving tribe to develop very specific cultures, which leads to conflict within these amalgamated strongholds.

Take for example the Tergut-Molg Stronghold, so named after the Tergut tribe of orcs and the Molg tribe of goblins, located in the eastern tail of the Dragontail mountains, near the Imperial border between Hammerfell and Skyrim. In the early days there was much conflict between the tribes, which was difficult to resolve due to the fact that their populations were roughly equal, and both cultures were fairly competitive. Initially, the Tergut chieftain Surga gra-Mokhra assumed she would be the chieftain of the stronghold, which quickly led to unrest among the Molg goblins, led by their chieftain Giknirh.

It was not until the shamans of Tergut met with the shaman of Molg, following visions of peace both parties witnessed in dreams, that they convinced Surga and Giknirh to cease their fighting and work together. United as one stronghold, one tribe, under two chieftains, the tension lessened and the fighting stopped. Among the older generation there is still underlying enmity, but the current generation is accustomed to the harmony brought by integrating the tribes as one.

In fact, by working together for the good of both of their peoples, Surga and Giknirh grew fond of each other, and Surga bore his child: a goblin-orc, the first of many. That child would be called Ogash gor-Giknirh. That child is me.

It was early in my life that it was made evident that I was ill-suited to the typical work of the stronghold, and especially what was expected of me as the child of not one but two chieftains. I was meant to represent the best of both tribes, Tergut and Molg, but I felt an affinity for neither. My height found me lacking among my orcish peers, while my bulk found me mocked by the goblins. I lacked the strength of character and leadership of my parents. So I was trapped in a world that did not value me. Or trapped in a person that was not valuable.

I had almost come of age the night I left. Earlier my mother Surga came to me and told me of what was expected: I should forge myself a weapon befitting a chieftain, and that creation would mark me as an adult, an orc, a leader.

But I felt I was none of those things. Even as I grew and was nearly finished being a child, I was scolded always by both my mother and father, never quite adequate, always lacking in the skills they wanted me to have. I was not quite welcome as orc nor goblin. And I was certainly far from a leader. I sheepishly did as I was told, I took scorn in obedient silence, I withdrew from conflict like a mouse.

And so I left. That night I packed my few personal possessions and left in secret, fleeing from duties I could not uphold with the Skyrim-bound khajiit caravan.

The caravansary tried to strike up polite small talk in orsimeris, but soon discovered my generally reticent muteness and proceeded to joke amongst themselves in their own tongue. I could not be sure, but by their occasional glances my way, it seemed that their topics occasionally involved me. It seemed as though they would deride me too, just like the orcs and the goblins of Tergut-Molg. But perhaps this was just my fate in life.

Several days later we arrived in the nord city of Markarth. As the khajiit went about their business trading outside the walls, I decided to explore within. It was a strange, ancient place, made of stone and brass. But the populace seemed much newer, as if they had simply moved into this convenient locale and called it home.

The air was filled with their voices, speaking a language I didn’t know. The khajiit seemed to know it, as they spoke it well enough to trade. But these humans and elves spoke it like they were born with it on their tongues. To me, it was meaningless noise, accented by children shouting, doors slamming, women laughing, and the familiar sound of hammer-on-anvil.

I avoided that sound due to the circumstances of my recent self-imposed exile. So I wandered the rather vertical layout of the city, marveling at the apparent age of its structures juxtaposed upon the bustling modernity of its culture. But slowly I began to notice something, words that occasionally interrupted the hammer’s rhythm. Words I knew.

Most of them were words my mother would have preferred I didn’t know. Words I picked up from the other children, often used when whispering to themselves about me. But some of them were normal words, albeit frequently punctuated by the curses. The exact...phrasing I won’t write here, but things to the effect of “Worthless! Thinks me a fool,” “Damn Imperial layabout apprentice, can’t forge a bloody nail,” “Waste of my time.”

This sparse information in a sea of static must have overwritten my fear of the forge, for I found myself there, watching the orc smith shaping metal into a sword. I stood there, looking in for a moment, following the hammer with each blow, as it forced the steel into shape. Despite myself, I was mesmerized. Something meaningless, a raw chunk of metal from a mountain, was being given meaning, heated and beaten into something with purpose.

I kept watching until the man, presumably the aforementioned apprentice, looked up from shoveling coal into the forge at me. He said something in that nonsense language to the orc, who looked up from her work to see me. But I was already gone, running in the direction I hoped was towards the gate.

I couldn’t find it. I ran around and around, up and down, but every time all I found were more nords looking at me like I was a dog let loose. Eventually I saw someone come out of a huge pair of stone doors, a guard perhaps, and I squeezed past them to get inside.

