#sorry for the goofy sensor

[lillypuppetchild]

He has crawled deep into the crevice of my brain and I can't stop drawing him help me

[oddogoblino]

Buenos días elfo 😘

quick question, In your Forlorn Half-Lights AU, Eclipse still exists or something, Can you tell me a little about him if he exists? 😔

Oh yes!! There's two Eclipses! I haven't drawn them in a bit so sorry for old art

There's Solar and Lunar Eclipse!!! (Not TSAMS related.)

Solar Eclipse is a virus from Balloon World, he gained sentience and now is capable of hopping from animatronic to animatronic. He doesn't take over other robots, but he does appear in their vision and sensors. It's a disorienting experience.

From being in Balloon World and observing sun and moon's deteriorating relationship, Solar has become possessive and obsessive over Sun and hateful of Moon. Moon doesn't deserve Sun, no, even more than that...SOLAR deserved to take Moon's place as Sun's brother!!! Yes! Only him! No one could treat Sun better than him!!! But what Solar doesn't realize is...Sun didn't even think of Moon as a brother lol. Solar is trying to take something Moon didn't even have. Solar is rather goofy, very giggly and wild character. He doesn't like children though. He absolutely despises them. He hates Balloon boy from the game and he hates the kids for what they put Sun through.

And then there's Lunar. He's was the original model for the daycare attendant. He was Moon and Sun when they shared one body, now being whole as one being on his own. He had his memories wiped from both sides of them,since Sun and Moon got turned into their own animatronics and the company didn't want to retrain their AIs from the ground up. Lunar was left alone in the lower floor of the new Pizzaplex just incase they needed spare parts for the new daycare animatronics. They originally were going to use him but then decided it'd be better to make new and improved, individual animatronics that were actually meant for childcare.

Lunar's quiet, confused, lost, and honestly kind of depressed (+ a bit grumpy). All he has is the corrupt/mixed eclipse codes from the DCA when they were one whole being, all he is is the in-between, all he is is what he was in the Ruins. He's still gentle, he's still sweet, but he's been left down here for so long with none of his separate memories that he doesn't even know what he was. Lunar was forgotten.

[tokuteasings]

Kisses - Hiden Aruto, Kamiyama Touma, Igarashi Ikki, Ukiyo Ace

REIWA RIDERS ARE SO FUCKINGI GOOD MAN, OKAY??? IM NOT SORRY Warnings; I love....them?????? PLS????

This is also dedicated to RingoBingo21 on ao3 who also inspired me to write. 

Hiden Aruto

Literally, kissing Aruto is like you’re kissing sunshine incarnate. His smile is like you got hit by a truck made out of pure adrenaline caked up in pure happiness and love and his kisses are always full of excitement and pep in his step.

He always does this thing when he just grabs the sides of your face with his hands and pulls you into his orbit with a gentle sort of brush against your skin and kisses you like you’re his entire world - because you fucking are and it’s so fucking cute okay? After you two part, he has this oh so cute smile to his face and his cheeks are flushed and his lips are kiss-swollen and his eyes are blown and he has this shy yet puppy-like look and it’s so cute and he will probably ask, “Do you wanna…kiss again?”

Loves it when you kiss him as a reward for his lil jokes!!! It’s like candy on top of candy!!!!! It’s literally his favorite thing so he starts making more jokes around you just to earn more kisses.

Laughs into his kisses, smiles into his kisses!!!! Oh so fucking cute!!! Loves it when you peck his face too and Aruto also loves giving you lil pecks here and there as well!!!! His faves are cheek and nose kisses.

Cannot function without a kiss in the first thing in the morning. Will show up to work all pouty and upset if you don’t give him a kiss that morning. Izu has developed a sort of “sensor” to send you messages if Aruto-sachou is being all pouty because of his lack of kisses.

Kamiyama Touma

He smells like books and a sense of home that you can return to after a long hard day at work, vanilla dancing at the edge of his senses and his kisses are just like that. A sense of home that is meant to relax you, ease you into a lull and it’s the same for him. It’s a loosening of shoulders when you two kiss and Touma just melts into a sort of putty in your arms.

He’s always left breathless and flushing after kissing you and it’s this sweet and gentle goofy smile that graces his lips after you two finish. Like a happily ever after in a book, you are his happily ever after.

Touma uses kisses as rewards more often than not. Finish a page of his manuscript? He gets a sweet peck on his cheek. Two pages? A peck on his other cheek. Three pages? A kiss on the lips.

Very publicly affectionate, holding hands and whatnot. Kisses in public are always so sweet too! Anyway you should totes randomly kiss him in public just to make him blush because it’s cute, especially when he tries to use his hat to hide his face.

Kisses to his fingertips always turn him into a blushing mess. It’s due to him always using his hands for something or other and sometimes there’s lil paper cut scars here and there, so kiss those and you’ll hear him stutter and flubber. It’s so fucking cute. Please believe me.

Igarashi Ikki

The first kiss with Ikki doesn’t come until you two are dating and even after the first date. He has to be goaded on by Vice to kiss you and even then…well…his kisses are warm. It’s like the bathhouse his family owns. It surrounds you and encases you in a sweet honey mead that drowns you in a blanket of love and warmth.

Ikki is the kind of person who always asks before kissing you. It’s not that he’s shy, he just wants to establish a set of boundaries between you two - healthy and happy. He doesn’t wanna overstep his bounds even though he wants to, to take you up into his arms and kiss you breathless. He does sweep you into his embrace to kiss every now and then but those are the moments when he is the happiest. Like scoring a goal in a game!

Like Touma, kisses between you are a reward system. Finishing up chores? A kiss to the nose. Finished cleaning the bathhouse together? Pecks on the forehead. Scoring a goal in soccer? A full on kiss to the lips!

Also gets rather pouty when you don’t give him kisses in the morning. But unlike Aruto, is not too too pouty. He adores those lazy kisses in the morning and may try to stay in bed a liiiittle longer with you just to earn some free kisses from you!

Truth be told, another kiss he adores are shoulder kisses and neck kisses. It’s not just for the sexy times but more so because it tickles and it makes him feel safe and warm with you. Plus, those are the easiest kisses to do as you two are relaxing in the baths at the Igarashi bathhouse.

Ukiyo Ace

Kissing him is a thrill, a danger, a risk you need to be willing to make. Ace tastes like a mystery. You can never tell what’s going on inside his head, even as participants of the DGP or as a civilian lover. Ace is someone who keeps you on your toes with kisses, passionate but hidden under layers and layers of sneaky little sly bastard-ness.

On that notion of keeping you on your toes…you can never tell if Ace wants to kiss you or not…or even where! Maybe he may give you a “hint” if you’re lucky. He may glance at your lips and you lean towards him for a kiss but nope! His lips are suddenly on your forehead, so far away from your lips! He would laugh at your pout and “apologize” by giving you a “real kiss” but nope! It’s another misdirected trickery! He will give you a kiss though, don’t worry.

Isn’t shy to public affection and makeouts, even in front of other people. Sure Azuma would roll his eyes, Keiwa and Neon would blush and turn away, but like Ace loooves kissing you! He sees you as a good luck charm and it’s a sort of game between you. Whoever wins the next round of the DGP or chores, etc, gets a kiss!

Even then, Ace doesn’t know when he’s going to lose you - to the DGP or via world resets and really…he kisses you like it’s his last. He teases you, yes, but he cherishes you. So when there are times to relax and kiss each other without the hub-bub of the world around you it’s…a moment of calm and quiet peace. Ace and let down his little walls and wrap you in his arms and kiss you until you are breathless, nuzzle his face into you neck and inhale your scent and realize that you’re there in front of him and won’t leave.

Also adores neck and shoulder kisses but hand kisses to just tease you in public. He loves smoothly turning a simple situation into a kiss like one moment you’re holding hands and the next he brought your hand up to kiss your knuckles!!!!

[nosleep83]

this is a silly goofy ask but in your tumblr back story you mentioned you have strict parents, well so do i and i havent exactly told her i have tumblr… so uh.. how did you do it and how did they react??? (i’m going to tell her eventually but she is so scary and goes through my phone regularly)

Oh damn I’m in the same boat bro (except Pinterest instead of Tumblr but Pinterest isn’t as bad) honestly i don’t really know how to tell them. I just like begged for Tumblr and told them abt how i can sensor all the inappropriate content and stuff idk man I’m sorry I don’t think I have much advice for you 😭😭😭😭😭

[drakothedragon55]

Because some people (on Discord) really like my silly goofy AU robot man, I decided that I was gonna do this! Y’all know who you are, and this is for you :)

— Skeletons in his Closet —

A robot fitted with cowboy-esque attire wandered through some mostly desolate plains. Radge was made with the intention of hunting down anyone who displeased his master, and for the most part, he did his job well.

There was only one teeny tiny little issue: Radge wasn’t alone.

Before the game was modified (which he referred to as ‘the change’), the bot had been working on his own little creations. However, he could hardly recall anything about them because most of his memories had been wiped, and the rest were corrupted.

But the Uberbots? He couldn’t forget them. Mainly because sometime during ‘the change’, their files had somehow become unzipped, and were now living within his mind.

“Movement spotted. Potentially the target.” The Photographer said. Due to his sensitive optical sensors, he had been helping Radge with hunting down their most recent target: an oddly small Smiling that had wandered from Pafjyn’s island and was now intruding on Krozzar’s land.

They had been stalking the infected for some time now, and nearly lost it when the Photographer offered his assistance. Radge was cautious when it came to letting an Uberbot take control, so he only did it when on a mission, and away from his master.

“Hey, Radge?” When G0lly abruptly spoke up, she inadvertently ‘booted’ Radge into the inky black confines of his synthetic subconscious. He was only there for a moment, but it felt like an eternity without his optical or auditory sensors.

“Jeez, G0lly! You can’t just butt in when another Uberbot and I are both piloting. You might throw off Photo’s focus.”

“I’m sorry….I just thought of a question and reaaaaly wanted to know the answer.” This time, G0lly had the decency to send a direct message instead of taking control of his speakers.

“Fine, fine.” He replied. “But make it quick.”

:0 “Thank you!!”

”So…how come you only let Photographer help you out? Why can’t we do one of your super cool missions?”

Radge pauses for a moment, before sending a private message to the Photographer asking him if he could be the sole pilot for now (to which he responds with a thumbs up emoji.)

“…Well, I’ve given an offer to the Archivist in the past, and she politely declined. And you know how Canvas can get sometimes. I didn’t want them to get overwhelmed—“

“That’s weird. I never got an invite. How come?”

Oh, G0lly. She was much too pure for this cruel, dark world. Radge promised himself that he’d keep her safe from the horrors he and the others had to experience because of Krozzar.

And h̵̬̹͋͋i̴̡̺̖̔̏̀͘m̶͇͚̔̑̕͝ͅ.̶̞̟̠̝͌

“Oh. Well, I probably just- forgot. Yeah.”

“…Come to think of it, you never invite me to do anything. You don’t even let me pilot.”

Radge noted that G0lly sounded like she was on the verge of tears, even though she was physically incapable of doing so.

“Why…why do you leave me out? Do you hate me that much?”

“What? No. Why would you think that, G0ll—“

“Target acquired.”

Seeing his chance to leave this awkward situation, Radge goes to re-pilot his body alongside the Photographer. Once he reconnected to his optic sensors, Radge notices the limp figure laying on the ground in front of him.

“Is it-“ ”Unconscious. Krozzar requested it be taken alive, correct?” ”Y-Yeah…”

They were essentially a robotic hitman, but Radge could never get used to the feeling of actually eliminating a target.

“I can take it from here. Thank you, Phots.” ”No problem.”

With the small infected slung over his shoulder, Radge thought that things would get easier from here. “WH#T DID YOU S#Y TO HER?”

Nevermind.

“Heyyy there, Canvas! I thought you were taking a rest.”

“S#rry for yelling, but G0lly’s gon# quiet. She s#id that she ‘finally g#t her answer.’ W#at did you say to #er?”

“G0lly sent me a notification. Is something wrong?”

“None of your business, Archivist. Now can you please just—“

“I have received a notification as well.”

“You’re all here! Awesome!!” ”I’m trying to convince Radge that I’m tough enough to help him with his missions, and I thought that you guys can help me with that!”

“Tough enough? Oh, G0lly…”

Every wire in Radge’s body felt like it was melting. His system couldn’t handle the strain of everyone attempting to pilot at once. The bot froze in place, twitching. It’s screen flickering from one set of eyes to the next.

“I agr#e with G0lly. It’s #nly fair that she g#ts to do a mis#ion.”

“This work…this world…it’s all too much for her. I’m sorry, G0lly, but I’m siding with Radge on this one. What do you say, Photographer?”

“I have little opinion on this matter, as long as our tasks are still completed.”

“-and I can complete them!”

“Can you aLL JUST SHUT UP!?!”

Silence.

“Please….just *hhh* stop. All of you. Just stop…”

“We appear to be overheating.”

“Perhaps we overdid it a bit..”

One by one, the Uberbots slowly receded back into their shared digital headspace, leaving just Radge.

And G0lly.

She didn’t say anything, but Radge could sense that she was still there.

“…G0lly?”

“…”

“I— I won’t beat around the bush anymore. I’m sorry. You’re just…so positive. You’re the only ray of sunshine we have in this miserable world, and I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want to lose you like how I lost mys-“

“…..”

“Do…do you want to look at animal pictures when we get back?”

“That’s all you had to say.” :)

And with that, G0lly was gone as well. But not before sending one last private message.

“I’m still kinda sad…but I get it. Can I at least help you and the Photographer find targets?”

“Maybe.” Radge replied as the familiar sights of the heart of Krozzar’s domain faded into view.

“Just maybe.”

[cha-lyn]

A Series of Break Ins

bucky x black female reader

Summary: Someone breaks into your apartment

Warnings: break ins, lil bit of violence, wounds + blood

Words: 1617

A/N: Inspiration from @write-it-motherfuckers ( prompt is in bold somewhere below) :) some wonderful stuff on that blog

-------

January.

You lived in an old building in a shitty part of town. The loft kind that was once an office or a factory or something. Lots of windows. Terrible heat bill in the winter. You heard gunshots and fighting frequently. It wasn’t your dream home. No, your windows faced a manufacturing building with no windows. From your fire escape, if you stretched really far, you could cross the alley and touch the building. You only did that once though because the fire escape was rickety and not very safe.

That particular night, you were coming home from a mediocre date with a guy named Marcus. Usually you’d take a cab home, but your budget was tight this month. So you weaved through the alleys, the cold and the dark making you more jumpy than usual. You just wanna be home, with your warm fuzzy socks on and a glass of wine.

Your anxiety settles once you make it into your building. You take the steps two a time to your third floor studio. You open your door, shutting it quickly and leaning back against it.

That’s when the hairs on your arm stand up. Your eyes shoot open and your breath catches. Your kitchen light is on. You know it was not on when you left earlier. In your kitchen sits your first aid kit dumped out on the table.

You grab the baseball bat you keep next to the door and check every crevice of your home. Nothing.

You return to the kitchen, hesitantly. Next to the first aid kit is a napkin with a note: Sorry for the intrusion. I’ll replace everything I used. Thanks. - BB

You just looked at the note and blinked. Who the fuck had been in your apartment?!

The next day there’s a package outside your door containing the promised replacements from the stranger. There’s another note: Sorry again. -BB

You’re not quite sure what to do. Call the police? And say what- someone broke in, left no trace and then replaced what they stole? They would think you’re crazy.

February.

