#soon i really do hope :'D

[bg-brainrot]

I tried really hard to shake The Mood™️ this weekend to no avail, so get ready for another sad one shot, whoops.

[starflungwaddledee]

i wanted to do a piece to commemorate all the amazing waddle dees who entered the @kirbyoctournament this year! as starstruck is the last dee standing in the mainline tourney, that's a big legacy to carry, but she's doing her best...!

if you want to help her keep fighting the fight for the Humble Waddle Dee against all these super cool knights, dark matters, gods, and ancients, you can vote for starstruck here!

additionally with the first round of second chance voting now open, all these dee's are back for more, and you can give them your vote in the second chance bracket!! sadly a few of them are up against each other, but from top to bottom, here are links to vote for your favourites!

galaxia // ideena // pip // fondue // starry // mimi // daisy // rainbow // wadhat // wridee // stellar // rope mf // keyper // seam // lemon // flower // and of course starstruck being squished to within an inch of her life there 😂

character credits, from top to bottom!

galaxia @centellazul // ideena @tazmilygray // pip @emmyp0ps // fondue @moonmacabre01 // starry @staring-at-a-blank-pagee // mimi @clownie-rainbow // daisy @starrygoober // rainbow @cali-kabi // wadhat @iwontusethis255 // wridee @mxmanynames // stellar @drawscutestuff // rope mf @mint-termsandconditions // keyper @bloodiegawz // seam @cloud-the-forgotten // lemon @snazzyladreal // flower @eliastheownerof0axolotls

i hope you all enjoy it!! best of luck to everyone and their wanyas in the tourney and second chance!! 💖🙏

[segasys]

Ramune :]

(oops image is kinda big)

alternates under

I couldn’t decide which one was best, I’m just a sucker for blue->purple->pink blend hue whatever you want to call it

[thatonebirdwrites]

Cheating Death Part 4 - End

Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3

Epilogue

Finally, after weeks under intensive medical care, she was cleared to go home. Her recovery was far from over. Lena didn't look forward to the intense physical and occupational therapy in store, but at least she could rest in a more comfortable space. Have a bit more freedom.

Alex had insisted on taking her home, though Kara had walked with them until she received a Supergirl call. Lena understood now why Kara randomly took off, and with that understanding came a slow acceptance.

The door swung open at the press of her thumb against the keypad. Alex pushed her wheelchair, and shut the door with her foot behind them. They made it almost to the sofa when the shouts erupted around them.

"Surprise!"

Lena nearly fell out of her chair at the sudden noise. People leaped out from behind the sofa, tumbled out of the kitchen, and poured in from the hallway. They were all there: Kara, Brainy, Nia, J'onn, Kelly, and even Sam and Ruby.

"Welcome home!" Alex said with a grin, meaning she was in on this too.

Lena had no idea what to make of this. She'd never had a surprise... anything before in her life. "Um, thanks?"

Ruby nearly bounded into Lena's lap with her fervent hug. "I'm so glad you're home! We were so worried when we found out." She pulled back with a teary smile. "You gotta stop almost dying on us. Because we need you here, you're family, and Mom and I sort of just got here today, so all I have is this card." She handed it over and put her hands behind her back.

Lena opened it to the words, "We love you. Please try not to die again. Or we'll drag your sorry ass back to the world of the living." The asterisk after 'ass' had a note at the bottom that read, "Ruby was allowed this one curseword in honor of you."

Lena smiled and ran her fingers over the handwriting, some of it Ruby's and some Sam. Why they bothered, she didn't know, considering how she'd ghosted them. She took a deep breath to try to stop the urge to cry. "Thank you, Ruby. I love you both too."

Sam walked up behind her daughter and smiled, her eyes glistening. "Kid has a point." She leaned forward and gave her a half hug, planting a kiss on the side of her head. "I'm glad to see you up. We've been so worried."

She handed Lena what looked like a phone at first glance, until she saw the hinge. Opening it revealed a note that read: "Answer your phone! <3 xxxoo Sam." Under it was one of her guilty pleasures, a very specific hard candy only sold in Ireland.

"Sam..." Lena didn't know what to say. She wiped away tears, frustrated with herself. Since her near death and disablement, she'd become a weepy fool. "Thank you. I'll be better about staying in touch. I promise."

As the others moved forward, one at a time to greet her and welcome her home, Lena found herself smiling and dissolving into tears yet again. She wasn't used to this much care, and it still felt unreal. Like the shoe could drop at any moment, and yet it didn't.

Alex had continued to care for her, Kara and the others had continued to visit, and now that Lena was cleared to rest at home? Here they all were being the sappiest people she'd ever met.

"Make sure you kiss your beefcake," Nia whispered as she dropped a box of chocolates on Lena's lap. "She set this up, and I kind of have money on the line, so give a girl some help?"

Lena laughed, but she couldn't stop herself from sneaking a look at Kara who stood, swaying back and forth on her heels, as she waited impatiently. "Sure, Nia."

Alex gave her a backpack of all things. "Hey, don't give me that look," the director said with a cluck of her tongue. "Think of all the science-y things you can stuff in this thing and loop onto your wheelchair. Nothing will stop you now."

She lightly swatted Alex's arm. "Maybe if I was five, but really, thank you." At least the bag was black, so it matched the chair's coloration.

Kelly's gift was perhaps the most useful. A tool to grab things from afar. Lena immediately snapped it in Alex's direction, who danced out of reach with a scowl. "It's perfect," she said with a grin.

"I know you have a long recovery in store," Brainy said with a bow of his head. "But I will give you access to my favorite..." he glanced at Nia, "... toys as Nia calls them." He held out a small, palm-sized square. "Press your thumb and a holographic interface, encrypted for our communication and projects, will appear."

Lena couldn't resist. She pressed her thumb, and the interface swirled around her, filled with all sorts of delicious programs. "Holy shit, Brainy. Thank you. This is a delight." She pressed her thumb again, and it vanished.

J'onn stepped forward and bowed his head. "I wish to apologize for my actions in not bringing you in sooner. You've always been one of the best of us, and so I offer you the aid of my community. We have had many soldiers wounded in battle, and I will gladly aid in your recovery. So that you may find the mobility that fits your needs."

Lena studied the stoic man and thought back to something Kara had said to her. "You're a good swordfighter?" When he nodded, she smiled. "I was nearly an Olympic fencer. That's my goal. To recover enough to challenge you to a duel."

He bowed to her. "I accept."

Kara came last, of course. "Hey you." She knelt and wrapped Lena in a tight hug. Lena leaned her head against Kara's shoulder and breathed in her usual vanilla scent.

The pain hadn't full healed between them, but they were taking little steps. And with each one, Lena settled into the reality that Kara wasn't some omnipotent do-no-wrong-god, but a trauma-filled, messy alien who feared loss almost as much as Lena did.

That's one thing the past few weeks in Alex's medical ward taught her: perfection didn't exist, and that's okay. It was okay to be imperfect. She'd still be loved for who she was, even despite her sometimes bratty, petty nature.

Kara pulled back and kissed Lena's forehead. "I made this." She handed her a cylinder with lines and dots on all sides. "It's a puzzle box like what my father made. Give you something to do as you heal."

"Kara," she leaned her head against Kara's shoulder. "God, I love you so much," she whispered. "Thank you."

"I love you too." Kara carded her fingers through her hair. Lena gladly took the brief moment to recalibrate herself for more people interaction. Alex's words hovered in her head, "I need you to recognize your limits."

She took stock of her pain, her emotional bandwidth, and decided she could handle an hour. Then she'll ask to go to the bedroom. Plan in place, she pulled back from Kara with a smile.

She blinked away her tears. "Thanks to all of you. Now, I'd like to sit down on the sofa, if you don't mind?"

Kara chuckled and gently scooped Lena into a bridal carry. Her face flushed, likely as pink as her own. "As you wish, milady."

Alex groaned at that while Nia cackled.

Settled on the sofa, Lena leaned back into the cushions in relief. Fatigue plagued her still, and the pain simmered despite the pain meds. Still, she was much improved than a week ago. This ordeal had taught her that even small steps were worthy victories.

