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funtimebunnyblog · 3 years

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Okay so first off, I love bears! 😭 they’re so cute! I would have one as a pet if I could. How do you think the pillarmen would react to their s/o finding a bear and immediately becoming friends with it? Doesn’t matter that it’s literally a wild animal. It saw s/o and was like “this is my friend now” and it follows her everywhere. But the bear is “submissive” to her. It doesn’t attack at all and does that thing where it shows it’s belly to her all the time. The bear likes the pillar men, but not as much as it loves s/o.

Ahhh! My dear Anon, this is is such a sweet idea! 🥰🥰🥰 I have the very same feelings about keeping a Fox as a Pet ❤ I very much would if I could! 😌

This started out as a few simple headcanons buuuuut~... 😅 I got carried away and turned it into a full fic! 😘😇 Please “bear” with me and enjoy! 🐻🐻🐻

The Pillarmen’s s/o brings Home a Bear... (A bit of a long fic; Under the cut for length!)

(I’ll stop making bear puns from this point on, I swear! I just couldn’t pass up the chance to use this picture. in any case... Please do not attempt anything that your read here with a real life Bear or any woodland creature that is dangerous for that matter! If you happen to find a lost little Bear in your travels, do the responsible thing and contact a forestry! ~FunBun)

"What," Your head snapped up as someone spoke from behind; your eyes trailing up a most familiar muscular torso to eventually meet the disapproving gaze of Kars looming over you. The Pillarman's eyes were wide and his face unreadable, "is that?"

There you were, sitting on the front porch which was not an abnormal occurrence as this was your house and you did as you pleased...

Except for, of course, the fact that you were cradling a LIVING BABY BEAR in your lap and hand-feeding it a peanut butter sandwich!

"...A Friend." You said after a long moment, blinking up at the behemoth of a man. The Cub in your arms grasped at your hand with two huge chubby-toed paws as you pushed the last chunky bit of sandwich into its awaiting mouth; happily chewing away as if it didn't have a bother in the world.

Kars let out a long sigh, his barreled chest heaving as he reached up to pinch the space between his painted eyes with a forefinger and thumb.

"Why?" He questioned.

It was really the only thing he could say in that moment as thousands of questions rolled through his head like flotsam and jetsam. The Pillarmen struggled to keep a hold on himself, trying to give you the benefit of the doubt first before giving you the scolding he so wanted to.

He and the others knew very well you loved animals, which pleased the Pillarmen as they were Men who valued nature and precious life; Kars was no exception. They were most especially aware of your specific fixation on Bears but Kars never so much as gave the love for the creature a second thought.

However, right now, while you held a living Bear in your lap he was beginning to wish he had thought to tell you not to do something as foolish as take one in.

"Hey! I didn't do anything!" You defended yourself, allowing the Bear Cub you cradled to lick the remnants of the gooey sandwich from your fingers. You know exactly what he was thinking; he thought you deliberately went out and took the Bear!

Really, you hadn't done anything! Well... not this time anyways.

It all started when you had gone out for your morning walk in the woods, you happened to enjoy the crisp Spring air this time of year and it was a good way to get out of the house for a bit and away from the noise of the Four Pillarmen you adored that were living with you.

It was only when you were halfway down your usual route when you realized there was a little black Bear Cub following right behind you.

At first, you had feared the worst. Normally where there was a baby, there was a Mother not very far behind and despite your love for Bears you REALLY didn't want to have an encounter an angry Mother Bear that was searching for her lost baby and happened to think you were the one that took it. You did your best to avoid the baby Bear, walking fast and pretending not to notice it in hopes that it would simply give up tailing you eventually and go on its own way back to where it came from, despite the tugging of your heartstrings.

After some time of attempted avoid and evade the Cub didn't leave your side, ambling close at your heals and beginning to cry out for your attention. It became obvious to you it was all alone and even more obvious that it was hungry; as soon as it saw you it thought to remedy both those things.

Always having a big heart, you just couldn't bring yourself to leave the poor thing all alone out in the woods; especially not when it was clinging to your leg and looking up at you with those big honeyed eyes pleadingly...

You weren't supposed to get caught. You had planned to keep him a secret for at least a little while.

You had lead the baby back to the house and left it outside to its own devices on the doorstep for just a moment. Meanwhile you slipped into the kitchen to make, not one, but two peanut butter sandwiches to feed it. You really didn't have anything else to give it, you hadn't been expecting to feed a hungry little Bear anytime soon and there was nothing in it that would hurt the Cub anyways as it was mostly protein.

Your early return from your walk had gone unnoticed by the others (at least at first).

Thankfully, Santana hadn't been in the kitchen raiding the fridge like he normally did this time of morning and had been in the Livingroom with Esidisi instead, too invested in the video game they were playing to hear you come in.

Wamuu was out back chopping up more firewood to burn, as the nights were still very cold; the Warrior too far away to hear you and unable to see you with the house in the way.

Kars was supposed to be up in his study, up to his elbows in papers and practically dead to the world but of course (just when you wanted him to be working for once) he wasn't.

Somehow, he just always knew when something was amiss.

"Peanut followed me here," you explained, peering down at the squirming black fuzz ball in your lap that was still happily licking the peanut butter from its chops.

Kars clicked his tongue, "Peanut?"

He seemed even more displeased you had already named it; if you named something, it became hard to lose it. That was a rule many people followed through ancient times.

You let out a shaky laugh, ignoring the chunky paws inarticulately grasping at your clothes as a little pink tongue darted out from a tiny chestnut muzzle, dampening the glistening black button at the very tip.

Peanut was giving you a thorough sniff, making sure that he had consumed all of the delicious food you had brought him and that he hadn't missed a single morsel.

"It fits." You told him, smiling pathetically as you shrugged your shoulders.

Ruby eyes drifted down to the little creature squirming in your lap for more than a beat before he let out another sigh; this time it didn't sound as stern and disapproving as the first but it still sent a shiver down your spine. His lips pulled into a sympathetic frown as he closed the distance between you two, crouching at your side.

"Dear one," he spoke, using the tone he typically reserved for when he was trying to comfort you or give you some advice. "We cannot keep Peanut."

Immediately, you felt your heart quiver at his words; the pulse of the muscle stopped all together as you looked up at him. His eyes, normally the epitome of inhuman and predatory, now softened.

You knew very well he would have this talk with you, albeit much sooner than you anticipated originally, but it didn't change the fact it was making your heart clench painfully in your chest.

"Why?" You questioned. Now it was all you could really say in that moment as everything else that tried to come out got jumbled up in your throat.

You really didn't need to ask such a question however, as you already knew the answer.

"My sunshine, he's a wild Animal; a predator. He may be a small creature now but Cubs like Peanut grow very quickly indeed." He explained gently, wrapping one muscular arm around you. "And as he grows, his appetite will grow; you won't be able to feed him simple sandwiches forever."

Your lips scrunched up as you peered down at the now quiescent black ball of fuzz cradled in your arms. Peanut, his belly now full and all the peanut butter thoroughly cleaned from his paws and face, had closed his eyes and was slowly falling down into a most comfortable mid-morning nap.

He was so cute; so damn cute you wanted to cry. A hand absentmindedly reached up to grasp one of his paws, your thumb tracing over the squishy pads of his feet and feeling the sharp little claws sprouting from the chubby toes like thorns from a rose.

All your life you loved Bears, no matter the kind; Panda Bears, Koala Bears, Grizzly Bears, Sun Bears, Polar Bears, even Black Bears like Peanut... and now here you were, holding one in your very own arms! Hugging it close to your body like one would an everyday Teddy Bear! A real life Bear had just waddled up to you in the forest, clinging to you as if appointing you as its new Mother and caregiver, cuddling in your arms like a loving pet and cooing as you fed it an icky-sticky delight.

It was a dream come true... and now Kars was asking you to wake up and cast it aside.

"But--... But--..." the quivering of your lip made it hard to find a foothold in this dispute.

"And there is also the matter of his behavior." Kars continued softly, one massive palm gently rubbing up and down your back as he spoke. "Bears can grow to be very territorial and temperamental creatures. Their maximum strength can out lift 10 Men and their maximum speed is faster than any vehicle you can drive."

By now your eyes were watering, the fuzzy spot in your arms no longer seemed so very fuzzy as the world around you blurred behind tears.

Kars, of course, was making sense as he always did and you didn't like it one bit.

The living God's frown only deepened as the glistening of the water pooling in your eyes caught his. Truly, he hated to see you cry. Seeing tears in your eyes was something that made him weak in places he never felt such weakness prior to falling in love with you... but your safety was in jeopardy; and that was something he, nor the other Pillarmen who loved you and dotted on you, didn't want to risk over one creature.

"We have to put him back where he belongs." He said; though his words still carried that softness it was undoubtedly an order not to be refused.

"Oh Kars," you sniffed, your nose crinkling as tears began to fall. "I can't do it!"

You turned more fully towards him, presenting the sleepy Cub; practically thrusting him into the Pillarman's arms.

"Just look at him!" You cried. "He's so small and he's all alone! I don't know what happened to his Mother but she's gone and... and..."

One massive hand found your cheek as the tears came harder, a calloused thumb swiping the raging rivers aside.

"Please Kars... I can't give him up... what if he--?...." you wimpered, unable to finish that thought. You were fully aware you had already lost for today as he shook his head sadly.

Your tears did nothing to sway him when he knew what he had to do.

His free hand slipped under the sleeping Cub, Peanut did little more than fill his palm, scooping him up and cradling him close to his chest as he stood.

Your arms had never felt more empty.

"I'm sorry, Beloved. It has to be done." He told you as you stared up at him with a crestfallen and teary gaze. "Chances are, his natural instincts will kick in and he will learn to take care of himself despite the absence of his Mother. Abandoned Cubs are more common than you think. Peanut needs to go back to the woods."

That was all that could be said, the Pillarman disappeared in one blinding flash; taking the Bear Cub with him.

You were left there sitting on the porch, scrubbing at your cheeks with the sleeve of your sweater until the sensitive skin was raw in the cool Spring morning air. You managed to pull yourself together enough to not raise suspicion and headed back inside to make some coffee.

The morning passed quietly, when Kars made his eventual return to the house (sans Bear in hand) you didn't even look him in the eye.

You didn't deny that Kars had done the right thing, Peanut was in fact a wild Animal and belonged to the wilderness, but you still felt strangely bitter over it. So inexplicably angry it almost felt childish as you couldn't stop yourself from glaring at his back as he passed the kitchen table.

More time passed, your only half-drunk mug of coffee had long gone cold and your grief for the little Bear you knew that was left all alone somewhere in the woods had managed to ebb somewhat. You were just about to get up to go get a start on some chores when all of a sudden, Wamuu came through the door.

"Shoo! Shoo!" The massive Pillarman swiped his hand as he backed himself through the door, "Go on! Go back to your Home, small one."

You tilted your head, watching the unusual display. "What's wrong?"

The blonde turned his head to look at you with a frown. "I was trying to finish up my morning task when a Bear came out of the woods." He explained, finally closing the door with a sigh. Your gasp went unnoticed as he peered through the window of the door, his frown only etching deeper. "It's too small to be a juvenile. Just a Cub. I did not want to find out if there was a Mother lingering so I came back to the House. However, it seems to have decided to follow me..."

The Warrior blinked as you were suddenly out of your seat, squeezing past him to squish against the window of the door to see for yourself.

"Peanut!" You cried, your heart fluttering in your chest as you too caught sight of the little round ink blot sitting dejectedly on the porch.

Wamuu barely had a chance to react let alone intervene as you yanked open the door again, the sounds of the crying Bear hitting your ears.

It was Peanut alright, every feature similar right down to the whiskers of his muzzle. The Bear was plopped down on his rear, feet sticking out under him like he were a simple Teddy Bear sitting on the shelf of a toy store, and staring up at the door he knew you were behind. The squeaky wailing of the Cub fell silent as soon as he caught sight of you and realized he was no longer all alone, it seemed that he missed you just as much as you had him.

Wamuu stared in disbelief, watching with wide eyes as the little Bear rolled onto his back to reveal his soft tummy and stubby paws to you.

"Peanut?" The blonde questioned, one thick eyebrow raising as he looked between you both.

This was a wild Animal and yet you greeted it like some sort of pet!

As your leaned down to give a loving rub to the exposed tummy of the Bear, cooing at it as contentment spread across its features. You intended to recount this mornings full story to ease Wamuu's obvious confusion, however, you didn't so much as get the chance to get a word out before Kars was standing in the room.

He had just been about to head upstairs and absorb himself in his work, when he caught a snippet of what was happening in the kitchen. The Pillarman's crimson eyes wide as he approached, needing to see what was happening for himself.

"Look Kars!" You beamed, grinning up at both gawking Pillarmen as the Bear grasped at your petting hand, playfully trying to gum on your fingers with blunt little teeth. "Peanut came back!"

Kars all but shared in your glee, the pinching of his brows and the drooping of his lips gave away his irritation.

He had dropped Peanut off safely somewhere in the woods, not far from your usual walking path. When he had left, the Cub had still been sound asleep, completely none the wiser to being left behind, and the Pillarman had honestly thought that would be that.

It would seem the creature had imprinted on you more than he anticipated and it only added on to his previous fears.

"I'm afraid I'm in need of an explanation, my Lord..." Wamuu spoke up, tearing his gaze away from you and the Bear Cub you were most happily playing with.

Kars swooped in, taking the Cub away from you for the 2nd time that morning, much like an Eagle dropping from the sky to snatch up a mouse. Peanut pawed at his hardened chest, becoming squirmy in the massive mans hold as he let out a couple of little grunts.

It was as if the Bear knew exactly what Kars intended to do.

"I'll explain it to you in full when I return, Wamuu." He sighed as he begun carrying the squirming woodland creature away from the House towards the woods where he deemed it rightfully belonged.

You waved at the baby Bear as it watched you from over one muscled shoulder with those big honeyed eyes, feeling a little disheartened again but the fact that the Cub came looking for you still made a sweet warmth bloom in your chest.

It would be far from the last time any of you saw Peanut.

Late morning turned to afternoon and the day bloomed into something warm and lovely, like a watered down Summer day. Linens and towels came straight from the washing machine and were headed for the clothesline to dry in the sweet air.

There was absolutely nothing better than falling asleep in bedsheets that had spent all day out on a line in the breeze.

Always happy to help you around the household, Esidisi volunteered to put them out for you as you were already busy doing other things around the house.

He had only turned his back for 2 seconds to hang the first sheet, humming softly to himself as he went, before turning to find a baby Bear making himself at Home in the laundry basket he had carried out. Peanut was rubbing his scent all over the damp linens as he rolled in and pawed at the clean sheets; inevitably dirtying them again.

Esidisi found the whole ordeal hilarious, most especially when he was fed the full story of the morning by you who had come out to see what was taking him so long with his chore.

Kars, on the other hand, didn't find it so very funny.

He especially didn't see the humor in it when he found the two of you playing with Peanut in the yard, entertaining yourselves and the Cub by draping a sheet over him and prying it off like a parachute over and over.

Peanut was taken back to the forest a 3rd time; this time much farther into the woods.

Late afternoon rolled around and Santana finally left the house to go outside; having the sole intention of taking a nap in the fresh air via the hammock that had been recently strung up in the backyard.

Unfortunately, the youngest Pillarman got sidetracked when a little Bear came out of the woodwork and crawled into the hammock with him, mewling and demanding his immediate attention as he was hungry once again.

Kars, the one and only, spirited Peanut away before you and Santana had a chance to make more sandwiches to feed it.

This happened over and over and over again.

It seemed like every time the Pillarman dumped Peanut somewhere, no matter how remote or how far from your Home, the little Bear inevitably found its way back sooner or later; ambling up to you or the others with a mighty hunger and a carefree nature unmatched.

Peanut appeared on the doorstep next morning when you were about to head out for a walk.

Peanut was found digging in the trash bin when Kars was taking out the trash.

Peanut clung to Wamuu's leg as he went out to mow the lawn; the Warrior didn't so much as bat an eye, unhindered, as the Cub held onto his ankle while he worked the mower.

Peanut approached Santana when he was eating chips on the porch; the Pillarmen didn't seem to mind the company nor the fact the Bear ended up upside down in the bag.

Peanut followed you around like you were its one true Mother while you tended the yard and carried out chores.

Peanut sat contently at Esidisi's feet as the man was Barbecuing supper in the evening; the Bear watching him and waiting for supper to be served as if he were the guest of Honor.

Each time, without fail, Kars brought him back to the woods and each time, without fail, Peanut came back.

It was only frustrating him further and further.

Eventually, one quiet and rainy morning Kars went out onto the porch to sit and read; he always enjoyed the sound of rainfall and the fresh earthen smell of a Spring downpour. He had barely been there 5 minutes, not even enough time to get truly immersed in his novel, when suddenly a very wet and cold ball of hair climbed up into his lap, actually making the Pillarman yelp at the shock of the sensation of a freezing cold Cub pressing against his bare skin.

Kars was big and dry and comfortable, like a much bigger and hairless Bear, a place Peanut deemed perfect enough to sit out of the Rain and warm up.

The purple-haired man frowned down at the chubby bundle taking up residence in his lap, Peanut grunted contently as he made himself comfortable. His normally downy soft and dandelion puffed fur was now patterned down and awry, radiating with a dank with a heady, musky Bear smell due to being soaking wet.

It was not at all a pleasant smell to anyone's nose, most especially to a Pillarman's as they were creatures with extra sensitive senses.

Kars, now feeling that this was the final straw, was just about to scoop the creature up into his arms and carry out their usual pick up and drop off routine; this time he intended to take Peanut all the way down river to the farthest side of the forest and leave him there.

He stopped on a dime when two big pools of honey locked onto glimmering rubies.

"Don't look at me like that..." the Pillarman warned, feeling his heart quiver strangely in his chest. The command didn't come out nearly as firm as he intended it to be.

Kars treasured creatures big and small and this creature was so adorable, so small it made his arms itch in ways he hadn't felt since the time he had taken care of the two infants that grew to be Wamuu and Santana. Peanut rolled in his lap, squishing his face against the Pillarman's abs and nuzzling softly; his fur stuck to bare skin in an almost icky way and made his loincloth feel very damp and uncomfortable due to the run off of water.

The Pillarman pursed his lips, forcing himself to bring to mind all the logical points on why this Bear (this nuisance, this danger, this predator) had to go.

Peanut opened his mouth and let out a little yawn and a sneeze, probably just as hungry as he was cold and damp.

Kars' huge hands balled into fists at his sides, his jaw setting tighter and tighter as he felt himself and the walls of his determination crumbling, hating every single millisecond of it before eventually, after an internal struggle that lasted seemingly millennium... he sighed.

Peanut was scooped into his arms and, this time, taken into the House.

☆☆☆

"Really?!" You cried in disbelief, hands going to your mouth as it pulled into an impossibly huge grin.

Esidisi, Wamuu and Santana just sat there, expressions ranging from shock to disbelief of their own.

Surely he couldn't be serious... could he?

Kars let out a long breath, "Yes, dearest." He groaned, still cradling the tiny dampened Bear in the crook of his arm as it clung to his bicep. "We can keep Peanut."

Immediately, to everyone’s amusement but Kars', you were in his lap just as quickly as the Cub had climbed into it. You didn't care one bit that he was a little damp and that some of Peanuts musky stink had rubbed off on him, peppering his face with thousands of kisses as you threw your arms around both the Pillarman and the Cub.

"Oh Kars! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" You squealed between your line of kisses.

Nobody had expected Kars to cave in this matter; they honestly expected this to go on and on for some time until Peanut was forced to be the one to give up on finding his way back to the house.

However, despite the fact all of them were pleased and ready to take on this idea of having an actual living Bear around, there came the next matters to attend to.

The ground rules.

"But he cannot stay inside the house." Kars said, that firm nature of his making its return. Peanut had managed to wriggle out of both of your holds and was now ambling around the Livingroom, sniffing everything and everyone in sight. Esidisi was following him around to ensure he wouldn't break anything or get himself into more trouble while Kars was feeling so generous, smiling indulgently as he scooped him up and presented him to the others.

"Ok." You hummed, that part was only to be expected.

But you wouldn't deny that somewhere in the back of your mind you had fantasized about cuddling up to a giant fuzzy Peanut in bed or on the couch.