After the break in you upped your security. You got a deadbolt, a door chain, and a magnetic sensor on your front door that rang and alerted your phone when set off.

You felt pretty good about your upgrade… until it happened again. You’d come home late from drinks with a friend unlocked the door, then the deadbolt.

The light in your kitchen was on again. You grabbed your bat immediately, ready to swing on whoever was dumb enought to break into your house yet again.

“Whoa, whoa ma’am. Please don’t--” but you did. Whack him that is. Three times. And then a black gloved hand stopped your swings dead and blue eyes lock with yours.

“Holy fucking shit. B. B! It was you. Fucking Bucky Barnes broke into my house!”

He nods and watches your face as it goes from rage to confusion and then back to rage. You let go of the bat and he puts it behind him. “Look, I am really sorry. I know this is probably terrifying--”

“Yeah ‘cause I thought you were a god damn serial killer--not an Avenger!” You plop down onto a kitchen chair.

Bucky stared at you amused. “This is not how I thought this would go…”

“Don’t you have some Avenger place you can go and get fixed up? Instead of breaking into civilian households?” you sigh irritatedly.

“No. For one I’m not an Avenger…. And uh, two… I got hurt doing something not necessarily sanctioned by the government.” Bucky looked up at the ceiling bashfully.

“My god, you’re doing vigilante shit,” you breathed out a laugh.

Bucky shrugged, “You could call it that.” He wrung his gloved hands together. “I should go… I’ll send you replacements for the stuff I used. ”

“Or you could just not break into my house.” Bucky chuckled, before climbing out the window. “You could use the door!’

The man has the audacity to laugh as he closes your window, “Thanks again, doll.”

You let out a groan, wondering why on earth he chose your apartment and why on earth you weren’t more pissed off about it.

March

You’re dead asleep when you hear a thud on the fire escape outside your window. Your heart thuds like a bass drum as scenarios of you being murdered flash through your head. A stabbing. A shooting. God, please not a strangling. Then there’s a persistent tapping. You pretend to still be asleep, holding your breath and not moving.

“I know you're awake. I need to .. uh utilize your first aid kit again. Please, doll.”

Relief hits you like a wave and you flick the light on and get out of bed. You open the window and Sergeant Barnes slips through the space, holding his flesh arm, but not really effectively stopping the blood.

The two of you stand there for a second, until you remember that you don’t sleep with pants on and awkwardly move around him to find a pair of shorts. You find him sitting at your kitchen table again, waiting for you to get the first aid kit, like he doesn’t have a goddamn metal arm on him.

“For fuck’s sake…” You pull it out from under the sink and set it in front of him with a thud. Bucky smirks sheepishly. “Did you get shot again?” you ask after a while. He nods once as he gets to work. “Aren’t you like... super?” He nods. “Won't it heal super fast?” He nodded once again. “So what’s the point of the first aid kit?”

“You ask a lot of questions,” he sighs irritatedly.

You narrow your eyes, “Oh dear, am I inconveniencing you?”

He stops and looks up at you through his dark lashes. “Sorry. I’m being rude. What's your name anyway?”

You roll your eyes, but you tell him.

He cleans after himself and then stands. “Thank you again. Y/n.”

You ignore the lil shiver you get when he says your name, “Is this gonna be a regular thing Sargeant?”

Bucky flashed you a charming smile, “Do you want it to be, doll?”

You cross your arms and set you glare, “You have five seconds before I get my bat.”

Bucky let out a very boyish laugh before dramatically making his exit via the window again.

Over the next few days, you consider getting locks for the windows, but for some reason you just don’t.

Two weeks later, you open your door, arms full of groceries, and find Bucky sitting on the floor of your kitchen once more, first aid kit open in front of him. You’re not even surprised really.

“Ah, Hello again. We really need to stop meeting like this.”

You scoff, “Maybe we would, if you would sTOP BREAKING INTO MY FUCKING HOUSE!!” You toss your purse on the couch.

Bucky laughs and the winces and groans. It’s then that you realize he’s very pale in the face and his flesh hand isn’t gloved it’s just dark with blood.

You drop the groceries roughly on the table, “Shit Bucky. Are you-- You’re bleeding a lot!”

“I’m fine, doll.”

“I don’t think you are….” You panic, reaching for your phone, but remembering it’s deep in your purse across the room.

“You gotta-- you’re gonna have to sew it up, okay?”

“Let me just call an ambulance,” you get up to get your phone, but he grabs your wrist firmly.

“No. You can do this Y/n. I’ll walk you through it.” Something in his blue eyes assures you. You nod and Bucky has you cut his shirt off before he leads you through the cleaning of his wound. Your face felt hot at the sight of his beautiful broad chest, despite the mess around you. Bucky guided you, wincing and jaw ticking as you closed up his wound. By the end, your hands are red and sticky and you’re quite nauseous, but you didn’t care. The color was already back in his face and the sparkle back in his blue eyes. “You did good, doll.”

“I can’t believe I did that,” you say breathily. Bucky smiled fondly at you. You get up, wash your hands thoroughly and gently help Bucky up and to your couch. “You want something to eat? Let me get you some water.” You don’t wait for an answer before going to the kitchen. You bring him a bottle of water, a beer, and left over orange chicken from last night’s dinner- he inhaled all three while you cleaned and sanitized your kitchen floor.

“I should head out,” he stood up stiffly, favoring his wounded side. “I’m sorry about all this…” he gestured towards his wound and then to your kitchen. “It won't happen again. I’ll get my own first aid kit.”

You shrug, “You basically bought mine with as much as you use it.” You stick your hand out. “Phone.” Bucky eyes you warily before obeying. “How about next time you need to use my first aid kit, you just call first?”

Bucky smiles a lopsided, goofy smile, as you put your number in. “I think I can do that.”

Three days later, Bucky calls you around 7pm. Thirty minutes later there’s a knock at your door - not your window.

“What’s bleeding now--”

Instead of beat up and bleeding, Bucky stands before you in a black button up with a bouquet of flowers and a bag of take out. “Hey doll. I wanted to really apologize for everything and try to make it up to you,” he gives you a sheepish grin.

You can’t contain your own smile. “Well, orange chicken and flowers are a good start. Come in.”

----

Everything Tag List

@thefridgeismybestie

@basically-introverted

[sohin-ace]

Hello! How are you? I hope well! I really loved Joseph's scenario with a very sweet granddaughter, so could you do another similar scenario, with his granddaughter and kakyoin falling in love during the journey? If it is too specific, I apologize! And I'm also sorry if something seems a little strange, English is not my native language :') Anyway, thanks in advance!

Thank you for requesting this, might I say, big brain content. I love me a good Jiji and cherry boyo.

※ Jojo Scenario • Joseph & Kakyoin - Young love

Your grandfather Joseph Joestar was a very clever and perceptive man. Behind his goofy nature sometimes, he could prove himself to be quite the smart cookie whenever he wanted, figuring out enemies' weaknesses, guessing their next lines and getting you and the group out of seemingly unescapable situations.

But if there was a thing Joseph Joestar had not seen coming nor expected, it was your ongrowing crush on the young Noriaki Kakyoin accompanying you on the journey.

To the eyes of Polnareff and Abdul, it was obvious. From the way you always stared at the red-head longingly, fidgeted under his amethyst gaze and blushed everytime he spoke kind words to you. The way you always tried to iniate 'accidental' touches with him or wanted to sit next to him in public transports or restaurants among other things.

As strong as you were against enemy Stand users and as serious as you could be during your adventure, you were still a teenager, seeking for experiences, and that beautiful feeling called love. Thus was what the Frenchman and Egyptian man thought seeing you.

They would chuckle and tease you about it, saying how cute and oddly entertaining it was that Kakyoin had managed to befriend and attract both Kujo siblings. While you and Jotaro were distinctly different, it seemed that you two couldn't stay blind to the redhead's charm, his gentle nature, smooth voice, vast intellect and cryptic humor.

Jotaro had noticed how close you had gotten to his now best friend, and, if it were anyone else, you could be sure the behemoth would have beaten the shit out of that boy. But Jojo was serene, knowing well that Kakyoin was respectful and trustworthy, and if Jotaro had to choose, he'd rather have Kakyoin, his best friend, be your man.

Joseph Joestar, however, was a whole different story, and not quite as comprehensive as your brother.

To be fair, the other men of the group wondered how the hell did Joseph not manage to figure out Kakyoin and you were almost as good as official by now.

You both were so painfully obvious. If the boys thought you were dropping way too many hints, Kakyoin did not make it subtle either.

How the boy leaned down as close to you as appropriately possible at any occasion he had. How he always seemed to be there, like a knight in shining armor, to tend to your every need, clearly showing you some type of favoritism compared to the other men who he'd politely tell 'They can do it themselves' whenever they asked for a favor.

Or even how he'd take any advantage he has to act grossly adorable towards you, feeding you cherries and dates and local sweets among other things, brushing your hair out of your face to get a better look at you, fixing your uniform tie, and so on.

Upon asking the old man his opinion on it all, Joseph never thought too much of it. In fact, he never even noticed anything out of the ordinary.

But the day came when he actually saw with his own two eyes, Kakyoin kissing your knuckles, acting all princely and complimenting your traits, hoping to stir a flustered and shy reaction out of you, which absolutely worked. You were blushing and laughing with him, slapping his arm playfully at his ceaseless teasing, and he couldn't help but join you, enamored by your sweet laughter.

"Hey. What the fuck is this brat doing to my granddaughter?" Joseph stopped packing the car as he sensed his protective dad sensors tingling. Or more like ringing like an emergency alarm.

Abdul followed the old man's gaze and chuckled, endeared by the scene. "Hm? Oh this. Aw come on, Mr. Joestar. They are young, let them act romantic for a bit. They won't be teens forever, and the journey has been so draining."

The Egyptian chastised with a friendly pat on his back, but Joseph was not buying it. Not one bit.

"Since when has he started doing this?! Why is he being so close to her face?! Abdul, are you seeing this??"Joseph's tone heightened with rising frustration as he slammed down the crate he was holding. "Is Kakyoin really courting my sweet little baby angel face cutie princess in front of my two very eyes?! That horny bastard!"

Abdul's eyes widened at the pet name alone, first time hearing so many English affection terms stringed together, but mostly because he was shocked to witness Mr. Joestar finally being hit by realization of you and Kakyoin's 'relationship'.

Truly, this was going to be one hell of a journey.

Abdul sighed heavily, defeated and shaking his coily head.

Hopefully Kakyoin wouldn't die by the hands of a very old man during this trip...

[dragonstoravens]

Trinity: First Appearance

Since I haven’t posted many longer excerpts from Rebel Blue, I thought I’d post this short story introducing my boy Trinity and his complicated relationship with the crew of Rebel Blue-- specifically Periwinkle.

A bit of background-- Trinity was originally intended to be a one-off or minor character, and actually started off as a sort of pseudo-villain, working for Fate (the series’ main villain.) This is the first piece I wrote for him, edited and updated to fit his character now.

Trinity now features in Babylon, a several-novels-length offshoot of Rebel Blue’s main story written by myself and @charlottedotexe. His eventual slow-burn romance with Azure was a total surprise, and has lead to me developing this one-off villain into someone I really love! While Trinity still takes some time to be a truly good person, he was always meant to draw the line somewhere, and I think this piece illustrates that really well.

READ ON WATTPAD HERE!

“So… I guess I’ve just seen her around here a couple of times, and I wanted to let her know that I… even exist?” Trinity chuckled self deprecatingly, rubbing the back of his neck with an embarrassed look on his face. Felicia cooed and wiggled around slightly from her position on his lap, reaching up to pinch his cheek.

“Awww, look at little Ty growing up. You’ve been coming here for years, and a pretty girl finally caught your eye? I’m almost jealous.” She giggled as he playfully smacked her hand away. “Tell me about her, then.”

“Well…” Trinity paused, casting his thoughts back to the woman he’d seen in the security footage. He had, in fact, seen her here at Absolute Zero before, but never close enough to describe. All he knew about her was that she usually sat up near the front, always by herself, or chatting with the bartender or even the owner rather than other patrons. Still, the auburn hair and striking height were hard to forget, and really the only reasons he’d recognized her on that recording. The fact she knew the workers here was good, but she was so often alone. It worried him, if he was being honest. Anyone in his position knew loners were the easiest targets. But Felicia was still waiting for him to answer. He let his eyes go a bit far away and misty as he leaned back in the plush booth, a lovestruck smile coloring his face. “She’s real tall. And pretty. Her hair’s long and wavy, it’s… brown? Maybe red. She always dresses so nice. She sounds like maybe she’s British, or from one of their colony planets. I’ve seen her a couple times, but… I never worked up the courage to buy her a drink.”

Beneath his field of vision, Felicia’s eyes narrowed for just a moment. Only a moment, though, and then she returned to her teasing smile, eyes flashing mischievously. “Sounds like someone’s smitten. Why don’t you go talk to her yourself, lover boy? Put that pretty face to good use. If she says no to that, she clearly doesn’t deserve you.” She leaned into him, adding a bit of real encouragement into her tone and ignoring the urge to mix pronouns and risk tipping Ty off that she knew his target as more than just another patron. She wanted his guard down, for one thing, and on the off chance he was telling the truth, maybe she could get him to prove it and actually talk to her in person. But he shook his head, and despite that bashful look on his face as he did it, Felicia’s suspicions were back full force.

“Nah, I can’t do that. What if she’d rather be alone? I don’t wanna force her into anything. I was thinking you girls could get her a note, buy her a drink on me next time she comes in? The ball’s in her court that way.” He shrugs. “If she ignores it, at least I tried, huh?”

As if anyone could force that person into anything. That alone proved he was lying… or that he honestly knew nothing about the person of which he spoke. But there was protocol to follow here, and Felicia was a professional before all else. Sure, Ty had never been anything but respectful and sweet, but almost everyone working here had learned the hard way that sweet things hid poison better than sour.

“Such a dear.” She ruffled his hair, and slid languidly off his lap, trailing her fingers down his neck and shoulder as she pulled away. “Alright, but you know I’ll tell the other girls. Your reputation as a hot-shot lady killer is in danger.” Her voice remained light and flirty, but the warning was real. Unless he changed his tune now, this was going straight to the top.

Trinity laughed, waving a hand at her. “Ah, go ahead. You all call me ‘little Ty’ anyway, it’s not like my reputation here was tough-as-nails in the first place.” Unconsciously, he rubbed a hand along his thigh, feeling for the tiny cybernetic attachment he already knew was there. He’d been around the block enough to know what this bar really was, and to notice that subtle warning from Felicia. That little note of his wouldn’t be staying secret for long, and they both knew it. In an establishment like this, information trade always passed through the top of the pyramid before being sent along to its target. He didn’t know much about the manager here, but he did know it was dangerous to pass information this way, especially in his position. Who knew what his boss would do to him if he found out about this interference. Still, Trinity couldn’t let this slide. He had to warn that poor woman, without doing anything to actively help her. This was the best chance he had.

Felicia giggled, using the charade to cover a disappointed sigh. Well, his loss. “You could at least pretend to be upset. You’re abandoning us for romance, Etta’s gonna be crushed.” She gave him one of her patented cute pouts, to which he responded with a good natured eye roll. “Well, I’m gonna go see some customers that aren’t too distracted by their mystery girl to appreciate me. You know where to send that note of yours, yeah?” 