"So you ready for cake? Because all welcome home parties need cake." Kara practically hopped from foot to foot.

"Sure, Supergirl," Lena drawled. "Better fly me the best."

"Oh, you betcha. Straight from Belgium." Kara sounded quite proud of herself.

"Kara..." Alex pressed her palm against her face.

"Supergirl?" Sam echoed, her eyebrows raised.

"Wait a second," Kelly looked around, surprised. "Kara is Supergirl???"

Well, it was nice to know she wasn't the last one told after all.

***

Six months later

Lena gripped the bars, most of her weight on her arms. Her legs trembled beneath her, her right foot turned slightly to the left. Kara stood at the other end of the torture session with a grin. "Come on, Lena, you can do this."

"Oh shut up." Lena growled, but there was no heat in her words, only a deep affection. She carefully took a step, and her leg held. A tingling sizzled up her leg muscles, but she didn't crumple. Slowly, she lifted and plopped her other foot down. That one proved weaker than the other, so she leaned into the bars more.

"Remember to breathe." Her physical therapist stood behind her ready to catch if she fell.

She took a deep breath and managed another step. The rhythm of walking felt strange, like a foreign language she'd forgotten after months of using a wheelchair.

Since the attack, she'd kept a low profile. Sam returned as temporary CEO, and Alex proved to be just as protective of her as she was of Kara. Nia's article of the attack won the public's favor for Lena, which had been a nice, short boost for L-Corp.

So she slowly made her way down the bars, each step mores stable than the last. Her muscles screamed at the effort, but she pushed forward, determined.

Kara, as always, lived up to her promise and stayed at her side. Assisted her lab work. Accepted with grace the occasional microscope she threw at her head. Since becoming an independent writer and science consultant, Kara spent more and more time at her penthouse, and it had started to fill up with knickknacks, paintings by Kara, Kara's clothes randomly strewn over chairs, and a kitchen full of enough food for a hungry Kryptonian.

Lena knew she wasn't always the best partner. Sometimes Kara and her fought bitterly, but they'd learned to come together and talk it out. To share space for one another's feelings. To tentatively explore what being together really looked like.

All a step at a time.

Her trek reached the end of the bars, and there Kara stood, her arms out stretched.

"You did it! I told you so," Kara said with a delighted laugh.

Lena leaned forward and let herself fall into Kara's embrace. She looked up and smiled at her lovable dork. "I suppose I owe you that ice cream, my love," she said, wryly.

Kara nodded and brushed her nose against Lena's. "You sure do."

Lena placed her hand on Kara's cheek and kissed her lips. As she pulled back, she smiled at the goofy dazed expression Kara always wore when Lena sneaked a kiss.

"I'll make it two, for being such a good motivator." Behind her the physical therapist cleared her throat. Lena chuckled and for the first time in her life, she actually felt happy.

She'd cheated death yet again and won a girlfriend from it. Quite the bargain when all was said and done.

[derelictwreck]

undefined

psychonauts is a good series

[mel-loly]

-I'm back, my dear people! Did you miss me? :]

(I hope so, because it took a while for me to find time to come back- also.. sorry for the bad art😃👍)

[shima-draws]

I’m not even at WCI yet so I don’t even have context but my brain won’t shut up about Sanlu Forbidden Romance where Luffy sneaks in to the Vinsmoke mansion (or wherever the hell they’re keeping Sanji) so he can tenderly kiss him under the moonlight. I am unwell

[triona-tribblescore]

*Grabs you by your hoodie, places you on my bluffy back and rolls in to a bread*(like a cat)

Good night Triona, we Mimir together

Wish this was irl :'(

so soft and content, thank you for the warm vibes Kredena <3

[sneez]

more of my oc tervis (any pronouns), the creepiest most miserable little weirdo in town. which is saying something [id under cut]

/ ID: four digital drawings.

The first image is a series of drawings of Tervis on a paper-textured background. A heading at the top reads 'Tervis (Humble)'. One is a coloured headshot of Tervis looking to the left; they have a gaunt face, short receding hair, a scar bisecting their lip and right eyebrow, greyish skin, and are wearing a red shawl around their neck. An arrow pointing at their right eye reads 'one blue eye (mostly blind)'; another arrow pointing at their left eye reads 'one brown eye'. They have a serious, hostile expression. The second drawing is an uncoloured full-body sketch of Tervis. Next to this is the same drawing but coloured and with more polished lineart. Tervis is a thin, hunched figure wearing a long, dark brown robe, a greyish bag on their back, and a red shawl around their head and neck. They are barefoot, and are leaning on a walking staff with both hands. An arrow pointing to the walking staff reads 'needed for walking, useful for hitting'. Tied to the belt around their waist are several long scrolls of paper with writing on them. An arrow pointing to the scrolls reads ''blessings' they paste on infected houses'. Tervis is looking warily out at the viewer from beneath their eyebrows. An arrow pointing to their head reads 'scar from getting hit in the face with a brick (also knocked out a tooth)'. Alongside these drawings are a series of bullet points giving information about Tervis. These read:

   indeterminate age, indeterminate gender

   religious fanatic (unclear which religion)

   lives alone somewhere in the steppe

   dislikes everyone but is nicer to children than anyone else

   has every disease

The second image is a fake screenshot from the video game Pathologic. Tervis is looking out at the viewer; the background shows scenery from the steppe. The text on screen reads:

CHANGELING: I still don’t see what you could have done that would make you personally responsible for this plague. TERVIS: Responsible… no, not merely responsible! This is my plague, cast upon my head alone. I am the originator; my sin is at the root of all. I have ventured into the town. I have seen the canker there. No matter how many houses I bless, my sickness sinks deeper. The rotted limb is the death of the body… Surely you understand me. You are a healer, are you not? CHANGELING: What is it that you are asking me to do? TERVIS: Let me be the lamb, worker of miracles! My blood shall wet the earth, and bright flowers shall grow… My putrefaction will provide the soil within which new life will burgeon, pure and free of sin and decay. Let it be done. I am ready. My failing flesh is but little sacrifice; in death my weakness will be my strength. Soon these torments will be at an end.

Below are two dialogue options:

You’re insane!

What makes you so sure your death would solve anything?

The third image is a fake screenshot from the video game Pathologic 2. Tervis is looking out at the viewer, and has been painted in semi-realistic style. The text on screen reads:

Tervis: Why do you force me to live? Damn you! Your cure is poison to me. Now I shall never be blessed. You should have left me to bleed.

Below are three dialogue options:

Don’t be absurd. I wasn’t going to watch you die.

What makes you think you deserve suffering?

I wish I had.

At the bottom of the image is a line of dialogue which Tervis has just spoken:

The air is foul. There is rot in this place. The stench of corruption shall be – what was it? What was it? The stench of corruption shall be… swept aside…

The fourth image is a coloured scene depicting Tervis and Clara. They are central in the composition; around them is the steppe, which has been rendered in a loose, painterly style. Tervis is kneeling, their walking staff cast aside, and are reaching out their hands to Clara in a desperate, pleading gesture. They are crying, their face contorted in an expression of agonised ecstasy. Clara stands beside them, one hand reaching out, the other held above Tervis’s head as though about to touch their brow. She has a solemn, pained expression. Behind her head, a break in the dark clouds gives the impression that she is haloed by sunlight; rays of the same light fall onto Tervis, illuminating their face and red robe. End ID. /

[lifeonmvrs]

preparing for valentine’s day >:3 i present to you ace attorney + bad puns valentine’s day cards!!

[Image Description: a half-body digital drawing of mia fey from ace attorney. she’s crossing her arms and smiling with her head slightly tilted to the left and two little hearts by her side. her hair is wavier than canon. on the left, there’s some text reading “You’re drop-dead gorgeous! From: [colon] To: [colon]” in comic sans. the background is a solid turquoise.

the second picture is of a postcard and greeting card of the drawing as redbubble products. they are showed in a frame that resembles the structure of an instagram post with the user lifeonmvrs. it has a title reading “already available :3 [cat face emoticon]” and in smaller text one that reads “link in bio [heart emoticon]”. the third picture is the same but the products this time are a pin and a sticker. /end ID]

[snekverse]

MCD Tarot deck 0-VII

Here are the first seven cards of my MDC Tarot deck, a project a year in the making!! For times sake and my own sanity, I'll only be doing the major arcana, but expect the next seven (hopefully) soon :)

Introductions + explanations under the cut! and disclaimer: I know VERY LITTLE about tarot, so please take all this with a grain of salt!