The interior was enormous, the stonework intricate. I kept running, hoping to find somewhere to hide, somewhere I could fall apart in peace. I ran left through another set of doors and I stopped in my tracks in awe. It was an enormous chamber, with domed towers reaching to the vaulted roof inlaid with that strange brass-like metal in intricate angular patterns. They glowed like lighthouses, illuminating armed brass statues keeping eternal watch from atop stone pillars. The colossal brass doors further ahead leered at me from across the bridge, daring my cowardice to challenge their impossible weight. Even the air was ancient, reeking from the dust of the past. I was absolutely enthralled by the size of everything - the structures and the time since they were constructed.

But I was pulled from my reverie by the shoulder. It was an elf, tall and sharp, his features cloaked under a hood. He asked me something with the static words that buzzed all around this city. I pulled away, staring at him in fear. He seemed to take note of my race and change tack. “Speak orcish?” Old word for the language, not used by the people of Orsinium anymore. But I nodded, terrified of what he would say.

“Not be here,” he said, almost sounding like the lower orsimeris of the goblins, and his throat struggling with the consonants. “I do careful study in here. You stop careful study. Okay?”

But the levee finally burst, and I wasn’t able to hide away, and that made it worse. I was crying, begging and apologizing in rapid-fire orsimeris choked by tears and snot and sobs. The elf tried to console me, then chastise me, but threw up his hands in capitulation, saying some swear in what seemed like yet another language I couldn’t understand, and looking away from my crumpled body on the floor, rubbing his pointed chin in either thought or frustration.

Not long after, two nord guards ran in. I couldn’t see them through my tears, but I heard the jingling of their armor and their hurried panting. I looked up and wiped away my tears, but the world was still blurry. They shouted something at me, then said something to the elf, pointing my way. The elf was still in what seemed now certainly like contemplation. Finally, he said something, and I registered only one thing, a name: “Moth gro-Bagol.” The two guards shook their heads and left.

They returned a moment later with an orc in a smith’s apron. Moth, presumably. He spoke with the elf for a moment, before shaking his head and pointing behind himself. The guards seemed to complain before hurrying off again, but Moth stayed behind.

As they waited, Moth looked at a table in what looked like some kind of magical workstation of the elf’s. He delicately picked up a yellow-petaled flower, then came to me, squatted down, and held it out. The elf protested, but Moth payed him no mind. I was in the death throes of my breakdown, the tears and screaming subsided into numb weakness. I stared blankly at the extended offering, and then shakily reached out to accept it. Moth smiled and stood as I began to fiddle with the flower, sniffing it (it smelled minty, I recall) and gently manipulating the stem and petals.

Several minutes later the guards returned, with another orc in two. It was the woman who ran the smith outside. My eyes widened and my fear crushed the flower in my fist. (This evoked another exasperated exclamation from the elf.) As soon as she laid eyes on me, the woman said, in good (albeit distinctly colloquial) orsimeris, “Oh, it’s you.” She walked up to where I sat and grabbed me under the arms and pulled me to my feet roughly. “Idiot brother didn’t bother to learn to speak orcish,” she said as she grabbed me under the chin, tilting my head this way and that. I sorely wished it was Moth who spoke orsimeris.

His sister shook her head and began the process of roughly patting me down. “Steal something, did you, little goblin?”

It was only after she came up empty from the search and took her hands off me that I was able to mutter, “I’m not a goblin.”

“It’s a joke. They have those where you’re from?” But she was not smiling. She sized me up, towering over me as she considered me. She said something in the other language to the elf, Moth, and the guards.

“What did you say,” I asked, what little confidence that urged I speak fading with every word.

“That you’re not a thief, far as I can tell. You do anything else wrong, boy?” She leaned in, grabbed me by the shoulders with her calloused hands, and stared me dead in the eyes.

“I’m not a boy,” I objected, with a bit more heart.

“Oh. What’s your name, little goblin?”

“I’m not a... My name’s Ogash. gor-Giknirh.”

“gor-Giknirh? What kinda tribe is that? ... You from Dragontail?”

“Yes.” This interrogation had completely worn me meek at this point.

“Thought so. You may not be a goblin but you got a goblin name.” She let go of me and stood up again with a grunt. She said something to the others. The guards seemed to argue something, but Moth spoke up with a counter. Slowly the others agreed to whatever he said.

The woman began to walk away, yelling back to me, “My brother Moth is going to escort you out of the city, you waste-of-my-time.”

I nodded, although she wasn’t there to see it. I was shaking from the encounter, but I was relieved it was over, and that Moth was the one who would see me out. He beckoned me closer with a wave of his hand and nodded towards the door. I slowly followed on shaky feet, the guards keeping a close eye on me until I left their sight.