“Course I do. Thanks, ‘Licia.” Trinity’s eyes trailed her as she made her way back up to the bar. When she disappeared through a door behind the counter, he leaned forward in his booth, pulling the displaced table back towards him and resting his elbows on it. He let the casual, goofy persona of “Ty” slip away, face turning serious as he considered his task. How did you warn a woman about one of the world’s most dangerous men-- without drawing his attention yourself?

~~~

    “You can stop laughing now.”

    A few moments passed as the person Siren was calling caught their breath, letting out an almost musical falling sigh. Their posh, accented voice, something like old Terran British, was still tinged with laughter. “Sorry, darling, but this one really takes the cake, I think. Either he somehow hired someone with a conscience, or this is his worst plan yet.” A second voice on the same end of the voice call broke its silence with a snort.

    “Yeah, Si. I don’t want to make light of another one of these attempts, but… they happen almost every time we go planetside. And I’m not gonna lie, this one was pretty funny.”

    “Stalking is quite the word for it, though,” the first mused. “I think my favorite part is when he insinuates I should leave the planet to avoid this ‘stalker.’ For my own safety, of course, nothing to do with the job I’m working on. What do you think, Cadet?” 

    Before the second person could respond, Siren interrupted with a soft clearing of her throat. “Perry--”

    “I know.” The humor had disappeared from his voice. “I take this sort of thing very seriously, especially considering he’s gotten your operation involved this time. Is everyone cleared out?”

    “Nearly. We don’t want to make the patrons too suspicious, so the rest will report to secure locations after the mole has left. I’m sending an agent out with him, one of his favorites, so it’s nothing unusual for either of them. She can probably hold him on her own, although--”

    “I’ll go,” Cadet interjected, beating Siren to the punch. “No need for Perry to get too close to the creep, that way.” Perry sighed.

    “I suppose it doesn’t matter if I say that’s unnecessary?” 

    “Look, I know you could take him down, but all his boss’ tricks are focused on you. They won’t work as well on me or Si’s agent, and that way you’re free to focus on questioning him. It’s why we’re in a team, Per.” She added a bit of teasing to her tone, and Perry responded with a slightly begrudging hum of assent. Hearing that, Siren continued.

    “Alright, if you’re both set, I’ll ready my agent and wait for your signal. We have two hours. Be safe.” The weight of the last two words seemed somehow directed at both her listeners at once, but with a different meaning for each. Cadet echoed Siren’s unspoken message to her, pressing her fingers to her lips for a moment in a gesture she knew her wife would mimic without even needing to see her. 

    “Love you too, Si.”

    Perry said nothing. Siren’s meaning for her was something she already knew. They also knew they’d disregard it in a second if it meant keeping that bar standing. With a click, the line disconnected, and the clock began to tick.

~~~

    Trinity hoped he was hiding his nervousness alright. He still hadn’t heard anything back from the woman about his message, but today his sensor had picked up new security footage of her. Recent footage, from just hours ago. His boss definitely had it by now, and it meant she definitely hadn’t left the planet. In fact, she seemed to have moved in even closer. So even though there was a chance it’d get him caught, Trinity was back at Absolute Zero. Felicia had even bent the rules a bit and bought him a drink, although he’d been careful to filter out the alcohol through his cybernetics as he drank. He couldn’t afford to be compromised. He tried to pay attention to Felicia’s attempts to cheer him up, but her reassurance that he could talk to his “mystery girl” in person next time she came in didn’t help much. What would he say if she did? And if she didn’t, would he just have to give up? Maybe it wasn’t any of his business, anyway.

    “What’s that?”

    Felicia’s voice jerked him out of his thoughts, and he realized he’d muttered that last bit aloud. “Oh… I mean, I just don’t know if I should get involved in her business anyway. I did say she could ignore me if she wanted. Why can’t I just get over it?” He let his arms slide down across the table in front of him, laying his head on them pitifully. 

    “Aw, Ty. It’s not even for sure yet, and you’re getting all heartbroken?” A flicker of blue registered in the corner of Felicia’s vision, and she surreptitiously glanced down at her right hand where it rested on Trinity’s back, firmly out his sight. Sure enough, the tiny chip embedded in her thumbnail flashed once, twice, and then faded. She tapped the nail twice with her forefinger-- message received-- then slapped Trinity on the back playfully and stood up. “Alright, that’s enough alcohol and self pity for you, babe. We’re going for a walk.”

“Really, now? But--” 

“It’s my job to cheer you up, and that’s not gonna happen if you’re just sitting around here moping. Come on, I know you love Andromeda Park this time of night, we haven’t been in days since you’ve been pining like this.” She leaned in, tucking her arm through his and pulling him out of his chair with strength that would have been surprising if he hadn’t seen it in action so many times before. With a sigh, he allowed her to lead him through the bar and out into the mild night air. They walked slowly, turning down familiar alleys towards the park. Trinity let Felicia’s arm slip from his as he walked, turning a contemplative gaze up to the sky. The slight wind against his face did seem to clear his head a bit. Perhaps she was right, and this really would give him some time to think things through--

Without warning, his right arm was twisted behind his back. Just as he started to struggle, a second pair of hands, these ones gloved, grabbed his other arm and the back of his head in a steely grip, pushing him to his knees and holding his head forward so he couldn’t see his attackers. Trinity swore, cursing himself for being so distracted. Even his cybernetics were no help if he didn’t have line of sight, or at least a hand free to activate the taser function from the port on his thigh. He knew better than to try and speak, let alone yell for help, given the almost unnaturally strong fingers pressing into the base of his skull right where it met his neck. Held like this, he could do nothing but stare down the shadowed stone alley in front of him, waiting to see what would become of him.

A shadow moved at the end of the alley. Moonlight flashed off of a cascade of shining red fabric, shifting to reveal a smooth expanse of pale thigh… and the matte black hilt of a knife, placed just so it would remain concealed beneath the fabric until the wielder chose to reveal it. As the figure took one more slow step forward, new details revealed themselves to Trinity one by one, his brain registering each as if in slow motion. His eyes traced up from the knife… a long way up. The curve of a hip, clad in red. Wrists and neck free of jewelry or adornment, save a thin black metal band tight around one wrist, leaving nothing that could be caught or grabbed. And finally, a curl of auburn hair caught the moonlight like silk, tumbling loose over one bare shoulder. 

“Fuck.” It came out as almost a whisper, his voice cracking a bit, and he cleared his throat. It was an affectation, of course. It was safest to keep trying to sound like Ty, well meaning if a touch dim, though it was tempting to drop character and coldly insist to be allowed to explain himself. “Guess I didn’t need to worry after all.”

Trinity’s mystery woman chuckled slightly, but there was no humor in the sound. She kept her face obscured in shadow— honestly a good move on her part, since with a clear view Trinity could at least try to activate his eye— and tossed her hair back almost contemptuously. “Please. I know why you’re really here. Do you?”

“Do I— of course I know why I’m here!” Because you’re too soft to survive, his brain supplied, unhelpfully. Whenever he was in danger like this, that internal voice sounded uncomfortably like the velvety tones of his employer. You’ll walk right into a death trap if you think you’re defending a defenseless woman from assault, it whispered, but he ignored it, setting his jaw. Defenseless or not, he still stood by his original plan. No one had the defenses to stand up to Fate— the addition of the Jericho company had only made that fact more stark in his mind. He gave up on keeping character. It was easier to be convincing if he truly wasn’t lying to her. He relaxed slightly despite the arms holding him down. Ty might struggle when outnumbered, but Trinity knew better. His words were his most powerful weapon. “Look.” His voice was more even than before, his word choice more eloquent. “I don’t know who you are, and I’ll be the first to admit that I underestimated you, but please at least hear me out. The man I’m talking about is… truly dangerous. It isn’t this job alone, he’s—“

“So you’re one of those.” She smirked slightly, lowering her voice for a moment. “Azzy owes me 10 cred, she thought you were one of the less stupid ones. You really think you’re the one who came up with this plan?”

Trinity opened his mouth to tell her that in fact, he had, but the woman held out a finger and the hand on the back of his neck tightened almost imperceptibly. He closed it again. 

“Let’s see if I can predict this story. You’re new still, so you’re trailing his footsteps like a little puppy, trying to learn all you can. He can do anything, after all, open and shut. You want that kind of power, so you do whatever he says. Until suddenly a simple job starts dragging on far longer than it should.” She tapped a finger to her lips in a gesture of vaguely mocking consternation. “How can this be? It doesn’t make sense, until one day he just so happens to let something slip to you. An accident, of course. A bit of footage, or a location, or maybe some sad poetry fragment he’s written on the back of a lipstick stained napkin.” Her words grew more and more sarcastic. “You, being the charitable type of power hungry pup, are worried for this poor unknown woman’s safety.” The oddly bitter emphasis on the word woman threw him for a moment, but she moved on before he could puzzle it out. “So you track her down, leaving a sweet little trail of breadcrumbs along with your warning— but it’s alright, it’s all behind his back! And you can go back home to your war profiteering and dirty money, content in your own altruism. Does that sound about right?”

Trinity just gaped at her for a moment before pulling his thoughts together. “Listen to me. I truly don’t enjoy seeing a woman in danger—” She frowned, cutting him off.

“Not a woman, but continue. I’m curious to hear your side.” The tone was biting, and the odd emphasis before suddenly made a lot more sense.

“Oh. My apologies, I assumed.”

“I noticed. Most do. Continue.”

“Right.” He pursed his lips. “Well. Moving past the sheer amount of sarcastic bullshit in your little story, I believe you have the bones of the issue. I won’t argue with you on your assessment of my character, but there’s one thing you’ve missed.”

“And what is that?” To his surprise, they sounded genuinely interested. He filed away that tidbit for later.

“He didn’t ‘let something slip’ to me. I don’t act on things I’ve simply stumbled upon.”

“Please. You think you’re the first to believe you got your information on me genuinely? Of your own merit? With the amount of stock you seem to put in his abilities, that seems rather conceited of you.” They sighed, almost seeming to deflate a bit from that perfectly poised stance. “He knows you’re here, and he knows I’m here. And if that establishment is destroyed tonight along with the livelihood of all who work there, it’s on you.”

Trinity flinched slightly at the accusation, but kept his gaze level. “He does not know that I’m here. I swear that.”

The figure pinched the bridge of their nose. “After all of this, that’s the hill you’re dying on?”

A rough sigh came from Trinity’s left side, and the hand on his neck tightened again as one of his captors finally spoke in a low, slightly gravelly voice he didn’t recognize. “We can’t keep dragging this out, Per. Two minutes, then you gotta call it.”

“I know.” They ran the hand that had been pinching their nose back through their hair, and took a half step forward. “Ok, then. What makes you so sure?”

Trinity bit the inside of his lip, the way he did when he didn’t want people to see him sweat. This was getting dangerous, in more ways than one. The longer this went on, the more likely it became that his boss would find out somehow, and this person was right— anything that happened would be on him. If he didn’t say something soon to convince them, he had no doubt they could have him killed or detained as quickly as they had subdued him in the first place. But the only way to prove what he knew was true was to reveal something he’d managed to keep secret for four years, now. Two minutes. It’d probably be less if the hand on his neck had anything to say about it, so he didn’t exactly have much time to come up with a better plan. Fuck it, if he was dead either way he might as well die knowing he was in the right.

“I’m sure because the way I saw it was with my cybernetic eye that two people in the entire galaxy even knew existed... until just now. It’s one of a kind. You were right, I have been watching him. It’s the best way to learn. So I planted my sensor in his office, and watched him creep on security footage of you alone in there for hours when he thought no one could see. That’s no convenient slip up.” He didn’t bother to disguise the disgust in his voice. He respected the man, but this was one thing he couldn’t abide.

“Cybernetics…” They lifted their wrist to their mouth to speak. That black band must be some kind of communication device. “Azure. Is that possible?”

There was a pause as they listened to some response Trinity couldn’t hear, then their gaze slowly panned back to him, staring him down like a hawk to a rabbit.

“Secret, one of a kind cybernetics. An interesting story, but not an easy one to make up on the fly. Either you’re a far better liar than you seem and have been completely in on his plans from the beginning, or…”

“He’s telling the truth.”

Oh. So that’s where Felicia has gotten to. In the heat of the moment he hadn’t really thought about that until he heard her voice from his right side— his other captor. Wonderful.

“You know about this?”

“I knew his eye was cybernetic. He played it like a fancy prosthetic, but that’d make sense if it’s one of a kind. What he’s saying isn’t impossible, and he’s a regular. I know when he’s lying.” The red clad figure nodded slowly, processing Felicia’s endorsement.

“I trust you to do your job.” Even while they spoke with Felicia, they still hadn’t broken that piercing gaze, focusing on Trinity. “Well. I suppose you’re a first, then. In that case, take this advice.” Their weight shifted slightly, and Trinity could almost feel the danger radiating from them. The energy was spine-chillingly similar to the danger that Fate projected just by entering a room, a mirrored twin. “Know that I know far more about your employer and his abilities than you do. I can’t stop you from going back to him, and you can’t stop me from ruining this lovely, easy job you’re trying to finish up.” They spoke with perfect confidence, without a hint of conceit. “He and his other lap dogs will continue to pull this kind of shite, it’s a given. But if you ever try to track me down again, you will die. Are we clear?”

“Crystal.” Trinity narrowed his eyes. “And so we’re clear on one more thing— I’d never bring harm to this place. It’s been as much a home to me as anywhere.”

“People like you never do, intentionally. That’s why you’re less trustworthy than the ones who do intend harm.” The low light of the alley caught a hint of a bitter smirk as it crossed her lips. “At least you know where they stand. Cadet, let’s go.”

The grip on his left arm and neck loosened, and he felt his unknown captor shift to stand next to him. “Four, hold him till we give the all clear. Then Siren says protocol’s down to your discretion.”

“Got it.” Felicia took over the grapple, pushing him further to the ground. His cheek pressed up against the pavement, the craned position of his head and neck keeping him from seeing anything but a sliver of wall in front of him. He sighed, listening to the thud of two sets of heavy boots as they faded down the alley and into the sounds of the night.

“...Four, huh?”

“You’ve been a regular long enough. In your line of business, you suspected. Just like I suspected ‘Ty’ was a front.” Felicia’s voice was much more matter of fact than he was used to. “It’s a useful place, and you can play all sides, but there’s always priority one.”

“I get it. I could’ve put the place in danger.”

“It’s home for a lot more than you.”

“I know. I was telling the truth, but if I can’t come back—“

“That’s up to me.” Felicia glanced down at her thumbnail as the tiny chip flashed again. All clear. She lightly moved off of him, releasing his arm from the position she’d held it in twisted behind his back, and Trinity could see a compact blaster in her palm. She flicked her wrist, and it disappeared. “I say you can, if you can take it for what it is.”

“Just a bar. People gossip and flirt and trade information. It’s a good place to land at the end of a day.” He shrugged, rubbing his shoulder. “You could have dislocated that, you know?” 

“Fair enough.” She ignored his last comment, and tapped her nail twice to acknowledge. “Maybe I’ll see you again then, Ty.” The name was a promise in its own way— he could keep his cover if she could keep hers. “Stay out of trouble.” 

With that, she turned and began walking purposefully back towards Absolute Zero, leaving Trinity alone in the alley to nurse his bruised shoulder and pride.

[julienschuester]

KISS IT BETTER

WHO: @ivystjamess & @julienschuester WHERE: st. james residence WHEN: 10/08, evening WHAT: after a brutal tennis match between ivy and darcy that resulted in baby raine’s...beheading...julien goes to ivy’s to comfort her on his birthday.