Aphmau, the Fool - Among other things, The Fool is representative of new beginnings, opportunity and potential, things Aphmau's character (specifically in MCD) encapsulated. Her newness to the world is a huge part of her character in the beginning of the series, and towards the end as the lore fleshes out it gets reflected in her dynamic with Irene, and being Irene's reincarnation. She is the culmination of the fresh start Irene wanted, and was filled with the potential to be everything she could never be.

Zoey, the Magician - Among other things, The Magician is representative of manifestation, resourcefulness, power, and inspired action. This was somewhat of a hard call on my end, but I think her dedicating the 15 year timeskip to research on how to free Aphmau and co. from the Irene Dimension, and ultimately succeeding even though it would cost her her immortality, aligns with this best. She worked hard and used all her power to change fate, to return her loved ones to their rightful home, which is pretty inspirational if you ask me.

Lucinda, the High Priestess - My note for this one is "I don’t know how to explain how this makes sense to me it just suits her" so there's no real reason for this decision lol. Among other things, The High Priestess is representative of intuition, sacred knowledge, divine feminine, and the subconscious mind. You could argue that MYST Lucinda inhabits some of these, being very comfortable in her femininity and having a strong sense of intuition as well as knowledge most of the cast isn't privy to, however we all know that MYST =/= MCD so do with this information what you will.

Zianna, the Empress - Among other things, The Empress is representative of nature, nurturing, and abundance. This is based somewhat on headcanons, but Zianna is heavily associated with being a kind, doting mother. She loves and nurtures her children, and in MYST we see this kindness applies to others' children as well as her own. Additionally, The Empress when reversed encourages one to make self-love and self-care a priority, something this ever-doting woman desperately needs after devoting all her time and energy to other people's needs for the past several DECADES.

Garte, the Emperor - Among other things, The Emperor is representative of authority and establishment, and when reversed is representative of domination and excessive control. This is based somewhat on headcanons, but Garte more so resembles The Emperor reversed, being a cold and controlling tyrant, both as the leader of a nation and as a father figure. He is a man of strict rules and regulations and tends to abuse the power he holds over people.

Zane, the Hierophant - Among other things, The Hierophant is representative of spiritual wisdom, religious beliefs, conformity, tradition, institutions. Zane canonically is the high priest of a very large and traditional religion, this aspect of The Hierophant is self explanatory. He is literally the head of an institutionalized religion of which he is very knowledgeable about. When reversed, The Hierophant is representative of personal beliefs and freedom. This is based somewhat on headcanons, but I believe Zane's hunt for Irene's Relic/the Divine Relics is a personal goal, and ties into breaking free from the controlling nature of his father, his nation, and his religion: who would dare control you when you become their god?

Donna and Logan, the Lovers - Among other things, The Lovers card is representative of love, harmony, relationships, values alignment and choices. I feel like this one if the most self explanatory, as their entire arc together is about over coming differences, and choosing to love each other in spite of those differences. Y'all remember how freaked out Logan was when he got turned? Specifically about Donna's reaction? And how she chose to love him anyways because this plot point happened before Jess added her werewolf kink to the canon lore? They constantly choose to be happy and they choose to be together, who else could I have picked for this card?

[avirael]

The Frozen Lake

It was the third day since he had stopped feeling like dying.

About a week ago he had woken up from his far too lifelike fever dream and a few days later the last spikes of the fever itself had been gone too just like the hallucinations it had brought in his sleep.

He still had been sick though and welcomed Rael telling him to stay in bed until he was perfectly healthy again all too eagerly.

While he still sneezed every now and then, it was at least tolerable now, still annoying but he didn’t feel incredibly uncomfortable anymore.

That day, just like the last and also the ones before that, he had awoken late. Against Rael’s order to stay in bed he had found the courage to get up and take a look out of the window. It was a sunny day, which in Coerthas still meant that it was bitterly cold though. But the sun was shining brightly and already high in the sky too which meant it had to be almost midday. He had slept way too long again, way to many hours for a surprisingly dreamless sleep. Or maybe it was exactly the lack of dreams that allowed him to finally rest, after all in the past there rarely had been good ones…

For a moment he considered to go downstairs and ask for a late breakfast if that wasn’t too insolent given the late hour but then a knock sounded from the door.

Quickly he hurried back to bed, just in case it was Rael, but the person who carefully peeked into the room a few seconds later wasn’t a viera.

“Ah, you are awake! That’s good!”, Haurchefant exclaimed happily and brought a small tray with hot soup and also something warm to drink. “It is so late already, you must be horribly hungry. Alphinaud checked in on you earlier but you were still fast asleep and he didn’t have the heart to wake you.”

A little uncertain on how to answer to that, A’viloh just nodded. Haurchefant grinned, put down a mug on the bedside table and handed A‘viloh a comfortingly warm bowl filled with some rather delicious smelling stew.

Instead of fetching the chair from the small desk by the window, Haurchefant sat down at the lower end of the bed balancing the tray with his own lunch on his knees. Rael once told him that ishgardian society had an absurd amount of strict and antiquated rules and so A’viloh couldn’t help but wonder, that although it seemed like a very appropriate distance to him, in Haurchefant’s hometown the fact alone that he dared to sit on someone else’s bed was probably scandalous.

“I hope you don’t mind me having lunch with you.”, the Elezen asked as he noticed A‘viloh staring.

Quickly the Miqo’te lowered his gaze to his bowl of soup. “Not at all.”, he muttered and tried a spoonful of the food just to change the topic. “Mhh, this is very good!”, he mumbled, still chewing, surprised by how good this really was compared to the bland food and bitter teas Rael had usually brought him these last few days. It must have been the Viera’s way of punishing him for running away.

Haurchefant laughed and then for a while they ate in silence.

“You look a lot healthier already.”, the Elezen stated after a while with an amiable smile on his face before taking a sip from his mug.

A‘viloh shrugged a little embarrassed, since it had been his own fault that he hadn’t been well in the first place. “Only because all of you took so good care of me.”

Haurchefant nodded. “You know, you had us all horribly worried right?”

“Sorry about that.”, he said and guitily looked into his mug.

Curiously Haurchefant eyed him for a moment. “Why did you do that anyway? Run out into the storm.”

A bit surprised A’viloh looked up. Had they all thought he had done this on purpose? “There wasn’t a storm when I left! What do I know about weather? I didn’t expect it to start snowing, let alone that much!”

That made the Elezen chuckle again but he still looked at him expecting an answer.

“Still… why did you leave?”

“I assumed Rael told you…”, A’viloh replied not sure what Haurchefant wanted to hear exactly. He nodded. “Rael did. But maybe I want to hear it from you…”

A’viloh sighed. His plan hadn’t been very smart and he felt a little uncomfortable having to explain his reasons to someone else, when in retrospect it didn’t make much sense even to his own ears.

“You know the… circumstances under which we fled Ul’dah… I couldn’t… um… the fact that we didn’t even know what happened to our friends… I wanted to find out, because it doesn’t seem fair to me that we escaped while all of them didn’t…”

“Mhh…”, Haurchefant nodded thoughtfully but let go off the topic for now. Instead he asked, „And how are you feeling today?”

Somehow that question confused A’viloh even more.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s a simple question, isn’t it?”, he said still smiling politely.

Of course it was a simple question. Just the answer felt unreasonable complicated to him. To make things even more difficult people who asked such a question usually wanted to hear “I‘m fine, and you?” or “Very good, thank you.” for an answer and rarely the truth. They certainly didn’t want to hear “A few days ago I was convinced I was going to die and honestly it wasn’t that bad, so now I‘m still not sure wether I am happy to still be alive or not”.