Kars took in another deep breath and the atmosphere changed, it was as if the temperature dropped in the room. The mans eyes were serious and his features became even more stonelike than the masks he crafted as he pulled you closer to him in his lap.

"I want you to listen to me, dear one." He began, his voice was low and something akin to fridged; it only sent shivers dancing down your spine. "If Peanut grows to be an aggressive creature or too much a hassle to handle, even if he gives any of us the slightest reason to fear he would harm you in any way, shape or form... we'll have to be rid of him. Permanently."

His words hung in the air, making your stomach sink like a rock falling helplessly to the depths of the ocean. A lump was starting to balloon in your throat.

You knew very well what that meant.

The Pillarmen weren't men who took any form of pleasure out of killing Animals; Kars especially... but you knew that he would not hesitate to do so for your sake. His words spoken to you prior on the porch when you first encountered the Cub rang around quite deafeningly in your head.

"Do I make myself clear?" He asked you, his pupils burned absolute holes into your heart as he held your gaze; not unlike a strict parent after giving the scolding of a lifetime.

The best you could do was nod, praying the day you all feared would never come at all or at least not very soon; the latter was perhaps your best hope.

For now, however, you planned on celebrating the day by making a peanut butter sandwich for the newest, and perhaps hungriest, member of your little Family.

☆☆☆

Time passed, as it did for everything, and Peanut grew and grew. He grew from a small and clumsy little Bear Cub into a bigger and gangly Juvenile Bear by mid Summer.

Sometimes the Bear would disappear at night into the woods, just after supper of course, but there were also times he would just sleep close to the house; most specifically by the front porch. Peanut still followed you around outside as you did anything, always greeting you with a grunt as he flopped onto his back to reveal his belly and were always more than happy to rub it when he did.

His appetite did indeed grow and the simple peanut butter namesake was no longer truly fulfilling to him; nothing more than a sweet morsel to lick up as a treat.

Peanut had to be shown how to properly hunt for himself and that was something you and Esidisi decided to tackle together, taking him down to the river on the hottest days to teach him to to fish for himself. Those days were filled with much laughter on your part where you sat on the bank to watch the Pillarmen wading out in the raging waters with the Bear, hunched forward and making a grab for a slippery and wet flying fish with his hands as they jumped from the water to properly demonstrate.

Eventually, after much trial and error (not to mention Esidisi falling right into the river a handful of times) Peanut was able to catch all the fish he wanted to eat.

Wamuu was a big help in burning off the major energy that came with Peanut growing into an adult Bear. The Warrior often spent hours out in the yard playing with him, going so far as to push and wrestle with the creature, playing simple games like throwing a giant ball around or to even take him on a run through the woods to tire him out.

Sometimes you even tailed behind the pair on your 4 wheeler to get in on the fun and play.

Santana found himself spending his days playing with Peanut too, more often content to help you take care of the beast. You and Santana tried to bath Peanut at least once every 2 weeks to fight against his stinky Bear musk, lathering him up nicely where he sat contently in an old kiddie pool in the yard and hosing him off. Santana would spend a lot of time with Peanut as the Bear napped, scratching his back and finger combing the knots out of his fur; even plucking annoying ticks from the Bears body when he found them.

You found it quite disturbing, and more than a little gross, as to how Santana could hold the bloated insects between his fingers and pop them upon finding them. You swore you could hear the red-head chuckle lowly each time you let out a disgusted gag when he done it.

And Kars, he found himself dotting over and spoiling Peanut with affection just as much as you did.

The Pillarman would deny any claims that he snuck the Bear peanut butter sandwiches between meals or even peanut butter straight from the jar but you knew the truth. It was hard to miss as it seemed Peanut would immediately give Kars a good sniffing upon seeing him, obviously checking for any delicious treats he happened to be keeping concealed.

By late Fall, Peanut was a fully grown Adult Bear.

In fact, he had swollen to such an immense size, he was something of a rival to the Pillarmen; by that time it was something of a relief he was a gentle giant. He was still a wild Animal but he was also a loving pet to you and the 4 Pillarmen.

One day, Peanut stumbled out into the woods and didn't return. Snow came not long after and then the brutal and fridged season of Winter truly begun.

Peanut had disappeared but you knew he wasn't far in the woods, hopefully holed up in a cave and hibernating.

Winter passed slowly, more slowly than it ever had before. As December ticked away to January and eventually February, the others didn't miss how much you missed your Peanut; he was all you could talk about somedays! You weren't the only one who missed him however, not missing the wistful looks passing over the faces of the others upon seeing a segment on Black Bears airing on National Geographic or opening the fridge to find the jar of peanut butter sitting there; untouched and almost begging to be eaten.

March went bye, then April and the snow had long melted away due to the heavy rainfall but still, Peanut did not make his return.

You were seriously starting to worry by this time. What if he hadn't been hibernating all along? What if a Hunter had gotten to him? Or what if... he forgot about you?

The Pillarmen could only console you so much, trying their best not to give you false hope by saying things along the lines of "I'm sure he'll be around!" and make things worse as they really did not know of Peanut's fate either...

It was well over a year since you had first taken in the Cub and now there was no sign of him anywhere.

But just when you were starting to give up all hope of seeing your prized Bear and companion again, you opened the door one morning as you prepared to go on your morning walk to be met with shock.

You just about jumped out of your skin as an earth rattling roar hit your eardrums, sending a jolt of fear striking through your body like lightning and screaming in primal terror at the sight before you. A Black Bear that was larger than life stood on its haunches off the porch, its maw open and its breath showing like hot puffs of steam as it growled out into the cold Spring air; asserting its presence for miles.

For one terrible and too long of a moment, you thought you would be slaughtered on your own doorstep by your most favorite Animal on Earth.

Your terror was short-lived however, as the monstrous beast you feared would devour you whole suddenly flopped onto its back and turned its belly to the sky.

"PEANUT!" You cried, spreading your arms wide as you ran to flop on top of the creature; your friend and pet.

It wasn't long after when all 4 Pillarmen were standing out on the porch, your screech having been heard from inside the house.

"Look Kars!" You beamed, rubbing the gargantuan tummy with a wide grin; eliciting a content grunt from the Bear. "Peanut came back!

Kars could only smile this time and shake his head.

Peanut had come back again, without fail; just as he always done and the Pillarmen were quite happy he was here to stay...

#funnybunny #pillarmen #kars #esidisi #wamuu #santana #pillarmen headcanons #kars x reader #esidisi x reader #wamuu x reader #santana x reader #anon ask #my writing

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silentsockfeet · 3 years

Text

tlou2 photomode tips

disclaimer: these are just my go-to tricks that i like to use, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll work for everyone! each person has their own taste and style that they have to develop and these are just what i’ve found work best for me

just going through section by section which settings I use. but i just want to note that a lot of the things i keep in mind when taking photos are what i’ve learned through real life photography and through my film major, where i was taught things like composition, lighting, etc. i have general tips i can give about that as well but for now i just thought i’d keep it to the actual settings i use, partly bc this post is already long as fuck

camera

for portraits, set camera roll to 90 (or -90, it’s the exact same just in different directions)

for all my portraits i’ll usually have field of view set all the way to zero and camera zoomed in as far as it’ll go, tho obviously this changes depending on what you want

depth of field

depth of field is one of the most important tools for drawing the eye and keeping your photos less muddled. you can keep your subject in focus while blurring everything else, so your viewer knows exactly what they’re supposed to be looking at

for nearly all my photos i keep DOF intensity at about 70

DOF is also good for creating a mood. for example, if i want really soft, cosy type photos i’ll have really intense DOF (about 80). if i want crisp action photos i’ll have less intense DOF (50-60)

lately i've been doing some experimenting and setting DOF at 100 to try and get some cool effects but again, this all comes down to personal taste. do your own experimenting and find what you like!

display

brightness changes from photo to photo. i started a system where i’ll find a 10-point range where the brightness looks good (ie. 35-45) and then take a photo at every 5 points (so three photos at 35, 40, 45)

again, these numbers aren’t set, i find whatever range looks best for the photo and then choose the best looking one after uploading to my computer

sharpness i usually don’t tamper with

i only use saturation alongside a 50% noir filter, which i’ve explained more below

screen effects

chromatic aberration is usually always the original settings. every now and then i'll amp it up if i think it looks cool but i've very rarely done this. again, all comes down to personal taste

film grain is pretty much always set to zero unless i want to use it for stylistic effect, which is rare

filters

what i do fairly often to get the dark backgrounds i like is to set filter to noir but change intensity to 50. then i’ll go to the display tab and change saturation to 30, sometimes 35 (the numbers aren’t always these tho, you have to eyeball it to find where the skin tones look normal)

this keeps the edges dark but still makes characters look as colorful as normal

noir is probably the filter i use most often, but every now and then i’ll use vintage, blorange, or none.

this is really where you can take my advice with a grain of salt because filters are very much a personal taste option, so find what you like!

vignette

for most of my photos, i have vignette ON but size and intensity are both set to 0. i find it helps even out the photo, so that background isn’t too bright while characters are too dark

if i want a particularly dark background, i’ll sometimes set both to 50. very rarely, if i want a darker background but all 0 is too light and all 50 is too dark, i’ll set size to 75 and intensity to 25.

but again, for nearly all of my photos they’re both set to 0

misc.

to summarize, my most common settings: camera roll 90, DOF intensity 70, multiple shots at different brightness settings, film grain 0, noir 50% with saturation bumped slightly, vignette ON but both settings at 0

your flashlight is your best source of lighting! it’s the only source you can actually control, so it’s especially helpful when photographing NPCs. shine your flashlight in their face and harass them!! i use the very edge of the light bc the center is often too bright and leaves a weird ring of light on their face

sometimes using the NPC’s flashlight as a source of light for your main character is also helpful, but it’s definitely harder, since obviously you can’t control them. just something to keep in mind

besides the flashlight, other in game objects can help to make cool effects as well. in this set i posted recently i used smoke bombs to make a more solid backdrop. they also help to emphasize light rays so i want to experiment with it more lol

most important thing to note is that i take a SHIT TON of photos. i’m guessing for every one i post there’s ten i don’t. the reason for this is, the graphics on your tv are gonna be set to different formats than your computer or phone, so your photos won’t look the same on each device. i always choose photos based on how good they look on my phone, because i figure that’s what most people will see them on. so if you’re like me and you don’t have / can’t afford good photo editing software, the best way to account for what looks best is to take a bunch of the same photo but on different settings and then compare on a separate device

i pretty much don’t make any edits outside of photomode save for cropping photos, but even then i've been trying to do that less. very rarely i'll make some brightness adjustments if they turn out too dark on my computer, but i try to avoid that as much as possible

i seriously can’t stress this enough, but just have patience and keep trying! the worst thing i always do is get all in my head about which posts were successful and whether or not people like my photos, but honestly? just ignore it and photograph what YOU like. art is an inherently selfish hobby. don’t let anything discourage you, just post what you like and keep trying to improve!

i tried to keep this limited to my general settings, but again, it changes with every shot. if y’all want to ask more specific questions about specific shots or whatever please feel free! or if you just want to ask general questions that's cool too! i'm always happy to help :)

#seriously tho don’t hesitate to ask more i promise i’m nice #all of my photomode improvement came from other photographers who were nice enough to share their own tips so i just want to pay it forward #tlou2 photomode #also i am SO sorry about the length it really got away from me #told y’all i overexplain :/#my posts

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dragonrajafanfiction · 3 years

Text

Kasio

Tom stumbled against the tilting ship as he once again went below decks. The wily Cadance was nowhere to be seen but he kept an eye on every shadow. Zero had provided him with a small device that looked like a mini radar screen. The whitish point on the dark screen was where Kasio had holed himself up in.

Kasio had never attacked him, but despite his long stay on the island, he’d never gotten a good look at the guy. He’d been sick most of the time on the island and unable to go outside. When Tom heard he was on the ship, he was more than a little surprised.

Nervous he might be sleeping, Tom called softly to him. “Kasio... Kasio! It’s me! Tom! I have breakfast for you?”

He looked at the device that was indicating that he find him in this small closet. When he opened the door, the mop fell and he just caught it before it hit the floor. “Kasio?” The closet was cluttered with buckets and brooms and other supplies and yet the cellphone-like device told him that Kasio was right behind all of that mess.

Tom carefully rolled out the mop bucket, removed the brooms and miscellaneous poles, and, sure enough, he saw an eight inch square opening in the wall with the vent door hanging open. Tom looked at the device, then at the hole. His gaze was met by the opening of two bright golden eyes that gleamed in the dark space.

“How... how did you get in there?” Tom looked around for another opening. “Are you stuck?”

The eyes narrowed with mirth.

“I mean... how do you even breathe? Are you okay? Does it hurt?”

From the dark crevasse he heard something like a popping or crunching. It came as a constant rattle as an arm emerged from the hole elbow first. A crisp crack and the wrist came free, twisting until it was oriented normally. The thin finger ending in a claw pointed at the wound on his chest. A quiet smooth voice asked. “Does it hurt?”

Tom covered his injury with his hand. “It did when I got it. But it sounds like ... your bones are literally breaking!”

The claw scraped a little of the dried blood off his chest and then the whole arm retracted, twisting like a spring. “Mmmm...”

“Hey! I’m not for breakfast!” Tom growled.

“Cadance seems to think so. You should be more specific...”

“Here.” Tom interrupted, offering him a plate of dried fish by sliding it into the hole. “This is for you. What are you even doing in there?”

“Listening to the ocean. The sound comes up through the metal. It’s very pleasant. You should try it some time.” He used his claw like a fork, poking through the dried fish and bringing it back to his mouth. “I can hear other things too...”

“Like what?” Tom leaned closer trying to catch a glimpse of his face, but he could only see the ridges of the scales around his eyes, the flash of his sharp teeth, and his tongue lapping up the food.

“I’m not sure. It sounds like a boat. But aren’t we supposed to be the only ones here?”

“That must be Cassell’s boat.”

Kasio slipped another dried fish into his mouth. “Since you’re here and I answered your question, I will ask you one and you will answer me. Why don’t you kill Cadance?”

Tom turned to go. “I don’t want to talk about that.”

The slender arm reached out and grabbed him by his hair!

“Too bad. I answered your question. Don’t be unfair!” His teeth glittered in the lights of his eyes. “I heard something fall to the floor. It was too light to be you. If she had pinned you like that, you would have your throat ripped out. Instead, you used your windpipe to go caterwauling like a child to Mr. Lu.”

“Let go of me! Why do I have to kill her? It’s annoying but like you said, it’s not like she hurts me that badly! Stop!”

The fist continued to grasp that chunk of hair. “If I say no, you won’t do anything right? It’s just hair. What are you going to do? Tear away and leave yourself half bald?”

Tom turned his eyes back to the entity in the duct, golden eyes met golden eyes. No one moved in that tension and pull of wills until Kasio let go of his hair.

Tom rubbed his sore scalp and went to stagger out of the door when he was met face to face with another fierce gaze.

Erii stood in the hall, in nothing but her duckling pajamas, her hair messy from sleep. She held up a sign that read. “Urusai!”

“I’m sorry Ms. Lu! I was just trying to feed Kasio and...”

The receding sound of banging was heard from somewhere deep in the walls of the ship. Kasio was running away? “Hey! He’s... he’s in the hole in the wall, he was messing with me!”

Erii sniffed the air then her eyes moved past him and spied the plate in the duct. She pushed by him and stuck her face into the hole where Kasio had been.

“I couldn’t believe it either. I know he liked small places, but I didn’t think he’d be able to squeeze himself into a space that tiny. What if he gets stuck?”

A strong female voice echoed from the loudspeakers and down the hall. “Attention all Passengers! This is your Captain Mai Sakatoku speaking! I suggest we hide the kids somewhere. We’ve got company.”

#Class of 2032 #Dragon Raja #Fanfiction

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daydreamingfics · 5 years

Text

Pairing: Ceo!Kihyun x Reader

Genre: fluff

Word Count: 1,444

Inspiration: Saw a picture of Kihyun in a suit... and well, this happened.

[9:00pm] - Every year, your office hosted an over-the-top company party, and every year it brought out the worst in your colleagues. It was common knowledge that the head honcho attended the function, and everyone vied for just a fraction of the powerful man's time. As if somehow rubbing elbows with the CEO at a party were enough to secure you a pay bump, or a higher position. The idiocy of it all amused you greatly. If you were to advance within your field, it would be based solely on your work ethic- not how well you kissed ass.

Mr. Yoo, the founder, and CEO of Yoo Enterprises, had recently announced that he'd be stepping down. His son, Kihyun, was to be taking over the role within the coming weeks. The news spread like wildfire throughout the office as everyone wondered what changes were to come. You had never met or even seen the prodigal son, which appeared to be the general consensus. You only hoped that the man wasn't some smug trust-fund baby who couldn't tell his ass from his elbow. For the most part, Mr. Yoo had been an exceptional CEO. He was intimidating, yet a fair man who took care of his employees. The pay was well above average, the hours were decent, and there were actual benefits. Securing a job at the prestigious company right out of college had indeed been a godsend for you. Hopefully, Kihyun shared similar values to those of his father and would be the breath of fresh air that the aging company needed.

An hour or so into the party, you were already over it. With the buzz of meeting the new big cheese lingering in the air, everyone appeared to be more insufferable than usual. You excused yourself from yet another vapid conversation, setting your sights on the open bar. A dry martini and some fresh air were just what you needed to make it through the duration of the evening. With a new drink in hand, you sauntered out onto the balcony. A feeling of relief washing over you as you stepped out into the crisp night air.

A faint "Hello" made it's way to your ears, causing your heart to nearly jump out of your chest. You didn't notice anyone else out on the balcony, so you weren't expecting to hear another voice. Sensing your panic, the owner of said voice cautiously approached where you stood.

"My apologies, I didn't mean to startle you. I thought you saw me when you came out." the man tried again, worry evident in his tone. You shifted so that you were facing him, your eyebrows furrowing slightly as you took in the man before you. You had never seen him in the office, as you would've definitely remembered him. He was well, gorgeous. Even in the dimly lit balcony lighting, his features were sharp and captivating. You willed your mouth to stay closed as you attempted to not to gawk at the stranger before you.

"No, no, it's fine. I just didn't expect to see anyone out here. Not with the party in full-swing and all." you uttered wittily.

The handsome stranger let out a chuckle and nodded his head in understanding. He lessened the distance between the two of you, still leaving a considerable amount of space. But close enough that his cologne wafted in the night air and made a way to your nose with every light breeze. Of course, the guy would smell just as good as he looked. There was a beat of silence as neither of you knew what to say, all words seemingly escaping you at that moment. You were curious about the stranger but hadn't ingested nearly enough alcohol to have the courage to chat him up. Plus, he could be a killer for all you knew. Unlikely, but hey, you never know.

"I'm guessing you too needed a break from all the schmoozing going on in there?" the man probed with a raised eyebrow. You simply nodded, prompting you both to roar with laughter.

"Guilty as charged," you acknowledged.

The two of you began conversing about your shared dislike for uptight gatherings, and before you knew it, the conversation had branched off into several topics. You discovered that the two of you shared a similar sense of humor, which made conversing effortless.

"Well, I sincerely hope that my being out here didn't ruin your hideout plans." the stranger joked while casting a quick glance at his very expensive-looking watch. Stranger. You'd been talking to the guy for twenty-minutes and still didn't know his name. The pure formality of names getting buried under the fascinating conversation that the two of you had struck up.

"Oh, on the contrary. You've made this night quite enjoyable, actually. But hey, don't tell anyone. I have a reputation to uphold here. Can't have everyone thinking that I enjoy the parties." you jeered.

"Ah, your secret is safe with me. Consider my lips sealed." he quipped wistfully.

Having been so engrossed in the conversation, you hadn't noticed just how close the two of you were now standing. For some reason, everything felt so natural and organic with a guy you had only just met.

A guy who names you still didn't even know.

Just as you opened your mouth to finally ask him for his name, there was an announcement made from inside beckoning everyone's attention to the main stage. Neither of you moved a muscle; just stood there basking in the final moments. Though you had only just met, he felt oddly comfortable.

"I suppose we better head back inside and see what all the commotion is about. Thank you for the wonderful company tonight. I hope that we can do this again sometime... perhaps over coffee? And, if it's alright, can I have your number?" he questioned with a broad smile while holding out his cellphone to you. Mirroring his grin, you grabbed ahold of the device and handed him your own.