I followed Moth through the city, the traversal of which he made look easy in comparison to my mindless wandering and frantic running. He stopped me at one point, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and stuffed something into my hands. It was a dagger wrapped in a simple leather sheath. I looked up at him, eyes wide. He held a finger to his lips, and gestured putting something inside his apron. I understood and stuffed the gift in my pants.

He waved goodbye at me after he saw me through the gate. When I turned away from him and the city, I saw one of the khajiit caravaners prick her ears and tilt her head at me. It was late then, and after spending the day haggling with the local traders, the khajiit were sitting around a fire and telling stories.

When I got close enough, the curious woman called out to me in orsimeris: “Where have you been?” Of course, I did not answer. After some more prodding by the others, they again realized the futility of talking to me and gave up, returning to their own company.

That night, as I lay on my bedroll in my tent, the fire extinguished at the khajiit purring in their sleep, I quietly removed the dagger from my pants and slowly unsheathed it. It was made of that beautiful brassy metal from the ruins. I gazed at its glory in awe, reminiscing on the greater things I had seen inside the keep. Then I began to wonder if it was real, if what happened today was real. I ran my fingertip along the blade before pain pulled it away, slowly beading with blood. I dropped the dagger on the bedroll and sucked on my finger and fanned it in the air.

Content that it was real, that the things I saw were real, that there were truly things in this world more ancient than my father’s father’s father many times over, and larger and grander than anything in our simple Tergut-Molg stronghold, I sheathed the dagger, returned it to its hiding spot, and fell asleep.

#tes #tesblr #my writing #oc: ogash gor-giknirh #orc #orsimer #orsinium #wrothgar #hammerfell #skyrim #markarth #khajiit #goblin #trinimac #malacath #gortwog gro-nagorm #torug gro-igron

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yandere-daydreams · 5 years

Text

A Yandere!Ryuko/OC Commission for the lovely @limbosretreat! I forgot about my love for a good Possessive, and the fact that I’m probably a closeted Dragon-Fucker.

Word Count: 5k

She’d always hated these things.

Loud people, reporters, unimportant chatter among heroes and civilians alike. Normally, she could just smile through a few embarrassing interviews, pushing through the crowd and trying to find a few familiar faces, but at a party that was specifically thrown to celebrate the Top Ten’s success, such a haven was more difficult to seek out.

She’d ruined it for herself, really. Ryuko might’ve been able to get away with just silently accepting the title and saving her thoughts for some over-paid therapist, but something about being brought up on a fucking stage and cheered-on just made the guilt already racking through her system seem so much stronger. She hadn’t been able to stop herself, even if the speech itself had been relatively composed.

Ryuko didn’t deserve to be in the Top Ten.

She’d failed.

She didn’t deserve this.

She let someone die.

Taking a deep breath, Ryuko tried to compose herself. She wasn’t on stage anymore. She was just sitting at an empty bar, avoiding the bartender’s eyes and trying to keep a comfortable distance from anyone who wandered too close. She could just leave, but… it’d be rude. Maybe if she just stuck around, had one more drink, thanked the host before she left and-

“Dragon Hero Ryuko,” An unfamiliar voice greeted, forcing Ryuko to snap towards him. It caught her off guard, but considering the growing stack of empty glasses to either of her sides, a lack of awareness shouldn’t be surprising. A younger man sat by on the stool to her side, suit too red (almost a blinding shade of the color) to be a coincidence. He must’ve been another hero. Undeterred by the woman scanning over him, he laughed, extending a hand. “Sorry, I’m Jayson… or Ciders, if we’re supposed to go by our aliases. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

American. His Japanese was fluent, but the slight accent edging into his voice gave Jayson away. Of course, no one from this city would bother someone who was clearly trying to stay out of a conversation. Still, Ryuko smiled, shaking his hand. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m afraid this isn’t the best way to meet your heroes, though, considering my outburst.”

“Oh, it’s not like I can complain.” Ryuko sent him a questioning look, but Jayson pulled her hand (still clasped around his own) closer to his chest, smiling too widely for it to be forced. It was certainly an… enthusiastic gesture, one that Ryuko wasn’t used to. But, that didn’t make it unpleasant. “I know you don’t think you deserve it, but I have to disagree,” He explained, squeezing her hand comfortingly. She tried to smile back, but her shock made it difficult. If Jayson noticed, it didn’t seem to put him off. “You’ve saved so many people, even if you weren’t fast enough once. Honestly, you deserve a higher ranking than tenth!”