“Alright… I guess.”, he mumbled instead. He had never been a good liar and could only hope that this fact wasn’t too obvious for the Elezen.

“You know what?”, Haurchefant proclaimed after watching him thoughtfully for a second. “Today is a wonderful day. We should go for a walk.”

“A walk?!”, A’viloh exclaimed wide-eyed, as if he had just asked something unreasonable of him.

“Why not?”

A’viloh couldn’t think of a good reason why not, other than that he was supposed to stay in bed, so he shrugged.

“Where’s Rael?”, he asked instead.

Haurchefant smirked. “Do you need Rael’s permission to go outside?”

“Of course not.”, the Miqo’te protested. “But Rael will be mad if I run off again, especially against their orders to stay in bed.”

“Rael and Alphinaud went to the observatory earlier.”, Haurchefant explained. “We’ll be back before they are, I promise.”

What was A’viloh supposed to say against that and also against the expectant look on the Elezen’s face. He took another glimpse towards the window and decided that it looked nice enough to go outside.

“Fine.”

“Good!”, Haurchefant exclaimed happily and collected their empty bowls and mugs. “There should be warm clothes for you in the wardrobe. If you need anything else just ask someone. I’ll wait for you by the northern gate.”

After Haurchefant had left, A’viloh remained sitting in his bed for a moment longer contemplating on the Elezen’s question. Yes, he felt better again. But better in what comparison? Better than a few days ago when he had felt and also been half-dead? Though he didn’t feel sick anymore now, there still was a weigh on his heart. From his plan that had failed so spectacularly and even more so from the dreams he wouldn’t have minded to keep on dreaming forever.

Vehemently he shook his head and decided not to think about that now or he would just crawl back under the blanket of his comfortably warm bed again. Instead he got up and took a look into the wardrobe. Almost none of these were his own clothes of course since all he possessed were the ones he had worn on his body that day they fled Ul’dah. Very unsuitable for this climate. But neither did he see the borrowed clothes he had worn that night when he had tried to run away. Everything in here looked even softer and warmer like someone had wanted to make sure he was feeling comfortable. To his surprise the things didn’t look that much too big for him either, unlike his last set of clothes. Besides a few Hyur most people here at Camp Dragonhead were grown up Elezen but these clothes looked like they belonged to neither. Maybe it were clothes for Elezen children, he wondered and also thought that in that case someone must have brought them here just for him.

Grateful for so much effort he picked a few pieces and got dressed. Lazily he ran his fingers through his hair to get rid of the worst knots but the look into the small mirror at the washbasin, where his tired face stared back at him reproachfully, just made him sigh. Once he was ready he took the warm coat out of the wardrobe too and went out to look for Haurchefant. Just as he had said, the Elezen was standing by the gate that led to the north-east, towards the ruins of the Steel Vigil.

From afar Haurchefant already recognised the Miqo’te, his bright red hair a singularity among all the people living here. Pleasantly smiling as always he waved at him and A’viloh couldn’t help but smile a little too and wave back as he hurriedly walked towards him.

“There you are! I see the clothes fit you nicely.”

A’viloh nodded.

“They do. Thank you very much for these.”

Haurchefant dismissively waved with one hand. “It’s the least I could do…”

But he had done a lot more than that, A’viloh thought. “I think there’s more I need to thank you for. Rael told me it was you who saved my life.”

“Mhhh…”, Haurchefant tilted his head as if he wasn’t sure if this statement was entirely the truth. “Rael is too humble. They played a bit of a role in that too. After all it was Rael who noticed you were gone. And it was also Rael who didn’t leave your bedside and tried their best to heal you.”

A’viloh remembered waking up and finding the usually quite touch-averse viera cuddled up to him with a look on their face so horribly sad like he had never seen on them before. Rael had pretended it was nothing but it had been a very unconvincing performance. Asked about it Alphinaud had only offered a few sentences about how worried Rael had looked and how they had used all kinds of spells he himself had never seen or heard of before, all of it to try and save him. It had made him feel even more guilty for his stupidity.

So maybe Haurchefant was right. But still it had been him who had risked going out into the storm to find him.

“Anyway. I still want to thank you! Honestly.”, he insisted. But how honestly was it really?

Sure, he was glad to still be alive. After all his plan hadn’t been to run out into a blizzard and freeze to death, although some of them seemed to think that was the case. But once he found himself in this situation he had to admit that he had welcomed his fate rather willingly. A fact that shocked even himself a little looking back at it now.

“You’re welcome. After all you wouldn’t be any help to your friends frozen to death out there.”, Haurchefant joked with a wry smile on his lips.

“I guess not...”, A’viloh muttered, the topic of his friends making his mood visibly sink again.

Of course the Elezen noticed and his smile turned into a playful grin. “But I acted a little selfish too, you know? I think Camp Dragonhead is a lot friendlier with your company and I would like to have you and your pretty smile around a little longer.”

For a moment A’viloh’s eyes shot up to look at the others face before he quickly pretended that something somewhere a little bit to his left was a lot more interesting. Sometimes Haurchefant randomly said things, A’viloh hadn’t had the slightest idea how to react to. Not because he was that oblivious but simply because it puzzled him. Nonetheless the air suddenly didn’t feel that cold anymore on his face.

Haurchefant was always very kind to him. Well, he mostly was kind to everybody but sometimes he seemed to admire him especially. Him of all people, although there was nothing special about him. Haurchefant sometimes spoke of him like he was one of the greatest heroes of all time and it felt so ridiculous to him. He was just silly, cowardly A‘viloh! What had he ever achieved in his miserable life to justify such admiration? The people called him a Warrior of Light but wasn’t that some grand overstatement? Some days he thought all of this had been a horrible mistake. A great misunderstanding! Then he wondered how he had ever gotten entangled in this madness in the first place and also if he ever would get out of it again. But what else should he do with his life anyway...

While A’viloh’s brain still screeched in desperate search for a proper response, Haurchefant seemed to realise he had flustered him and glossed it over by gesturing to the gate.

“How about we walk a few yalms? There’s something you need to see!”

Still too dumbstruck to speak or to even wonder what the Elezen was talking about, A’viloh nodded and then proceeded to follow him out into the snowy landscape.

After a few minutes Haurchefant paused and took a deep breath. “Isn’t the air wonderful today?”

A’viloh followed his example, breathed deeply and let his gaze wander over the snow covered landscape with a few pines here and there and the mountains and ruins of the Steel Vigil in the distance. The air was cool and fresh, still cold enough that the warm sun couldn’t melt the snow. Instead the rays of sunshine made the scenery shine and sparkle as if everything was covered not in ice but in millions over millions of tiny diamonds.

“It is.”, he answered and smiled, surprised how beautiful this inhospitable landscape could be, before with a sudden spark of curiosity he finally asked. “Where are we going?”

“It’s not far anymore.”, Haurchefant said with a grin on his face and pointed into another direction. Shortly after and only a bit further ahead they reached a small lake.

As they got closer A‘viloh noticed that it not only was covered in a layer of snow and ice but also that quite a few off-duty soldiers, given the proximity to the camp he assumed they had to be, were standing right on top of the frozen lake. No, they were not quite standing. It looked more like they were dancing or flying maybe. More or less gracefully they moved over the lake‘s surface in fluid swift strides, some just moving in wide circles and other swirling around this way or that. A’viloh had never seen something like this and it looked strange and impossible but at the same time very beautiful to him.

The two of them had almost reached the lake by then, A’viloh a few steps ahead to get a better look at the wondrous people on the ice and he already wanted to ask how they did that, when his attention was drawn elsewhere by a curious squawking sound.

“Oh! Look at them!”, the Miqo’te exclaimed, his fascinated smile still turning a little brighter, as he gestured to a small flock of wild geese resting at the shore of the lake. With ruffled feathers they sat closely huddled together at the edge of the ice and suddenly A‘viloh couldn’t help but worry about them. They looked so unbothered by his presence, sleeping through the day and all the hubbub around them, looking all exhausted and frozen with their puffed up feathers. Like anything could happen to them and they wouldn’t even mind.