"No, thank you, and yeah, I'd really love that." you chuckled as the two of you swapped back devices, and a second announcement cut through the moment.

"Oh, did you want to head back in together?" he questioned to which you shook your head. You informed him that you'd be right behind him as you wanted to finish the remnants of your drink. Truth be told, you really just needed a minute to come back down after the incredible encounter. He cast you yet another one of his million-dollar smiles accompanied by a wink as he rejoined the party.

As your mind started going over everything that had just transpired, you realized that you still hadn't asked for his name or given him yours for that matter. Yet, you dumbfoundedly agreed to a date with the man. Mentally face-palming yourself, you retrieved the device that you had just put away. Undoubtedly he had saved his contact under his name. What an unorthodox way of finding it out, but hey, it's better than not knowing. You felt as if someone had punched you in the gut as you surveyed the contact.

[ Kihyun ]

Surely it was just a coincidence that the man you had just spent the past half-hour shamelessly flirting with shared the same name as your soon to be new CEO. That had to be, it had to be.

By the time you made it back inside the banquet hall, everyone had gathered around the main stage. As the clapping subsided, an all too familiar voice stopped you dead in your tracks.

"Good evening, ladies and gentleman, I'm Kihyun Yoo. It's a pleasure to be here with you all tonight. I look forward to working alongside each of you, and anticipate a wonderful year and beyond for Yoo Enterprises! On behalf of myself and my family, we thank you for your continued support and dedication as we make this transition! Please, everyone, enjoy the evening."

As Kihyun exit the stage, his eyes briefly found yours. The corners of his mouth turning up as he took in your flustered state upon hearing the news that he was indeed the new CEO. You quickly lost sight of the man in the crowd as your colleagues eagerly went over to welcome him. Kihyun barely had a foot in the door, yet there they all were no doubt kissing ass. You scoffed as your cell phone buzzed, indicating that you had received a new message.

Kihyun:

So about that coffee... how does tomorrow morning work for you? Say 9?"

Well, fuck. Work was undoubtedly about to get a lot more interesting.

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thollandthot · 5 years

Text

three’s company part 4 ; tom holland x harrison osterfield

A/N: well, friends. it’s the end of the line. here is the three’s company FINALE. thank you to everyone who has read and kept up with and enjoyed this little series of mine. words cannot express how happy and thankful i am that so many of you have seemed to connect with it. i’ve been working diligently on this for the last week in hopes that it will meet all your expectations, so i sincerely hope it does. i love you all !!

WORD COUNT: ~4K PAIRING: college au frat boy!tom holland x frat boy!harrison osterfield x female reader. WARNINGS: swearing. no smut, unfortunately.

CLICK HERE TO READ PART ONE. CLICK HERE TO READ PART TWO.CLICK HERE TO READ PART THREE. CLICK HERE TO READ PART THREE AND A HALF. CLICK HERE TO READ PART FOUR.

three’s company

Fortunately for you, Tom and Harrison seemed to have patched up their friendship, and things went back to the way they were before their little argument. And yet, after they had made amends, you found yourself spending less time with the two. You tried to rationalize that they were busy — finals were coming up and they would be moving back home soon — but there was still a certain ache in your heart whenever you saw that a message or notification you received wasn’t from either of them.

The dread of their inevitable departure crept in with every day that passed, and it didn’t make focusing on your impending finals any easier. Specifically, you could never pay attention during Philosophy class, the two biggest reminders of how soon they would be leaving sitting quite literally right in front of you. Tom and Harrison’s good looks weren’t much help, either. You’d sit in class and watch their mannerisms, trying to memorize everything about them before they were gone, and it seemed every little thing they did turned you on. The way Tom would stretch his arms above his head and how his biceps would involuntarily flex, or how Harrison bit at the bottom of his pen when pausing from writing notes. How were you supposed to focus on Aristotle when your mind was too busy swimming in the filthy thoughts of what the two exchange students would do to you?

Occasionally, Tom and Harrison offered to study with you, but it never led to much studying. There would be approximately ten whole minutes of your textbooks being opened before you simply had to jump their bones. It wasn’t your fault that you had needs that they could easily satiate. But it was for that very reason that you ended up doing most of your preparations for final exams in the school library. It was quiet, designed for people to do work inside, and there were no signs of attractive British distractions to be found. Yes, as nerdy as it sounded, the library had become your home away from home.

You had settled comfortably into what had become your own personal alcove in the back corner of the library. It was a personal table, designed for a maximum of four people to sit at. It was up against one of the library’s floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing in much more natural light than the blinds in your dorm room ever could. You had textbooks and notes sprawled out around you as you typed away dutifully on your laptop. Yes, you were in the zone, and the library’s atmosphere really helped fortify how dedicated you became to studying and preparing for the final days of the semester.

“Y/N?” A familiar British voice pricked your ears, causing you to lift your head away from your laptop for a moment. You couldn’t help but grin once you were met with Tom’s soft brown eyes and dorky yet adorable smile. He held a coffee cup in one hand as he extended his other arm, suggesting a hug, which you happily stood and accepted. “Fancy seeing you here, beautiful.” He mumbled, giving you a peck on the cheek.

“Hey.” You smiled at him again, gesturing to the empty chair beside you as you sat down. Tom did so as well, sliding his coffee cup towards you.

“Want a sip? It’s green tea.” He hummed and you rolled your eyes fondly. British people and their tea. You shook your head, politely declining the offer. “What’re you doing here?”

You skimmed over the last sentence you wrote of your essay before his arrival. Not in a way that you were trying to be rude, but you knew you wouldn’t get much done with Tom around. You closed your laptop for the time-being, gently pushing it off to the side along with your books as you conversed. “I’ve just been getting ready for finals and stuff.” You gestured to all your supplies spread haphazardly around the table and Tom nodded knowingly. You cocked your head to the side, “What’re you doing here?”

“Uh, I’m here for tutoring, actually. My English professor’s office is in this building.” He rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly, cheeks tinged a shade of light pink as if he felt embarrassed of what he had just said. Or perhaps what he was about to say. “Yeah, I, uh, I come here once a week. I’m dyslexic.”

You tried not to gape in surprise at his words. Granted, you had been learning more and more about Tom and Harrison the more you talked and more often you saw each other, but that was something you had yet to discover. “Oh. I didn’t know that.” He nodded, almost solemnly upon hearing your words, which caused you to backtrack. “That’s nothing to be embarrassed about, Tom.” You took his free hand in yours, squeezing it gently as if the action would solidify that your statement was true. You gave him a sympathetic -- but hopefully warm -- smile.

Tom’s gaze lingered on your hands for a few moments as you rubbed your thumb gently across his knuckles. His eyes seemed to convey an emotion you could only describe as fear, but you were sure you just couldn’t place what he was actually feeling. His gaze flickered between your hand clasped in his and your eyes before he swallowed.

“Listen, Y/N, I think I need to talk to you about something.”

You couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath upon hearing those words strung together to form that sentence. You pulled your hand away from his, your heart now racing a million miles a minute, just like your brain was. The three of you never established what your relationship was, so perhaps you were on different pages about where you were at. Was he about to “break up” with you? Was he going to tell you that you had gone too far? Regardless, you tried to swallow down your emotions and look at him seriously. “Uh, yeah, what’s up?”

His mouth opened to speak, but his voice didn’t come out. Rather, it was someone else’s. “Hey guys.” Yet another familiar British accent spoke as you turned slightly in your chair to find Harrison jogging towards the two of you. You smiled at the new addition to your group.

“Hey, mate.” Tom piped up, jaw tense as the blond took the empty chair on the opposite side of you. Harrison looked over your supplies scattered around the table, grinning your way before Tom spoke again. “What’re you doing here?”

“Told ya I had to print out my World Civ essay. And you can print at the library for free.” Harrison shrugged nonchalantly, tugging his book bag off of his shoulders for a moment before unzipping it and pulling out what you could only assume was the paper in question. He waved it in front of both your faces, causing you to giggle. “What’re you two doing here?”

Your brows furrowed at that. Shouldn’t Harrison have known his roommate had tutoring in the library every week? Or perhaps Tom was just as nervous to tell Haz about his dyslexia as he appeared to be about telling you. It wasn’t really your place to ask nor tell, anyway, so you dropped the thought quickly. “I was just working on my final paper for Communications. Tom just stopped by to say hi.” Harrison hummed in reply, nodding his head before he turned to face his roommate.

“We should probably head back to the house, mate. We’ve got chapter in a bit.” Harrison reminded Tom as he shoved the paper back into his book bag. Ah, yes, chapter. You didn’t know much about it, but you knew it was a meeting between everyone in a given frat or sorority about what was going on for the week.

Tom frowned, a look of confusion across his features for a moment. “It’s in two hours.” He ended the statement as if it were a question. And soon enough, you had frowned, as well.

You cocked your head to the side out of curiosity. “Two hours? That’s a lot of time, isn’t it?” You didn’t mean to sound clingy or needy, but you didn’t see why they had to leave so early for their fraternity chapter meeting.

Regardless of how pathetic you sounded, Harrison gave you a knowing smile. “PIKE is a national fraternity, so we haveta dress well for meetings. Business formal and all that.” He pointed his thumb lazily in Tom’s direction. “And this one takes ages to do his hair.”

You bit your lip at that, trying not to giggle as you saw Tom’s face flush from the corner of your eye. Admittedly, you would’ve loved to have seen them get ready for a chapter meeting if they had to dress up for the occasion. You only ever saw the two in their casual attire, sweatpants and jeans and plain t-shirts being the norm for the two. You tried not to salivate at the thought of them in crisp white dress shirts and blazers with matching ties. You pressed your thighs together just at the thought.

“Listen, there’s nothing wrong with taking time to do your hair, alright?” Tom shoved at Harrison’s shoulder, giving him a look you couldn’t quite place. You had to refrain from rolling your eyes. Here we go again.

After you witnessed another mental conversation between the two best friends, Tom gave you a tight lipped smile, brown hues flickering between you and his best friend before he stood with a defeated sigh. You gave them both tight yet casual hugs as they prepared to leave you to your own devices, allowing you to get back to your essay. Tom’s eyes lingered on you for a while and you gave him a grin. “We’ll talk later, alright? I promise.” He tried to give you a grin, but it was definitely forced. It hurt your heart knowing something was weighing on his mind, and it hurt even more that it might have something to do with you.

—

A few days later, you caught yourself daydreaming during your Philosophy lecture again. Your eyes had glazed over as you watched Tom and Harrison intently, drowning out the monotone voice of your professor. You rationalized that since you were getting so much work done at the library that you deserved to indulge in your fantasy world during just one of your classes. Before you knew it, the professor dismissed class for the day, alerting you to shuffle your notebook into your book bag before slinging it over your shoulder. You had just exited the lecture hall and entered the building’s main corridor when you felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around your middle before easily lifting you into the air, eliciting a squeal of surprise from you.

“Hey, beautiful.” They mumbled into your ear, causing you to shiver. Of course, you knew it was Harrison the moment he lifted you up, he was the only person you knew that was strong enough to be able to do so other than Tom. You couldn’t help but giggle as he released you, returning the greeting with a smile that seemed permanently etched on your features. “Can we go somewhere and talk?”

The combination of words didn’t get any easier to hear the second time around, your throat going dry and your heartbeat accelerating. Not only did Tom have something to tell you, but now so did Harrison. And his tone made it seem like this was a conversation you weren’t going to want to have.

Just as you opened your mouth to reply, the door to your lecture hall shut, Tom having just come out of the room. He pulled you into a tight embrace before pulling away with raised brows. “Hey guys, what’s up?” The question diverted the topic of conversation away from whatever Harrison wanted to talk to you about, and although part of you was curious as to what he wanted to tell you, a larger part was grateful that Tom had butt in.

“Y/N and I were just talking.” Haz informed his best friend, emphasizing the last word for reasons unbeknownst to you. Tom nodded, and his expression gave the impression that he knew what Harrison wanted to talk to you about, which made you that much more nervous.

Tom placed a firm hand on his friend’s shoulder, and they seemed to once again have a silent conversation right in front of you. “Did ya forget we’ve got a meeting with the dean in five minutes, mate?” His tone seemed almost forceful, and you could only wish that you could read their minds like they appeared to be able to do with each other. You cocked your head to the side, completely and utterly out of the loop.

“Wait, a meeting with the dean? Why?” Typically, people only met with the dean of the school if they were being expelled or put on academic probation. Granted, you didn’t know how either of them were doing in their classes, but they seemed to be diligent and hardworking students.

“Oh, we just need to discuss classes. What credits transfer and all that.” Tom gave you a tight lipped smile before your gaze reverted back to Harrison, who gave you a similar grin. It was the type of smile white people always seemed to give during awkward situations. For a few moments, you had forgotten that they were going to be leaving you forever in a matter of days. Your brows furrowed before Harrison cleared his throat and took your hand in his, squeezing gently. “We’ll talk later?” The words came out as more of a question, asking your approval. How could you say no to him? To either of them?

You nodded, wishing the two on their way before you began your trek back to your room, head swimming with emotions and nerves about what would happen the next time you saw them.

—

For the next few days, every time you saw the pair of British exchange students, the outcome was always the same. One of them would say he had to talk to you about something, and before he could get another word out, he and his roommate would be whisked away, talking about having to go to some sort of meeting. Whether it was about community service hours for their frat, meeting with their academic advisors, or another meeting with the dean about transcripts, they always had something to do. Because of this, you managed to get much more studying done than you typically would have if they were in your presence, a fact you were grateful for, since you certainly were not prepared in the slightest for your Philosophy final exam.

Coincidentally, the next time you saw the two for more than a quick ‘hey’ in passing, was during your Philosophy final exam. Although you felt prepared, your eyes kept flicking up to look at the two boys that sat in front of you while you were taking your test. Once the exam period was over, you slung your book bag over your shoulder and exited the classroom. The halls were empty, since you finished your exam relatively early, so you slid down against the cool brick wall of the corridor, ready to wait patiently for Tom and Harrison. After all, this was the last time you were guaranteed to see the two before they moved back to London, and you weren’t going to miss the opportunity to say goodbye.

Oh, and they both had to tell you something.

Okay, so maybe you weren’t waiting so patiently, choosing to mess around on your phone to distract yourself, but your efforts proved to be futile. You were restless, and each passing minute made you think of every scenario imaginable for what they would be so desperate to tell you. In your head, none of the outcomes were good.

You were fidgeting anxiously when the door to your lecture hall opened, revealing a familiar blond, but not his brunet companion. You sighed, which alerted Harrison to your presence.

He gave you a cheeky grin, “Comfortable?” You nodded once in reply before he took a few steps forward, closer to you. “Why’re you sitting on the floor, love?”

The pet name made your heart flutter as you shrugged. Now you felt kind of silly just sitting here on the ground. “You wanted to talk, remember? And I wasn’t sure I was going to see either of you before you went back home, so I thought I’d say goodbye now.”

Harrison hummed, lesser lip between his teeth as if he was holding back a smile. You were unsure of why he’d be smiling, though. Was he happy you waited so you could see them one last time before they left? Happy you cared that much? Perhaps. “Tom’s just talking to the professor right now, should be out any minute.”

His words made your heart beat faster, the realization that they were, in fact, leaving you soon hitting you like a brick. Your anxious mind also hadn’t forgotten all the scenarios of what it might be that the two of them needed to discuss with you. Harrison offered you his hand to help you up, and you graciously took it, pulling you up with ease.

As if on cue, the door to the lecture hall opened and shut once more, revealing the adorable brunet you’d been waiting for. Tom stopped in his tracks once he saw you, gaze darting between you and his best friend for a moment.

“Uh, what’s going on, guys?” Tom finally questioned with raised brows.

Haz cupped a hand on Tom’s shoulder for a moment before shoving his best friend closer to you. “Y/N here wanted to wish us off before we moved back t’London.” The two looked at each other for a moment and you could’ve sworn that you saw Harrison wink in his best friend’s direction before continuing, “But she knew we wanted to talk t’her so,” He released Tom’s shoulder from his grasp, hands buried in his pockets as he gestured vaguely for Tom to say his piece first.

You were sure both boys could hear how loudly your heart was beating, and suddenly all the blood in your system was rushing to your head. Every bad scenario you thought of previously had returned to your mind as you took a deep breath. Maybe if you were lucky, you would pass out and they wouldn’t tell you whatever the inevitably bad news was going to be.

Tom audibly swallowed, glancing in Harrison’s direction for some silent encouragement before shoving one hand in his jeans pocket, the other itching at the slightly crooked bridge of his nose. His gaze remained on the floor as he spoke, which wasn’t a good sign. “Uh, I’ve never been good at this stuff so I’m just gonna… Start.”

He glanced up for a moment and you nodded with bated breath, signaling him to continue. “Right, uh, when Haz and I first came here, it was because we thought this country would be fun. We wanted to get outta London for a while to fuck around and have fun.” He cleared his throat, glancing up once more to gauge your reaction. You didn’t fail to notice the blush that rose in his cheeks. This was making him nervous just as much as it was making you nervous, and although that made you feel a little bit better, it didn’t calm your nerves in the slightest. Tom cleared his throat awkwardly before continuing.

“Then we met this girl, and I didn’t think she’d be as stunning as she actually was.” His words were quiet yet firm as he took your hand in his free one, determined to look you in the eye. “I really like you, Y/N.”

“We both really like you.” Harrison corrected, taking a cautious step closer to you. The words made your heart flutter, but you were waiting patiently for the ‘but’ in this story, and it came a bit sooner than you would’ve liked.

“But we haven’t been completely honest with you.”

The words made your heart thump louder in your ears and you gulped, patiently yet anxiously waiting for either of them to continue.

You didn’t fail to notice that Tom suddenly seemed not only nervous, but also embarrassed, a seemingly permanent tinge of pink settling across his face that just made you want to kiss him all over. But you refrained, urging him to continue. You hadn’t considered that perhaps the last time you kissed him was actually the last, and that thought alone felt like a punch in the stomach.

“I, um, I haven’t been completely honest with you these past few weeks.” Tom repeated, trying to get back on track. He swung your arms back and forth gently. “When we would go to our PIKE meetings, or finalize community service hours, or go to the dean about our transcripts, that’s not what we were doing.”

The pause he took scared the absolute hell out of you, and you were willing to bet you went pale just at the words. You quickly went through your worst case scenarios again, but your train of thought stopped dead in its tracks when Harrison finished his friend’s sentence, knocking the wind -- and suspense -- right out of you.

“We were filling out paperwork to transfer here… For the year.”

Your eyes that were once squeezed shut due to nerves shot open, scanning over the two of them as if waiting for the punchline to this sick joke. When none came, your mouth went agape.

“Seriously?”

Tom hummed in reply, his blush radiating down his neck as his whole face had now turned a light shade of pink. “Yeah, uh…We’ve both sorta been covering each other’s asses. We really like you so, ya know, we thought maybe the two of us would head back to London for break then come back next semester.” You could hear how nervous he was, After all, both he and Harrison were putting it all on the line for you, and if you were being honest with yourself, you couldn’t have been happier. It was clear in the way your cheeks hurt from smiling so big. You couldn’t believe you had gotten so nervous over this. They were staying. For you.

“We’ve never exactly dated the same girl at the same time.” Harrison continued, now reverting back to his normal, confident self upon seeing your reaction. “But we’ve read up about something called, em, polyamory. And we’re willing to try if you are.”

Polyamory. It was a term you knew of, but weren’t exactly willing to commit to until you had met the two of them. You never thought you’d like two people enough to date both of them, nor did you ever think two people would ever like you enough for them both to want to date you at the same time. But here you were, two of the most attractive men you had ever met standing before you, asking if you’d want to date either of them. Both of them. Together.

“I’d love that.” You replied happily, face beaming. They were staying for you, and that made you realize you’d be more than happy to see their faces every day for the rest of your life (as if you hadn’t already known). “Can’t believe you’re going to be doing all this just for me.”

Tom wrapped your arm that was still attached to his around his own neck, silently pulling you closer to the two of them. Harrison wrapped one arm securely around your waist as he kissed the top of your head. You could feel them smiling against your skin, and you never thought a position that would typically be so awkward would feel so perfect. Tom placed a kiss against your shoulder, shooting you a wink.