It might’ve been the passion in his voice, or the sincerity of it all, but Ryuko quickly felt any decent response fizzle-out on her tongue. It took a moment of awkward silence and tense smiling, but eventually, Ryuko managed to spit something out. “I mean, thank you,” She stuttered, averting her gaze. Luckily, Jayson realized how tightly he was holding her hand, letting it go and apologizing under his breath. “It’s just not something you hear very often, you know? It feels like everyone’s been trying to get to the top since All Might retired.”

“Trust me, I know. All the heroes suddenly focusing on their popularity is the only reason I’m on this continent,” He laughed, leaning onto the bar counter. He was still grinning, a mess of curly black hair starting to fall over his left eye. Cute, now that Ryuko was looking.

She immediately decided to leave the bar after this conversation.

“I’ll be in the area, if you’d like to team-up,” He continued, gesturing towards one of his blinding sleeves. “I’ve got a solar quirk, and you’re a dragon! We’re the perfect match!”

“Cinders, right? I’ll give you a call next time I’m on patrol,” She chuckled, moving to stand up. It was getting late, and for fear of overstaying her welcome, she’d already given herself a self-imposed curfew.

But… she’d still make sure to get his phone number. As long as he was in the area, right?

Damage Control was going to kill Ryoko, she was sure.

The threat hadn’t been much, just a civilian who lost control of their Beast-Quirk. They’d taken hours to catch and even longer to restrain, especially with the frenzy caused by such a sudden panic. She’d been so preoccupied with flying those in danger out of harm’s way and stopping the rampaging monster from getting themself hurt, it took another Hero to finally get a pair of quirk-nullifying handcuffs on the civilian. She was almost embarrassed, but being impressed would be a better use of her time.

Jayson sat on an abandoned porch, leaning against the cement doorway when she finally managed to track him down in the chaos. She could still see the air around him shimmering, a result of over-using his quirk to such a degree. It took most of her self-control not to freeze-up when she saw the kind, smiling boy she’d meet a few nights ago, replaced by a glowing figure with gold streaks carved into his veins, something fiery seeming to rest under the first layer of his skin. But, the flare was gone by now, just leaving a tired Jayson in a tight, black jumpsuit.

“How are you doing?” She asked, throwing him one of the small plastic water bottles the rescue-workers had been handing out. He caught it reflexively, but barely had time to get a mouthful down before the container started to melt in his hand. At times like this, she was almost glad she couldn’t breathe fire in her dragon form.

He just shrugged as she approached, sitting just a few feet away. She didn’t want to seem standoffish, but getting burnt wasn’t exactly preferable. “I guess I’m a little too hot to handle,” Jayson chuckled, only winking when Ryuko gagged. “Don’t worry, I’m just getting warmed up. This isn’t exactly my ‘claim to flame’.”

This time, she had to stifle a giggle, covering her mouth before she let herself laugh at something… something like that. “I’ll pretend you didn’t say that,” She started, moving a bit closer. “But only because you did such a good job out there. I really appreciate the help, but I think I’d rather get beat into the asphalt that listens to one more-”

He cut her off, gesturing to the distant destruction casually. “Yeah, I really bought the heat.”

Ryuko momentarily considered the limits to what she could call a ‘justified arrest’.

Luckily, he seemed to catch on, just laughing it off and sitting up, turning to face her. “Seriously though, you don’t have to thank me. You did all the work, and actually tried to help other people. I just showed up and punched someone. Honestly, I’m surprised nothing got melted.” He paused, eyes drifting to the smoking water-bottle. “I’m surprised nothing important got melted, I mean.”

“You landed a non-lethal hit, using lightning. That level of restraint has got to take some practice.” The correction was small, but earned. Of all people, she wasn’t the kind to hand out praise indiscriminately. It had to be warranted, and in this case, he’d already done more than enough work. “Your quirk is dangerous, but you’ve got an impressive amount of control over it. Give yourself some credit.”

Slowly, his smile faded. Not completely, but losing its mischievous, playful edge. Instead, his features took on a more genuine tone, Jayson’s smirk becoming a lopsided grin, his posture losing some of the tension remaining from their recent fight. “Go out with me,” He said, making it sound like more of a proposal than a question. “Tomorrow night, after you get off patrol. We’ll grab dinner or something, whatever you want.”

She laughed, but… he did look cute, covered in sweat and completely exhausted. “Don’t you think you’re a little young for me? I mean, you look like your sixteen, and that’s generous.”

“I’m nineteen!” He complained, faking an over-dramatic pout. “C’mon, it’s not like we have to publicize it. I just think we’d get along pretty well, even without this…” He pointed towards his attire, to the branded logo sewed onto his sleeve. “Hero stuff. Besides, you’re only being stubborn because you know you like me.”