JULIEN: When Ivy stormed out of glee club rehearsal after everything that had gone down between her and the Canaries, Julien wanted nothing more than to follow her out of the choir room and comfort her. He felt guilty about everything that had happened with Darcy and the last thing he wanted was for Ivy to be upset or worse…upset at him. But when Dan took the floor and announced that it was best to let Ivy cool off, Julien wilted. He stayed put in his seat and although he was pretty downtrodden through practice, he powered through it. Once it was over, Julien hitched a ride with Dan back to the Schuester residence where a birthday dinner was already made and presents were wrapped and ready to be exchanged. Julien put on a smile for his parents and siblings as he went through the motions of a traditional Schuester birthday celebration until finally, he was granted permission to be excused. He wanted to be more present and engaged during his little family party, but all he could think about was Ivy. How was she? Had she iced her bruises? Had the Canaries done more harm than she’d let on? He was spiraling in a mess of ‘what ifs’ and knew the only way his brain would calm was if he saw her.  Julien ran up the stairs to his bedroom and quickly changed into some casual grey sweatpants, his favorite hockey sweatshirt and his glasses. He was already half way out the door, ignoring his mom’s ’where are you going?’ when he realized he’d forgotten a hat. Oh well. Julien didn’t like driving a car that had the word cheater scrawled into the side, but these were desperate times. He got into the Schuester mobile, which now had fresh wheels thanks to Julien’s summer savings, and sped to Ivy’s in record time. He parked a couple of blocks away (just in case her parents were around) and lightly jogged the rest of the way to her house. He moved stealthily once he reached her yard, doing his best to avoid any light sensors as he made his way through the bushes towards Ivy’s window. Jackpot. There she was, hunched over her desk doing what Julien could only assume was homework. He took in the sight of her for a moment, heart racing as a goofy smile danced its way on to his lips. Even angry and pouty, Julien couldn’t get enough of that face. Don’t get distracted, he reminded himself. Right. He took a deep breath and braced himself for the physically demanding task that was scaling the side of her house and then he was off. He had done the climb a couple of times before and it got easier each time...but not easy enough. He made it to her window in minutes and once he reached it, he tapped twice before he started trying to pry it open himself. “You gotta let me in legs,” he whisper yelled, slightly straining to keep himself up, “it’s my birthday wish.”

IVY: Tonight now marked twice in a row that Julien had come to her house tapping on her window. If Come to my Window hadn't been an anthem for sapphics everywhere for the better part of the last 50 years, Ivy probably already would have been preparing an arrangement for her and Julien. Her heart just wasn't in it tonight. After the worst day in what was shaping up to be a horrible week, Ivy had no song in her heart. Not only was a duet arrangement out of the question, but so was social interaction. It was so cruel of fate to not only give her a baby to tend to after the summer she had, but it was crueler to have it taken from her, and cruelest for everything to have blown up on Julien's birthday. She had pinky promised him not to be mad at him on his birthday, which she totally broke during glee club earlier. That bummed her out even more. With some time and cooling down, to no one's surprise, Ivy wasn't angry. Just hurt. Hurt Darcy had masterfully pulled off a villainous scheme, hurt that none of her teammates seemed to care, and hurt that Julien couldn't step up to the plate and defend her. It was all too much. Joey had texted her a few times about arranging a funeral for Raine over the weekend, but she left him on read. Everything about this situation was tender and she just wasn't feeling like herself. She cashed in on skipping both glee and Grease rehearsal and went home almost instantly where she dove into trying to do her homework. It was a slow and strenuous effort. It felt like anytime she got a good pace going, something set off the tears. Whether it be the envelope with Julien's birthday present sitting pretty on her desk, moving her rapidly bruising body in the wrong way, or the eerie absence of Raine's oh-so-annoying cries, there always seemed to be something that triggered the waterworks. Luckily, when Julien asked to be let in, Ivy was about an hour past her last cry session. For a brief moment, she stared at him dubiously until he clarified it was a birthday wish. Shoot. She couldn’t turn down a birthday wish. Wincing slightly as she rose, Ivy moved to open her window and help Julien climb in. Once he was in safely, Ivy filled the silence with the soft sounds of her shutting her window, closing the curtains, locking both her doors, then putting on some music to mask their inevitable conversation. She gave room for Julien to begin first, but painfully aware of the fact he wasn’t the most articulate, she broke the ice by grabbing the holographic red envelope with Julien and an assortment of hearts scribbled onto it. It wasn’t Ivy’s best gift, but she was confident her boyfriend would be happy to attend a Blackhawks game. She held out the envelope with an almost somber, “Happy Birthday.” This was the extension of her olive branch. Just to be explicit though, she added, “Sorry for calling you a musical slut and a cheater and like all that stuff. I didn’t mean it. I was just like being stupid.” she murmured, wincing once again as she sat on the foot of her bed. “Are you gonna open it?”

JULIEN: For a split second, Julien thought Ivy wasn’t going to let him in. He was moments away from panicking and probably tumbling down to the ground when she finally moved from her seat and opened the window. Once Julien was on his feet inside her bedroom, he wiped the beads of sweat forming on his forehead from the physical exertion and pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose with his pointer finger. As he smoothed out his sweatshirt and caught his breath, Ivy moved around the room like a busy body, taking all the necessary precautions to make sure they weren’t caught by her parents or sister. His eyes followed her as she moved around the room. Ever since they had officially gotten together, Julien felt inexplicably more self-conscious about saying the right things. Maybe self-conscious wasn’t the right word…but he just wanted to make Ivy happy. Getting to this point in their relationship had been a long and dramatic road, so the last thing he wanted to do was mess it up by acting rashly or doing something dumb. So as he stood there, letting his bottom teeth graze his top lip as he performed mental gymnastics trying to figure out where to start, Ivy took the lead by sticking a red envelope in his general direction. “For me?” he asked, almost surprised by the gesture, “woooow.” Julien stared at the envelope in complete awe before he even looked at what was inside. Whatever it was, it was from Ivy. To him. It could’ve been a $2 bill and he would’ve been over the moon. Before he could open it, Ivy was apologizing for what had gone down earlier in the choir room. A warmth filled his chest as she took back all of the things she’d said. It was water under the bridge for him. “You don’t have to say sorry,” he assured her, glancing down at the envelope again, “I’m sorry—“ but before he could say it, she was asking him to open the gift. Okay, maybe his apology could wait. He somewhat carelessly ripped open the envelope (but not before admiring all the little hearts she’d drawn around his name on the back of it) and quickly removed the two tickets that were inside it. He stared at them, mouth agape, for a second too long as he slowly read over the words. Blackhawks vs. Blue Jackets. A genuinely touched smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he looked up at her. “Ivy,” he cooed, quite literally fighting the urge to dance in place by excitedly making his way to the foot of her bed and sitting next to her, “this is the best gift. Did you know I’ve never been to a Blackhawks game? You’re seriously the best, I love—“ a pause as he let out a bashful little laugh and cleared his throat, “I love it. I really love it. I can’t wait to ask the prettiest girl in school if she’ll go with me…” He turned to look at Ivy then, his eyes notably softening when it dawned on him how sad she still looked. He put the tickets back in the envelope and then placed it down on the bed before giving Ivy his undivided attention. “I’m really sorry, legs,” he started, gently reaching up and placing his hand on the side of her head to softly strum her cheek and her hair, “what happened to you today was…so messed up. The next time I see Darcy…” Julien wasn’t an angry person, but now that he’d had some time to process, even saying her name left a bad taste in his mouth, “I’m gonna give her a piece of my mind. You didn’t deserve that. And I’m…” it felt silly to say, but it needed to be said, “I’m sorry about Raine. I know he was just a robot baby, but still.” Julien was great with words when it came to group pep talks, but he notably struggled with being articulate in more intimate one on one conversations. “I’m just sorry,” he concluded, holding her gaze before letting his eyes assess the damage done to her by tennis balls. “I want to hug you or hold you or something but I don’t want to hurt you,” he admitted, clocking the welts on her arm. Looking around, he scooted back on her bed until he could lean back against her pillows. “Come here,” he urged her, opening his arms, “birthday wish.”

IVY: This birthday wish business was going to be the death of Ivy. It had landed Julien, cute as ever, in the center of her room. From the way he pushed up his glasses to the way his sweatshirt hung over his frame made it increasingly difficult for Ivy to feel as sad. Though, as much as she apologized and engaged in conversation, nothing could stuff those sad feelings back into her heart. Julien's response to her apology in addition to his own brief one had her feeling a little better. Despite that sadness lingering, Julien's smile when he opened the envelope to the tickets momentarily made this horrendous day feel entirely worth it. With his smile like Christmas Morning and his eyes like Fourth of July fireworks, Ivy was hardly thinking about apologies. The way Julien said her name made her heart pound desperately in her chest. She was glad he liked the tickets so much. As he sat beside her, definitely a little needy, Ivy grabbed hold of his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. Maybe had she not felt so off she would have been more vocal. That wasn't the case, so instead she sought comfort in Julien's touch and provided him with a soft "No, I didn't know you've never been, I just like assumed you would have by now." His 'I love--' resulted in Ivy lifting her head to look at him. Was he about to--? No. He loved the gift. A lot. Clearly. Maybe the tickets were a better gift than she had initially anticipated. Now looking at him, Ivy felt a warmth that enabled her to smile. "Hm, well I hope she says yes because I heard she's like totally cute in a hockey jersey." Ivy said very seriously. The burst of feel good energy faded quickly as Julien once again brought up the events of the day.  Still, she leaned into his touch and hummed softly at his claim he was going to give Darcy a piece of his mind. Ivy didn't entirely believe that, but didn't want to complain either. Her and Leo always fought when she brought up things like this that upset her. She didn't want to be dramatic and let the same happen with her and Julien. He was too special. Remaining quiet for a moment as she tried to find the right words, Ivy hummed to herself again.  "We really like, don't have to talk about it. Seriously. It's like so totally...yesterday's news." she insisted after inhaling sharply. She'd get over it. "Okay it like, doesn't even hurt that bad--" That lie was a little more obvious, but she wanted to be held regardless. Luckily, her boyfriend seemed to pick up on that as he adjusted his position and fully settled on her bed. Crawling up to him and curling into his side, Ivy's doting gaze inevitably fell on Julien, "So like, what do you want to do? Watch a movie?" she asked, then threw in a playful, "You only have fifteen more birthday wishes to cash in before midnight, Jules. Choose wisely."

JULIEN: Ivy wasn’t particularly good at hiding her emotions, so despite Julien not being the most intuitive person, he could see very clearly that she was in need of some tlc. From the way she stared up at him with those sad blue eyes to the way she clung to his arm and rested her head on his shoulder, it was obvious that the bad feelings from the day were lingering. Julien pushed aside his excitement over his birthday gift and decided right then and there that despite it being his birthday, Ivy would be tonight’s focus. That was why he’d come to her house after all. The two bantered briefly before Julien launched into his own apology but Ivy wasn’t having it. Julien always liked to talk through his feelings (mostly out of necessity because he never knew how exactly he felt about things), but his girlfriend didn’t seem to want the same so he wasn’t about to force her to talk about what happened. Maybe it was best not to dwell. “Okay, Titan Times,” Julien sighed out with a soft, closed-mouthed smile, “yesterday’s news then. Out of sight, out of mind.” And that was that. Next thing Julien knew, he was scooted all the way back on her bed with Ivy curled up cozily at his side. All was right in the world again. With one arm around her, Julien very gently circled a fresh bruise on her arm with all the caution in the world to not apply any pressure and cause her pain. Her question made him chuckle slightly as he tilted his chin downwards to look at her. “We could watch a movie,” he mused, insinuating that they could if she wanted to, “but I’d rather just talk to you.” At the mention of his whopping fifteen remaining birthday wishes, his expression changed like something dawned on him suddenly. “You wanna know what’s crazy?” he asked, brows raised, “I’ve been here for like ten minutes and you haven’t even kissed me once.” Julien clicked just tongue and shook his head disappointedly. “Kind of mean to do to the birthday boy if you think about it...” he sighed dramatically before playfully kissing the top of her head and hugging her towards him just a little tighter.

IVY: On top of all her other bad feelings about this wretched day, Ivy presently felt the worst about being so glum on Julien's birthday. He only turned seventeen once and the last thing she wanted was for this day to be shrouded in her own selfishness. Sure, it would be a struggle to let go of that overbearing feeling that she was right and he was wrong for not standing up for her in the choir room as is, but laying curled into his side soothed that burn. ( At lease, temporarily.) Fantasies of them at the Blackhawks game swirled in and out of her mind, but for the most part Ivy's focused remained on the gentle circling of his thumb around one of her numerous bruises and the comfort of his natural scent wafting into her nose. Beyond being talented and sweeter than she could ever be, Julien had a natural gift when it came to cheering her up. Ivy could only hope she provided him with that a sliver of reassurance he so easily gave her. That was beside the point though. As Julien confessed to preferring to speak with her over all else, a familiar thumping radiated throughout her chest as she smiled up at him with nothing but sheer adoration. "You're so sweet, I swear you're like giving me cavities." she teased, only for her own brows to quirk upward at his next comment. "a whole ten minutes?" Ivy repeated quietly as if she too were in shock. Now that all the upset glances and brooding sighs had passed, Ivy found herself warming up to their usual playful routine. Giggling at the dramatic sigh of Julien's own, Ivy propped herself up on her elbow, "Okay, well like, we definitely cannot have that on your birthday." she agreed before leaning down and granting him a quick peck. "You've got fourteen left, lover boy." She said, still gazing down fondly at him. Less desirable feelings from the day feeling more and more distant, Ivy drawled "Wanna like cash them in for more kisses or...?"  before closing the space between them once more. Ivy didn't need Julien to speak to know the answer was yes. So as she moved her lips against his own, she began to familiarize herself with the idea that if she were ending her night making out with Julien in her bed, maybe this day hadn't turned out so horrible after all.

AND SCENE.

[ladyfogg]

May I? - 8/?

May I? - 8/?

Fic Summary: Ensign Faith Diaz struggles to hide her mental illness from her fellow shipmates aboard the Enterprise until an intrigued Data goes out of his way to try to understand her behavior. At his insistence, Faith tries to figure out what she’s truly passionate about and eventually seeks the professional help she needs. Fic Masterpost.

Fic Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Data/Female OC

Warnings: tw: depression, tw: anxiety, fluff, friends to lovers, eventual smut

Screenshot by @ geekygwen

Faith awoke slowly, curled into a ball with her face buried in a pillow. She kept her eyes closed, too warm and comfortable. She had nowhere to be and was perfectly content to go back to sleep. As she began to doze back off, something tickled her face. She swiped at it impatiently before rolling over.

While she hadn't dreamt, she felt intense comfort throughout the night. She could feel herself falling asleep again but then the tickle returned. This time when she swiped at it, her hand connected with something fuzzy.

Faith's eyes snapped open in time to see an orange and white cat jump off the bed, running to find a hiding place. Confused, she slowly sat up and looked around. She clearly wasn't in her own room and it took her brain a moment to remember that she was in Data's quarters. When had she fallen asleep? The last thing she remembered was sitting on his couch while he discussed the analysis he had run. 

Smiling, she clutched the blanket tighter around herself. It was incredibly sweet that he tucked her into bed rather than wake her. The butterflies she had been feeling for the last several days fluttered again.

You stop that! she scolded herself, forcing away her smile. He is a friend and senior officer! You will not develop feelings for him!

She had been struggling with her small crush ever since he first complimented her. Not only was it completely inappropriate, but in her opinion, it was also unhealthy. She was in a very vulnerable mental state and hated herself for developing feelings for someone who was just trying to help.