“You can’t get rid of us that easily, love.”

---

tag list (strikethrough means i could not tag you):

@tom-hollands-eyelash / @ophcelia / @tiny-parker / @jackiehollanderr / @starlightfound / @unholyhaz / @agirlwithpointlessideas / @i-love-superhero / @dylanrauhl / @triviaisabop / @awkwardfangirl2014 / @adayasgeorgia / @yikes-buckybarnes / @ixchel-9275 / @ruefulposts / @maybemona / @keepingupwiththehollands / @definitely-not-black-cat / @zombiegoddezz / @please-mr-stark / @thirsttrapholland / @obsequentdiapason / @osterfield-holland-andcompany / @theefactorygirl / @jelenawolfhard21

#tom holland fanfiction #tom holland imagine #tom holland x reader #tom holland x y/n #harrison osterfield x reader #harrison osterfield x y/n #harrison osterfield imagine #harrison osterfield fan fiction

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shsl-corn · 4 years

Text

My part of

@danganhalloween-exchange for @magioftheseas

Some Kaede/ Naga!Miu, hope you like it.

[[MORE]]

“Apple slices cut into bunnies, just as you requested.” Kirumi Tojo announced, handing off the Tupperware container to Kaede.

Kaede smiled, she hated having to ask Kirumi for favours. But trying to slice these apples herself was proving less than successful given by the bandage on her finger. Give her a piano and some sheet music and she could play any song flawlessly and with the utmost confidence. Give her an apple, a knife and ask her to make bunny apples? Not worth losing a finger and her career over.

“Thank you, Kirumi,” she said, taking the container.

“It is no problem, if you need anything else please don’t hesitate to ask.”

After thanking Kirumi a second time and watching her walk off and disappear into the busy streets, leaving her surrounded by a sea of strangers. Kaede took a moment to look at the container, now just noticing the vast amount of apple slices stuffed into the clear container. Just how many apples did Kirumi end up cutting? She did tend to go overboard whenever it came to food, the times she and Shuichi had tea with her proved so. But she could always tell Kirumi she didn’t need to go to such lengths to-

“Yoink!”

It took Kaede a moment to register that the container of bunny apples was no longer in her hands.

“Huh? What the...”

Luckily the thief didn’t go too far and disappear into the crowded streets. In fact, he was standing in front of her with his usual cheeky grin.

“Oh! What are these?” Kokichi asked, opening up the container. “Bunny apples?”

“Kokichi, those aren’t for you,” she said sternly through gritting teeth.

“Who are these for? You got a boyfriend or girlfriend now?” he gave an overdramatic sad pout. “Does that mean you’re gonna forget all about me?”

Having known Kokichi for a long time, Kaede wasn’t fooled one bit by his act.

“That’s a lie, isn’t it?”

Kokichi’s pout instantly turned into a big grin. “Yup, it’s definitely a lie!” he announced. “Man, you’re getting good. I might have to think of harder lies.” Kokichi fished an apple slice out of the container and took a big bite of one. “I don’t mind, I loooove a challenge,” he said while crunching the apple in his mouth.

“Can I please have them back?” Kaede requested, arms crossed with a frown plastered on her face.

“Maaaaaybe.” Kokichi teased and popped the remaining bunny apple in his mouth. “Tell me who there for first. You know I’m nosy,” he demanded and fished a second slice out and noisily chewed.

“There for a friend,” Kaede said, managing to quickly snatch the container away from him.

“Really?” Kokichi looked unimpressed. “THAT’S the best lie you can come up with?” he frowned. “I expected better from you, Kaede. Well, whatever. I’m bored, I’m gonna find something fun to do.”

Kaede let out a sigh of relief as she watched Kokichi disappear into the crowd. She returned her sights to the bunny apples, even with a Kokichi snacking on a few there were still more than enough. She took a look at her watch, making sure she wouldn’t be late for her bus.

....

Three buses, a long walk and brief hike in the crisp autumn woods, Kaede stood before the cave. It was dark, without any light to guide the way.

“Miu?” Kaede called, waiting for a response but nothing. She let out an annoyed sigh. “Miu, I bought you something,” she called again, giving the container a shake.

Sure enough, the sound of something stirring in the deepest depths of the cave could be heard. Normally this would scare anyone, but not Kaede. She had done this once a week so far for at least a year, she knew what to expect.

Eventually the sound grew closer and closer, and sure enough, there was Miu. At first glance, she looked like an everyday woman, at least until she was fully out of her cave. She had a pale complexion with a head of flowing blond hair, but once you got a closer look at the upper half of her body, her vibrate blue eyes had black slits for pupils and two pearly white sharp fangs protruded from her upper lip. And that was just the upper half of her body. From below the waist in place of where a pair of legs should have been, was an incredibly long and scaly dark green tail.

She first met Miu last fall, during a costume party with a few of her friends. They decided to take a quick walk with all the sugary energy they had gotten from snacking on the cakes, cookies and other desserts Kirumi made. They stumbled across this cave and first caught sight of Miu. Her friends screamed and ran away, but Kaede did not. Being ever so curious she found herself staring in awe at such a creature and even more so when she learned she was a real naga as opposed to some elaborate decoration or costume.

Miu grinned and immediately swiped the container greedily away from Kaede. “No fucking way! You actually remembered with that pea-sized brain of yours!”

Kaede pouted. “A thank you would be nice.”

Miu wasn’t listening, she was too wrapped up in opening up the container and inspecting an apple slice. “Don’t get how these are supposed to look like bunnies.”

“It’s the way the skin is cut, it’s supposed to look like bunny ears,” she explained.

“Hmmm, I still don’t see it.” Miu shrugged and popped the slice in her mouth. “Meh, real rabbit tastes better too. But I’ll give you points for bringing these to show me.”

“Thanks, I think?” she blinked, guessing that was Miu’s weird little way of thanking her.

“Oh! Did you bring the other thing too?” Miu asked, stuffing another apple slice in her mouth.

“Of course I did.” Kaede reached into her bag and fished out a portable DVD player.

Miu’s eyes sparkled as she slithered closer to her. “Oh thank fuck, I was worried you forgotten!”

“I bring it every time I visit,” Kaede said, setting the DVD player on a tree stump.

It surprised Kaede that a naga of all things liked children’s tv shows, but she wasn’t going to complain. She had a bunch of DVDs from her childhood her parents took to keep her boredom at bay whenever she had to endure a long car drive or flight. Miu was lucky she forgot to get around to donating the portable DVD player and all the movies and cartoons she had along with it.

“Well, hurry up and put it on!” Miu urged, slithering closer to the device eagerly.

“Impatient as always...” Kaede muttered, extending a digit to push the button and turn on the DVD player.

“Hey, what happened to your finger?” Miu asked, gesturing to the tiny little bandage wrapped around her digit.

“Oh, this? I accidentally cut my finger while trying to cut those apples,” she explained. “After that, I figured I should just get someone else to cut them for me.”

“Thought you avoided anything that could hurt your fingers?”

“Well yes, but you said you wanted to see bunny apples so I’ve made an attempt. Luckily it’s just a small cut and should heal up quickly.”

“Wow, you seriously risked chopping off your finger and ruining your whole pianist career for a few cruddy apple slices? Damn, no wonder I’m the smart one!” she crackled.

Kaede huffed, tempted to point out Miu had eaten nearly half of the apples at this point. But she decided against it, for now, she just focused on starting up the film for Miu.

They were halfway through the movie when Kaede felt it. It was a few harmless raindrops, but within seconds it escalated into a heavy downpour.

“Ah, of all the times I don’t check the weather!” Kaede quickly swiped up the portable DVD player and stashed it in her bag, hoping there wasn’t any damage from its brief time out in the rain.

She glanced at the cave, clutching her bag Kaede made a dash to the cave’s entrance... or at least that was the plan.

“Oof!” she grunted as she fell face-first into the wet and grassy ground. Kaede groaned and carefully lifted her face off the ground, just now realizing Miu had part of her tail wrapped around her ankle. “What was that for?!” she demanded and tried to shake her ankle free from Miu’s grasp.

“You can’t in my cave!”

“Why not?”

“Ge-genius inventor reasons... someone like you wouldn’t understand.”

“Miu, it’s down pouring, just let me stay until the rain stops.”

“I-I can’t!” she shook her head.

She lifted Kaede into the air, leaving her dangling by her ankles and making her very thankful she wore pants today.

“Miu!” Kaede hissed.

“I-I gotta go!” she loosen her grip on Kaede, letting her fall to the ground before slithering off into her cave.

Kaede huffed and peeled her face off of the ground yet again. The already present frown on her face grew as she got up, not pleased she was soaking wet at this point.

She stared at the cave’s entrance, no way was she going to sit around and make the journey back home in this weather. Regardless of what Miu said, she was determined to enter the cave. She stood up and made her way over, taking the first step inside. It was dark, so Kaede took out her phone and used it as a light to see her way through the cave’s darkness.

The cave was dark and deep, much deeper than she originally guessed it was. It just made her all the more thankful she charged her phone prior to coming here, she was doubtful a low phone battery was going to be enough to get her in and out of this cave.

After what felt like forever walking deeper into the depths of the cave, a wave of relief washed over Kaede as she caught sight of dim orange light at the end of the tunnel. She shut her phone off and made her way towards the light source.

At the end of the cave’s long and dark tunnel was a fire. The light helped her get a better view of what exactly was at the end.

The end of the tunnel was filled with lots of little knickknacks, some Kaede could easily identify as being stuff she bought Miu from past visits. As well as a workbench that was littered with little tools. And there were a few posters hung on the cave’s wall, another gift Kaede had gotten Miu despite never being in her cave. At least until now...

But out of every item there, the thing that piqued her curiosity the most was something large and covered with a dull grey sheet. Kaede took a step closer, reaching out for it. But for the third time today, she found herself falling face first and for the second time, there was Miu’s green scaly tail wrapped around her ankles.

“What the fuck are you doing?!” Miu hissed at her.

Kaede gulped nervously, but rather than back down she made the choice to stand her ground.

“It’s down-pouring outside, it’s a long trip here and back. I’m not waiting out in the rain when you have more than enough space in this cave,” she stated firmly.

“B-but...you can’t!” she stuttered, her tail loosening around Kaede’s ankle.

“Why not?”

“You just can’t!”

Kaede huffed and stood up, taking a moment to brush the dirt off herself.

“And what’s this?”

She made her way over to whatever the sheet was keeping hidden. Without any hesitation, she grabbed hold of the cloth.

“No, wait!”

But Miu’s pleas fell on deaf ears, and before the naga had a chance to react or stop Kaede, the pianist yanked the sheet, revealing what it was hiding.

Underneath the sheet was a piano, a very dull pink one with pearly white keys. Kaede could only stare in awe, before taking a moment to blink and look at Miu.

“A piano?”

“Duh, of course, it is!” Miu snarled. “You’re a goddamn pianist, you should know what a piano looks like!”

“That’s not what I mean.” Kaede huff, taking a moment to brush some stray locks of her blond hair out of her face. “What I want to know was this the reason you didn’t want me in your cave?”

Miu’s cheeks flush pink as she glanced away, anxiously twirling a lock of hair around her finger. “Yeah... a-all you talk about is the damn piano so I figured...” she cleared her throat and regain her composure. “If you were too damn lazy to bring a piano-“

“Miu, how many times do I have to tell you...” she took a deep breath and pressed her hands against each other before pointing them at Miu. “It’s impossible for me to haul a piano up here!”

“Not with that attitude.” Miu scoffed. “God, are all human so pathetic? If you just bought one I wouldn’t have had to make one myself.”

Kaede rolled her eyes. “You still didn’t answer my question.”

“Uh... I... well you go on and on about pianos and shit, and well...” Miu shifted in her spot. “And I wanted to hear it, you’re either actually really good or stupidly cocky!”

“If you wanted to hear me play, you could have just asked. I have recordings of my performances.”

“It’s not the same, how do I know it’s not edited to shit or something?” Miu crosses her arms. “Or what if the piano is self-playing?”

Kaede didn’t buy that for a second, having known Miu for so long she knew better than to believe that. It was easy to piece together what her real motive was. Miu simply desired to hear her play in person but was too nervous to ask. It was tempting to call her out, but Kaede felt she would get a better outcome if she played along. Plus Kaede could never say no to playing a song or two.

“Fine, I’ll play and prove it to you,” she spoke, making her way over to the piano. “Do you have a stool?”

“Gee, are all humans lazy too?” Miu huffed. “Here,” she slithered over. “just sit your lazy ass on me.” she gestured to the lower half of her body.

Kaede rolled her eyes but decided to just do as Miu suggested and gently sat on part of her scaly tail and began to play. Considering it was fall and they were still well into October, she settled on playing a few Halloween songs on the piano, ranging from themes to classic horror movies to more upbeat and cheerful Halloween melodies.

She lost track of time, but by the time she played the last song she knew by heart, her fingers were begging for a break. Kaede lifted her gaze from the keys and glanced at Miu, who remained staring in an amazed trance before she eventually snapped out of it.

“That was....” Miu blinked before clearing her throat. “Alright, I guess. I mean, I did make that piano so naturally, it would make you sound amazing!” she boasted.

Kaede let out a loud sigh, of course. She shouldn’t have expected anything less coming from Miu, she knew the truth about how Miu really felt and exactly what to say.

“Well if you don’t like it, I guess I don’t have to play it again.”

“I-I’ve never said that!” she stuttered.

She couldn’t help but laugh, that was Miu for you. “I’ll bring some sheet music next time, would you like that?”

“And those bunny apples?”

Kaede fought the urge to roll her eyes. “Of course.”

#danganhalloween2019 #Kaemiu #kaede akamatsu #miu iruma #my fics #My fics

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purge-that-urge-rhackathon · 5 years

Text

Pride or Something like it

This was a commission from ‘anon’! :D Some cute preggo omega jack who’s sensitive about his changed physique, and Rhys is there to reassure him/stop murderous rages AHAHA :) I got... a little carried away here ‘anon’, and this got quite long hehehe thank you!

Also on my ao3 here :) My masterlist archive of bullshit i write can be found linked at the top of the blog or here.

“You know how long I’ve been waiting for this baby to be done?” Jack asked as he held the weapon-prototype aloft, looking through the crystal-clear ammo-chamber of the gun as technicians and staff stood about nervously.

Rhys smirked beside him at the choice of words, the cybernetic-alpha’s eyes coming to rest on Jack’s belly. The omega CEO was huge with their twins, his yellow-sweater stretched to the limits already, and they still had about two months to go. Rhys’ smirk grew a little as Jack held the gun that much higher to really admire the craftsmanship of the chamber. It made the sweater pull a bit and expose a strip of skin that immediately caught the younger man’s eyes and made his pulse speed up. Rhys used the sweater as an excuse to run his thumb affectionately over the exposed flesh before tugging it back down. He slyly slid his hand over Jack’s changed girth with guilty-pleasure, stealing a few indulgent caresses before retaking his hand so as not to draw attention.

Jack’s own attention was on the hybrid weapon he was inspecting, muttering about his researchers finally getting things to work, and excited for the ammo-fill of the unusual buildout. It was hardly a standard Hyperion gun with respect to design and materials, and the liquidized-ammunition itself was a novelty worth excitement.

“This is one sexy gun. I mean wouldja look at that barrel? Anyone else getting a stiffy?” Jack set the weapon back on its display pedestal on the large thigh-high work-table. He looked over the team who’d been working on this project, finding (unwelcome) lingering glances at his belly, and uncomfortable silence to accompany his words.

Jack might’ve been the unquestioned wet-dream of everyone on Helios a few months prior, but currently big with pups, and his innuendo and crass-jokes were met with something else. It only further proved his own self-conscious concerns that Rhys always tried to reassure; Handsome Jack might’ve been everyone’s wet dream before, but big with pups, and the omega was being seen as something else. And Jack didn’t know what to do with this information.

It brought a scowl to the omega CEO’s face, a snarl and possible murder quick to follow before Rhys headed off the older man’s mood.

“When can we test it out, Jack?” the young alpha piped up with a warm, firm hand on the older man’s lower back, quickly diverting what could be either a bloodbath or a hormonal breakdown… which would probably be followed by a bloodbath anyways. He splayed his fingers and a rush of pride or something like it went through him as he appreciated Jack’s dangerousness on its own merit; pregnant or not, Jack was not a man to be taken lightly. Rhys might be the alpha in the relationship, but the omega was the larger, stronger, more deadly one of the pair, and it made a pleasurable thrill run up Rhys’ back at the thought.

Their pups were going to be amazing.

“You nerds heard him. When can we fire this thing off?” Jack asked, tone still holding a trace of that offended snarl that had broke his lips. The omega held a hand to the side of his belly, cupping the bulge of their pups subconsciously while enjoying the warmth of Rhys’ hand behind him.

Jack was rather… sensitive about the way his body was changing as he carried their offspring. He was the very-handsome face of Hyperion. It was practically company policy to lust after the older man based on reputation alone, but a few months of growing twin pups and even Jack couldn’t pretend that he still looked like the sexy hero on his propaganda posters. It was eternally irritating to the omega CEO-- as were other changes to his body- and Rhys had spent many overzealous nights kissing and scenting the older man’s skin, reassuring him that he was still as sexy as ever, and that Rhys loved his body. Even more so now that he was carrying their pups and keeping them safe.

“The ammo chamber just needs its ionized coating, sir,” one of the beta techs bravely spoke up. “We’re working on a mobile chamber-refill, but for now the device we’ve made to load it--”

Jack’s belly skimmed the low counter as he turned towards the tech who was speaking, and the prototype was swept to the floor with a heavy clatter. The echoing, crisp sound of something delicate breaking was clear in the air even as nothing visibly shattered against the sterile floor. The realization was plain to everyone present that the omega’s pregnant-belly had just broken something inside the piece that had taken months to create. Forget ionized coatings, who knew how long it would take to repair that?

Rhys watched as the tips of the omega CEO’s ears-- and the edges of skin that his mask didn’t cover- turned red as all present went deadly silent. The usual-scents of anxiety and healthy-fear that accompanied Jack’s presence doubled in the room. It was clear that Jack was very embarrassed about his clumsiness; the working-prototype he’d been threatening this exhausted-department about for months lay most-certainly broken on the floor, all because he was as big as a damn house instead of his usual beer-not-baby belly.

This was only going to go one of two ways, and the seconds of silence that ticked on became exponentially more-dangerous as no one dared to speak a word of what they were thinking, let alone move a muscle. Jack was predictable only in terms of unpredictability, and that was before he’d let Rhys knock him up. Add in self-conscious public-embarrassment over his temporarily-gravid state and they might as well be dealing with a live, pup-filled grenade.

“Oops, let me get that,” Rhys broke the silence with painfully-casual words and movements, the stringbean alpha stooping before Jack’s belly to scoop up the prototype. He put the weapon and pedestal back onto the table a bit clumsily, then turned back to the older man, flesh and cybernetic palms gentle against the omega CEO’s belly in lieu of the hug he really wanted to give. A bit louder than necessary, he said, “Ionized coating is gonna take a few hours to set, right? Can we shoot something else?”

Jack met Rhys’ gaze, silently studying the younger man just a few moments as he understood what Rhys was doing. The lithe alpha’s thumbs stroked lovingly over the stretched yellow sweater, a smile tugging at his lips that Jack didn’t find himself immune to.

“...Like bandits?” Jack’s words got a laugh from Rhys, and the older man gave a sharp look to those still standing around. “Well? What else do we got while you do that?!”

It was like all present had been granted a reprieve from execution as the lab burst into activity; any excuse to get away from the ornery CEO was like a godsend, and Jack was given a wider berth than necessary as they worked around the pair.

Rhys laid his flesh palm flat against Jack’s belly, his cybernetic one coasting over to rest at Jack’s hip for as much of a feel as was publicly acceptable. The crests and valleys of the older man’s body were something he was well used to, but the thrill to touch the omega’s changing features as their pups grew never wore off in Rhys’ opinion. Jack was more fascinating than anyone ever hoped to know in whatever incarnation he took; handsome hero, Hyperion’s CEO, or mother to their pups.

“...I can’t believe I broke the damn thing…” Jack muttered with rare self-disappointment for Rhys’ ears only, scowling down at his unwieldy body with a mix of emotions on his face.