She huffed, pushing herself to her feet. He moved to stand as she started to walk away, but Ryuko stopped him before he could. Really, she was just relieved he couldn’t see her face. The giddy smile would’ve definitely given her away. “I’ll give you a call, let you know where we’re meeting. Try not to scare the hell out of me, this time.”

Ryuko liked Jayson. That, she was slowly growing sure of.

After catching a late dinner (more like an early breakfast, really) at some hole-in-the-wall place Jayson had insisted on, the two were content to simply stroll down one of the city’s more popular boulevards, chatting and teasing each other (Ryuko was easily flustered when it came to anything remotely romantic, and Jayson butchered most of the shop’s names so badly that Ryuko had to question if he actually spoke Japanese). It was sweet, and considering the odd hours when they both had free time, the street was surprisingly vacant. Well, at least it was empty of people who’d recognize her in civilian attire.

Jayson was fun, even if he was prone to making those god awful jokes whenever he got the chance. Ryuko didn’t get to relax very often, so to be around someone who doesn’t only see her as a Pro-Hero was… it was something she could get used to. And she didn’t mind the way he seemed to be so adoring of her, either, always quick to praise or distract her whenever she mentioned something too professional.

She liked being with him. At least until they were spotted.

With an overly loud greeting, another girl had caught Jayson’s arm, turning him around and scanning over him. She had a friend with her, someone who’s eyes instantly latched onto Ryuko. She didn’t have to guess what they wanted, all fans acted the same. And apparently, they only got more… up-front when inebriated.

“You’re that Pro from the other day, Cinders,” The girl slurred, letting go of Jayson to brush a few strands of brown hair out of her face. Her smile was a little too wide for Ryuko to be comfortable, a little too friendly. To be fair, this girl interrupted them! And so gracelessly, at that. “You saved my life! I’m so thankful… would you mind taking a picture with us?”

The other girl, a bit younger and a little more sober, drove her elbow into her friend’s side, her eyes never leaving Ryuko. “Don’t forget about her! Our asses would’ve been crushed if the Dragon Hero wasn’t there!”

Jayson just smiled, letting go of Ryuko’s hand (much to her discontent). He was always so nice, she should’ve known he’d never turn them down. She tried not to glare as he stepped forward, rubbing the back of his neck shyly. “It was nothing, really, I’m just doing my job. And I wouldn’t mind,” He started, glancing back towards Ryuko. “What about you?”

“I’ll pass,” She spat, crossing her arms. Vile, awful names for those sluts swirled in her mind, everything from pests to fucking distractions. Part of her was disgusted at herself for being so aggressive when these two were just excited to meet their heroes, but that didn’t get rid of the feeling. “I try not to broadcast my location, for privacy and all. I’d hate to get swarmed tonight.”

Jayson gave her an odd look, something between a concerned frown and a nervous smile, but he went on with the girls nonetheless. It was disgusting, the way that brunette pressed herself into his arm, clinging to him as she held her outstretched phone. Her friend was a little better, but not by much.

They were trying to take him away.

Ryuko’s eyes widened involuntarily, her teeth latching onto her cheek in an attempt to stop the intrusive thoughts. Still, she balled her fists, taking her place by Jayson’s side as soon as she could, slotting into his chest when the girls failed to take the hint. She wasn’t sure whether or not they understood, but either way, they left, and Ryuko let out an agitated breath.

Jayson laughed, wrapping an arm around her. Instantly, the tension drained from her. “Jealous much? I didn’t strike you as the type.”

“I’m not. People like that just… irk me,” She replied, tugging him forward. “Why don’t I show you some of the bars? I could use a drink.”

Two months. That’s how long it took for Ryuko to realize that the tightness in her chest wasn’t going away

She loved Jayson, of course. Even if she was disgusted by herself and those fleeting, intrusive thoughts, she knew he wasn’t doing anything wrong. The problem was with her, with everyone else but him. She couldn’t blame Jayson for the attention he attracted. He was charismatic, but that wasn’t his fault. And Ryuko had to remember that.

Still, as she leaned onto the kitchen island, watching her lovely, lovely boyfriend dry off his hair as he joined her, she couldn't help but appreciate how grateful she was to have him. It wasn’t much of an anniversary, considering they’d both been on Active Duty for the better half of the day. They’d celebrate tomorrow, she figured. It’s not like he would be busy, not by then.