Strangely he wondered what he himself had looked like when Haurchefant had found him unconscious in the snow. He must have been a pitiful sight. Had the Elezen thought him beyond saving too, just like he himself had. What if he had found him a little later or not at all? Maybe that would have been better, a voice murmured to him just like it had so many times before and for a moment, tempted by the grief heavy on his heart once again, he almost believed it.

But no, he would be dead then and while he would have liked to imagine that this would mean he could be with his loved ones again, it was not exactly what either of the tribes he had lived with believed.

Vaguely he remembered his father working for hours, digging a grave at what used to be Wellwick Wood. An elderly woman too exhausted by their long journey, his grandmother if he remembered correctly, had died shortly after they had arrived there. With a sad smile on his face his father had explained to his children, who had stared down into the hole in the ground with confusion in their eyes, how by returning her body to the earth there could still grow new life from this death.

Or the drake tribe of the Sagolii Desert, who always burned their dead and left the ashes to be carried away by the desert wind, believing that it would make it easier for the deceased‘s aether to return to the Aetheric Sea and create something new elsewhere.

With a sudden sharp pain in his heart A’viloh realised that neither of the people he loved had gotten the burial they would have wanted for themselves. And neither had A‘viloh himself wanted to die in the coldness of Coerthas and be forever forgotten under a thick layer of snow and ice. He had thought about dying before but never had he been this close to it. For a second he wondered if this was something worth speaking to Rael about, but he wasn’t sure they wouldn’t misunderstand and get mad at him again.

“Why do you make such a sad face now?”, Haurchefant asked having noticed the smile slip from the Miqo’te’s face. But A’viloh just vehemently shook his head and focused on the geese again.

“They must be horribly cold.”, he wondered in a voice that suggested he already planned to take all of them to the safety of his comfortably warm room.

Haurchefant chuckled. “Don’t worry, they survived the storm out here after all. They keep each other warm, that’s why you‘ll rarely see one of them alone. A bit like you and your friends.”

“Maybe…”, A’viloh answered thinking about this comparison for a moment. “I just wish it wouldn’t always be me who needs to be taken care of. But as proven in Ul’dah and now once again I am simply too weak and useless to keep myself alive, not to mention anyone else.”

The Elezen’s face got a little stern as he folded his arms in front of his chest. “Don’t say that, I am sure it’s not true! This was just bad luck! You are neither weak nor useless!”

A’viloh shrugged. “But that’s how I feel right now...”

Slowly Haurchefant nodded before speaking again with a silent but determined voice. “Listen. I‘ll never forget how bravely you fought for Francel although you barely knew him. You could have gotten yourself in trouble with that and you helped him anyway.”

“It’s not like I did that on my own -”, A’viloh tried to protest but was immediately interrupted. “But you still helped! And I’m sure even without Rael you would have done so!”

Another shrug was all Haurchefant got in response, so the Elezen thought for a second before making an offer. “You want to make yourself useful, right? Get stronger? I could teach you how to fight like a real ishgardian knight, with sword and shield. Or we have some dragoons at Camp Dragonhead too! I’m sure there’s a lot you could learn from them.”

A‘viloh‘s face turned to disbelief. “I really don’t think I could fight with armor and weapons this heavy…”

“You can’t say so if you don’t try! And I have you know that dragoon armors are surprisingly light. How do you think they could still be this agile otherwise? Promise me to at least try training with them a little!”

He didn’t really want to agree to that. He knew he would make a fool of himself. But how could he say no with Haurchefant trying everything in his power to cheer him up. Weakly he shook his head and muttered: “Fine…”

“Perfect!”, Haurchefant exclaimed with a bright smile on his face. “I think an early reward for your efforts is appropriate then!”

Confused A’viloh watched him take a small bag off of his shoulders, which he hadn’t even noticed until now. For a moment the Elezen was busy undoing a knot before he opened the bag and presented to A‘viloh a set of two weirdly shaped blades attached to pieces of wood with leather straps. He had no idea what these constructs were meant to do and that was plainly visible on his face. “What’s that?”

“Ice skates of course!”, Haurchefant said as if that would explain it all but the Miqo’te‘s face remained clueless, so Haurchefant gestured to the lake behind them. “You attach them to your boots so you can walk on the ice like this!”

“Oh!”, A’viloh exclaimed as he understood what Haurchefant was planning. “I don’t think-… I mean I‘ve never-… You don’t really want me to step on that lake do you?” The idea somehow scared him.

“Why not?”, Haurchefant asked for the second time today with this smile that made the question sound like a challenge.

“It’s just a bit of ice!”, A‘vi objected. “What if it breaks?”

The Elezen shook his head and proceeded to fasten the metal blades beneath his boots. “Ah, don’t worry. The ice is thick enough, it will take at least a few more days to melt.”

“I don’t know…”, was all A’viloh replied as Haurchefant pressed another pair of skates into his hands. But the Elezen remained determined and took a few wobbly steps through the snow and onto the ice. “See! I can stand on it and it doesn’t break! You are a lot lighter than me, so why wouldn’t you be able to?”

Oh, you don’t know my bad luck!, A‘viloh thought but Haurchefant didn’t look like he would take that for an excuse. Instead he stretched out a hand towards the Miqo’te. “Come one! Believe me, this is going to be funny!”

For a second A‘viloh pondered his options. The idea of nothing but a little bit of ice between him and the water still terrified him but Haurchefant seemed so excited about this and the other people actually seemed to have fun too. Maybe he should at least pretend to try... Reluctantly he sat down on a rock and tried to put on the skates just like Haurchefant had done a moment ago.

“The clasp on the back too. Make sure none of them are loose… Yes, that looks fine!”, Haurchefant helpfully explained. As A’viloh got up, he almost flopped right back down into the snow. It was a weird feeling to balance his whole weight on only two thin pieces of metal. As he carefully took the first few steps towards the lake Haurchefant reached out for him once more. “Here! Take my hand! I don’t want you to fall…”

Hesitantly A‘vi stepped onto the ice and immediately felt like the ground was being pulled away beneath his feet. He struggled for balance, feeling himself falling backwards, so Haurchefants arm was a very welcome thing to hold on to.

With a chuckle the Elezen tried to loosen A‘vi‘s desperate grip on his arm and instead took each of his hand in one of his own before carefully making slow steps backwards pulling A‘viloh over the ice, which A’vi could swear was making suspicious crackling sounds below them. There was no way to tell the blades beneath his feet not to move, so all A’viloh could do was try not to fall and plead to Haurchefant with ears flat on his head and panic in his eyes, as he slowly was pulled further onto the lake. “No, no, no. Take me back, that’s a horrible idea!”

“Calm down. There’s nothing to be afraid of. I promise.”, Haurchefant said soothingly and continued to explain to him how to move on the ice skates. And in fact the Elezen’s calm voice slowly made A’viloh feel less anxious. His hands, frantically clasping at Haurchefant’s, relaxed along with his legs. It was still a weird feeling to be standing on the ice but now it felt a lot easier to remain balanced. He glanced at the people around them while remaining as still as possible, studied their movements for a moment and then tentatively tried to mimic the way they slowly pushed their feet above the slippery surface. To his surprise he really moved forward without much effort and also without feeling the sensation of falling again, closer to Haurchefant who had steadied him with his outstretched arms so far.

“See! It’s not that difficult.”, he said while making another step backwards so A’viloh had to follow with another step forward. The Miqo’te, strangely excited about the fact that he was actually moving on these weird ice-blades, laughed happily. “You are even going backwards!”

Haurchefants laughed. “One step after the other. Let’s teach you how to go forward first, hm? I‘ll let go off one of your hands but don’t worry, I still got you. One feet after the other just like you did before…”

In fact it almost felt easier now that he could use one of his arms to balance himself. Very slowly at first they floated above the icy surface of the lake but soon A‘viloh got braver. Once he almost lost his balance but for a comparably tall and strong person like Haurchefant it seemed like a very easy task to keep a small Miqo’te on his feet. Almost falling had felt like a shock for a second but only moments later they were laughing about it and in the end A’viloh was surprised and also a little proud how quickly he had learned and how much fun this was.