“If I’m recalling correctly, ‘I’m the CEO of Hyperion! I can do whatever I want!’” Rhys gently teased, Jack’s eyes darting back up to his own with a sort of grumpy amusement.

“...That was about eating pretzels with nacho-cheese for dinner…” Jack grumbled. “...and I didn’t want to break my damn prototype. It’s not like that piece of crap statue that was brought up last week.” Rhys remained silent a few beats, waiting for anything else Jack wanted to get out. The CEO stroked his belly with a frown. “...how the hell am I supposed to be a badass when I’m as big as a house?”

“You’re not supposed to be anything,” Rhys said patiently, moving himself more to Jack’s side in order to scent the omega. Jack shot him a look for that-- Rhys couldn’t even reach him to scent him right over his damn huge belly- but the older man was grateful for the way the lithe alpha wrapped one arm possessively around Jack’s waist, and the other protectively over his swollen middle. “You’ve got our babies in here, Jack,” Rhys pointed out with a smirk as his fingers splayed in excuse to caress the omega. “Besides, I don’t think that makes you any less of a badass. Especially when it comes time for them to come out.”

That got a legitimate snort out of the older man, and he wrapped an arm around Rhys’ shoulders to bring the younger man’s upper body as close to his own as possible. The young alpha’s torso was still pressed up against his belly, but that fact didn’t accompany any self-deprecating thoughts this time; Rhys’ genuine hums of pleasure as he held Jack right back made all the difference in the world.

By the time the scientists had something else they’d been working on ready to shoot, Jack was in a great mood and ready to explode some live targets. Rhys pressed a kiss to the side of his neck while his hand lingered on the omega’s belly until such time as Jack pulled him over to the firing range.

He couldn’t wait to see what the remainder of the pregnancy had in store for them.

kofi | ao3 | commission ‘info’

#rhack #omegaverse #borderlands fanfic #rhys the company man #handsome jack #fanfic #rhys #omega!jack #olollololol i had fun with this and then i stressed out it got too long and then i said fuck it and rolled with it hehehe xD #I HOPE THIS IS TO YOUR LIKING MY LOVE! :D i feel i pulled focus on the wrong things but i went with your general idea and the carte blanche #you gave me hehe thank you!!! :D

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toloveawarlord · 5 years

Text

Behind the Times (Ch.1)

You can find my Masterlist in my bio!

“Where is it? Come on!” Aspen muttered, checking under yet another rosebush for her lost item. Her day had ended on a strange and painful note, all because she took a detour through St. James Park instead of her usual route home. A night patrolman had spooked her, and she strayed off the beaten path to avoid detection. Jail time was not on her agenda.

One moment, Aspen had been snaking around a large Oak tree, and the next, the ground bathed in moonlight had fallen out from under her, sending her spiraling down a seemingly endless void. A rosebush broke her not so graceful fall. Even after crawling out, thorns still stuck into her skin, in places she could not reach on her own.

There!

The item she desired rested safely beneath the twisted branches of the bush. Her sigh of relief caught in her throat as the glint of metal next to her neck caught her eye. Aspen craned her head around and followed the length of the sword up to its owner.

The man’s intense gaze nearly stopped her heart. “Citizens are not permitted in the garden. State your name and intention,” he demanded. His crisp white uniform had to be a military one, but none like she had ever seen. Narrowing his amber eyes at her hesitation, he pressed the cold blade against her neck, a silent warning.

Aspen gulped. He definitely meant business. “Aspen Lancaster, and currently trying to reach my cell phone.” Was he a cosplayer? Just messing with her? The sword looks real. So real that she couldn’t bring herself to ask him on the off chance that he decided to murder her for talking back.

“Your what? How did you get in here? This is for military officers only, and high-ranking ones at that.”

Aspen tilted her head to the side, away from the blade. “I have no idea where here is so—”

“Is this what you’ve lost?” A second man interrupted, wearing a slightly different, but ultimately from the same group, uniform. In his hand was her phone, no cracks in the screen.

“Yeah, actually.” She hadn’t even heard him approach, let alone dig it out from under the bush. The only thing left to find was the satchel that she’d lost in the fall as well.

“Edgar. We have more important matters. I’ll only ask once more. How did you get in here?” He asked, straightening the sword in her direction once again. It was unheard of for anyone to enter the garden, especially when the two armies had only concluded their meeting a mere half hour ago.

Aspen glanced down at the blade. “I took a thousand-meter fall into a rosebush. It’s a wonder I’m not dead. Can you stop pointing that at me?” She asked. Real or not, it was sharp and threatening enough to keep her immobile.

“You expect us to believe that?”

Edgar raised his gaze from the device back to her. “Now, Jonah, let’s be civil about this. I don’t know many who would throw themselves into an actual rosebush for a simple lie.” He took her hand to help her stand, steadying her before asking, “What is this device?”

Aspen glanced between the two officers. “You don’t know what a cell phone is?” She started to laugh, softly and forced, but their confusion cut it off. They had to be cosplayers, and damn good ones at that, not breaking character even once.

“You’re very strange,” Jonah said, returning his sword to its sheath. He had no intentions of letting her leave but deemed her unthreatening enough to put his weapon away.

“You’re the one carrying swords,” she retorted. Staring at them a moment longer, Aspen decided to play along, explaining the phone as best she could. “It does a lot of things. Smartphones are crazy cool. It has thousands of apps you can download. It can play music, take pictures…” She trailed off, watching the confusion spread deep across their features. “You really don’t know, do you? Are you some kind of anti-tech groupies?” Heathens. Who doesn’t like technology? It’s so convenient. Jokingly, she muttered, “What century is it?”

Jonah answered with his scowl deepening, “The 19th.”

“Huh?” Aspen blinked. He wasn’t actually supposed to answer… or answer with an absurd century that wasn’t her own. He sure looked serious though. “What the fuck is going on?”

“A lady shouldn’t use such language if she wants to find a suitor,” Jonah chastised. His eyes raked over her, a hint of blush on his cheeks. He hadn’t noticed her strange attire until now. The amount of skin that she was showing made him quite uncomfortable. Her top must have shrunk, covering only half of her torso, and he couldn’t figure out what kind of undergarment she wore that loosely hung around her hips and fell to the tops of her thighs.

Aspen nearly stumbled back when Jonah thrust his jacket at her, demanding her to wear it. “But why-”

“How indecent,” Jonah muttered, the heat still present on his cheeks. “Have some self-respect.”

“How about you throw out your outdated opinions?” Aspen replied but slid her arms into the jacket none the less. The temperature had dropped, and a cool breeze drew goosebumps across her skin. On her small frame, the jacket was much too large, but very warm. “Though, I guess I’m the outdated one… postdated? Ugh.” She rubbed her stomach, a soft grumble at her words. “What I wouldn’t give for postmate.”

Edgar propositioned her with a tempting offer. “Why don’t you come along with us back to our headquarters, and we’ll treat you to a warm meal. You can tell me more about this smartphone. I’m very interested to learn more.”

“How do I know you two aren’t psychopaths who want to murder me?”

“You have our word, as the Queen and Jack of Hearts. That is plenty reason enough,” Jonah said, an almost crazy amount of pride in his voice.

Aspen tilted her head slightly. “Those titles mean nothing to me.” She couldn’t find any ill-will behind the invitation, and if they were murderers, then they probably would have killed her already. This is a secluded spot. Though, the odds of coming back from a secondary location were slim.

Edgar chuckled lightly, finding her to be the most interesting thing to come to Cradle. “You’ll only get your item returned to you after we’ve had a longer chat. So, I believe it’s in your best interest to cooperate.” His kind tone didn’t match the clear threat underneath.

She couldn’t very well just take the phone back. Her strength equaled that of a toddler. Plus, swords. “Fine, but only because getting a new phone is damn expensive.” Her head turned to scan the garden. “But I also lost my bag-”

“We’ll have someone search for your other things. This way,” He motioned for her to follow after him, leading her out of the building with Jonah close behind.

Aspen stopped so abruptly that Jonah narrowly missed running into her. The streets were lively, even this late at night. Many things had caused her to freeze. Their clothes were old fashioned. Horses were being ridden. Horses were hooked to carriages. The fountain looked to be the only normal piece, save for the large glowing crystal that by all accounts was floating. What fresh hell is this place?

“What’s the matter now?” Jonah asked, drawing all the attention of those around them.

All eyes were on her, whispering and pointing.

This didn’t make any sense. The entire town couldn’t be cosplayers. “What century did you say it was again?” Aspen asked hesitantly, taking a step back only to smack into Jonah. This is impossible. Insane. She had completely lost her mind.

“The 19th. We should have Kyle examine you. You’re beginning to look hysterical, not to mention the cuts and thorns from your self-proclaimed fall,” Jonah said, putting his hands on her shoulders to guide her forward. Only a few paces away, two horses were tied, beautiful saddles adorning their backs.

“Oh hell no,” Aspen muttered. Her escape was effectively blocked with Jonah’s fingers digging into her shoulders to keep her from moving. Edgar had his watchful eye on her as well, as if daring her to try and run. And where would she go? This most certainly wasn’t the London she knew. “Nope. I am not getting on a moving animal. Human kind didn’t destroy the environment and create manual automobiles for me to have to ride a horse.”

“You don’t have a choice. You’ll be riding with me,” Jonah announced. He’d already hoisted her up into the air and placed her on the saddle before she could attempt to get away.

The horse shifted its weight. Aspen clung onto the horn of the saddle, her body slipping backwards. It’s not even moving yet! Her squeal of terror cut short as Edgar steadied her from behind. Saddles are slick.

Edgar couldn’t help the laughter that broke out as he gently pushed her back up. “The more you move, the easier it is to fall off.”

“I didn’t move! The barn animal did!” Aspen shot him a glare over her shoulder.

Jonah mounted the horse behind her, caging her in with his arms as he gripped the reigns. “I’m not going to let you fall, so calm down,” he said. The cool tone of reassurance had her racing heart calming in seconds. “My title may not have meaning for you, but I promise that no harm is going to come to you while you’re a guest at our headquarters.”

Each step the horse took, made her body more tense. “Why do you care?” She asked, casting a suspicious glance up at him. Her hands were tightly gripping the material of his sleeve, afraid to let go.

“I could see how frightened you were when we exited the Garden. However you got there, whatever your intentions might have been, it’s clear that you aren’t familiar with this area.” Jonah stared straight ahead as he spoke softly enough that no one else could hear. “But don’t expect any special treatment from me,” He added swiftly at the end.

He’s very contrary. “You’re actually really nice, aren’t you?”

Jonah turned his nose up, but the hint of pink on his cheeks gave away the truth. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Aspen bit back a laugh. Though still filled with fear and worry, she felt at ease for the first moment since she collided with a rosebush.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am in love with Aspen. I wanted to try a less serious fic series with a more humorous element to it. I didn’t have a suitor in mind for her when I started but I’m leaning toward Jonah now.

#a meme queen #watch her draw memes and explain them to the minty boi #jonah clemence #edgar bright #aspen lancaster #one of us #ikemen revolution #ikerev

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hollandandi · 6 years

Text

“come on, have a bloody heart.” “i do, i’m holding one.”

———

type - angst

tom or peter?

au? - mobster tom (mob!tom)

word count - 3.4k

warnings - swearing, gore (sorry about it! but he is a mobster.)

w/n - honestly, thanks so much for the positive response i received on my first imagine that wasn’t a chapter to a series yesterday. i am so glad people enjoyed it. if you haven’t seen it, feel free to click here.

————

It was a ordinary, simple-minded Thursday. The trees were hit with bursts of hot wind, knocking dying leaves from the branches onto the pavement throughout the city. You gripped the blush pink strap, attached to your bag, and pulled it closer to your neck from your right shoulder as you slowly breathed in the summer air racing past you. After finishing your shift at the local book store, you decided to take the longer route home due to the warmer weather and clearer skies that blossomed above you - you walked swiftly, but made sure you fully appreciated your calm surroundings during the journey; unknown to you, however, that would be that the last peaceful memory for a while.

Even after a week passed from that journey, all you could remember was the feeling of red once you returned home that day. Red was the best colour to associate to the memory; blood, confusion and danger were the best words to use. As you reached your house, which usually oozed love, tranquility and safety, you realised the front door was unlocked, and gently pushed inwards. Though strange and entirely unusual as it was unlikely this was intentional by your parents, your mood was carefree, quiet and absent-minded, so you proceeded to enter the house that was beginning to no longer feel like home. You took slow, careful steps into the main living room - but even with a newly-hesitant outlook on the situation, you could not escape the picture immediately painted into your mind in seconds.

Bursting your eyes back open with a familiar panic, you sat up immediately from your best friend’s sofa-bed, clutching the grey, fabric duvet that covered you strictly in your hands. It had been a week, but you were still having the recurring, yet simple nightmare. It was a straight-forward, complete re-enactment of the moment you desperately tried not to think about throughout the day - though this was often unsuccessful, one thing that was always guaranteed was this reminder as you attempted to gain at least a few hours of sleep.

Across the city, however, it was also not a calm day for many. As the days grew colder, the area’s crime rate was rising - from dodgy drug deals, to manic murders and sickening sexual assaults, it was proving difficult to escape the increasing fear many people were beginning to feel. Like you, many people were no longer feeling at home; instead, many were anxious to return to their houses and apartments that were supposed to be their comfort spot after a stressful day at work. Of course, the situation was not helped by a certain arrival in the city - known to many, but not all, was a quick, but heavy movement into an incredibly expensive building of offices and work-rooms that had been very recently renovated. Though the move-in was widely noticed, only few were aware of those featured in the arrival.

“Tom, she is a family friend. We knew her parents incredibly well, they were very good to us. Always.” A female voice uttered to her stubborn and cocky son, who was sat comfortably behind a large, glass desk at the very top of the skyscraper.

“Mum, I already told you - I don’t care who she is, she could be the fucking reincarnation of Jesus for all I care - she is not staying at our home. You’ve already mentioned that she is staying at a friend’s house; I am sure she is perfectly fine there.” The suited, straight-faced boy responded abruptly, looking up to make contact with his mother’s eyes. In response, there was a gentle scoff from her, before a hard glare met his face. “I didn’t raise you like this.” She hissed, before turning swiftly on her heels and making her way out of the modernised office, as the mobster, named Tom, shook his head and huffed. He couldn’t believe his own mother wanted to bring a stranger into his home - the home he designed and bought, but most importantly the home he made safe for his family.

To his relief, his thoughts were interrupted by a buzzing sound from the delicate desk in front of him. A text had come through his phone, and as he roughly picked up the device, he began to bite his lip while reading the message. Only three words lay on the screen, but that was all it took for a smirk to emerge on his face, his body to rise from the chair he was originally seated in and his legs to start moving towards the exit of his office. “We got him.”

As you wiped back the loose hairs that had fallen onto your face during your panicked wake up, you took a long, breathy sigh as you glanced down to your hands, now in your lap. Your fingers brushed over each other as you closed your eyes carefully, still sat up - and remembered how much scrubbing you were compelled to do on the day of the accident. There was so much blood you started to think it was seeping through the first few layers of your skin, and you could just not feel clean afterwards. Before hot tears took their opportunity to emerge within your eyes, you quickly shot your head up and made your way from the sofa, pulling down the legs of your pyjama pants softly so they were back in the appropriate place on your hips. Beginning the kettle, you saw a lilac-coloured post-it note on the counter, telling you that your friend was at work and would be back tonight after her shift. You smiled softly, but it was still fairly weak, but grew slightly stronger as you poured the hot-water into your favourite mug. It had been a small Christmas gift from your dad in the past; a huge, cream coloured one with “You’re Brilliant!” enscriped onto it in large, skinny letters. Just the memory made you smile truly, but it was accompanied with a sharp, quick jolt to your heart, so you quickly finished your tea and began to walk to the kitchen table that you kept your laptop on.

However, as you walked, you heard a muted shuffle of feet, before a crisp sound of paper sliding underneath your door frame. Slightly alerted, you froze with the mug within your hands, but as the feet underneath quickly ran away, you began to feel a little more at ease. Placing the heavy cup on a cork coaster, you swiftly walked towards the doorframe and carefully picked up the envelope that was resting on the hard-wood floor. Your hands began to shake a little - you didn’t really know why, but I’m sure no-one would blame you for little bursts of worry every now and then. Your fingers moved swiftly underneath the envelope’s opening, before pulling it upwards and revealing the blank card within it. Once slotted out, you anxiously separated the two sides, before glancing upon a scribbled message on the right-hand side.

“Y/N, it’s Nikki and Dom. We heard. Please come stay with us and the boys - you are family to us and we all want to make sure you are safe.

If you take up my our offer, which we hope you do, come to the fourth office of Holland Incorporated any day of the week.”

Well, to say the least, that was definitely not what you were expecting.

While you were taking a breath of relief in the small apartment across the city, Tom was taking a breath of pride. Sitting in a dark, cherry-red pool of blood was an unlucky traitor, that had posed a threat to the business for several weeks - spooled out along the floor, major organs carefully removed or toyed with, sat a clear example of what would happen to those who chose to disrespect a powerful mobster of England. However, the glory did not last long for Tom, as his powerful glee was interrupted by his Dad, Dominic, trying again to convince the boy of an important decision.

“Right, now that’s over with - you need to listen to me, boy. Like your mother has already told you, she is like family to us. And one thing I am sure I have drilled into that stubborn brain of yours is that you help family - always.” The father spoke harshly, standing at the back of the room with a full view of the events which took place minutes before.

Instead of giving an immediate verbal response, Tom simply scoffed, turning around to look at the man that stood before him with dark, cloudy eyes. “The important word you used right there was ‘like’, she is not my family.” He expressed, using his free hand to point at his chest. “She may be yours, and Mum’s, and the other’s for all I care. But she is not mine - family means more to me than words and titles.”

An eye-roll ensued, followed by a head shaking and a raised voice. “Come on Tom, have a bloody heart.” Dom spat - he was in disbelief that his own son would disrespect his wishes like this - right in-front of his own face.

“I do, I’m holding one.” Tom responded in an equal tempo and tone, before dropping the bloody organ that once was beating, to the concrete, tiled basement floor of the building. “At-least I was.” He chuckled to himself, taking out a handkerchief from his front pocket to attempt to wipe some liquid from his bloody, bruised hands. When he glanced up, however, his father Dom was only a metre or so from his son, his eyes slightly softer as he parted his lips to retaliate. “Well, it’s a shame you don’t agree, but your mother has already invited her. So it’s up to Y/N if she wishes to take up the deal.”

“For fucks sake!” Tom yelled, clenching his fists within the silk handkerchief before passing his father and heading for the steel door that marked the difference between beatings, murder and interrogation, and that of business, meetings and phone-calls. “You’re a bunch of bloody cunts, I fucking swear.” This was all Dom heard before his son stormed out of the room, and towards the elevator which opened almost immediately - almost as if an inanimate object could feel the tension within the air.

“Jesus Christ, it’s not like she’s staying in your bed.” Dom uttered to himself, before shaking his head and choosing the stairs instead.

Days passed by quickly, including the weekend separating July and August, and soon enough, it was Monday again. Four days had passed since you received the letter, and it was only until the morning of August 2nd that you finally made up your mind. The choice was concluded from various factors - one, you were beginning to feel like a true burden to your friend, especially when she began to bring guys home at nine o’ clock, which was unfortunately a peak time for your hot, salty tears to begin flowing down your cheeks. Two, you didn’t think that distancing yourself from everyone else was helping, and although you had received a few texts from friends; curious about your wellbeing, you honestly felt a rush of protection when you re-read the letter. It sounds ridiculous, but even through handwriting, the choice was consistently playing on your mind. Two reasons were enough for you - you had always told yourself that if you only had a single excuse for something, it wouldn’t be strong enough to hold you if it went wrong, and as you learnt that the hard way recently, once natural, easy reasons were flowing off your tongue for running across the city, you wasted no time packing back up your chosen belongings, leaving a lilac-coloured post-it note and making your way from the small apartment block you had stayed for almost two weeks.