Still, the pull toward Data was strong and she couldn't stop how much she enjoyed his company. Her budding feelings were the reason she had yet to spend time with him outside of work-related duties. She was afraid she'd have to fully confront her attraction.

Faith got to her feet, the blanket draped around her shoulders as she looked around for Data. She expected to find him working, instead, he lay on the couch, seemingly asleep.

He must be dreaming. Wonder what it's about. Does he dream of me?

He had kept several of his paintings of her out so she wandered to them, taking time to admire his work. There was a beautiful grace to his strokes. For someone who claimed to not have feelings, he was certainly able to capture them in his work.

She glanced over at him to find his eyes open, watching her. How long had he been awake? She would give anything to know what he was thinking in that moment.

"Good morning, Faith. Did you sleep well?" he asked.

Faith's smile returned and she nodded. "Yes, I actually did. Until your cat got curious and shoved its nose in my face."

Data sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the couch. "That is Spot. She is very wary of new people. I am sorry she woke you." 

"It's alright," Faith looked back at the painting which drew her in the most, the one of her side profile.

Data stood and crossed the room to join her. "You seem to favor this one."

"I do," she agreed. "You used roses as the flowers. Why?"

"Your middle name is Rosaline. It seemed appropriate."

Faith laughed softly. "They also happen to be my favorite flower."

"I did not know that."

"Funny coincidence then," she said. She could feel herself growing emotional and decided it was the best time to make her exit. "I probably should return to my quarters anyways. What time is it?"

"It is oh-six hundred and thirty-three hours."

Faith was shocked. "You mean I slept through the night?"

Data cocked his head curiously. "As I recall that is quite unusual for you, is it not?"

"It is." Faith rubbed her eyes. "Must be because you were here."

"Explain?"

She spoke without thinking and tried to find a way to explain herself.

"Well, normally I can't sleep because my thoughts make me anxious. I think of all the stuff that can possibly go wrong. But being near you must have made me feel safe." Her cheeks flushed red with the admission. "Anyway, thank you for letting me sleep. I'll leave you be for a while."

She turned towards the door but Data stopped her. "Wait," he said. "Would you like to stay and have breakfast with me?"

Faith should have said no. The word was on the tip of her tongue. But he looked so earnest. His eyes were so soft, she couldn't refuse.

"I'd love to."

Data smiled and crossed to the table, pulling out a chair for her. "Please, sit. I will prepare something for you."

Trying to hold back her goofy smile, Faith accepted the seat. She realized she still had Data's blanket around her but couldn't bring herself to let it go. Not yet at least. She wouldn't say it smelled like him since he didn't really have a smell. But the fact that it was his was enough.

"Do you have any preference for breakfast?" he asked.

"Probably something light," she said. 

"Understood. Are you still having trouble with your appetite?"

"Yeah. Unfortunately."

Data went over to the food replicator and paused in thought before pressing the button. "One fruit parfait with granola."

A glass bowl appeared filled with vanilla yogurt and chopped strawberries appeared, small brown clusters of granola sprinkled on top.

"This is light but healthy. The granola should give your stomach something solid without bothering it." He placed the bowl on the table before taking the seat across from her.

"Thanks. It looks good. I usually just have coffee." Faith pulled the spoon out of the dish, carrying with it a large scoop of yogurt. It was pretty good and her stomach didn't immediately reject it, which was a plus.

"That does not sound like a nutritious start to your day."

"No, probably not." She took another large spoonful before noticing he didn't get food for himself. "Aren't you going to have anything?" 

"While I can ingest food and drink since I cannot taste it, I typically do not bother. Occasionally, I ingest semi-organic nutrient supplements in a silicon-based liquid to lubricate my bio functions. But it is not necessary to do so daily."

"Oh, interesting," Faith said. She had never really thought about his daily functions or needs. "What other human-type functions do you have?"

"My internal cooling system gives the appearance of breathing," Data explained. "I have a pulse and I also age."

"Gosh, there's so much about you that I don't know and the more I learn the more I realize how amazing you are."

He gave her a soft smile. "Thank you, Faith. That is very kind of you to say."

"On a more serious note," she said, clearing her throat in an attempt to swallow past the lump that had formed. "Before I fell asleep I heard you say something about other things missing?" She took another bite of her parfait.

"Ah, yes. Many have reported random items lost or missing from their quarters. Based on the list of items, it seems they are required for survival."

"This just keeps getting weirder and weirder," Faith said with a sigh. "We have all this evidence that someone is swiping this stuff, except the someone."

"Scanners and sensors continue to show no evidence of an intruder. We have found traces of the organic matter in small quantities throughout the ship but not enough to appear significant."

Faith ate in silence as she thought about the situation. "You know, all this started when we entered the Modrore system. Could one of the away teams have brought something back unknowingly?"

"It is possible, but highly improbable," Data said. "They used the Transporter and unless the technician was locked onto the entity, it would have been difficult for it to be beamed aboard with them."

Faith made a noise of disappointment. "Worth a shot," she said, pushing away the mostly empty bowl. "Alright, well, I'm sure you have work to do and I've monopolized enough of your time. Thanks for breakfast."

As she stood, Data followed her lead. "Would you like to meet this evening for dinner so I may share my findings for the day?"

Faith agreed before she could stop herself. "Sounds great. Ten Forward? Seventeen-hundred hours?"

"That would be acceptable." He lifted his arms and it took her a moment to register what he was doing.

"Are you asking for a hug?" she chuckled.

"It is one of the ways I have noticed people say goodbye," Data said. "You also hugged me last night to show your appreciation. I wish to return the gesture as I appreciated your company. Do you not wish to partake?"

Faith chuckled. "I will gladly partake." She wrapped her arms around his waist, enjoying the solid warmth of him and the way his arms held her close. She felt the rise and fall of his chest and briefly closed her eyes, savoring the moment. Before she could pull away, however, the door to his quarters chimed.

"Enter," Data said.

Faith had just managed to wriggle out of his grasp when the doors opened and Captain Picard, of all people, entered the room.

"Mr. Data, do you have a moment to discuss…" He paused, eyes wide as he seemed to notice Data was not alone. "Oh, my apologies. I wasn't aware you had company."

Faith became self-conscious, realizing how the situation must have looked. She clearly hadn't just gotten there: she wore comfortable clothes, her hair was escaping its braid from sleep, and Data's blanket was draped around her shoulders. She hurriedly pulled it off, rolling it into a ball.

"Good morning, Captain," she said, fighting the urge to smooth down her hair. She took a small step away from Data, putting a respectable distance between them. "Data— Commander Data and I were just having breakfast together. I'm sure you two would like some privacy so I'll just..." She motioned to the door.

"Oh, no, please, Ms. Diaz," Picard assured her. "I can come back later."

"There is no need, sir. Faith was just leaving," Data said. 

"Yup. Yes, I was doing that. So, I'll just...do that." Faith wished the floor would swallow her whole so she could be anywhere but there. "If you'll both excuse me."

She made a move to leave, realized she had Data's blanket, then shoved it into his hands before making a hasty exit.

"I will see you for dinner later," Data called after her.

She could only manage a thumbs up before practically running from the room. 

Faith was acutely aware she probably looked crazed with her wild hair and fast pace as she hurried to her own quarters. Of all the people to walk in, it had to be the captain. While she knew they had done nothing wrong, she could only imagine what it must have looked like from Picard's perspective.

Once she was in the safety of her room, she swore. She had promised herself she would be careful. Several people in Engineering were already giving her looks and whispers ever since she was given her new assignment. Many of them had been on the Enterprise longer than she, and they made it clear they were not happy with her sudden elevated status.

If they found out she had been caught in Data's quarters, talk would only increase.

Lucky for her, she trusted the captain and knew he had more important things to worry about.

"It'll be fine. You'll be fine. You haven't done anything wrong," she told herself as she changed into more appropriate clothing. 

She unbraided her hair, letting it fall in waves once she flattened the flyaways. After having been in Data's spotless quarters, she was even more aware of how messy her own were.

Feeling oddly motivated, she collected the dishes and brought them to the replicator. Next, she gathered her dirty clothes, placing them in the laundry pod to be washed, dried, and folded. 

With each small step, the tightening in her chest grew looser. It wasn't until she was wiping off her terminal that she paused, coming across Dr. Crusher's hypospray. 

Data's words from the day before replayed in her mind. She sunk onto her chair, fiddling with the device. Would it really be so bad to accept help? She was already becoming more comfortable talking with Counselor Troi each session, but she still faced anxiety attacks almost daily. It would be nice to have that number lowered.

Faith pressed the nozzle of the hypospray to her neck and pressed the button. She felt the medication enter her bloodstream, but nothing else happened. It would take a few days to know for sure if it was working, but she had taken the first step.

Proud of herself, Faith smiled, carefully tucking the hypospray into her desk drawer. "Computer, set a personal alarm for every twenty-four hours at this time."

"Alarm set."

Geordi had given her the day off but she suddenly felt like working to keep her motivation going for as long as possible. She shot a quick message to Dr. Crusher letting her know she had started the medication and then threw herself into her work.

All of Data's reports and notes had been uploaded to the project's drive so she took the time to go through them. He had outlined possible routes the intruders took, noting that many of the objects connected via Jefferies tubes. But the fact that they still eluded detection made no sense. Not only that, if they were still on board, where would they be hiding? They would need a location to store what they grabbed.

Faith zoomed out of the map so she could view the full schematic of the ship. There were plenty of areas where nothing had been reported missing. Could they be hiding there? She needed a way to narrow down the search to start.

"Computer, how many quarters are currently unoccupied?"

"There are currently five crew quarters and eight guest quarters unoccupied."

Faith picked up her communicator and pressed it. "Ensign Diaz to Commander Data."

"Data here."

"We currently have thirteen unoccupied quarters on the ship. Do you know if any of them have been searched recently?"

"Records indicate they have not. What is the reason for your inquiry?"

"Our unexpected guests will probably need a place to store everything they've stolen. I'm wondering if they're using a space that doesn't see any foot traffic."

"I will speak to Lieutenant Worf about conducting a search."

"Thanks. Let me know if you find anything. Diaz, out."

The door chimed but Faith kept her eyes glued to her screen. "It's unlocked!"

She expected to see maybe Data or Troi. She did not expect Captain Picard to be standing in her doorway.

"Captain!" she exclaimed, stomach dropping as she abruptly stood. "This is a surprise." She was suddenly very glad she had cleaned up.

"Ms. Diaz, may I speak with you a moment?" Picard asked.

A sense of dread washed over her. Regardless, she nodded, motioning to the couch. "Please come in. Would you like to sit?"

"Yes, thank you."

Picard took a seat, his back stiff. He was clearly uncomfortable which made Faith uncomfortable. She took a seat in the armchair across from him.

"Would you like something to drink? Coffee or tea?" she offered.

"I am alright, thank you." He cleared his throat. "Ms. Diaz, I wanted to apologize if I caused you any embarrassment earlier."

Apologize? The captain walked in on her alone with one of her superiors and he was apologizing to her?

"Sir, that's really not necessary," she said. "I should be the one who—"

Picard put up a hand to stop her. "No, no, Ensign. You have nothing to be sorry about. The personal lives of my crew are none of my business. Rest assured what I saw will go no further than you, Mr. Data, and myself."

"Captain, nothing happened," she said. "I know you don't care either way but it's important for me to say it out loud. I know how it looked but I promise, nothing is happening between Data and I."

Picard regarded her curiously. He had an intensity about his stare that made her feel like he could see into her soul. "This really worries you, doesn't it?"

Faith hesitantly nodded. "There is enough...talk going around Engineering because of me being put on this assignment. I know it's not the habit of the captain to engage in gossip. Still, I…" She trailed off.

Picard leaned forward, drawing her gaze from the floor. "Ms. Diaz, you were put on this assignment because you made the discovery. You also took the initiative to try to solve the mystery while still handling your other duties. Commander La Forge would not have given it to you if you couldn't handle it. And furthermore, I would not have approved it if I didn't agree with him. Unless you think our judgment was impaired in some way?"

"What? No! Of course not! I trust you both with my life."

"Good. For a moment there I was worried." He was clearly teasing her and it was enough to make her smile some. "Ms. Diaz...Faith, it is easy to get caught up in what other people think. But sooner or later you need to push that all aside. Your work on this has been invaluable, as Mr. Data has pointed out to me many times."

Her heart fluttered. "He has?"

Picard rolled his eyes, suppressing a smile before standing and adjusting his uniform in the process. "I've said my peace and I will get out of your hair now."

Faith stood out of respect, watching him as he headed for the door. "Thank you, Captain."

"You're welcome." When the doors opened, he paused, turning on his heel to look back at her. "And for the record, it was his idea that I come apologize."

"It was?" Faith asked in shock, not only because Data had the gall to tell the captain to apologize to someone but because Picard actually listened.

"Oh yes. He seemed to think you would be worried and he didn't want it to disrupt your day." Picard's voice was laced with amusement. "Imagine that."

Faith watched him go, not even bothering to try to stop her smile.

[dumbwaystodeviate]

Connor + Build-A-Bear-Workshop. Or alternatively: Connor + Disney World.

Confession: I haven’t been to either of those places so this is sort of vague because I don’t know any better.

The fact that Lieutenant Anderson wasn’t at the DPD didn’t seem to surprise anyone. Officer Collins even told Connor to look in town for him during the day or, if he could only look in the evening, then one of the many bars in the area. Taking his advice to heart, Connor set out into town.

He saw so many people, so many different things. Being built for curiosity and a drive to know more, Connor found himself pulled away from his mission to enter various shops. Paint shops with more colours than he had anticipated, clothes shops where the materials he touched lit up his tactile sensors in a multitude of ways, music shops where various songs played as he scanned over the various covers and artists being displayed. Another shop drew his attention. It had bright blue and yellow walls and people were milling around in it with a mixture of excitement and contemplation.

Walking in, Connor scanned all the various parts of the shop. The walls were lined with various teddies and plush toys, under them were vats of their skin, ready to be chosen and filled at the stuffing station. There were so many accessories, simulated heart beats, voice recording options and clothes that Connor could marvel. It was so similar to a CyberLife production line and yet the outcome was something cute and always desired - something the CybeLife couldn’t boast of. He was so caught up in taking it all in, Connor wasn’t paying attention and collided with something warm and solid. His hand shot up to steady himself.

“I am so sorry,” he said and looked up. “Oh.”

Looking up, he could see his hand was resting on a broad, firm chest while kind blue eyes stared down at him.

“I didn’t think they built bears like you here,” Connor could hear himself murmur. It was met with a warm laugh that sent warm red streaks shooting across his vision.

“And I didn’t think CyberLife built anything as goofy and hapless as you.”

“I must apologise,” Connor pushed himself away, flustered at falling against the strangers and not moving sooner. “My name is Connor, I’m a prototype issued by CyberLife.”

He stuck his hand out and a large, warm hand (which Connor tried not to think of as a paw) shook his tentatively.

“Well Connor, I hope you find whatever errand you’re on in here. I must get going.”

In a panic, Connor scanned the man’s face and his eyes went wide.

“You know, I think I just did!”

“Well I’ll be damned, an android that’s smooth. They did good with you, kid.”

“Lieutenant Henry ‘Hank’ Anderson, I am Connor the android sent by CyberLife to assist you on the deviancy cases.”

Silence stretched as Hank looked him over before scoffing.

“Just my damned luck,” he groused. Something niggled in the corner of Connor’s mind. He pulled himself up to his full height, ignoring the way Hank’s smile sent more skitters of red through his HUD.