“You let your agency know you couldn’t be coming in, right?” She asked, grabbing a half-empty bottle of wine from the counter. She had to think about whether or not she had the energy to use a glass. Ultimately, she decided that taking shots out of an opened bottle wouldn’t be the classiest idea. He nodded, and she grinned. “Perfect. There’s nothing stopping us from getting wasted, then.”

“Speaking of…” He trailed off, rooting around in the pocket of his hoodie. Her heart jumped when she saw the small, black box he pulled out, Ryuko having to bite down on her tongue just to keep her thoughts from straying to… extremes. Jayson tossed her the box, drumming his fingers on the marble. A nervous gesture, like she could ever not like something he got her. “It’s not a lot, but I know much much you like shiny things. You don’t have to wear it, if you don’t want to.”

She flicked open the lid, spinning the small, silver ring between her fingers. It was supposed to be a snake, she guessed, based off the small head that came up to wrap around the massive ruby encased in a thin metal framework. Ryuko couldn’t keep the smile off of her face as she slid it on to her ring-finger, treasuring the way it glinted in the light. She’d have to take it off, eventually, but that didn’t matter now. “It’s beautiful,” She mumbled, reaching across the island to take Jayson’s hand. “And here I was, starting to think that you didn’t really care about me.”

“Where’d you get that idea?” He laughed, taking a sip from one of the filled glasses. Good, the more he drank, the faster this would be. “You have to know I love you.”

“No, it’s not you that I have a problem with.” Another sip, perfect. She sighed, rubbing circles in the back of his hand. He looked tempted to pull away, but as sweet as he was, he didn’t budge. “It’s just… it feels like so many people want to take you away from me. Maybe they think you’re too good for me. Hell, I think you’re too good for me.” Again, that oh-so-familiar, white-hot jealousy shot through her. Ryuko took a deep breath, this would be better soon. All she had to do was wait a few more hours.

Minutes, really.

“I know it’s not true,” She continued, squeezing Jayson’s hand. “But, I can’t help it. I can’t sleep at night unless I know where you are, and even then, the idea that you might be thinking about someone else still keeps me on edge. It’s like I can’t breathe unless you're with me.”

Now, Jayson pulled away, a frown playing across his lips. It was an expression Ryuko didn’t seem often, and it was one she certainly didn’t like. He intertwined his fingers with hers, probably trying to be comforting. “Baby, that’s not-”

“It’ll be alright!” She insisted, grinning like an idiot. It was true, right? She knew how to fix this, how to get that awful, awful feeling out of her chest. She’d never have to Be worried about him, or be so spiteful to the people she used to like. She could fix all of this!

She already was, really.

Even if Jayson realized it, his posture had already started to deteriorate, his hold around her hand (while still sweet) was notably looser. His lips were still pursed, eyes still as focused as they could be, but her little add-on was working. Ryuko hummed, tugging him a little closer. Jayson faltered more, letting her pull him awkwardly into her shoulder. There was still a table separating them, but he must’ve been so tired… it probably wouldn’t have mattered if he was standing.

“It’s alright, I’ll take care of you,” She whispered, combing her free hand through her hair. Ryuko could feel the tension draining from his form, resistance fading as quickly as his consciousness. By the time he closed his eyes, his breathing had already evened out, letting go of his remaining stiffness. Her eyes darted the wine bottle, staring at it thankfully.

She was so glad he’d been distracted, earlier. If he’d seen her slip something into the wine, he probably wouldn’t have been nearly as agreeable.

By the time Jayson started to wake up, Ryuko was starting to wonder if she’d used too much of her chosen sedative.

She was patient, letting him cuddle into her lap as he shifted, despite the array of pillows and blankets scattered across the bed. It was an attempt to lighten-up the eerie room, considering the blank, concrete walls and the matching ceiling. But, Ryuko had done her best, bringing a few things from Jayson’s own apartment and buying whatever she hoped he would like. It’d help with the adjustment period… or she hoped it would, at least.

She leaned back as Jayson stirred, blinking himself awake slowly. His movements were groggy as he pushed himself up, only casting her a passive glance as his eyes darted around the room. He frowned, turning back towards her after a moment of silence. She couldn’t blame him, she’d be freaked out if she woke up in a basement. But, he had to know she wouldn’t hurt him. She deserved that much faith. “Where are we?” He asked, nearly slurring. Fuck, was that supposed to happen?

Reaching up, she cupped his cheek, ignoring the way he tried to shy away. “Somewhere safe, don’t worry.” At this, he pulled away, swinging his legs over the side of his cot. She moved to lean against him, but Jayson just stood, seemingly still in shock. He didn’t seem angry, just… confused. Like he didn’t fully process what was happening. “I meant to make things a little more comfortable,” She explained, brushing hair out of her eyes nervously. “But, this is temporary! Once I know that you’re not going to leave me, you’ll be allowed to go wherever you want.”