After a short walk, a long bus ride, and another short walk, you made it to the fairly intimidating building on the other side of town. It must have been at least twenty floors high, and at certain angles, you couldn’t even see the top of the construction. “I wonder who got that unlucky office.” You laughed lightly to yourself - it was the first one in a short while, and perhaps it was because you were actually in an area, standing in front of a building that didn’t trigger deadly memories for elongated periods, that you could. Seeing other people enter through the main doors, you made your way through the first before seeing at least a hundred different guards standing next to numerous security machines. “Brilliant, fucking brilliant.” You sighed to yourself before beginning what was only going to be a tortuous hour or so.

Twelve security measures, three full-body scans and five bag x-rays later, you were finally allowed access to the sacred building that the family, once like family to you, stayed throughout the days of each week. Pulling your cross-body bag strap closer to you, you stood in front of a marbled desk that spread across the entire room. Behind it was a blonde, fairly young girl wearing a fairly revealing uniform, if you can even call it that.

“Hi, my name is Y/N Y/L/N - I was hoping to see Nikki or Dominic?” You bit your lip after expressing the request, before smiling softly to the receptionist who seemed unamused, glancing you up and down with judging eyes. Your hair was down, and you had dark blue jeans with a black blouse tucked into the top of them. A ring hung securely on your middle finger on your right hand, and blue Converse sat underneath your feet. “They’re busy.” She smiled sarcastically back to you, before looking back down to her computer and beginning to type something into the screen. “Oh, erm, do you know when they will be available?” You asked gently, cocking an eyebrow slightly at the hostility expressed to you so quickly from the woman, but all you got in response was a chuckle and continued obnoxious typing. “Am I missing something here? Aren’t you supposed to be a receptioni-,” you began to retaliate, before being interrupted with a cheery welcome from a familiar female voice behind the counter.

“Y/N! I am so glad you came!” Nikki practically yelled, before nodding towards a final security guard by the entrance to the open space behind the counter, causing the receptionist that had ‘greeted’ you to freeze and begin squirming in her seat. “Nikki, it is so good to see you.” You smiled towards her - which although was still weak, warmed Nikki’s heart as she wrapped you in a tight embrace. “I was actually just leaving, come come! We’ll take you straight home.” Your lips parted in surprise, but relief - this building was incredibly intimidating, and you could not wait to get to a house with a comfortable bed again. “Is anyone else coming with us?” You softly exclaimed, nodding in agreement to her previous idea and beginning to exit to a black car towards the side of the metal building. As you climbed into the seat gestured to you, she shook her head gently before uttering, “Not yet, the boys will meet us later once work is finished.”

Although you smiled towards her and nodded once again, clicking in your seatbelt and sitting back against the head-rest, you couldn’t help but gulp at the thought of Tom, Harry and Sam returning home tonight. You were looking forward to seeing Paddy and Dominic, but the others were a little nerve wracking. It had been years since you last properly encountered with the brothers, almost a decade with Tom specifically, and an adult reunitement was replaced with hushes, dangerous whispers and terrifying stories as the power was passed on through the family. You had no idea what to expect - what he looked like, what he sounded like, but more importantly, what he acted like.

Your thoughts, though, were quickly interrupted with eager chit-chat from Nikki about your life. Hobbies, aspirations and friends were a few of the topics quickly brought up, and soon enough, the car stopped and the car door beside you was being opened. As your shoes hit the pebbled floor, your eyes immediately hit the sight before you. A house, a mansion, laid before you, placed behind an extensive arrangement of flowers, plants and a breath-taking fountain. Before you could even fully capture and grasp the beauty of the exterior, Nikki was eagerly pulling you inside to show you the sights behind the entrance. Just when you thought you could not possibly see something prettier, you did. Firstly, the hallway was bigger than your parent’s home, and the bathroom was bigger than your friend’s apartment. The guest room - which Nikki now insisted was your room - took your breath away for the fourth time since arriving. A king-sized bed stood against the back wall, with oak-wood furniture, designer rugs and a dazzling chandelier surrounding it. You could definitely get used to this.

Tom had finally calmed down at the office, and was somewhat civil with his father after the argument earlier that day. However, Dom was yet to confess the sight he would see in the guest room later tonight, but as the brothers were laughing amongst themselves in the car-ride home, he decided against it. “You should have seen his face, Sam. Practically begging me to kill him quickly - they’re hitting a new low I tell you, they don’t even bother begging for their life anymore.” Tom laughed, before resting his hand behind his head and allowing the journey to return him to his safe space. The windows were heavily tinted, so only people who knew the official address to the residence could find the house, but Tom felt the car begin to drive over pebbles, alerting him he was about to reach home. Once he felt the car stop gently, he opened his door and began making his way to the entrance, his brothers and father following behind him, still smiling and joking amongst themselves over several topics. After greeting his Mum, grabbing something quick to eat and washing his hands briefly afterwards, he expressed he was going to change before making his way up the wooden, oak stairs which led to the variety of bedrooms on the upper floor.

As you used the following hours to slowly un-pack your bag; carefully hanging your clothes on silk-covered hangers and slotting them gently into your one, of many, wardrobes, you set out a pair of pyjamas during the process. After arranging the clothes and other essentials you brought with you, you realised how much everyone else in the house must own if they fill the space provided, before slipping on a pair of blush-pink pyjama shorts and a white t-shirt and brushing multiple knots that had formed in your hair during your arrival to the Holland home. As you sat with quiet music playing out of your phone speakers as you performed your nightly routine for sleep, you faced the wall, miming lyrics of your current favourite song, pulling the brush down in several areas.

Tom’s room was the last of all rooms, against the back wall of the floor. In a swift route towards it, he almost walked directly passed the guest room on the left side of the arrangement, but quiet music hit his left ear for a second. As soon as he heard the sounds, his feet halted, as he turned quickly to face the room that should have been empty. His mind immediately flew to the previous conversations he had uttered with his parents, and as his eyebrows raised and jaw tightened, he stepped closer to the doorway to get a better glimpse of the intruder in his home. As you were so in-touch with the song playing, specifically the lyrics being spoken, you initially overlooked the quiet footsteps that were now making their way into your room, one step at a time. After several steps onto the grey carpet, he could finally see the stranger in his home, and as his lips parted, with his fists clenched, ready to yell and shout, he quickly stopped his actions. His grip loosened, his eyebrows softened and his lips curved into a slow smirk.

“Well, shit, love. If I knew you looked like that, I would have carried you in myself.”

#mob!tom #mobster!tom #tom holland au #tom holland blurb #tom holland imagine #tom holland #tom holland series #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland x you #tom holland x y/n #tom holland x reader #peter parker x y/n #peter parker x you #peter parker x reader #peter parker imagine #spiderman #blurb

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hypnobyl · 5 years

Text

Just a short Supercat meet-cute au.

---

When the heavy storm clouds overhead finally broke, the rain pelted down like a broken pipe; that is to say, the splattering droplets all but exploded and seemed endless. Kara was ill-prepared for the rain, as she hadn’t bothered with the weather report that morning and had dressed only in a light sundress and flats. She held her purse over her head as she scrambled along the street, looking for refuge. The first open door she came to, she ducked inside. Grateful for the reprieve, she wiped the water away as best she could and took a hesitant look around.

A bookstore.

She smiled, the expression gentling her already soft features. As a child, places like this had been a safe haven from her troubles, woes, and worries. The death of her parents couldn’t reach her among the shelves. The fire that destroyed her home was a distant thought as she flipped through the books. She hadn’t been inside a bookstore in quite some time, for a variety of reasons, but she didn’t regret being there now.

A voice from the rear of the store caught her attention. Bold and commanding, the speaker demanded respect, and Kara drifted nearer. In the middle of the space was a selection of small two-seater tables and a few armchairs. Most of the seats were filled with women of various ages, and one toddler sat on the ground with a pile of blocks at their feet.

“You can’t simply say you liked it,” the blonde who stood by one table repeated, her sharp gaze fixed on a simpering middle-aged woman who held a book as a sort of shield between herself and the blonde. “I swear. How did any of you pass high school English?”

“I’m just saying that the characters were nice, and I liked the story.” The woman ventured a bit more: “We’re not writing essays, Catherine. I thought this was supposed to be a book club.”

Catherine stood very still, her eyes laser-focused on her prey. “Are you implying that book clubs are asinine in their content? That simply because we are not a formalized educational space we shouldn’t bother to think?”

The woman had nothing else to offer and so cowered back down. Kara took a step forward. “I think there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a book without analysis. Life is hard enough, don’t you think? Can’t someone just like something without having to prove why?”

Catherine’s eyes flicked lightning-fast to her face, and she felt utterly exposed. She fought the urge to cross an arm across her body self-consciously. Catherine had a way about her that all but screamed authority, and Kara flashed back to the nuns who taught at her middle school. A shiver ran down her spine, but she kept smiling all the same.

“You may do that in your own time,” Catherine replied. “But by coming to this book club, you’re looking for something more.”

Kara waved a hand and took a seat at the lone empty table. “I’m sorry to interrupt. Please, continue.”

After another moment of contemplative staring, Catherine turned back on her flock. “We’re about finished this week anyway. On Rebecca’s request, we’ll be reading Zora Elle’s newest novel, With Aplomb, for discussion next week. Do try to have thoughts about it.”

Kara stiffened at the announcement but quickly tried to relax. She wasn’t comfortable hearing people talk about her books, which was why she rarely did press junkets, never read reviews, and all but avoided online forums. She supposed there was some amount of serendipity that she’d wandered into a book club on the cusp of consuming her work. At least she wasn’t the topic of that particular meeting.

“Who are you?”

Knocked from her thoughts, Kara looked up at Catherine, who was much, much closer than before. Crisp green eyes looked back at her, and short, wavy blonde hair framed a wiry face. Catherine’s plush lips were pressed into thin line.

“Kara,” she managed, her tongue thick as her heart decided at that very moment that she wasn’t too old for crushes.

“Just Kara?”

“Danvers. Kara Danvers.”

“I see. And will you be joining us next week, Ms. Danvers?”

Kara shook her head, causing a few errant drops of water to scatter. “Oh, no. I was just trying to get out of the rain.”

“That’s a pity. No one stands up to me, not like you just did. You’d add a bit of life.” Catherine paused. “I’m sure you have interesting views on Elle’s novel, as well.”

Something heavy settled in Kara’s stomach; that felt like some sort of barely veiled insinuation--but that was impossible. Nobody knew her real identity, except for her best friend who helped build her pseudonym and cover. Winn wouldn’t have told anyone, she was positive about that. No, this conversation wasn’t about revealing her, which meant it sounded a little flirtatious. She swallowed several times.

“I guess I do have a unique perspective. On the book. I do.”

“You were much more eloquent earlier.”

Kara rubbed the back of her neck, feeling sheepish. “To be honest, I just felt pretty passionate at that moment. I spoke before…”

“Before?”

“Before I really got a good look at you.”

Catherine’s lips curl up into a rather devious smile. “Oh? Well, if you won’t come back for book club, I insist you join me for coffee, so you can provide me your very unique views.”

“Really?” Kara cleared the squeak from her throat. “Oh, yeah, sure. I could do that. Definitely. Um, want my number?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Should I just call you Catherine?”

“Cat is fine.”

Moments later, a text arrived on her phone, and she saved the incoming number as Cat (Hot Bookstore Lady) before tucking the device away once more. Then, excusing herself before she could say something embarrassing or potentially date-ruining, she said her goodbyes and headed back into the storm. Thankfully, it wasn’t much of a storm anymore, and she only got a sprinkling rather than a shower.

#supercat #short #meet cute au

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sachiwrites · 6 years

Note

I actually would really LOVE to see something about Crowley educating someone he sired. It would be great if you considered writing it!! Thank you so much ♥♥♥

the hardest thing about writing this vampire dynamic is projecting emotions without actually connecting them to sincerity. but thats also what makes this series to much fun to write for because there are a lot of moods for vampires to not harbor any.

anyway ! thank you very much for inspiring me. i hope this is up to your expectations

Was his smile…

You imagined it to be more painful. The changing that is. You’d read about it more than once, been warned about the debauched act enough times to fear the transition. In hindsight, it ended up being surprisingly temporal, though wasn’t soft by any means.

The sharpness of his fangs pierced you like any blade would have, drying a brief cry from your lips. He told you beforehand that it would be an exchange. An equal sharing of souls. Or perhaps this is where they were lost.

The agreement is unspoken and with little room for change when his hand finds the back of your head shortly after pulling away, already guiding you in instruction. He encourages you to bite hard, the notion of breaking the skin highly encouraged.

You suppose it’s then that you realize the first enthralled of the upcoming change. Even in the passions of bodies you’d never been able to inflict any damage, bit even the indent your teeth as evidence.

It’s still not a simple task. Rather than the smooth cut of butter it’s more like a bite of tough bread, a necessary addition of force Judy do find the right grip to tear away.

The first taste is bitter, not at all what he described or any indication sun if the supposed elixir all vampires praise. It’s metallic and the taste of copper rings on your tongue like a dropped coin. Yet there isn’t much to overwhelm your palate when so much is being washed over your tongue. In this moment it’s less about equal sharing and more about filling you up.

He means to drown out your humanity and leave nothing but the taste of himself in your essence.

The last time you wake up is to a glass of blood and a plate of fruit. Instinct drives you toward the later and the consequence is the opposite of the sweet blend you remember.

Crowley watches it all with a raise brow and an expectant smile. Amongst your hacking you reach for the glass, liking the intent of it to a cool glass of water to soothe your ache. The outcome is more than enough, the vicious red bleeding into your veins like a life stream. You finish the glass within moments but he doesn’t produce another instead offering a hand that you grip as you have many times before.

He doesn’t expect the grace of Horn or the unyielding force of Chess, but he does envision loyalty. It’s made apparent the most among other vampires. You may have upgraded from livestock but you’re still a step below the rest. You were a mere follower yes, but his follower.

He truly didn’t ask for much. Satisfied with his two aides, intrigue in Ferid’s whimsical stratagem and you. Was your devotion much more in comparison ?

It’s not a seemly transition from the notorious trinity to the expected quadruplet you were projected to create. Crowley was more reserved of your presence as a new vampire than he had been in your human identity. You had a place near him, but not quite at his side.

A place you’d earn, he informed you, with a bit of tutelage.

There was one thing you’d gotten wrong in your new life. Actual dirt tasted much worse than the equivalent you thought the once beloved human delicacies sampled of.

“You’re way too slow.”

The snarky snip of Chess’ voice sounded almost gravely as your conscious wavered briefly upon impact. She’d been relentless, no less than obedient under her Lord’s orders.

Eternity was already a forbidden gift, you suppose strength and stamina would have been a stretch even for the gods. Fortunately, or supposedly the opposite with how your body was straining under the training, Crowley was more than adamant on preparing you for the war to come.

He’d single-handedly seen to Chess and Horn’s lessons to develop them into his formidable left and right hand. The trio were already legends in the making, a historians dream of war and fatigue. Still, in between uneven breaths, you wondered; with two hands already accounted for, where did that leave you?

“She said you’re too slow. Why are you still lying around?”

Crowley was a picture of barely veiled disinterest, his crimson gaze already dulling behind the murky thoughts of schematics and strategies. He hadn’t even entertained the idea of bringing his sword along, the infamous companion likely lying haphazardly out of place in his office. At his side stood Horn, patiently waiting to intervene when advised.

Gritting your teeth, eventually your knees found their place beneath you and your feet following shortly. You certainly endured more than what you could have while still hanging on to humanity, but this was still a tier too many out of your league. You voiced as much with a bitter tongue,”I didn’t realize you were changing me to fight your war. If I wanted to be a soldier I could have done as much with my own kind.”

The fleeting glint of annoyance was your own warning before your back spasmed from a second impact, this one significantly more distressing with intent. While gloved, his grip was no less threatening, tightening gradually with every vexed word.

“I see I misinformed you of my tolerance of your brattiness in the past. You were too fragile to curb the habit without the misfortune of killing you. I won’t be as lenient from now on.”

His form takes up all the space from every angle, not that his gaze would allow you to focus on anything else. There is a tendril of fear, just a flickering reminder of the truth you already knew when you’d accepted this dance. One would think you did so blindly to so willingly fall in line with a vampire.

“Everyone has their use here. I will only give you so many chances to learn yours before I give up altogether.”

The courts were still a mystery to you. Not that you would have seen the inner structure even if you had been more versed. The hierarchical composition of the vampire race was becoming more complex than any of your former counterparts were aware of. Their numbers were small, but as a society they were a functioning force and there was no question of how they managed to enslave the world and reduce it to shambles.

“But if you’re a low-ranking vampire and I’m a low ranking-“

His voice is as cool as it is crisp, cutting off your speech. “I may be low amongst others but I have a rank. You have none.”

You’re both settled in his study, situated snug behind his desk while he overviews the current reports of the Progenitor Council. Horn and Chess left to their own devices hours ago, bored of their games and in seek of other alternatives. For a while you were torn, too transparent of the mundane lesson plans but craving his touch.

“Even as my sire?”

The history was murky but you suspected Ferid to be his sire by the associations they promoted. Amongst shared lineage they also harbored a near equivalent status. But apparently there were more steps slipped in your thought process.

His voice is bare to the stickiness of humor as it latches on to his words,”. You were but a human not long ago. You have much to climb.” Your curiosity permeates the air and his nose twitches at the stench. He cuddles you with a light kiss to your hair,” You’re mine. That’s a mighty social climb for any vampire this young. “

But you’d always been his, from the moment he ensnared your interest. A mere pet to most, but Crowley’s high regard for your existence spoke volumes with your transformation. You’d learned that the privilege of become a Sire was only predestined to those slated to be nobles. The knowledge made the silly childish free of being kidnapped and turned against your will nothing more than a scary story before bedtime.

They would much rather kill than sully their bloodline.

You watched as he discarded the report among the others, only losing sight of his hand for a short moment before you felt is curve under the line of your jaw.

“When I changed you, it was not without purpose. You will become someone worthy of my presence.”

“Easy, easy. I don’t care if they die but don’t make a mess.”

You refused to look them in the eye, not able to witness the sin of it even when you didn’t have the resolve to let go. Crowley had been meticulously with this lesson in particular, pulling strings in the shadows without your knowledge.

It had always been possible for you to obtain your own food in his manor. It never came from the source but a glass was only a request away. Still you suppose you’d gotten spoiled by the luxury, only receiving when it was offered directly from his hand. It was pure ignorance that subdued the infrequency that lead to your near starvation until a new spring was presented before you.

Crowley had guided you without instruction, silencing the warm body with a simple look. Without words, incomprehensible whimpers were fictitious in contrast the roar of your hunger. They didn’t have a face or a family. It was almost too much to even consider them human.

His unreserved touch is at your throat, coaxing the red essence down without a battle

The habitual warmth of mankind never felt so foreign, even as it ran cold.

It would take some time, but Crowley would mold you into a vampire fit to stand at his side.

Even if it made you a monster too.

- was his smile ….

always so cruel?

#phen0l #owari no seraph imagines #crowley eusford x reader #crowley eusford imagines #seraph of the end scenarios

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duhragonball · 6 years

Text

[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (97/?)

Disclaimer: This story features characters and concepts based on Dragon Ball, which is a trademark of Bird Studio/Shueisha and Toei Animation. This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made on this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don’t archive it without my permission. Don’t be shy.

Continuity Note: About 1000 years before the events of Dragon Ball Z.

Previous chapters conveniently available here.

[16 June, 234 Before Age. Planet Shenia]

The military of Planet Shenia was formidable, much more so than would be expected for a planet considered insignificant by the major galactic powers. Centuries ago, Shenia was a client state of the Camelian Empire, and used as a buffer against a rival power, the Qophean Khanate. Decades later, the balance of power shifted, and the border moved, and Camelia withdrew from Shenia. But the people of Shenia had not forgotten their vigilance against foreign invasion. Their armies were well-trained and well-armed, and rumors of their ki techniques were enough to frighten away would-be raiders. One of Shenia's national holidays celebrated a time when they defended their world against a Saiyan invader, and prevailed.

This time, however, Shenia was visited by two Saiyans, and the outcome was not as favorable. A week later, the entire Shenian parliament was captured, and they quickly surrendered. Over the next several days, a ransom payment was assembled to pay the Saiyans to leave the planet peacefully. A portion of this was converted into a sort of expense account, which the Saiyans used to pay for meals and souvenirs while they enjoyed Shenia's nightlife.