“And I,” he enunciated each word carefully, “am not a kid.”

“Whatever,” Hank waved him off and with is the red fluttered away too, “just let me do my Christmas shopping in peace.”

A quick scan of the bag he held revealed that it was a bear from a recent movie franchise aimed at young boys. Connor wanted to point it out but looked up Hank’s file before opening his mouth. He was grateful to it too, as the bear had both a heartbeat and a message which, with Connor’s newfound knowledge, twisted at his heart.

“Very well, though I do insist I accompany you out of this shop,” he smiled gently as he teased. “Someone else might try to buy you and I believe I have already called dibs.”

[peachykarma]

3. The Society

I was queuing for an iced drink. It was a sweltering day. I took out my mini portable fan from my bag. It was a USB rechargeable one. Relief washed over me as the handheld fan did its job. I peeped in front. How long more do I have to wait…  

I sighed in frustration and looked at my watch. I was going to be late for a client meeting. Should I still get a drink? I decided to stay in the queue. I needed my caffeine fix desperately.

“I bet he is a new staff. Taking his own sweet time to take the orders.” I heard the lady behind groan in frustration.

“Yeah, these kinds of workers make me boil,” her friend agreed.

I began tapping my foot subconsciously. I was getting rather impatient.

After a long wait, I was finally approaching the end of the line. There was only one guy left in front of me. I peeked over the customer in front to take a look at the server. His name tag caught my attention immediately. It was huge. I took a glimpse at the name tags of the other staff. Their name tags were significantly different; in colour and size.  I looked at his name tag again. It read “Davis. Please be patient. I am special ”.

I stopped tapping my foot. Special? Could it be…

I stared at Davis without blinking. He was rocking from side to side. I leaned forward to observe him further. His supervisor was reminding him to look at a visual placed beside the coffee maker. The visual showed systematic steps to make flavoured lattes. He nodded and kept a neutral expression. After preparing the drink, he passed it to his colleague. I caught a slight flinch as his colleague pat him lightly on his back. He returned to his position at the cashier.

“Good afternoon, Sir. May I take your order?” He asked the man in front of me.

“Hello. May I have a soy milk matcha latte, grande please.” He answered.

“What size?” He asked again.

The man in front of me paused a while, scanned him quickly and replied slower this time.

“Grande, please.”

“Yes Sir,” he said before picking up a marker.

“What is your name, Sir?” he asked, as he prepared to write the customer’s name on the plastic cup.

“Evans.”

“Sorry?” Davis’ eyes lit up and he stopped swaying back and forth.

“Evans. E-V-A-N-S.” The man repeated slowly.  

The server looked surprised but did not say anything. He directed him to wait at the end of the counter for his drink.

After observing the weird exchange, I spoke to Davis slowly. While reading my order and spelling my name, Davis was rocking continuously. It was distracting. Nonetheless, it did not affect me much. Like Evans, I proceeded to the end of the counter as well.

However, Davis’ stare followed me. He was looking at me intently. Feeling uncomfortable, I looked away.

“Don’t worry, he is just fascinated by your handheld fan,” Evans explained to me.

I pulled it tighter across my chest.

“Excuse me?! Can you focus? Are you even listening? This is why the queue is so damn long!” The lady behind me in the queue hollered. Everyone present began to stare at Davis curiously. Some spoke in hushed whispers.

I noticed Davis starting to rock sideways vigorously. His movement caused the metal spoons and tins near him to drop, making sounds of clanking and rattling. His face turned into a deep shade of red. The supervisor rushed forward to shift him aside. However, Davis was visibly irritated by his touch. An unsettling feeling began welling inside me. In seconds, he was slamming and throwing things around. He started punching the wall next to him. The lady continued yelling incoherently.

Evans stepped forward from behind me and shouted.

“Stop shouting!”

He softened his tone and continued explaining.

“He is on the spectrum. He is clearly having difficulties regulating sensory inputs from the environment.  A pin drop may sound thunderous to him. That’s how they interpret these sensor inputs. When we feel something, they are feeling ten times of what we feel.”

Everyone became quiet instantly. Davis covered his ears and crouched into a corner.

I nudged Evans and asked, “Would this be of any help?” I passed him my handheld fan.

He gave me a small smile and took it from me. Slowly and cautiously, he walked over to where Davis was and crouch to his level. He passed my fan to Davis.

He seemed to calm down a little upon fiddling with my fan. He pressed the on button, observed the blades and switched it off. After a few seconds, he repeated the action. The lady looked embarrassed and walked away quickly. Momentum began to pick up as things returned to its normal bustle. I stood aside as I observed the exchange between Davis and Evans.

Davis continued fiddling with my handheld fan when he looked up suddenly.

He said to Evans, “the last time I saw you, I was fiddling with fans.”

“I would love to join you…. in soccer,” Davis told Evans with a goofy grin.

Evans grinned knowingly.

Transmedia Exploration: The attached videos are used to depict the calming down tools an individual on the spectrum can be offered and the meltdowns similar to Davis’ in the story. These videos can be posted on an interactive website or social media where an online audience can understand the range of calming down tools better. The learning can take place in the form of puzzle games etc. In addition, audio clips with disturbingly loud noises can be played on radio between songs, or plays during between songs on Spotify to capture the attention of the audience. This minor disturbance can be used to raise awareness on the heightened sensory inputs an individual on the spectrum receives. 

[lamalefix]

A kiss, just a kiss

read this work on ao3

It’s just a kiss, but that’s exactly what he needed.

Alec is back late from work again. And smells of ichor and blood, and burnt flesh.

His dinner with Magnus went up in smoke because the damn sensor ringed before he even turned the corner and retrieved something to eat.

He sent him a message, to which Magnus replied with a random ok and a heart emoji.

And Alec is mad, his anger is going to drive him crazy. It is as if the whole universe has it with him during this period. The demons seem to have agreed to appear every time he is about to return home. He no longer even remembers when it was the last time the two of them spent an entire evening together, without interruptions, emergencies, sudden problems. Not to mention an entire day.

Magnus is patient, he’s always been a patient type, he knows what Alec’s job means, and never says anything. But sooner or later, Alec will get one of those looks, which he fears so much, one of those that means that, no, he has no more time for him. Even if Magnus has infinite time ahead of him.

And so yes, when he comes home and crosses the threshold of the apartment he shares so little with Magnus, and if it weren’t for this, he couldn’t even say that they are together, that they are still together, he doesn’t expect that kiss.

But that’s what he needed.

And he tries to break away, to tell him something, to apologize, to ask another possibility because he has clearly thrown his sensor in the mouth of that demon today, not only to make it explode and annihilate the threat, but more not to have to hear that continuous beep beep that always interrupts them.

And Magnus is there, close to him, so close that maybe he is also muttering something against his mouth.

And then his hands move, the sparkling and sweet sensation of his magic slipping on him, under his clothes, looking for what he will clearly find, bruises, marks, scratches, a wound that is already healing.

And Magnus frowns, but doesn’t say a word, and lets more magic run to facilitate the effect of the healing runes.

And Alec stretches, curves his body over that of his Warlock in a desperate attempt to resume the kissing process. And there is the urgency of everything that couldn’t be said, of everything that couldn’t be done. And he throws his arms around him and holds him stronger. His hands are on Magnus’ back, slipping under his tight shirt, his fingers draw gentle caresses, little circles on that thin and tiny piece of bare skin he could find.

And Magnus pulls away from him again, gasping a bit.

And maybe it’s not just a kiss, or a series of breathtaking kisses. That’s all he missed in this period. Even the routine kisses, those in which Magnus lends him his cheek, or presents him his forehead, to say goodbye, good work, in that silent way, without even breaking away from this reading or that potion. Or being unable to open his eyes after those morning kisses, a bit sleepy, while between one peck and the other, mumbling incoherently, that he doesn’t want to wake up.

And Magnus breaks away from him again and opens his mouth. “Hey, you okay?” he manages to say, his voice a little hoarse, a little deep and husky.

And Alec certainly doesn’t have the mental powers to answer now. And he stretches to kiss him again. First a small kiss on his lips, from which he almost immediately comes off to look at him again and then, and then he seems to want to devour him. An enormous urge growling in the back of his heart.

And Magnus begins to back away, moves slowly, continuing to kiss him. And if Alec didn’t have his arms around him, if he were not so urgently clinging to him, they would both find themselves belly-up after having stumbled over the carpet, or having hit this or that pot. And it’s a bit sloppy, a bit clumsy but perfect.

And now it’s Alec’s turn to break off the kiss, and murmurs a hoarse “I love you” on Magnus’ lips, before kissing him again, gentle, delicate and then moves to enchain a trail of kisses on his neck.

And he snuggles his nose under Magnus’ jaw and stumbles a bit, with his eyes closed.  And maybe even Magnus isn’t able to open his eyes as he gropes on Alec, backwarding and they finally fall both on the couch.

Alec just smiles, he didn’t expect this development, certainly not. Not after that message, that monosyllable and that emoji. He expected a scuffle, a series of words, and maybe a door slammed in his face.

And Magnus is close to him, so close to him that the words that he says touch his lips.

“I’m sorry” Alec whimpers at the end, finding a little more voice. “I made you wait even to─”.

But his answer is another kiss, deep and wet, a bit slippery.

And Alec loses his words again, drowning in that sea of honey that are Magnus’ eyes without glamor. And then he breaks off from him and looks at him. And maybe he looks more at his lips that seem to invite him again, but heck, he has to keep his mouth in check, just as he has to rein in what he has in his trousers. Because God, maybe they finally have a moment to talk, to stay together and today they have all the time to do it, because the sensor is dust together with the demon, and Isabelle scolded him and almost kicked him to get him back home and let him get a blessed day off. And maybe it is the day he can finally take that thing that has been in his pocket for days, months, that little box that perhaps he must sooner or later open and offer it, but has never found the right time.

But his lips are so inviting, and he looks at them for a long time, and perhaps he consumes them with his look before bending and continuing the soft little struggle of their lips. Moaning every now and then.

It is only a few hours later that Alec opens an eye and watches him sleep.

Somehow, they managed to get to bed, sowing their clothes around the house. Hot hands on flesh, kisses deeper and deeper on their skins, signs, of a different kind than those of a furious battle now dot Alec’s neck and chest, even his back. And maybe even Magnus has a similar pattern on his skin.

And this is the perfect time to do it. Alec had imagined otherwise, millions of different scenarios, a walk in this wonderful botanical garden in Finland, a gondola ride in Venice perhaps, kneel in the middle of the Great Chinese Wall, a dinner in this renowned restaurant in Vienna, or in that moment when the Ferris wheel in Munich stops. But this is the right time. While they’re in bed and it’s still not dawn and Magnus’ skin is shining with the light of a still-sleeping New York, those timid stars that can occasionally peek out in the midst of all that light pollution. The two of then in bed, half naked, the acrid smell of a room that was the setting for one of their best performances to be honest. Suddenly, maybe with only a pair of pants on, slip the ring on his finger without too many words. In the less pyrotechnic way that comes to Alec’s mind, because Magnus is the one that comes with special effects, flamboyant ans sparkly, he’s the one who takes his breath away, certainly not Alec. And in all those scenarios that he imagined he saw hundreds of possible things that could go horribly wrong, because he is not magic, not at all, he can only foresee the worst, with his analytical warrior brain.

It’s time, and he moves out of bed to go and look for his jacket, which he has left somewhere around the couch, and maybe meanwhile he can also recover a pair of pants and get dressed, that, yes, maybe have something on him could be less embarrassing. He will already stammer his proposal in the clumsiest way possible, better have his family jewels covered, at least.

When the mission is finally complete, he returns to his place in the bed, Magnus widened a little on the mattress, went to look for him on his side, as if he needed more warmth while he was away. And when he finally returns, in the bed, he hears him muttering a soft, raspy “I love you” while rubbing his cheek on the pillow.

And Alec smiles, and then he gives him a light, soft kiss on the edge of his forehead, and Magnus moans something very similar to “Go back to sleep Lightwood”, and perhaps mumbles something disjointed that is clearly addressed to the order of the wacky physiology of the Nephilims, that it isn’t possible that he is already so active, because all that sex must have tired him at least a little but. And Alec laughs and kisses the tip of his nose, while he scrunches his face in a grimace, before yawning.

“What?” huffs Magnus at the end, opening one eye and then the other.

“What what?” Alec answers.

“What prompted you to wake me up at this ungodly hour, Alexander Lightwood?” he grumbles. “There isn’t even the sun outside... Can’t you sleep like all normal people?”.

Alec snorts and approaches him, just enough to rest a light kiss between his nose and upper lip. “I have to do something, something important”.

And Magnus looks at him now, has his eyes focused on him and perhaps has that strange expression vaguely disappointed. He noticed that he is dressed, and he clearly doesn’t like this, he is dressed and is not under the covers as he had left it a few hours ago. “Do you have to go back to the Institute?” he asks and then snorts an annoyed sigh. “Already?”.

“No, not today.” he replies smiling and then finally enjoys the way in which his cat-like pupils widen slightly, and he moves a  little closer, and he holds on to him, a little like he did last night. They can’t be literally closer than this. And Alec feels Magnus’ skin almost repelling his breath.

And Magnus sighs a long deep sigh, before moving slowly, eyes clouded and kisses his chin, in a sloppy, sleepy attempt to kiss him good morning. “And then we could sleep a little longer…” he mutters, squinting his eyes and moving his hand to call his magic and close the curtains from which the annoying light enters. And then he cuts him a look. “You are dressed, though”.

Alec smiles, perhaps in a way too much goofy. “Yes, because I have to do something important”.

And Magnus perhaps gives him a slightly puzzled or slightly sleepy look, or a combination of the two and pulls back to sit down. “So, you have to go out?”.

But he shakes his head, lips tight in an amused grin.

“So why are you dressed? This doesn’t seem right, I’m naked.” he mumbles, moving both arms to cover himself better with the golden silky blanket, as if Alec didn’t know that body better than his pockets. “What do I have to do? I have to dress?”.

Alec shakes his head, even more amused than before. “You can stay perfectly in bed, actually…”.

“And you can’t?” he asks. “Why not? Why are you making me talk at this impossible hour, mh?”.

And Alec gets up, finally, and walks around the bed to finally do the thing. And stops and ponders kneeling first on one leg and then on the other and then decides to sit on the mattress next to him.

“What’s up?” Magnus asks even more puzzled.

And he opens his mouth a couple of times and decides to take his hand and bring it to his mouth to kiss his back and then his fingertips.

“Alexander?” Magnus calls him again.

“I love you.” He whispers very softly between kisses.

And Magnus smiles, softly and grasps his fingers on his hand. “You’re weird... this morning, if I can call it, you know, morning”.

“And you’re grumpy, as usual.” he mumbles.

“You wake me up, of course I’m grumpy! And then you’re dressed, so I expect to hear the damn whistle of your damn sensor at any moment” he snorts again.

“I know, it was a period full of... emergencies,” he replies unhappily. “But today, I assure you, nobody will interrupt us”.

Magnus furrows a pointed brow. “Did you leave it at the Institute?”.

“I threw it in the mouth of a demon and it exploded.” Alec says shrugging.

And Magnus bursts out laughing.

And Alec loses his words. And he thought so hard to find the right ones, something that was not too cloying, too silly, too banal, but... now he has no more words.

“Even if you use arrows and swords, now is more than clear that the future of Shadowhunting is using sensors as weapons... it’s a good thing that you have a great endowment,” he replies winking. “All these battles, and yet...” he begins to say.