He wasn’t sure how much time they spent there on the frozen lake but at some point a bell sounded from the nearby Camp. Startled A’viloh looked up (and almost lost his balance again). “How late is it? I’m sure you have more important things to do than this! I’m sorry if I’m keeping you from doing your work.”

But Haurchefant just laughed and teased, “What could be more important than prove to you that not all of Coerthas is a deadly wasteland trying to kill you? But I think we really should return soon. I don’t want you to get cold again and after all we also don’t want Rael to find out about this little excursion, do we?”

For a second A’viloh wished the viera could see him now and wondered what their reaction would be like. The thought made him chuckle.

And as they floated, one last circle around the lake, A’viloh couldn’t help but wonder that maybe it was happy moments like this. The reason he was still here. Moments that made his life worth living.

---

inspired by the poem The Reversal by Leila Chatti

[good-beans]

Checking in !!!!!! Hello !!!!!!!

Hi pal, I'm doing well!! Finished my school semester, had a week of mental hibernation, and I'm back up and vibing!!!!!!

Thanks for checking in :D How are you doing?

[crescentfool]

ryoji likers when they see persona 3 reload pv04... it's me.... i'm ryoji liker.. did they really have to do that 🥺💛 (POSITIVE) (UNBELIEVABLE) (WHAT THE RYOJI) (RYOJI IN THE FLESH)

[crow-talks-hockey]

Show Them You've Been Loved (Show Them How I Loved You) - macdavo pt 2

Jo had been strangely quiet on the drive to the rink. All he’d done was stare. It was really beginning to irk Nate. He bore just about two more seconds of that look before finally breaking the silence, probably a bit too harshly. “Just spit it out, Jo.”

The forward’s brows rose and he looked away. “You…” he started to ask slowly then fell silent again. Nate waited for him to continue, gesturing for him to go on. “You been seeing someone?” Jo finished, voice tentative.

Nate gave him a shark-like glare. “Seriously?” he drawled flatly.

[blametheeditor]

The Expense Of Trust | Chapter 1

Next

Content Warnings: Cursing. Mentions of death and murder. Mentions of others being lesser than. Intent to kill. Death by anomaly. Darker themes and tone.

Run Down: In the instant of a site-wide containment breach, there are only a few protocols available to follow. Know the right people, hope to be at the right place at the right time, and whatever you do, don't trust anything.

Well, well, well

__________________________________

“Have you been keeping David in line?” 

“You mean have I been keeping Fritz out of trouble?” 

“Yes to both questions, James,” Fritz grins, quick to wipe it away before David can spot it and threaten to report for insubordination. He really never knows when the senior researcher will actually follow through on requesting a change for an assistant. “There haven’t been any experiments that required him to put on a lab coat.” 

“Thank goodness,” has David glaring at the phone currently on speaker, the sarcasm in James’ voice loud and clear. There’s also a few sounds of shouting in the background, but neither of them comment. “How would he ever survive?”

“It’s not my fault your idiotic institution has dumbass rules.”

Fritz wisely decides not to join in on reminding the tall man never seen wearing anything but a full piece suit why a lab coat is required. He doesn’t need a lecture about how it’s a crime forcing such clothing to be covered by such a gaudy accessory. Not with James ensuring he sighs loud enough there’s no mistaking it. “Oh no, you’re so right, David. Getting acid spilt on you and damaging your suit that way is much better than protecting it and yourself for the sake of aesthetics. Remind me, what are you two doing right now?” 

David sends a look that says Fritz will cover for him, or the redheaded teenager is going to regret it, especially when they don’t have a specific date for when James will return to protect him from the senior researcher’s wrath. 

Fritz glances around the room they had been assigned to today. With David standing in the corner by the door, his phone sitting on a nearby table. Almost directly opposite, the teenager stands at the sterilized counter beside a sealed glovebox that takes up a majority of the space. 

Good news, technically David doesn’t need a lab coat right now considering the substance they’re testing is already safely inside the chamber. Bad news, he’s being a terrible role model for following safety procedures. 

“He’s safely out of the contamination area,” Fritz offers. 

“At this point people will begin to genuinely ask how you ever became qualified to be a senior researcher,” James remarks. 

“Well certain people should stay out of other’s business when it doesn’t concern them,” David growls. 

“I can’t help but feel like that was a jab toward me.” 

“Of course it was a jab toward you!”

Fritz quickly hides his laughter as the two continue to fight, focusing back on the task at hand. Putting on gloves and goggles before starting only a few basic tests on what had been described to them as a chemical produced by SCP-8202 that’s more of just an unknown variable rather than a harmful one. 

Honestly, he’s kind of curious how David and James became such good friends. Despite the hostility, the tactical response officer on the other end of the phone is called almost weekly, if not daily depending on what managed to annoy David enough that he needed to demand support. And it’s usually because someone brought up the lack of him wearing anything for safety. 

The best part is James doesn’t tell the senior researcher to stop, or to lower the amount, despite the fact they all know he is currently working an active mission of containing an anomaly offsite. The soft shouts from before has turned into larger amounts, and yet the argument still continues. There really never it any anger unless David is actively distracting him and refuses to hang up when things get...chaotic. 

David’s never been the cause of a mission failing, or of someone getting hurt. But James has been pretty good at balancing entertaining his friend, and ensuring he knows that as good as the officer is at his job, he’s not an all-powerful being who can make everything wrong with the world vanish with the snap of his fingers. 

Fritz jumps as a siren suddenly blares. He actively attempts to set the breaker in his hand down carefully despite the uncontrollable shaking, but there’s no denying the terror snaking its way into his mind. Panick almost wanting to make him throw the fragile object despite it containing a still fairly unknown chemical just to get out, get to safety, he has to-! 

The redhead curls in on himself when he feels two hands on his shoulders, stopping his frantic movements. He takes a moment to take a few deep breaths before looking up at David’s flat expression. At least there’s no anger. 

“It’s not to alert us there’s been a containment breach,” David begins. “This one is to let everyone know they’re doing a controlled transfer to get an SCP to another facility.” 

It takes a moment for the words to sink in, to latch onto ‘controlled transfer’. Hesitate at the fact the siren doesn’t sound like the one to signal the immediate need to evacuate, a lot softer and with a different pitch than the one he heard during orientation. Suddenly feels embarrassed by his reaction. 

“S-Sorry,” Fritz murmurs. He finally manages to carefully set down the beaker before withdrawing his hands from the box. 

David frees him, but instead of demanding they begin the report with the few things Fritz accomplished, the tall man motions to the door. “Let’s go watch it.” 

Fritz will admit he completely froze out of pure terror. At the thought at getting anywhere near an anomaly outside of containment, whether or not it’s controlled with multiple personnel ensuring nothing goes wrong. “W-Watch it?”

“It’ll be safe. The message I got this morning even encouraged us to watch.” 

“It will be completely safe, Fritz,” James pipes up. “You should check it out, even for just a second.” 

Now Fritz feels humiliated rather than embarrassed. The two teaming up due to knowing why he reacted to both the siren and the suggestion in such a way. It’s even worse James understood what happened despite being on a phone call. Fritz almost regrets admitting a little bit about why he’s an assistant researcher for the Foundation. 

...James has never been malicious, though. If anything, David figured out real quick that the redhead would be the only thing that’d lower his anger if, say, there was a call right as the officer was about to capture an anomaly before it literally blew up in his face. 

And despite the superior outer shell, David’s been more or less warming up to Fritz. No longer wrinkles his nose when the teenager is in close proximity or snaps to shut up despite responding to a question that had been asked. Even before then, the senior researcher wasn’t trying to torture the unwanted assistant, just find ways to pass him along to someone else. 

After a few months of working together, Fritz isn’t despised. David isn’t walking out the door to force his assistant to follow considering today he was tasked specifically to help the tall man with the sole reason David always knows what’s best. 

“...we, we can go watch.” 

“Hanging up, James.” 

“Don’t hesitate to call back.” 

David roll his eyes as he pockets his phone before walking out of the room. Fritz jolts at the realization he’s being left behind before shedding his gloves and goggles, chasing after the man who’s a full foot taller and yet never slows his pace down. 