"Look at this," Seltiss asked as she twirled around in a dress she had just purchased. The price tags still dangled from the hem as she showed it off. "I thought it was sequins, but it's actually some kind of fiber optic technology, so when the lighting changes..."

The discotheque's lighting included a number of lasers and other devices to shine an array of colors onto the patrons. Seltiss was sticking close to the bar, but she stepped just slightly to one side so a passing strobe light could flash onto her clothes. Her dress refracted and shifted the frequency of this light, producing a vivid pattern of oranges and violets.

Sitting at the bar, Xibuyas could only stare and nod awkwardly. To everyone else in the club, they were just unusual-looking humanoid, not so different from the Shenians themselves. To the bartender serving them meals, they were just a couple of rowdy adolescents. But to Xibuyas, the teenage girl standing before him was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. The dress had nothing to do with it.

"It's nice," he muttered, and then he looked away to take another piece of fish from his bowl.

"Everything's so colorful here," Seltiss said. “Not like Planet Saiya at all. Dad would flip out if he saw me wearing anything but royal blue. And the academy on Protef is even worse, if you can believe it. Four options in their dress code, and all four are drab earth tones. And they wondered why I dropped out."

Xibuyas said nothing. For what it was worth, he liked her school uniforms, with their pleated skirts and the crisp sharp lines of their starched suit jackets. They made her look very cosmopolitan, unlike the handful of other Saiyan females he had encountered in his young life. Most of them were caregivers or teachers, middling warriors who only attended to his upbringing because they lacked the talent to do anything important on their own.

Seltiss was different. His instructors and King Rehval had told him that he would be married to her when they were of age, and he had absorbed this information like any other dry fact they had taught him. But Seltiss herself was so much more than a princess of the Saiyans. She was smart and funny and mischievous, and completely unafraid of anything. She was the only Saiyan he knew who routinely disobeyed the king.

And she really liked him. She wasn't just using him for his power, the way her father did. His power was important to her plans, true, but she spent time with him, and complimented him, and told him things that she never told anyone else.

"What's eating you, Xibuyas?" she asked. "Don't tell me you're still sore about your fight with Luffa."

He didn't know how to answer that, so he changed the subject. "Would your father still let us marry, Seltiss? I failed him, and he knows not that I survived that battle. I doubt that he would be relieved to find that I survived."

"Oh, is that all?" Seltiss said. She approached him and patted his cheek, causing him to wince with embarrassment. "Take it easy, Xibuyas. Public displays of affection are normal for most civilizations. You don't have to be so stuffy all the time."

But he did. It helped him stay focused, especially around her. King Rehval had great plans for him. He was destined to become the king of the Saiyans, and through Seltiss, King Xibuyas' descendants would rule their people through centuries of prosperity. It was a glorious opportunity, and he found it much less overwhelming when he used formal speech, and carried himself like he mighty warrior he was expected to be. A mask of false pride to hide the cracks in his confidence.

What frustrated him was that he couldn't even use royal address with Seltiss, because she had commanded him not to. "Princess Seltiss was never here," she had explained. "As far as the universe knows, we're just two anonymous Saiyan raiders."

It hadn't really been a command. More like instructions for her plan. He loved that about her too. Seltiss respected him, and what little regal bearing she had, she dropped it completely with him. He didn't know if that was because she loved him back, or because she saw him as a fellow royal due to their engagement.

"Why don't we get some air?" Seltiss offered. "You don't look like you're in the mood to dance."

He sighed with relief. Sometimes she seemed to understand him better than he knew himself. After a few minutes to settle their bill, they walked outside together, though Seltiss stubbornly held onto his arm the whole way.

*******

The night air helped improve his disposition a little, and getting away from the crowd made a bigger difference than he would have expected. Normally, he craved every moment alone with Seltiss that he could get, but things were different now.

"So what's up, Xibuyas?" Seltiss asked as they flew. "You can tell me."

"It's difficult to put into words, your h-- er, Seltiss," he said.

"Good catch," Seltiss said. "You were great the other day, you know that? The way you tore through the Shenian fleet..."

"I could have done it faster," he said.

"Don't be so hard on yourself," she said. "You're the strongest Saiyan alive! The strongest Saiyan who ever lived, I bet."

"I wasn't stronger than Luffa," he grumbled.

"Well, she's not really a Saiyan, right?" Seltiss replied.

"That is what your father always told me," Xibuyas said. "Suppose... well, what if he was... wrong?"

"You think she's really one of us?" Seltiss asked.

"I don't know," Xibuyas said. "But she... seemed Saiyan enough. I don't mean her eyes and hair, but the way she moved. Her scent and the sound of her voice. It was much easier to believe her a fraud before I faced her in battle."

"Okay, but what difference does it make if she’s a Saiyan or not?" Seltiss asked. "She's still an enemy of the crown, the one you'll be wearing one of these days."

"You're so certain of that," Xibuyas said. "Your father has other heirs to choose from. One of your sisters, or perhaps he'll have another child in the future."

"You forget how stubborn my dad can be," Seltiss said. "He likes to pretend that he's flexible, but once he makes up his mind, he's pretty much locked in." She pointed at herself and smiled. "You're not his only pet project, you know."

They landed on the beach of an island that happened to catch Seltiss's fancy, and she took off her boots so she could feel the sand between her toes as they walked.

"My father had it all worked out since before I was born," she explained. "He used some special system to test Saiyan women, then he picked one that would give him the best heir. That was my mother. He tinkered with me the whole time I was in the incubation tank. I couldn't tell you what he did, but it was all for the sake of making me his ideal successor. That's what I've been hearing my whole life. My sisters are just Plan B. I'm the one he put the most work into. He made me smarter than all of them. Don't ask me how."

She suddenly drew back her fist and tried to punch him in the jaw, but he blocked it with his open palm. Seltiss grinned and shook her head.

"I'm not very strong, but dad doesn't seem worried about that. My children will be stronger, he tells me, as long as their father has the right genes. That's where you come in, tough guy."

"I never even knew my parents," Xibuyas said. "King Rehval told me I was gifted with a strong bloodline, but he still used his potions to make me even stronger."

"You must have something about you," Seltiss said. "Otherwise, he wouldn't be marrying you off with me. Don't you see, Xibuyas? I know you’re grateful to him and all, but in the end, he needs us more than we need him."

She threw her arms around his neck, and for a brief, nerve-wracking moment, he thought that she might kiss him. She only smiled instead, and he wasn’t sure if he was relieved or disappointed.

"At least, he needs us until we give him a litter of grandchildren," she said. "So in the meantime, we're pretty much free to do whatever we please."

"And this is what pleases you?" he asked. “Invading a backwater planet and playing tourist?”

"I studied military tactics for a semester," Seltiss said. "This is the first time I've gotten to put it into practice. I always wanted to conquer my own planet, but I was hoping you'd enjoy it. You've been so depressed ever since the battle on Pflaume."

This time she really did lean in to kiss him, and he backed away from her, a little more forcefully than he would have liked.

"Xibuyas, what's wrong?" Seltiss asked. "What happened between you and Luffa?"

"Nothing!" he lied. The look in her dark brown eyes told him that his response was a mistake. Seltiss was the smartest person he knew, with the possible exception of her father. And she knew him much better than her father.

"There can't be any secrets between us," she said. "It's just you and me against the galaxy, remember? Dad isn't going to look out for us beyond his own needs, and the rest of the universe thinks we're a couple of brainless savages."

"I know," he said quietly. That was exactly why he didn't want to tell her.

"Whatever it is," we'll deal with it together," Seltiss assured him. "I'm the brains of this outfit, remember?"

For a long monent, he struggled with his indecision, and then he finally mumbled: "Very well. The truth is that..."

But before he could say another word, the ground beneath them exploded.

"Saiyans!" a voice cried out. "I never expected to find creeps like you on Shenia, but I guess I could use the workout!"

When the dust settled, they could finally see their visitor hovering twenty feet above them. It was an alien, insectoid in appearance, though its lower body resembled the tail of a massive serpent.

"Where did you come from?" Seltiss asked. Before she could get an answer, Xibuyas stepped in front of her.

"Careful," he warned her. "it's stronger than it looks."

"Smart boy," the alien said. "And to answer the female's question, my name is Clondique. You might call me a superhero. I'm kind if a big deal in this sector."

"I've never heard of you," Seltiss said.

Clondique shrugged all four of her shoulders. "I knew that publicist was a waste of money. Well, take my word for it, I was a major player in this part of the galaxy. Came to Shenia for my third metamorphosis, wanted someplace nice and peaceful while I chilled out for eighty years, and I wake up to find the whole planet's been conquered? By a couple of kids?"

"I'm more than a match for a talking eyesore like you," Xibuyas replied. "If it's a fight you crave, I'll--"

He took two steps toward Clondique, and then Seltiss called out to him.

"Hold it, Xibuyas!" she said. "I'll handle her myself."

"What?" Xibuyas asked.

But she had already removed her dress, revealing the pink leotard she normally wore in combat situations. She looked up at Clondique and smiled.

"You may be stronger than me, but I'm as much a Saiyan as you are," she said. "This guy wants a workout, and so do I."

"Your boyfriend is right, kid," Clondique said. "You shouldn't take me so lightly."

"Prove it," Seltiss demanded.

*******

Clondique's power was substantial, but this wasn't Seltiss' main concern. She knew Xibuyas would step in if she appeared to be in any real danger. The real challenge was getting him to open up to her, and she believed she could accomplish that through battle.

She and Xibuyas were the same age, though the chronology of their young lives was distorted by her father's use of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. It allowed beings to enter another dimension where time flowed at a faster rate. On different occasions, King Rehval had sent Seltiss into the Chamber to focus her studies, and to hone her combat skills with different instructors. Xibuyas, on the other hand, had spent most of his life inside the Chamber. He had been a baby when Seltiss first met him three years ago, but each time she saw him after that, he was always a little bit taller, and a great deal stronger. Her father saw him as little more than a breeding stock, but he also wanted to use him as an enforcer. More than four-fifths of his life had been devoted solely to mastering the art of war.

And so, as Seltiss charged after Clondique and exchanged blows with the alien, it was with the hope that she could reach him in a language Xibuyas would understand better than words.

Clondique's chitinous fists managed to connect with her a few times, though Seltiss managed to recover and back away before taking too much of a beating. She responded with a hail of energy bullets from the palm of her right hand, but Clondique was able to avoid them with astonishing ease.

She had her suspicions about what was bothering the boy, and with some clever manipulation, she was sure she could trick him into revealing enough information for her to figure the rest out without him even realizing it. But that would defeat the point, which was to convince him that he should confide in her no matter what.

"Hold still, you little--!" Clondique griped as she chased after her through the air. Seltiss had no intention of standing her ground until she knew exactly what she was up against. Until then, she danced around Clondique, a avoiding her offense as well as she could, and only fighting back when it was safe to do so.

The message she wanted to send was this: I'm a Saiyan warrior like you. We share the same passions, the same longing for combat. Xibuyas already knew this, but Seltiss liked to remind him from time to time. Besides, she really did enjoy fighting, even if Clondique might not have been her first choice for an opponent.

The alien swung her tail at Seltiss and for a split-second, Seltiss thought she had successfully avoided the strike. Then she sensed the ki energy welling up in Clondique's body, and Seltiss had to dodge again, barely escaping a volley of ki blasts from Clondique's hands. Then the tail swiped at her again, and Seltiss found herself regretting that most of her combat training had been with humanoid sparring partners.

After a few minutes, Seltiss decided she had enough of Clondique's measure to risk striking back, only to find that she had miscalculated. Clondique could block with two hands, fight with two more, and use the tail either way. This would only be a minor challenge if the two of them were evenly matched, but Seltiss was beginning to notice that Clondique's power level had been steadily rising as they fought. The alien had been holding back, or perhaps she just needed time to warm up.

Seltiss resorted to an explosive wave, more out of a growing sense of desperation than any calculated plan. She preferred to stick to a script, and while she had planned to look vulnerable against Clondique, she was turning out to be more vulnerable than she had expected. Pink ki energy blasted out from the young Saiyan's body in all directions, just as Clondique tried to catch her between her fists and her serpentine tail. Seltiss didn't expect it to stop Clondique, but it would at least guarantee some breathing room for--

And then Clondique grabbed her anyway.

"Cute trick," Clondique said. Using one pair of arms, she locked Seltiss in a full nelson, and she used her lower arms to grab hold of Seltiss' ankles. Seltiss wondered why Clondique hadn't used her tail instead, and then Clondique curled it forward until the tip of her tail was aimed at Seltiss' head, and it began to glow.

"You bit off more than you could chew, kiddo," Clondique said. "Happens to everybody, sooner or later."

Seltiss struggled against Clondique's grip, but it was no use. It was only now, at this close range, that she could sense just how strong the alien really was. She wasn't entirely sure if even Xibuyas could win.

Clondique's tail glowed brighter. "This won't kill you," the alien explained, "although when you wake up, you'll probably wish it had. Energy venom packs a hell of a hangover, but I can't risk you trying something stupid while I tackle your boyfriend down there."

Suddenly, Seltiss' morale brightened considerably. "It'll take more than your puny attack to kill a Saiyan!" she shouted defiantly.

"Didn't you hear me?" Clondique asked. "I just said I'm not going to kill you."

Seltiss struggled against Clondique's grip, though she knew it was pointless. "Even if you could destroy me, Xibuyas would avenge me!" she shouted.

"What is your damage, kid?" Clondique asked. "The fight's over. You think that yokel down there can save you? I can tell he's no match for--"

Without warning, Xibuyas transformed. Seltiss didn't really know what to call it. His aura glowed bright yellow, and his hair stood up. His eyes glowed solid white, and his muscles seemed to expand a little. Seltiss had never seen the Legendary Super Saiyan in action before, but from what she had heard, Xibuyas' power increase bore some resemblance to Luffa's other form...

Suddenly, it dawned on Seltiss. It had been right in front of her the whole time.

But before she could give the matter any thought, Xibuyas had already launched himself at Clondique, and severed all four of the alien's arms, freeing Seltiss immediately.

Clondique barely had time to register what was happening. Her energy venom attack was still charging, and when her arms were injured, she instinctively fired, though Xibuyas swatted this bolt of ki aside with a wave of his hand. With his other hand, he fired a ki blast of his own, which tore through Clondique's torso, killing her instantly.

Seltiss found that Clondique's severed hands still had a powerful grip, but without any ki to amplify it, it took only a moment's exertion for Seltiss to shake them off her arms and legs. When she looked up, she saw that the battle was already over.

Only Xibuyas wasn't finished.

With a loud roar, he released all his pent-up aggression and directed it at Clondique's body. The barrage of ki blasts was as relentless as it was pointless. Clondique was already dead. Within three seconds, the body was damaged beyond recognition. Within five seconds, the remains of Clondique had been completely reduced to ash and vapor. Xibuyas kept firing for another fifteen seconds after that. Fortunately for everyone on Planet Shenia, he had angled his fire away from the planet, so that his blasts would head for outer space instead of damaging the planet, though Seltiss couldn't tell if that was a conscious decision or if it was just from the habits drilled into him from his combat training.

When he finally calmed down, Seltiss approached him. She was cautious, but cheerful nonetheless. Her plan had nearly backfired, but it had all worked out in the end.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"That filthy thing was going to kill you!" Xibuyas shouted. He turned to face her, and as he reverted to his normal appearance, she could see tears in his eyes.

"I had the situation under control, babe."

"I never should have let you fight her alone!" he said. "I almost got you killed, and then--!"

He didn't finish the thought, but she could guess the rest. Whatever he was keeping from her, however heavy the burden, at least he had the option to share it with her. But if she were killed, the he would have no choice but to carry that weight alone, for whom else could he tell?

"Luffa," he finally said after a long pause.

"What's she got to do with anything?" Seltiss asked innocently. She had a pretty good idea by now, but she needed him to say it.

"She said... she said that she was my mother," Xibuyas replied.

Seltiss pretended to be shocked, though in truth she had suspected this ever since the battle on Pflaume. Xibuyas was born around the same time Luffa became a Super Saiyan, and his powers had a certain similarity. Besides, it made no sense for Luffa to have defeated Xibuyas without killing him. She knew little about Luffa, but Seltiss couldn't believe that Luffa would show mercy to such an implacable enemy.

"Your mother?" she asked with a gasp.

"I couldn't believe it at first," Xibuyas said. "I still don't, but... What if it's true? What if she truly is an alien? That would make me..."

It would make him unworthy of her father's breeding plans. That was the missing piece. Seltiss had known from the beginning that King Rehval never would have bothered with Xibuyas as an heir without first confirming his bloodline. But Xibuyas didn't know how thorough her father was about these things, and being an orphan probably caused him to question his self-esteem from time to time.

Well, that was easy enough to fix. Seltiss could explain it to him. If Luffa really was his mother, it only proved that Luffa was a genuine Saiyan herself. Her father must have known all this.

And that could work to her advantage. If Rehval's goal was to marry Luffa's bloodline with his own, then he needed Xibuyas even more than she had ever imagined. By comparison, Seltiss was somewhat expendable--one of her sisters would do in a pinch--but Xibuyas... he was irreplaceable.

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately before he could push her away. To her surprise, he returned her embrace. It made sense. Before, he had been worried that he wasn't worthy to of her intimacy, but now that he had told her...

"It doesn't matter," she said when she finally pulled away from his lips. "You and I, what we have, it's more important than family or pedigrees."

She could have told him why it didn't matter, that it really was a non-issue, but she needed him to believe that she was being gracious instead of practical. If Xibuyas really was indispensable to her father, then she needed to make herself indispensable to him.

"Seltiss--!" was all he could say.

"We'll figure something out," Seltiss said. "If it turns out to be true, then we might be able to use it to our advantage, but it doesn't change what's between us. Got it?"

"Of... of course, my lady," he stammered. "You... you are the brains of this outfit, as you put it."

She smiled and kissed him again. "Smart boy," she said. "Now, let's go get some dinner, and then I want to go shopping one more time."

"Don't you have enough clothes already?" Xibuyas asked.

"Not for me, for you," Seltiss said. "We're meeting the Prime Minister tomorrow to go over our ransom inventory, and I want you to look your best..."

*******

[17 June, 234 Before Age.. Planet Shenia.]

"You're welcome to check the manifest yourself, of course," the minister said.

The Prime Minister of Shenia had a rather spacious office, primarily to accommodate press events and conferences. He rarely hosted diplomatic envoys, due to Shenia’s isolation from the rest of the galaxy, though there was enough furniture for about two dozen ambassadors. In spite of this, Seltiss took a seat on the corner of his desk, while Xibuyas stood behind his chair, looming over him with a menacing glower.

"No need for that," Seltiss said. She slapped the paperwork with the back of her hand and made a satisfied nod. "This all looks to be in order. You could forge a lot of these documents, but not the tonnage of the shipments themselves, and the ones Xibuyas and I spot-checked looked to be in order. Besides, none of it's leaving Shenia anyway."

"I don't... what?" the minister asked.

"Xibuyas and I will just bury it in the desert. Later on, we'll parcel it out to you and the other ministers as a reward for your compliance."

"Madam Saiyan, I don't understand," the minister said, trying to contain his growing panic. "You said you would leave Shenia once we paid this ransom."

"That's what I want the rest of the galaxy to think," she explained. "If anyone visits Shenia and sees the aftermath of our invasion, I want them to think it was a couple of Saiyan raiders who took off once they got their plunder. That way, no one will know we're still here, ruling the planet in secret."

"But why?" the minister asked.

"Because I need a base of operations," Seltiss said. "And if I conquered a planet outright, certain parties might come along to try to stop me. If my father knew I was here, doing this, he'd probably kill me. Well maybe not kill me, but he'd totally flip out."

"This isn't what we agreed," the minister protested.

"Oh, it's close enough," Seltiss insisted. "Xibuyas and I will keep a low profile. Your government will still control the planet, but you'll be taking orders from us. Don't worry, we'll try to stay out of your way. I'd suggest a special task force to handle our needs, but if you'd rather meet with me directly, that's no problem."

The minister was sweating now. "You can't just renege on our agreement!" he said. "Our army can still fight--!"

"Oh, please," Seltiss said. "Do you think I picked this place at random? Your warriors gave us a good workout, but you Shenians are practical enough to know when you're beaten. Xibuyas could have destroyed your entire military, but we need it to maintain this ruse of mine. Your ancestors were realistic enough to cooperate with the Camelians, and you're sensible enough to cooperate with me."