“So… you kidnapped me?” She cringed at his phrasing, but tried not to show it. This wasn’t a kidnapping, it was just a precaution. He just didn’t understand, yet. “And you're holding me hostage, essentially. In your basement. Do you always keep deadbolts on the door, or were those just for me?”

“All of this is for you,” She answered, trying to laugh. Jayson stayed dead-serious, though. He took another step towards the old, wooden staircase, like he was thinking about making a run for it. “Do you like it? I can get something else, if it’d make this easier.”

He took a shaky breath, turning towards her. He still looked tired, but his eyes were narrowed, fist balled at his sides. Now, he was angry. That was fair. “And what if I don’t want to make his easy,” He growled, his voice taking on an uneasy edge. “This insane, Ryuko. You can’t just hold someone hostage because you think they might cheat on you! You’re supposed to be a Pro-Hero!”

“I am,” She said, her voice as calm as she could keep it. Yelling wouldn’t help. If he was going to lose his temper, then she would just have to be more mature. “I’m doing my job, and keeping everyone safe. It’s either this, or hunt down every person you’ve ever talked to.” Again, she laughed, the sound desperate and breathy. “I was getting pretty close, before I thought of this. And you don’t want people to die, do you? Just come sit down, we’ll talk through this.”

He didn’t answer, giving Ryuko time to notice the same trembling in his arms, the way he seemed to be a little too tense. He was trying to use his quirk. “You need help-”

“That won’t work,” She interrupted, gesturing towards his near-shaking form. He made an effort to relax, almost immediately, but the damage had already been done. “Solar Quirks can store sunlight for… what? Two hours? You’ve been indoors for over ten hours, most of it spent in complete darkness. And it’s not like artificial light can give you anything to work with.” She paused, giving him a moment to process the information, continuing when he failed to answer. “Until you get outside or carve a window into one of these walls, you’re essentially quirkless.”

“I can still fight you!” His frustration was becoming obvious, the helplessness starting to sink in. “I’m still alive, and as long as I’m breathing, I can beat the fuck out of-”

“Play nice,” She growled, digging her nails into the cot’s sheets. Usually, she didn’t care about cursing, but this was different. He was cursing at her. “Do you honestly think that some kid from America would be able to overpower Japan’s Tenth Hero? You’re the one who said I deserved the position, so don’t get ahead of yourself.” Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm down, simply nodding towards the spot next to her. “Sit down. Before I make you.”

She wouldn’t have been able to do that. Hurting him, even if the wounds were superficial, just felt… wrong. Hurting any innocent person felt wrong, but just the thought of laying a hand on Jayson sent a wave of nausea washing over Ryuko. But, he didn’t know that. When she didn’t move to take it back, he grudgingly took a step towards her, then another, then another after that. It was a slow process, but eventually, he was sitting next to her, letting Ryuko lean into his side without an argument.

“This is crazy,” He muttered, his eyes never meeting hers. “This’ll never be alright.”

She sighed dreamily, nuzzling further into his side. “I know.”

Ryuko fiddled with the ring, now on a chain around her neck. It was a nervous habit, but it served as a way to remind herself that at one point, Jayson loved her.

Even if he seemed to forget it.

The boy in question was sitting in the corner, his legs pulled up to his chin, brown eyes watching her from over the bent appendages. Whenever she was in the room, he seemed to recede into himself, refusing to eat, sleep, move until she left. Usually, that wasn’t a problem. Even when fully human, she could easily hold Jayson’s chin until he agreed to drink something, or carry him to bed when he was being disagreeable. He didn’t struggle, not actively, but the days when she came home to a neat, tidy bedroom (the way she made sure to always leave it) were few and far-between.

Her eyes trailed to the few tables and shelves left in the room, the torn open pillows and the sidged books. She’d had to get rid of so many things, just so he didn’t hurt himself.

“It’s been four weeks, you know.” She tried to keep her voice light, but her disappointment might’ve been obvious. Jayson didn’t move, but she wasn’t surprised. Should she do something differently? No, he was just being stubborn. “Why don’t you talk to me? I’d love to tell you about my day, and the funniest thing happened while I was on patrol. Apparently, some people don’t know explosives… well, explode after you light them.”

“Twenty-nine days.”

She pursed her lips, a frown pulling at the corner of her features. “Excuse me?”

“It’s been twenty-nine days.” Jayson’s shoulders dropped, his eyes finally leaving her form. She didn’t know whether to be relieved or worried as he slouched, taking a deep breath. “It’ll be a month, tomorrow. I’ve been keeping track.”