“Life... life offers many battles... my life in particular” Alec replies slowly interrupting him. “And I... and I would really like you and I to face them together”.

“Of course, because fighting beside you is the sexiest thing that comes to my mind, without talking about killing demons... extremely romantic.” he answers, winking.

And Alec sighs. Here, yes, it did not work. It must be more explicit, it is not even dawn that necessarily needs to be clearer. “When I met you…”.

And Magnus bows his head to the side, a furrowed brow and a puzzled look.

“Alright, maybe not... I didn’t immediately realize that you were... you were the right one. But... you are and... and it’s perfect and... I want...” he continues.

“Well, yes... you liked your brother,” he replies with a soft smile on his kips. “And, you know, as much as I like Game of Thrones... that goes far more than─”.

And Alec snorts a laugh and maybe comes out a little nervous, or a bit unnerved.

“What’s up, Alexander?” he sighs. “I know these things, what’s in your heart... it’s not that if you skip a couple dinners... or if you come back late at night, something changes. I will always want you”.

And Alec sighs and shakes his head. Maybe it was a stupid idea.

“My heart was a desert before you appeared in my life and... you watered it with all your love... and now I’m in full bloom and─” he smiles and winks at him. “Now, take off your clothes and get under the covers… don’t make me kick you out from home...”.

And Alec sighs. His heart makes a leap, a strange and pleasant jump, and then tightens in his chest. And takes his breath away. “How is it possible, Magnus? How much charm do you have? Why is this thing so easy for you?! “

“This thing?” he asks confused. “What thing?”.

“This.” he explains gesturing randomly between the two of them “You know, right? The way you say these things with this naturalness? I’m here... trying to ask you to marry me... and I can’t even do it and you make my heart do a thing… that freaks me out and…” he sighs and realizes only when Magnus gasps what he actually said.

Magnus takes another deep shaky breath and looks at him, eyes wide and glassy. “Are you trying to do what?”.

“Maybe I should have kneeled” he grumbles and pulls out the box. It’s a ring. Nothing special, a thin metal band. Very simple. Nothing pyrotechnic, nothing flamboyant. He wanted to give him something more special, something like the Lightwood family ring but it’s rough, it’s sharp and wouldn’t look good at Magnus’ finger.

“Maybe. So I’d stop ranting and─” he breathes out and shakes his head, covers his eyes with his hands.

“Mags?” Alec calls him. “I know, the ring is nothing special and there are so many things to change in Shadowhunter society, but take it as a promise.” he smiles, shaking his hand. “I promise you that I will change things , because you will be my husband not only in the eyes of my family but also in the eyes of the Clave and...”.

“I know” he answers, swallowing thickly twice. “It’s just that…”.

“What? It’s too early? I don’t know how long I have on Earth, Magnus, but I know for sure that I want to be with you as long as I have life. Immortal or not, I don’t care. I want to be with you forever”.

And Magnus looks at him, finally, moving his hand from his eyes and smiles. “Nobody ever asked me this, Alexander. Nobody wanted me like this...”.

“Shame on them,” he deadpans shrugging. “So, are you in? To change the laws of the Clave to ensure that our marriage is like any other Nephilim marriage?”.

And Magnus looks at him, with these very languid, wide eyes and sighs. “Well…”.

“So?” Alec whimpers impatiently.

“I’d like the whole package, you know? Romantic dinner, walk, champagne, and then you who kneel and propose” he replies with an impossible, serious expression on his face.

And Alec curls an eyebrow, not impressed at all and moves to get up, and close the box to try again the scene. And ask him better, with better words.

But Magnus pulls Alec on his chest, tugging him closer. “Of course I’m in,” he replies. “Put that blessed ring on my finger and take off all those clothes and come back in bed with me... we need to make out really hard right now”.

“No romantic dinner, a stroll in the park... and champagne? No kneeling or anything” Alec asks a little confused, eyes lost in those of Magnus.

“We’re not really a couple who care about traditions, am I wrong?” he whispers. “We change the laws of Clave, Alexander. Let’s get married and let’s take a shot at those old fartasses”.

And Alec laughs and approaches for a gentle kiss that must only be a gentle kiss and instead becomes incredibly intense and breathtaking and when he pulls off and stays on him and should just put that ring on his finger, then which was the right finger? His brain is going at three thousand miles per hour and he can no longer find a logical thread.

And then he sits up, and takes his hand and takes it back to his mouth before slipping the ring, which is a little too wide and sighs.

“You make my heart do something that freaks me out and... and that I adore, and I don’t think that... these are the words you wanted to hear… or the right way to do it…” he murmurs wobbling a bit “And then the ring is big and...”

“Your words are perfect; the ring is perfect... you are perfect” he replies and with a snap of magic the metal band tightens around his finger. “It’s perfect. And you’re everything I ever wanted”.

And Alec stretches to kiss his neck, slowly. And when he moves his lips, and he hears him laughing he squeezes even more to him and kisses him louder, with almost deaf ears.

“Well, of course if you’d done it in your boxer... it would have been something to tell your mother, the next time she comes over for dinner...” he replies, sneering.

And Alec moves to look at him, very serious.

“Your sister will kick you for not having recorded this... and Jace will make fun of what you said... Wow, Alexander you’re really too precious!” He chuckles again and is about to open his mouth when Alec slings his lips and rips his breath, sealing with another kiss.

It’s the kind of kiss he uses to distract him when he’s doing something, just to amuse him, but this time it’s different. It’s breathtaking, the way Magnus responds to his kiss, always, but this time it’s just more. He can’t help but let himself be drawn to him he can’t stop touching him, his lips are so soft, so hot, and it’s too perfect to stop. And the kiss becomes deeper, more humid, and perhaps Magnus pulls away from him first and picks up his face in his hands the ring that sparkles in the first light of dawn and runs through his lips with the tip of his thumb, a soft warm smile on his face.

And there’s no need for words, just the look, just that silence and the air that breaks between them while they breathe.

Just a kiss, or a hundred, but that’s just what he needed.

[noona-clock]

iKonic Fairy Tales: Beauty & the Beast - Part 3

A modern fairy tale series in collaboration with @cramelot - and we have now reached the conclusion! ✨

Genre: Werewolf!AU

Pairing: Junhoe x You

By Admin B

🥀Part 1, 2, 3, 4

“But -- but --” was all Junhoe could stammer out before you cut him off.

“Just please go back to the cabin,” you urged, your voice panicked and shaky.

“But you still look like... you.”

“I know,” you sighed frustratedly. “It’s a long story, and I will tell you in the morning, but if you don’t leave now --”

“Okay, I’m leaving,” Junhoe promised as he took a step back. “Just... point me in the right direction.”

Your arm immediately flew out, and you signaled the way to go with your index finger.

And without another word, Junhoe turned in that direction and speed walked away.

Once he was far enough from you, he slowed his steps and allowed himself to actually process this information.

First of all, werewolves were real.

Okay.

Cool.

Second of all, he’d met one.

Okay.

Even cooler.

Third of all, he found it -- her -- you -- the werewolf... attractive.

Even moreso after you’d been hanging on his every word as he read you his poems.

So... everything about this situation was just cool, wasn’t it?!

Cool cool cool cool cool.

By the time he found himself back at your cabin, Junhoe had actually convinced himself the whole thing really wasn’t that weird.

I mean, it was.

But he wasn’t going to form a solid opinion until he heard your side of the story.

Also by the time he found himself back at your cabin, it had grown much, much darker, and he could barely see where he was going.

In fact, he stumbled over something and was just barely able to keep his balance. At that moment, though, the motion sensor light above the front door turned on, so he turned to look at what exactly he’d run into.

It was... well, it was a dead plant.

He crouched down to take a closer look, reaching one hand out to touch the basically decaying flowers attached to the rotting stems and leaves. They looked like roses, but honestly, they could’ve been anything.

Apparently, werewolves didn’t have green thumbs.

Now that he solved the small mystery of what had almost tripped him, he stood back up and headed into the cabin. (And, just to be safe, he locked the door behind him.)

“Okay,” he said out loud. The sound of his own voice actually startled him since the house was so quiet, and he let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head at himself. 

“Okay, just... just go to bed and this will all be cleared up in the morning. There is no need to overthink this or overanalyze or it write a poem about it. Definitely not!”

Except that’s exactly what he did.

He tried to go to sleep. Truly, he tried!

But after over an hour of trying, he gave up. He grabbed his pen and paper and wrote down the poem he’d already started writing in his head. He tried to plan out the conversation the two of you would have when you returned in the morning. He tried to think of ways to phrase all the questions he had so he wouldn’t completely offend you.

And he tried coming to terms with the fact he lived in a world where werewolves really did exist.

As the sun began to rise several hours later, Junhoe’s thought process had taken so many turns. He’d gone back and forth between thinking it was actually no big deal and thinking it had all been a dream and just wasn’t true.

When he heard the front door unlocking and opening, he was in the former mindset. Which was a good thing because you were actually more than ready to explain yourself.

“Jun--” You’d begun to call out his name a bit nervously, but he appeared in the living room before you could finish. “Oh! H--Hi. Good morning.”

“Good morning,” he replied with... a smile.

He was smiling.

Wait, he was smiling?

After seeing you in your almost full wolf form?

“Hey, did you know you have a basically dead rose bush in your front yard?” he asked, his brow furrowed deeply and adorably.

“Uh... yeah?”

...Why was he talking about your rose bush?

“Okay, just checking.”

You stared at him with probably the most confused expression in the world.

...Why was he talking about your rose bush?!

“Uh... Junhoe?”

“Yes?”

“You -- you do remember what happened -- what you saw last night?”

“Oh, you mean you as a werewolf? Yeah, I remember.” His tone was so casual, which made you even more confused (which you honestly hadn’t thought was possible.) “You weren’t actually a werewolf, though, right? I mean, you still had a human body.”

“Right,” you began with a sharp intake of breath. You had prepared this speech the whole night, and now you simply hoped you didn’t forget any of it. “So, when I was young, around ten years old, my parents took me on a camping trip up here. I was always kind of a bratty kid, so when I found out I actually had to sleep outside, I stormed off and attempted to run away. Obviously, I got lost, and long, somewhat terrifying, story short: I got bitten by a werewolf. My parents were relieved to find me, but they were not so relieved to find out I wasn’t exactly human anymore. They decided it was best for me to live up here, so they had this little place built for me and then just kind of... left me here.”

“Your parents just left you?” Junhoe asked, eyes and mouth widened in shock.

You decided to ignore his question because 1) you were (kind of) over it by now, and 2) it wasn’t part of your prepared speech. So you soldiered on.

“It didn’t take me long to find out the werewolf process is a little different than what you read about in fairy tales. It’s not turning painfully into a werewolf when the moon is full. It’s actually more of a gradual process. During the week leading up to the full moon, once the sun sets, I kind of turn into a werewolf. It starts out with just a little fur. And then the claws come out the next night. Then the snout the next night, the paws and so and so forth. Until, finally, on the night of the actual full moon, I turn into a full-blown wolf.”

“Oh, wow,” Junhoe murmured. “So, when you are a full-blown wolf, are you aware of everything? Do you know you’re actually a human?”

“...Kind of. I’m definitely aware, and I can remember everything that happened once I turn back into a human, but... I don’t know. I don’t think I can fully control my actions. That’s why I wanted you to leave last night. Because tonight is the full moon, so last night I was almost 100% wolf. There was a pretty good chance I might’ve lunged at you and bitten you.”

Junhoe looked like he was thinking about something, and after a few moments of silence, he shook his head slightly in confusion. “Did you say you don’t think you can fully control your actions? Like, you’re not sure if you can or not?”

“Well... I’ve never actually been around a human when I’m in wolf form, so... I don’t know for certain. But, if werewolves can control their actions in wolf form, then the one who bit me did it on purpose. And that’s actually a really sucky thing to do. So I don’t really want to find out the truth.”

“Hmm,” he hummed. “Makes sense.”

“And what also makes sense is you going back to your campsite, picking up your things, and leaving.”

“Well, yes, you’re right. That does make sense. And I’m going to...”

You quirked a brow because you knew there was a ‘but’ clause coming.

“But...”

And there it was.

“I can come back tomorrow, right?”

The awkward silence in the room after he asked that was d e a f e n i n g.

“...I can come back tomorrow, right?” he repeated, obviously thinking you hadn’t heard him.

“I’m sorry, what?” you finally responded. “You -- you want to -- to come back? ...Why?”

“Because you’re literally the only other person I’ve met who likes poetry.”

“Well, yeah, but... I’m a werewolf.”

“...And your point?”

Your breath actually caught in your chest, and you found you struggled to get words out. “You -- you... you don’t care?”

“Why would I care? I mean, I do care, but I still want to be your friend.”

And then tears began to sting your eyes.

Because he said the word you’d always wanted to hear but never had.

Friend.

“Really?” you choked out, trying to gulp down the lump of emotion in your throat.

“Yeah, of course,” Junhoe assured you, taking a few steps closer to you. “You listened to my poems, and you cooked me dinner. That’s a pretty good start to me.”

A soft, watery chuckle escaped your lips, and you brought one hand up to wipe a stray tear from your cheek.

A very understanding, very deep and thoughtful, very handsome guy was offering to be your friend. After years of having nobody.

What else could you say?

“If you really want to come back tomorrow, you can,” you answered with a little nod. “I’ll even make some pulled pork, how does that sound?”

“And I’ll bring you my favorite poetry book.”

Honestly, your heart began to beat a little faster at the thought, and your lips formed into a somewhat goofy grin.

“It’s a deal,” Junhoe said. And then, before he turned to leave and go back to his campsite, he winked at you.

You would be lying if you said you hadn’t thought about that wink the whole rest of the day and the whole night. Even as a wolf you were thinking about it.

It actually made you nervous to see him again.

But when he knocked on your door the day following the full moon, your nerves melted away because he strolled in and acted as if the two of you were already life-long confidantes.

He even brought you a present!

“I found it at the library,” he explained as he rummaged through the backpack he’d carried with him. “I thought it might help with your plant situation out front.”

When he finally slid the book out and handed it to you, you saw it was a book about how to properly care for a rose bush.

“Oh, wow,” you chuckled. “Thank you. I’ll warn you, I’ve been trying for years to revive that thing, but it hasn’t worked... I’ll give it a shot, though.”

To be honest, you’d always kind of thought that plant was cursed, like you.

But since Junhoe had gone to the trouble of finding this book and coming all the way back up here to give it to you, you figured you would try. For him.

The two of you spent that evening in much the same fashion as you had just a couple evenings ago: eating a lot of meat and reading a lot of poetry. Only this time, you didn’t have to kick him out when it got dark because you were afraid you would attack him in your wolf form.

He spent the night in your guest room, you made a huge breakfast for him in the morning, he read you a poem he’d written last night, and then, after his plate was clean, he let out a sigh.

...That didn’t sound good.

“What’s up?” you asked cautiously as you began to put the dishes away.

“Well... The reason I came up here in the first place was because my mom was going on a trip with her friends,” he told you, not quite meeting your eye. “It’s... kind of a complicated situation. I don’t really like to leave her. But she’s coming back today, so I --”

“You won’t be able to come back.”

“No, that’s not it!” he assured you, his brow furrowing. “I will. I promise. I just don’t know when. But I’ll try to come at least once a month. Not during the full moon week.”

“Junhoe, no, it’s fine,” you insisted. Honestly, you should’ve known it was too good to be true. “You stay with your mom. Don’t worry about me.”