“He bitches about me calling, but whenever the dumbass is worried about you he’s more than happy to get covered in ash again despite complaining it took him weeks to get it all off.” 

The teenager is forced to jog to keep up. “Well, you do-” 

“Don’t finish that sentence.”

Fritz smiles at the threatening tone despite knowing where they’re headed. Glad to have something to keep his mind off of it. Forcing his limbs not to lock up as he repeats the promises this is safe. Nothing will happen.

David’s hand catches Fritz’s lab coat before he can jog past the senior researcher, yelping as he’s pulled toward a set of large windows he’s never seen before. He then slowly moves closer when it becomes clear they’re not looking into a room level with them, his breath catching at the sight of having to look down, down, down before he finally spots the ground floor. Which is both terrifying and yet comforting knowing they’re so far away from the anomaly. 

The redhead nearly screams when he finally spots it. Such a small form from this high up, but a creature not made for this world none the less. One that’s tall, so thin he can see the edges of its internal structure, and a muted teal color from head to toe. An eerie figure that only becomes uncanny when it takes a stuttering step forward, swaying as if it’ll fall over at any second. 

Then it lunges.

David catches him before he can sprint away, pulling the teenager close so there’s no escape. From the anomaly, from the idea the officers currently standing directly beside it getting attacked, at the memories of that same walk advancing toward Fritz. 

”Whaaat are you s-so afraid of?”

“You’re not wrong to assume anyone but James are complete dumbasses when it comes to interacting with SCP’s without dying themselves,” David muses, sounding almost annoyed. 

Fritz takes a deep breath when it’s clear he’s acting like a scared child, far from the professional assistant researcher he’s done everything in his power to be for David due to the man accepting nothing but perfection from those around him. Clenches his fist and grits his teeth in order to see what’s being spoken about. 

Unable to help but stare at the anomaly being completely frozen midair, unable to complete the lunge that was too fast to avoid. 

“But no one would transfer an SCP without first having all of the proper equipment,” David finishes. “Not to mention, we’re inside a place built on protecting against things like this. Humans like James are trained on responding to situations where someone’s in danger.” 

Just like that night, when Fritz should have been killed. Unable to escape even if he could get himself to move, to run. It was faster than him. Didn’t feel any remorse wearing the skin of someone he knew. There was a field agent who managed to save him before it was too late.

...David’s actually trying to comfort him. 

Fritz blinks at the realization. Because this was more than just explaining why someone’s being stupid, those words were specifically meant for reassurance. It makes him smile at the black mail he can give to James when the man’s back on site before leaving for another mission. Appreciative, but never thought he’d see the day. 

“What are you looking at, dumbass?” 

Fritz’s smile immediately disappears when it’s clear he was caught. "I, I appreciate you letting me watch.” 

David scowls before suddenly turning on his heel in order to walk back the way they came. Fritz takes a moment to watch the anomaly slowly wake up, its limbs carefully resetting itself to stand rather than falling to the floor in order to make its way to the waiting truck. Quickly running after his senior researcher. 

“Now get back to work!” 

Fritz nods as he grins. Finds himself a lot less tense despite the siren still blaring. Straightening up in attention when David places a hand on his head, almost confused at seeing the hazel eyes harden. 

“I won’t let any SCP hurt you. If anything ever happens, wait until I find you.” 

It’s such an odd request. Yet it’s said so earnestly Fritz can only nod. “Okay, Dr. Harrison.” 

He should’ve seen it coming, but then again it’s David. Someone who rarely does certain actions only James tends to do out of fondness. Meaning the senior researcher earns a squawk as he ruffles the red hair with a smirk. “Dumbass.”

Fritz tries everything in his power to get his breathing under controlling, going so far as to holding it instead of hyperventilating. It’s the only thing he can do. Not when his body reacted on its own as soon as the siren started blaring. Sending him diving under the counter before curling into the smallest ball possible. 

Now, of all times, why was he remembering that day? Of both David and James attempting to help him with the obvious terror? The promise Fritz made? 

Maybe because it’s better to think about that rather than the fact the entire site has been compromised. At the fact Fritz had been working completely alone while testing a few chemicals after agreeing to switch tasks with his colleague for the day. Knowing he won’t be saved, that this is it, but unable to help but feel comfort and hope that somehow David will actually be able to find him. That James will appear on site despite the fact he left for a mission two days ago. 

Fritz knows it’s nothing but wishful thinking, and yet he can’t bare the thought of a fatal anomaly stumbling upon him at any minute. 

He truthfully doesn’t know what’s better. Knowing that something went wrong is one thing. The siren states there’s been a site-wide containment breach, meaning either an anomaly entered by itself and is causing havoc, or every single cell for hundreds of documented anomalies have just unlocked. Considering the door to the room Fritz was conducting experiments in opened on its own occurred without anyone’s presence, it staying opening, it’s clear the latter is true. 

Yet he hasn’t heard or seen any evidence of every anomaly escaping at once. It’s been almost too quiet, not even the sounds of personnel running or screaming. So despite everything saying he needs to evacuate as soon as possible, it almost feels like nothing’s wrong. 

Fritz still can’t move. Can’t even try to peer into the hallway just to see if he should start running. Not when he’s locked in place. Even when he hears the distinct sound of footsteps quickly making their way down the hallway. Despite the fact they’re getting closer and closer to him. And he’s just waiting, just like before. 

He can only stare in horror as shoes appear in his field of vision as something walks into the room. 

...he knows those shoes. 

“Fritz!” 

That’s David’s voice. Not a stranger’s, not a warped cry of an anomaly. But that can’t be real. How would the man find him? How-? 

Fritz can’t breathe when the figure is suddenly kneeling to reveal David, who looks relieved when he spots the shivering redhead. “You scared the shit out of me. Come on we need to go.” 

It’s automatic, reaching out to accept the outstretched hand. The promise Fritz will be kept safe. Or at the very least won’t be alone. 

”Come heeeere.”

Fritz yanks his hand back, bumping into the wall in the attempt to get as far away from the thing trying to trick him. Shaking his head to force himself not to trust what seems like a genuine look of confusion and concern. 

“Are you D-Dr. Harrison?” 

It takes a moment to register what was asked, especially because Fritz can’t speak above a whisper. But he sees when it’s comprehended. The look of fond annoyance so familiar it hurts. “What kind of dumbass question is that?”

That seals it. That this really is David and not something pretending to be him. Responding in such a way that couldn’t be rehearsed enough to sound that genuine. 

Fritz lunges forward, the taller’s eyes widening in surprise before yelping as the momentum sends them both falling. The redhead doesn’t apologize though, not when he’s too busy clinging to David as tightly as possible, slumping in relief when all that happens is a sigh before he’s hugged instead of getting killed because he made the wrong choice. 

“It’s okay. Nothing’s going to touch you now that I’m here,” David murmurs. Fritz doesn’t want to call out the lie. Not when he was found. He doesn’t know how, and maybe he doesn’t want to know, but the promise was kept.

Fritz laughs when he’s awkwardly pat on the back after a minute. “Th-Thanks for, for finding me.” 

“I said I would, didn’t I?” David demands. The redhead doesn’t protest as he’s sat up, snorting when the senior researcher’s first priority is to dust his suit off. “Shut up, be grateful I didn’t yell at you for making me lie on the floor.” 

If there had been any doubts before, they would’ve disappeared by now. No one but David can be that protective over his suit. Despite the siren still attempting to alert anyone around that can hear it there has been a fatal error somewhere on site. 

Before Fritz can ask what happened, he’s being helped to his feet before getting lead out the door. There’s no time to realize and panic that they could encounter a dangerous anomaly immediately. Not when he’s already standing in the hallway that’s...completely empty. The pure white walls untouched. 

“Stay behind me.” 

David doesn’t free his arm until Fritz nods to state he understands. The senior researcher then begins to walk down the hallway, his assistant immediately following at a slight jog in order to keep up with the fairly quick pace. Almost like today wasn’t any different from yesterday. Or a few days before that. 