Ryuko could practically feel her heart breaking, the complacency in his voice worse than any punch or kick that she could imagine. She had to mull over the thought of just leaving for a moment, letting him be alone to wallow in his self-pity, but… she cared about him. Pushing herself up from her spot on the staircase, walking to her companion and letting herself slide down the wall next to him. She didn’t move to touch him, letting Jayson adjust to her closeness. “Is being with me that bad?”

“No!” He yelled, jerking up and running a hand through his hair. He looked so distraught, she had to rest a hand on his shoulder just to calm him down. “I mean, it is? I don’t know anymore. I still love you, even if I wish I didn’t, but I’m not just going to be fine with this.” He gestured to the room, to the windowless walls, to the dead-bolted door. She could only look away. “I can’t hate you, but I hate this. All of it. And I don’t want to hurt you, but fuck, I’d strangle you if it meant I had a chance of getting out of here.”

Without thinking, she strung an arm around his shoulders, pulling him into her chest. He was rigid, at first, but let her comb through his hair, working out knots as he closed his eyes. She could feel his breath hitched, like he was holding back a sob and desperately trying not to let her see. But, there wasn’t enough space between them for her not to notice. And if she was lucky, there never would be again.

This was just proof that he needed her. That no one else would be able to replace her.

“It’s alright,” Ryuko whispered, making a poor attempt to sound soothing. “I know how to make this better.”

“They’re too tight.”

Jayson shifted, poorly trying to shrug off his cloth blindfold. The restraints around his hands were made of the same material, but wrapped around his wrists so many times it’d began to cut off his circulation. Ryuko didn’t try to convince herself it was less uncomfortable than it looked. He wouldn’t be wearing them for much longer, anyway.

“Now, what are you going to do when I untie you?” She asked, her voice as soft as it was totalitarian. She didn’t want to scare him, but it wasn’t like he gave her much of a choice. And if he didn’t learn his lesson, he’d never give her a choice.

She could see him swallow, fidgeting further. It was odd, seeing him stand so tensely in his own home, his own apartment. To be fair, he had no way of knowing where he was. She’d made sure of that. “I’m… going to go to my room,” He mumbled, the aggression shining through clearly. “I’ll wait until morning, then I’m going to pretend that none of this ever happened.”

“And when people start to ask where you’ve been for the last few weeks?”

“I was on vacation,” He recited, word-for-word from her explanation. It was surprising, considering she’d only told him once. But, it was only fitting for the love of her life. “Totally off-the-grid, a family emergency in America that lasted for a little too long. It kept me away from my girlfriend, and the distance made us break-up. And that’s all I want to say about it.”

She let herself smile, still keeping a comfortable distance. Ryuko fished the small pocket knife out of her pocket while she spoke, moving slowly to keep from scaring him. “And what happens if you tell someone about our time together?”

Jayson sighed, a gesture so exhausted she couldn’t help but pity him. “Look, you don’t have to worry about that.” She wanted to reach out, if only to comfort him. He needed someone to comfort him, and the only person he deserved was her-

Stop it. Thoughts like that were what started all of this. The last thing she needed was to make herself look crazier. Luckily, she didn’t have to dwell on the subject for very long. He continued, his voice instantly getting her attention. “I… I just want to get this over with. The sooner I never have to see you again, the better.”

She wanted to hiss, to yell, to make him understand what this relationship was supposed to be like, but instead, she just swallowed her pride, grabbing her fists with one hand and sawing away at the restraints with the other. “Right. You’re not going to acknowledge me, and I’m not going to acknowledge you. Not unless you need me.” She held onto his now-unrestrained hands for a moment, letting go a second later. She’d have to be patient, she’d have to wait. Biting her tongue as he forced off the blindfold, she watched silently as he looked around hastily, practically running to the safety of his familiar bedroom.

She took a deep breath, turning towards his front door, a spare set of his keys already clutched in her palm. The next few weeks would be miserable, miserable torture, but that was inevitable.

Luckily, it wouldn’t be useless torture.

She’d never been so thankful for Jayson’s family being overseas, so far away from their son, so difficult to communicate with. So, if a few unlucky accidents occurred, he’d have such a hard time making it back into the country. And if many, many accidents were to happen when he was so far out of reach, he’d be helpless to stop much of anything until it was too late.

And his friends in Japan were few and far between. Surely, it wouldn’t be that strange for something tragic to happen. And it’d all be so easy. Villains are willing to do so many favors, as long as Pro-Heroes are willing to look the other way.

And then, Jayson would be alone.

Completely and utterly alone.

Except, she’d still be there. And she wasn’t planning on moving until he came crawling back.

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