“Y/N,” he said firmly. He stood from his spot at your kitchen table, striding over to you and taking your hands in his. “I’m not worried about you. That’s not why I want to come to see you.”

You would be lying if you said your heart wasn’t racing right now. He’d come over to you so quickly, like he’d been on a mission, and he was now standing so close to you. His eyes locked on yours.

“Then why --”

“Because I like you.”

You... honestly had no idea what to say, but you felt Junhoe squeeze your hands before he continued on.

“I like you. You’re so different from anyone else I’ve ever met, and not just because you’re a werewolf. You actually have a brain, and you care about things other than sports, and you don’t think I’m some kind of freak for writing poetry, and... Well, I mean, you’re beautiful, too.”

Your cheeks flushed immediately.

“I am?” you asked warily.

“Yeah,” he chuckled, his smile sending butterflies right into your stomach. “I can understand why you keep to yourself. I could never imagine what it’s like to be... you. And having your parents just desert you like that? But I promise... I won’t do that.”

“How do you know that?”

“I don’t,” he admitted. “But I promise you I don’t want to. Just... give me a chance. Please?”

Okay, the way he said ‘please’ and the pleading expression on his face?

Was just too adorable.

How could you deny him?!

“All right,” you murmured, the tiniest of grins tugging at your lips. “But like you said, you won’t come to see me during the full moon week.”

“I won’t,” he beamed.

And then Junhoe pulled you into a hug. 

And you realized you hadn’t hugged anyone in literally years. Since your parents.

And it felt amazing.

And... you didn’t find this out until the next day, but as you relinquished yourself to Junhoe’s warm, caring embrace... one of the roses on your rose bush began to bloom. The color came back into its petals, and the surrounding leaves regenerated, their skin now thick and waxy and dark green.

...Interesting.

Part 4

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iKonic Fairy Tale Series: Aladdin | The Little Mermaid | Sleeping Beauty | Cinderella | Snow White | Rapunzel | Beauty & the Beast

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[sp4c3-0ddity]

Smack, Kiss, Fall in Love - Part Seventeen

tag, you’re it @hailqiqi (for real this time)

confession:  this ended up being not even that different from what i originally posted BUT i also like it better because it takes something that i TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT into account. also i am no longer mentally beating myself up, which is also good. so i hope you like it!! <3

(that being said, i’m way over the word limit at 1384 words. hail, you have my permission to go loose on the next part ;_;)

Previous Parts:  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16

Sleeplessness and the constant buzz of work on the eve of their most important battle put Pidge on edge while they stayed on Olkarion, and even the great forest beyond the marvelous city couldn’t calm her the way it did the first time.

Sleeplessness, work, her family, and…Lance.

His eyes hadn’t so much as met hers since that doomed quarrel, and she couldn’t get his words out of her head.

“We can return to Earth.”

Pidge tossed and turned in her bundle of blankets underneath her desk in the Green Lion’s hangar. The hard floor dug into her shoulder, keeping her from getting comfortable, but even after Shiro insisted she go to bed her room held little appeal.

Guilt gnawed at her without a task to occupy her hands and her mind - guilt and frustration that Lance avoided her so thoroughly.

If only he’d give her the chance to explain—

Pidge needed a distraction.

She shoved her blankets away and perched on the edge of her stool, pulling her computer towards her. With her lip between her teeth, she watched the footage she found of Matt’s escape for the umpteenth time, hoping that something new - as if she hadn’t already poured over it enough - would stand out.

But this time the blurry projection only reminded her of how far she little she knew - and of Slav.

What sort of state would her brother be in when she found him? And never mind Matt - what of her father?

Soon she could seek them without Voltron tying her down, she told herself. Soon Pidge could explore the far reaches of the universe, and soon…Lance would be back on Earth.

Pidge rubbed her weary, itching eyes. She shivered, a chill creeping into the hangar and into her body, and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders.

It wasn’t enough, not when it wasn’t long ago that she didn’t sleep alone.

With the specter of the future weighing on her mind, Pidge stood and crept from the hangar, her feet treading the familiar path to Lance’s room…

…only for his voice to drift from the kitchen as she passed it.

“…don’t know, Hunk. It just feels like we’re caught in some dance.”

“One step forward and three steps back?”

“Something like that,” Lance grumbled, his voice muffled as if he spoke into his arms. “I mean, can you believe she didn’t even tell me her name?”

“I actually can,” Hunk replied. “You ever think of talking to her about it?”

“Oh, not you too…” Pidge leaned forward, straining to hear Lance’s words as they pitched lower. “I know we - all of us - might go our separate ways after this, but…”

“But?” Hunk prompted.

“I don’t know.” Lance sighed.

“Well, now’s the time to—oh, hey, Pidge!”

Pidge’s eyes widened as she accidentally stepped within the range of the sensors, the door sliding open before her to reveal Hunk, his eyebrows flying so high they nearly disappeared under his headband, and Lance slumped over the bar.

Lance spun around so fast he slipped off his stool, landing hard on his back. He groaned as he rolled onto his side, and Pidge, alarmed when he curled in on himself, sprinted towards him.

“Lance, are you—”

“I’m fine,” he said, waving her away and sitting up, rubbing his shoulder. “I’ve had worse.”

“Yesterday you were moaning about stubbing your toe,” Hunk pointed out.

Pidge bit back an involuntary snicker as Lance turned red and retorted, “It quiznaking hurt, okay?”

“I guess this means you don’t want an ice pack this time then?” Hunk guessed, crossing his arms.

“Wait, no, hand me one!” Lance raised his hand. “Toss it to me!”

“Why me?” Hunk said. “Pidge can get it for you.”

Pidge gaped, but when Hunk jerked his head towards the freezer, she jumped into action.

It took her far enough away that she could hear the two of them conversing in angry whispers, but as she turned back with a towel-wrapped bundle of ice in one hand, Hunk clapped Lance on his uninjured shoulder and fled.

Lance glared after him, but something in his eyes softened when Pidge crouched beside him. “I can do that,” he muttered, his gaze fixed on the floor. “It’s not even that bad.”

“It’s fine.” Pidge pressed the makeshift ice pack to his shoulder. “Don’t want to hurt your shooting arm right before a battle.”

Lance snorted. “I kind of need both arms to aim properly.”

At a loss for words, Pidge said nothing. But when Lance shifted, she opened her mouth, fearful that he’d leave before she found the words she needed, until—

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, voice low.

“Why didn’t I tell you what?” Her heart pounded, anxious about everything that could come next, but she kept her eyes down, not sure she wanted to see the expression on his face.

“Your name,” Lance said. “Your real name.”

“I don’t know,” Pidge admitted. She switched her hands, flexing the cold one to work some warmth into her fingers. “I…guess I didn’t think it was all that important.”

“Pidge, it’s your name.”

“I’m aware.” She rolled her eyes. “I think I just got so used to being Pidge - I went almost a whole year without anyone calling me Katie - that I never thought to be Katie again.” She sighed but finally found the wherewithal to look up.

Lance met her gaze, making the tightness in her chest unravel. “You’re weird, Pidge…or, uh, should I call you Katie now?”

Pidge shook her head and said, “That would be weird now, especially from you.”

Lance smiled. “That’s fair. And, uh, you don’t need to ice that anymore.” He tapped her hand.

Pidge dropped the ice pack and rubbed her hands together. After some internal battle crossed Lance’s face, he took her hands in his warmer ones.

A familiar and welcome flutter filled her stomach.

Pidge bit her lip, her eyes on their joined hands, and said, “I’m sorry, Lance.”

When he didn’t respond, she dared a glance at his face.

“Look, Pidge…” He let go of her hands, leaving them colder than before he held them. “I like you, but this whole…thing between us is getting on my nerves.”

Her damn heart skipped a beat at hearing it so plainly. “I-I like you too,” she said. “I just…I didn’t mean to push you away like that.”

“Oh, so that’s why you insult me afterward?”

“What? I don’t insult you!”

“Oh, really?” Lance raised an eyebrow. “Remember Beta Traz when you couldn’t believe I was a sharpshooter?”

“I…” Stunned and with a guilty twist in her heart, Pidge sought for something to say before settling on, “You proved me wrong, didn’t you?”

“I—” A flush filled Lance’s cheeks, an endearingly goofy smile stretching his face, and he said, “I guess I did, huh?”

“Yeah.” Pidge returned his smile, but it faltered when she remembered her purpose here - their last face-to-face conversation, and the one she desperately didn’t want to be the last. “I shouldn’t have said that. You mean a lot to me, Lance.”

“I believe you, Pidge, and we don’t have to date if you don’t want to.”

Maybe she did…but before she could contradict him, Lance continued, “I get that you still haven’t found your family—”

“—and you want to return to Earth after this fight,” Pidge said, her heart growing heavy again.

“Yeah.” Lance took her hand in his, gaze locked onto them - on his blue palm pressed to hers.

“So what about…us?” Pidge wondered, tone almost a whisper.

“For starters, you got any other game-changing secrets?” Lance flashed a slight smirk, something that made a pleasant warmth spread through her chest. “You have an evil twin I should avoid?”

Pidge laughed, feeling lighter than she had in a long time - almost impossibly light for the eve of a battle. “Do you know what time it is?”

“Uh no…” Lance’s eyes narrowed. “Time to sleep?”

“That too,” she said, “but I was thinking…do you want to watch the sunrise with me? Something pretty to see before we take down Zarkon…”

Lance’s suspicion gave way to a smile, and Pidge’s soulmark grew warm. “That sounds perfect to me.”

To be continued

[imababblekat]

Imagine The Autobots Reaction to Wall of Death

~

Optimus:

you left for some huge concert and in the middle of it you get a call from him

Optimus was worried because he hadn't heard from you the whole day

the booming speakers made it incredibly hard to hear you

all the poor bot could make out was you shouting death and then screaming

he quickly picked up your location and rushed over

what he saw terrified him!

you, in the front of one side of a crowd, rushing head on into another crowd

he was frozen to the spot just looking on horrified, before you had been laid a nasty punch to the face

Optimus had never ended anything so quickly(it wasn't exactly hard to though when you're a giant robot from space)

after finding a place of privacy, away from booing angry fans, Optimus starts going off about how crazy and dumb that was of you and how worried he was, etc

"Wall of death"

"what?!"

"it's called wall of death!"

Optimus just stares at you as you explain a Wall of Death with an ice pack on your face and a goofy smile

he tells you not to do it again(though he has a sneaking suspicion you will), and just kinda holds you close for the rest of the day

Ratchet:

it's you who accidentally calls him by process of butt dialing

he was working on something when his audio sensors were blasted by deep rumbles and sharp static as the com tried to bring everything through

he's about to snap at you when he hears your shrill scream and what he can only guess to be the shouts of others

after tracking your location he shows up dreading to see the destruction of Decepticons and you badly injured

but no; instead he gets you running headfirst into a forceful wall of other humans twice your size

before either side can clash with each other, Ratchet blast his sirens and ruins the whole concert

fans can complain and shout at him all they want; but what the hell were you think (y,n)?!

he just starts ranting/scolding you as you sit in his cervo pouting; completely embarrassed as people and especially the band start to associate you with the grumpy bot  

"it's called wall of death, Ratchet!"

"and you thought it be smart to jump right into it?!"

"it's not the first time I've done it; gosh."

"what is it with you humans and finding joy in violence?!-"

the whole ride back to base is the two of you going at it; you sarcastically calling him mom and him only getting snippier

you start leaving your phone on airplane mode whenever you go to concerts now

Bulkhead:

you're so smol; specially to him

not only that, but you have an air of innocence to you

so when he heard you talking about WOD to a friend over the phone followed by cute giggles; he thinks nothing of it

he dropped you off at the concert, and was to be your ride home that day too

he forgot what time to pick you up exactly, and decided to go earlier then what he suspected to be your pick up schedule

he's shocked when he shows up to see two large crowds of humans clashing into one another

he almost wonders if he's forgot the place too, till he spots your recognizable (bow/cap), and then becomes completely startled; especially  when he sees you land a vigorous punch to someone much bigger then yourself

at first everyone thinks the loud booms are the base picking up, and almost get more heated when they soon realize that, uh no, that's not the band guys, that's a giant robot

it's not hard for him to break up the crowd; everyone actually just freaking out because he actually looks really intimidating while mad

after plucking you from the many people he starts going on about how upset he is at seeing you so violent; you're always so sweet! What happened (y,n)?! You're never like this!!

"I'm sorry Bulkhead! I thought you knew!"

"Knew what?!"

"WOD, remember? Wall Of Death!"

Bulkhead's face heats up slightly in embarrassment; he thought it stood for something like, well, uh, something not so violent that's for sure! Don't giggle (y,n)! He's trying to be serious!

at the end of the day, Bulky's just really concerned about you getting hurt is all; every one of his friends are dear to him, especially you 

Bumblebee:

Bee over hears you mention something about a wall while conversing with Sari

seeing the excited expressions on both your face makes him question whats up to which you mention a super rad concert happening that night

Sari's upset because she's too young to go, so Bee ask if he can go in her place and you simply shrug a why not

your calm demeanor throws fools Bee all the way up till the concert; he has no idea what he's getting into

when the music starts playing he gets a bit rattled

I mean, he likes it, but he's never listened to something this hardcore!

the poor bot is still feeling a bit unsettled, but then the lead singer starts shouting for the crowd to break apart while using some very profound language; probably a good thing Sari didn't come!

Bee's just standing off to the side confused and quickly alarmed that he can't find you

when the music hits it's high, its then he notices you at the very front of half the crowd and charging on like in those gladiator movies he's watched

he freaks out so bad and quickly rushes in to grab you before speeding off in his alt mode

"What the heck Bee?! It was just starting to get good!!"

"Starting to get good?! (Y,n) are you crazy?! I've done some pretty wild things but that?!"

"It's called a Wall of Death, dude."

oh, so that's what you were excitedly discussing about earlier that day

now he knows why the Professor won't let Sari go to concerts with you...

Prowl:

Prowls out patrolling late at night on the outskirts of the city; for some fresh air and to look out for any badies

as he's driving down one of the more rural roads, he see's some lights off in the distance and the low sound of booms

naturally he's curious so he goes to check it out and is a bit shocked to see a whole lot of roudy teens and young adults going crazy for a rock band playing on a make shift stage

there's even a couple bonfires, which he's pretty sure is illegal

actually he's pretty sure everything happening here is illegal

he's stuck thinking about how to approach this; whether or not to let Detroits actual authorities take care of it, or to handle it himself when he takes quick notice of the drums tempo picking up

its then that he gets a glimpes of a familiar face as the field starts to part down the middle and he realizes that it's you

Prowl doesn't have time to ponder on why the heck you're here or how you even know about all this, because suddenly everyone's charging at each other like wild animals, with you smack dab in the middle of your sides lead

he quickly throws on the sirens, and he has to admit, it was pretty funny seeing all the wild kids freak out and quickly scramble like bugs from under a rock

he catches you trying to book it but quickly catches you and locks you in cuffs

you're freaking out so hard till you hear him speak

"I'm not sure whether to be surprised in seeing you here or not..."

"Prowl?!"

he gives you that signature grin of his before taking off the cuffs and telling you to get on his alt mode

Prowl never ask you about what it is you were about to do back there. In stead he'll research it on his own, but when he does learn that the dangerous act you were about to participate in is called a Wall of Death, and after seeing the after maths of it, you can be sure to have a ninja/police man always watching your back.

oh yeah, also you're friends won't stop teasing you about getting arrested but not having any charges *wink,wink*

guys stop looking at them like that; it's what you think!

~xXx~