When they reach a corner, David doesn’t hesitate to round it without so much as slowing down, Fritz essentially left behind as he skids to a halt. Panicked at the fact something could’ve been waiting. The senior researcher almost acting like the entire facility hasn’t been compromised. The doors to the observation rooms of certain anomalies are wide open not even a few feet away. 

"Fritz?” 

Green eyes blink up at David watching him worriedly. Realized he left the teenager behind and came back for him. It causes Fritz to hug himself knowing he’s the reason they’re no longer heading toward the exit. Able to be stumbled upon by an anomaly. “Y-You just, what if-?” 

“Hey, take a deep breath,” David softly commands. “I will get us safely out of here in one piece whether we encounter an SCP or not. But I need you to trust me.”

Trust the man who managed to find him without being told of the switched tasks. The man who refuses to follow standard safety procedures. The man who ridiculed him from day one of being assigned as assistant. The man who acts like he’s a god at times and had a habit of refusing to obey instructions when an observation became compromised. 

The same man who did find him to make sure he got out safely. 

“...I trust you Dr. Harrison.” 

David smiles as he squeezes Fritz’s shoulder. “Just stay close, don’t stop unless I do. I’ll explain once we’re out.” 

He nods to say he’ll accept it. Confused and still terrified that David’s only acting like he’s invincible. But if they do get out safely, Fritz will never doubt the tall man again. 

Fritz obediently jogs after David as they round the corner, biting his tongue when instead of following the hallways toward the ‘nearest’ exit, they seem to take a roundabout path instead as they make a right instead of continuing forward. To be honest, the facility is so vast the redhead can’t help but get lost at times. Maybe there are quicker ways to get out. Ones assistant researchers aren’t knowledgeable of. 

“I really hope that stupid thing got turned off as well,” David mumbles. “We should’ve already found- James!” 

Fritz yelps as he collides with the taller figure suddenly coming to a stop, unable to say anything about the amused smirk he earns due to getting a bit dazed from the impact. He’s not nearly as confused to not grab David’s arm to hold him back before he can start down the hallway to where a familiar figure stands. One that shouldn’t be possible. Yet it perks up at the called name. 

It looks like James. From his brown hair to the custom made tactical belt clipped around his waist. They haven’t heard the man speak, but at least David isn’t forcing them to go towards what might be the officer they know. 

“H-How do we know?” Fritz breathes. Unable to finish the sentence. Pleads David understands he’s not questioning the senior researcher, just questioning if they can trust what they see. 

It takes a moment, but a soft ‘ah’ is made once David realizes. “It’s James. I’d be able to tell if it was an SCP in disguise.” 

Fritz wants to ask how, but it’s too late, ‘James’ slowing down when he gets about a few feet away with his hands held up in surrender. “Hey, Fritz. It’s just me. The same one you called about David possibly going on a rampage because someone tried to make him wear a lab coat again.” 

That sounds convincing, but he can’t know for sure, meaning he doesn’t let go of the arm attempting to tug them both forward. If David’s wrong about being able to tell what’s an anomaly. Is that a reaction James would have? Is that from years of containing different creatures with unknown abilities, or just something trying its hardest to earn their trust?

"What about the same one you secretly called because you were concerned David was sick because he acting ‘too nice’?” 

“You did what?” 

Fritz doesn’t respond to David’s question, lunging toward the familiar smirk at managing to get on the taller’s nerve. He’s caught before immediately getting pulled into a hug. Definitely their James. “S-Sorry.” 

“No, you did good,” the officer assures. “We all know David is a terrible role model.” 

“I am not!” David exclaims. “I was right, wasn’t I!”

Brown eyes roll before Fritz is gently pushed away in order for James to pat down his arms, a more than familiar ritual by now. “Have either of you encountered anything? I only saw one anomaly.” 

“Nothing as of yet. Don’t know if that’s a good sign or a really bad one.”

Fritz watches as James seems to hesitate, meeting his gaze before looking up at David. “Bad. Meaning we need to get out as soon as possible, meaning you’re leading the way.” 

The senior researcher doesn’t question it. Only checks to make sure they’re ready to go before heading back the way they came. This time at a much slower pace in which Fritz no longer has to jog just to keep up. 

Somehow, it makes this ten times worse. Fritz knows they might being going slower because now they actually have someone who can at least keep an anomaly at bay if not neutralize it for a short period of time. Knows it’s because James is keeping an eye behind them with one glance back at the officer. David might not be trained to help on missions in capturing anomalies, but it wouldn’t be surprising it he wasn’t given a few lessons on what should be done if something like this ever happened.

But it gives Fritz time to think. To jump at every little sound reverberating through the hallways he hadn’t noticed before. Following David, but feeling like he’s missing something if he’s in front instead of James. 

“Did you just arrive on site?” Fritz finally asks. Quietly because it feels wrong if he raised his voice anymore. Needing to talk. 

“I did, actually. We just transported a keter that’s no longer contained, but I had been on my way to find you guys when the siren started.” 

“Do we know why it happened?” David calls over his shoulder. 

“It came from the higher ups,” James all but growls. “I didn’t see any damage, didn’t feel the entire place shake from an explosion. And considering the lights and ventilation system is still functioning, there was a specific command put in to open all cells.” 

Fritz gasps as David suddenly stops again, crashing against the taller and stumbling back. He nearly trips over his own feet to fall onto the hard ground when James manages to catch his arm. He appreciates it considering that he should have expected such a reaction from that kind of revelation. That a site-wide containment breach was due to one of the O5 allowing it to happen. 

However, David doesn’t whirl around to demand more information. Doesn’t argue over why such a system was in place. The senior researcher’s attention locked onto the open doorway directly to their left. 

“There’s an SCP in that room.” 

...how does David know? Why is he acting so calm? It was said in such a nonchalant way Fritz has no time to process what it really means until James is already entering a room that was strictly meant for storing files and equipment and opening the next door.

Instead of revealing a small broom closet, there is an entire hallway identical to the one they stand in except for a closed brown door patiently waiting to be opened on the opposite side. 

“The repeating one moved?” David demands, the redhead too scared and stunned too protest being pushed behind the taller and further away from possibly getting locked in another dimension with no clear way out. 

James doesn’t respond as he closes the door, reaches into his belt, and attaches a small round metal plate to it. One with the Foundation’s symbol engraved on it, marking the door as the entrance to an anomaly. 

“It did.” The officer joins them back into the hallway as he looks back the direction they came to the direction they are going. “We need to move with a little more caution. And absolutely no closed in staircases.”

This is worse than they previously thought. Fritz assumed that while the doors to the cells opened, that didn’t mean any extra equipment was deactivated as well, meaning certain lights and emitters should still be functioning properly to hold certain things in place. This means everything has been turned off and anomalies that are better described as nothing more than a presence rather than a physical being can just move without a single warning. 

David glances down at the teenager by his side. “I can only sense SCP’s within a short radiance.” 

“Then I suggest we check corners before turning them.” 

Fritz doesn’t try to ask what they mean. He is all too aware this is getting worse by the minute. If he starts demanding answers now then he’ll be putting them all in danger. And if he starts panicking that will only distract and slow them down. Right now he just needs to trust the two doing everything in their power to getting them all out safely. 

He only nods to show agreement to the new rule alongside David. Then they hear what sounds like someone running as fast as they can. 

Fritz is already being pushed in the opposite direction of where the echoing noise is originating from as James reaches for his belt. It wasn’t nearly enough time, not when a man suddenly slides across the opening of the hallway they stand. Is on his feet a second and already sprinting in their direction. 

It’s clear they hadn’t been noticed previously when he made the turn. The moment he does is the same moment Fritz realizes he’s wearing a D-Class uniform and looking more fearful than hostile. 

“Run!” 

Both James and David doesn’t hesitate to heed the man’s frantic yell. Not when the overhead light of where he had been suddenly shatters, glass and sparks falling at the same time overwhelming darkness blankets a full ten feet of the hallway. Makes it seem as if there had been nothing there in the first place. 

Fritz is almost glad as he turns to run for his life, not wanting any reason to see what is chasing them.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

Anomalies and Incident Reports