"Then why didn't you just tell us all this when we asked for terms of surrender?" he asked. "If you were so sure we'd capitulate, why bother having us assemble a ransom at all?"

"That's easy," Seltiss explained. "I asked for the ransom to see if you'd actually follow my instructions." She held up the manifest and waved it at him. "This right here proves you're willing to play along, and that you're not foolish enough to try to call for help or rat me out to my father. You know Xibuyas can destroy this planet, and it's worth putting up with us for a while to make sure that doesn't happen."

The minister lowered his head and groaned. "What are you kids going to do with our planet?" he asked.

"Oh, not much, minister," Seltiss said. "You've been gracious hosts to Xibuyas and me, so I thought we might invite over some friends..."

NEXT: The Adventure of Bred

#dragon ball #fanfiction #lssjluffafic #shenia #xibuyas #seltiss #clondique

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rebakadraws · 6 years

Text

The Fox and the Hounds (pt 1?!)

My @inusecretsanta for @avannak !! Honestly I had never known about you before, so, nice to meet you fellow Inuyasha (and furthermore, Koga) fan!

The first prompt you had listed was ya bois Inuyasha, Koga, and Shippo interacting together, and that had really excited me, because I’ve actually thought about and really like the idea of these three’s dynamic! To anyone who knows me it might come as a surprise that I didn’t just draw something for your gift, but, well, your prompt that caught my eye inspired an idea for an entire story plot, so, I couldn’t help trying my hand at a fic this time! Unfortunately for me though, I was a bit.. too inspired, so this turned out rather long and like the title says, this is only part 1! Because I’m posting this first half to be in time for the SS, without a deadline anymore I can’t guarantee when the second part will be finished... But I’ve still got the ideas for the scenes of the second half so I am determined to finish it for you! ...Someday XD. Anyway, yeah! I hope you had a very merry Christmas and I hope your 2018 has been awesome so far! Enjoy!~

Rated: K+ for a couple mild-swears in there (GASP I’m breaking out of my shell I guess cOUGH thanks Kat lol) Word Count: 4965 |D Disclaimer: This story is told through the eyes of Shippo, and so the negative descriptions towards Inuyasha and Koga are based on his opinion, not my own. I love... basically all the characters in this great anime! The only character I would ever talk about negatively is Naraku pfff.

It had decidedly been Shippo’s most favorite toy, a truly unique gift from Kagome’s own time, even. The priceless pull-string-operated propeller toy from the future now found its final resting place on the grass, wronged and rendered completely useless, its string having been ripped from the toy’s base. The injustice had occured in a mere matter of seconds, but Shippo had seen the crime committed with his own two eyes. He turned said eyes up accusingly at the culprit standing before him.

Inuyasha blinked, and brought his fist of detached string up to his vision, his mind finally catching up with what had just transpired. “Ah jeez, I pulled too hard on it, huh? Sorry, runt.”

Forcing back tears for the broken trinket, Shippo pouted indignantly at the hanyou, finding that he did not fully believe his clearly facaded innocence. “Inuyasha! Don’t you act surprised! You did this on purpose!!”

Now Inuyasha raised an eyebrow, before squatting down to the young fox-youkai’s level. “An’ why in the hell would I have done this on purpose?” he responded, his face narrowing into an unconvinced look.

“Because,” the boy huffed, “You’re always bullying me! I bet that you got so annoyed at me shooting the toy up near your face, that you decided to take matters into your own hands, and put an end to it!”

Tk! The nerve a’ this kid, coming up with a conspiracy to accuse me—! Didn’t he hear me so graciously apologize?!, Inuyasha thought. It was true that he had been ticked off by Shippo’s antics with the toy earlier, but jeez, what did the kid take him for? A ruthless savage?

(That was exactly what little Shippo took him for, and was currently cursing him as, in the seclusion of his own young mind.)

From Inuyasha’s less-emotionally-charged perspective, what had legitimately taken place was as such:

Only minutes ago, the hanyou had come to fetch Shippo as their traveling group was preparing to trek the unbeaten path again; he had found the fox tyke still incessantly playing with his new toy from Kagome. The boy had looked so focused on the device, however, that Inuyasha had inquired, “Hey Shippo, whatcha up to over here?”

“Ah, Inuyasha! I’m trying to make the spinner go as high into the air as possible! My record is up to that tree branch right there,” Shippo had answered in pure boyish excitement, with a finger pointed upward to a specific tree limb.

“Keh, as high as possible, huh? Give it here, runt.”

From what Inuyasha had seen, Shippo’s teal eyes had lit up in supposed understanding — the elder hanyou’s superior strength could rip on the string so hard, that the spinner would go soaring! — so the boy then eagerly handed the toy to him. Inuyasha’s mouth had lifted into a confident smirk, and he indeed yanked on the string with all his might… forgetting to consider that pulling the string so ruthlessly hard would surely snap it clean off of the toy.

It had been a complete accident, and this twerp knows it! “Keh, some conspiracy ya got there! Didntchya hear me say ‘sorry’ for it, ya pea-brain—”

Both youkais paused their bickering when their sensitive ears picked up familiar footsteps approaching. They turned to see Kagome emerging from the brush, holding an overgrown-branch out of her way as she gingerly navigated through the forest foliage, over to the two boys. “What’s going on over here, Inuyasha, Shippo?” They recognized her tone as her ‘mother-hen’ voice, patiently yet firmly prodding for information. “I heard arguing.”

In a flash, Shippo scampered across the leaf-litter and up into the comfort of Kagome’s arms. He finally allowed the wetness to pool up at the corners of his eyes in order to clearly demonstrate his distress, and cried out his explanation, “Kagome! Inuyasha broke my new toy that you gave to me!!”

Her thin eyebrows furrowed in seriousness as she looked up at the accused. “Inuyasha, is that true?”

Shippo cut back in before Inuyasha could defend himself. “Yeah, it’s true! He even did it on purpose!!”

Kagome turned her gaze back down to the distressed fox-boy in her arms. “Now Shippo, I’m sure that Inuyasha didn’t mean it on purpose. But Inuyasha,” again she switched the focus of her gaze, “did you break it?”

As her chocolate-brown eyes, patient, calm, and yet in the depths of them chastising, were pinned down onto him, Inuyasha found himself hesitating to answer. God, how stupid would he look to her if she learned how carelessly he had accidentally broken a kid’s toy? He could already envision the weird look she would give him! So — as it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks — the hanyou instinctively resorted to the one strategy nailed the hardest into his head: self-preservation. He covertly concealed his fistful of evidence behind his back before releasing the pull-string to drop to the ground. “Keh, of course not! I ain’t that thoughtless! Shippo here broke his own damn toy.”

Shippo’s bleary eyes widened and a small gasp of disbelief escaped his lips. That Inuyasha—! That— that big, stinking jerk, lying like that! How could he do this to me; after breaking my favorite toy, too?! His eyes flickered panickedly to Kagome’s own, staring back down at him. “He—! He’s lying!! He broke my toy, I saw it with my own eyes!”

“Shippo…”

“Y’know what I saw, runt?” Inuyasha said, as he crossed his arms and turned away huffily, “I saw an overly-excited twerp pullin’ on his toy’s string too hard, until it gave out an’ snapped!”

“I wasn’t the one who snapped the string, you’ve got to believe me, Kagome!” Shippo’s eyes pleaded with the girl cradling him; his shimmering tears threatened to pool over and freely flow down his young cheeks.

“Oh, ya didn’t, didya? Didn’t I hear ya say t’ me, ‘I’m trying ta make the spinner go as high in the air as possible’?”

He was being wronged, framed! How could Kagome, ever-wise and perfectly-just, possibly believe such lies from the guilty face of that, dirty scoundrel?! In that moment Shippo put every ounce of his belief into her natural, motherly ability to sniff out lies... And yet her gaze hardened on him. “Shippo… I know you’re upset about your toy, but you really shouldn’t be taking it out on Inuyasha.”

“W-what..?” he squeaked out weakly, not believing what he was hearing.

Kagome tilted her chin upward, closing her eyes as she held up a finger, looking as though she was reciting some line of ancient wisdom, as she said, “Acting like an adult means taking responsibility for your own mistakes.” Inuyasha sniffed arrogantly and turned his face away from Kagome. “Keh, yeah.”

“I’m very disappointed in you, Shippo. I suppose that next time I return home, I’ll have to refrain from buying you another toy, if you’re proven to not be responsible enough for them.”

Shippo’s small head whipped back and forth between the faces of his judge and jury absolute disbelief. But as the reality of Kagome’s statement sunk in, he paused. His protruding bottom lip began to quiver as he bit down on it, until… Shippo finally lost his composure with an explosion of distress, letting out a sharp wail and allowing the tears to fly from his eyeducts. He hopped out of Kagome’s arms and fled from the suffocating scene of utter betrayal, choking out, “It’s not fair, it’s not fair!!”

The two grown teenagers left behind watched after the fleeing boy; Kagome shaking her head with a sigh, and Inuyasha holding his nose in the air pointedly (although, admittedly a twinge of guilt ran through him).

It’s not fair it’s not fair it’s not fair—!!, Shippo’s mind ran out in protest. How could Kagome believe Inuyasha over himself? It was simply because he was a grown-up, while Shippo was a kid, wasn’t it? But that didn’t really count for anything — Shippo knew that, at least! Out of the two of them, he was definitely more mature and trustworthy than that Inuyasha; that rude, ungrateful, two-timer, who didn’t even understand his own feelings! That Inuyasha who had so little control over his temper, that he took it out on sweet, innocent little boys such as himself?! How could Kagome trust a guy like that?! Shippo’s raging mind kept circling back to the same conclusion: It wasn’t fair!

~~~

A calm, crisp night had come and gone, but it had done nothing to quell little Shippo’s fury. His frustration had kept him from a peaceful sleep, rendering the fox-youkai even more irritable, even as he now perched on Sango’s shoulder while their comrades continued their journeying. As the elder teenagers commented on the scenery and joked to pass the time, Shippo was too lost in his aggravated whirlwind of thoughts to pay any attention to them.

Ever since that fateful day when he had first encountered Inuyasha and Kagome in their travels, Inuyasha had harassed and insulted him. He had been the cause of a great many of Shippo’s frustrations, teary outbursts, bumps to the head, and loss of snacks… But this — breaking his new favorite toy, and then not even having the decency to own up to it, consequently getting Shippo in trouble — this had been the last straw! Everything before this had only been meager actions of pettiness meant to mess with him, but now, now that Inuyasha had purposefully, traitorously, gotten him into trouble with Kagome? That was it! There was only one possible response to this, and it rang out clearly: revenge. Sweet, sweet revenge. Obviously Shippo had no other option but to teach Inuyasha a lesson — one that would put an end to his reign of tyranny for good.

But how?

Inuyasha was bigger than him, stronger than him, faster than him, and had keener senses than him — it had always made Shippo an easy target for his brutality, and any time Shippo had made attempts to get back at him in the past, Inuyasha always got the last laugh regardless. He didn’t think he could rely on his fox magic for this mission of grand justice, because his signature tricks and illusions would be a dead giveaway of their conjuror to Inuyasha. No, this time he required some other way to get his revenge — some round-a-bout, discreet way that wouldn’t point a trail back to himself, for a furious Inuyasha to—

His scheming was abruptly interrupted by a sharp, familiar scent having been thrust into his nose by a gust of wind. Shippo inwardly groaned as the rest of the group took notice of the sudden wind and turned around to face its source. As if his mood wasn’t already soured enough, now he had to watch this arrogant, run-through-the-motions display?

“Hey there, Kagome,” said the source of the wind and pungent scent, their ally, Koga.

Shippo didn’t even need to see it in front of him to know that Koga was already up in Kagome’s personal space, snatching up her gentle hands in his rougher ones.

“H-hello, Koga..,” Kagome greeted him back, with just a hint of awkwardness. “What brings you here?”

The wolf-youkai chuckled, the rumbling sound absolutely dripping with cockiness, before he answered, “I need a reason to come see my woman?”

Shippo wrinkled up his nose in distaste. Koga had spared his life once, so, the boy couldn’t find it in himself to hate the guy; but that did not stop him from labeling the wolf-youkai as an arrogant moron. How could he not see that Kagome’s friendliness towards him was nothing special — only her characteristic kindness that she freely offered to everyone? Even that jerk Inuyasha could recognize.. at least some of her feelings! Speaking of which…

Like clockwork, after only a couple of sentences input from Koga, a clawed-hand ripped his hands away from Kagome’s before shoving the youkai away from her. “Hell yeah ya need a reason, there’s no woman of yours here!!”

As the same scene they had witnessed countless times replayed once more, the uninvolved members of the party stood back and searched for a place to sit, where they would wait for the routine cycle to run its course. While Sango found a comfortable place to sit against a log, Shippo hopped off of his seat on her shoulder to make his way over to Kagome. He still held some bitter feelings towards his caretaker for not trusting him on the toy incident, but, they weren’t enough to withhold his instincts to protect who he considered kin from the gruff, pushy Koga. So, while Kagome’s hands were free from that brute’s grasp, Shippo took the opportunity to jump up into her hold, occupying said hands to perhaps rescue them from being stolen up again.

Shippo looked on as Koga’s entire face narrowed in displeasure at Inuyasha’s interruption, a complete opposite of the expression he wore only seconds before. “Tk, you just keep telling yourself that, mutt,” he responded. “But, y’know what, fine — the truth is…” Before anyone could react Koga had zipped past Inuyasha and was standing at Kagome’s side again. In the girl’s arms, Shippo squinted critically up at her assaulter, but it went wholly unnoticed.

Koga continued, “I came across a youkai who was looking for jewel shards, and the bastard had mentioned a pretty girl who held some shards so, naturally I assumed it was speaking of Kagome. I was worried,” he placed gentle hands on her shoulders as he said to her, “You alright? You’re not hurt?”

Again Inuyasha interrupted, “She’s fine, flea-bag; so why dontcha get your filthy mitts offa her and get lost already!”

Shippo silently agreed — as much as he loathed to be agreeing with Inuyasha right now — and he glared even harder up at Koga, frustrated that his subtle plan of keeping his hands off of Kagome had been in vain. Koga shot the indignant hanyou a glare, while Kagome also looked back at him and addressed him, “Inuyasha… Koga’s only asking how I’m doing, there’s no harm in answering him real quick…”

“No harm in—! Hmph, well, what about letting him grab ya like that?! You let him touch ya so much you two might as well be—“

“Inuyasha…”

Here it comes, Shippo thought, the ‘sit’ Inuyasha always earns whenever Koga comes around… But, as Kagome’s warning tone had been enough for Inuyasha to shut his trap before he reached the point of no return, the command surprisingly didn’t come. Kagome softened her gaze as she looked back up at Koga. “Anyways, yes Koga, I’m alright… It’s nothing that I can’t handle,” she answered with an upbeat smile.

Her words did not seem to satisfy him, however. “Nothing that you can't handle..? Kagome…”

“Okay well, maybe I’ve gotten a few scrapes here and there, and lately I’ve been wishing we could take longer breaks,” here she pointed another look back at Inuyasha, “But I’m fine, really.”

Alarm bells went off in Shippo’s head as Koga stepped even closer to Kagome, his form towering over hers creating somewhat of a more intimate moment between them. Indignantly the protective fox-boy in her arms immediately hopped to his feet, and attempted to push the wolf-youkai’s torso away from his caretaker, but to no avail.

“Kagome,” Koga began, “I know that you want to stay with your little pack, but if you ever wish to be taken better care of, I—“

He was cut off, and nearly cut open, by a giant swing of Inuyasha’s Tetsusaiga. The dust kicked up by the massive sword’s impact with the ground gradually began to settle, as the wolf-youkai landed back on his own feet about a yard away, developing an expression of pure rage. His shoulders tensed forward, his clawed hands balled into tight fists, and his whole face narrowed, save for his nostrils flaring. “How dare you interrupt me when I’m having a moment with my woman, you mutt-faced mongrel..,” he half-growled out.

“Keh-! ‘A moment’? Sounded more like a load of bull-crap to me, you mangy wolf!”

Fight, fight, fight! Shippo’s mind chanted impishly. Inuyasha should teach that creep to leave Kagome alone! ..But, at the same time... I wouldn’t mind seeing Koga make Inuyasha suffer a bit... He’s a strong youkai, and can do what I can’t.

However, to everyone’s surprise, Inuyasha turned away from Koga, ignoring the hostile youkai for a moment, to address Kagome’s previous comment. “You’ve been wanting to rest longer? Why didn't’cha speak up about it before?!”

Shippo tilted his head upwards to observe her reaction; she blinked, her eyes widening. “Um, because... I thought you wouldn’t want to hear it..?”

“Dammit Kagome, I’ve noticed ya acting more sluggish lately… Don’t think that I’ll take any complainin’ from ya, but jeez, if it’s necessary... You’ve gotta take care of yourself!”

Somehow her eyelids and eyebrows simultaneously raised even further in astonishment, as a hint of a blush crept into her cheeks. “Inuyasha…”

Sudden movement caught Shippo’s attention to witness Inuyasha, seemingly in embarrassment, whip his face away from Kagome’s view. “W-Well, ya ain’t of any use to me dead — Not any of ya!” he awkwardly recovered.

A new voice chimed in, “Well, my neck has been bothering me quite a bit lately…”

“Shut up, Miroku!!”

Meanwhile, Shippo and Koga appeared to be the only ones who were untouched by Inuyasha’s rough admittance of care for his companions. Telling us to take care of ourselves… Pretending to care about our health… The number of blows to the head he’s given me himself are countless — I bet he’s knocked off a few years of my life, even!

The group was reminded of a certain enraged wolf-youkai’s presence when he began to let out a low growl, his eyebrow twitching at being ignored. “Hey,” he interrupted the interruption, “Well as much as I’d love to rip you apart, you half-breed scum, I don’t have time to wait for you to decide whether you’re brave enough to come at me or not.” Koga cockily played it off, as always, as if he was the one championing a victory over the day.

Inuyasha rolled his head back with pure exasperated irritation, before he turned back to face the wolf-youkai, his fingers re-clenching the handle of his Tetsusaiga. “Then get outta here already, nothing’s stopping ya.”

Koga’s nostrils flared as he sharply took in an infuriated breath, tensing up his entire body for a moment — before releasing the breath and relaxing, straightening up his back. His blue eyes flickered to Kagome and a look of remorse flashed across his features, most likely as he calculated that he could not get to her with Inuyasha standing protectively right in the way. He leaned outwards to view her whole face past Inuyasha’s form, and waved a hand as he said to her, “I don’t want to stir up trouble in front of you, Kagome, so I’ll be going now.” He winked at her. “See ya.”

With a roll of his eyes, Shippo thought, Doesn’t want to stir up trouble in front of Kagome? The moron stirs up trouble just by coming around to see her! He stuck out his tongue in distaste, as he looked up at Kagome’s face to judge her own reaction. She smiled, and the fox-boy recognized it as a purely polite one, as she waved back, “Take care, Koga.”

Fully expecting Koga to immediately turn tail and stir up a whirlwind with his departure, Shippo shielded his face, before realizing that the wolf-youkai wasn’t finished yet. With a displeased growl he turned his sour gaze back to Inuyasha, and added, “You’ll regret coming between me and my woman you low-life… I can only hope you get what’s coming to you.”

With a start, Shippo’s ear twitched as he understood the truly icy tone of Koga’s voice: revenge, a craving for it. As the elder youkai sped away into the distance, it was then that Shippo had the epiphany — he and Koga were in the same boat. Though Koga and Inuyasha were so alike in their rude, brutish ways, Koga was equally as frustrated with the hanyou as Shippo was, and equally as unable to do something about it without facing repercussions. However, there was one advantage Koga possessed that Shippo did not, and that was being a youkai of Inuyasha’s stature, a youkai evenly matched against Inuyasha. He could perform some of the more elaborate pranks that Shippo had conceptualized in his impish-mentality; perhaps… Koga could be the indirect route that he required for truly-successful revenge on Inuyasha.

~~~

As the hours lazily dragged on, the conspirator anxiously anticipated the dark veil of nighttime to begin on his scheme of revenge. While his comrades would fall prey to their weariness and dream away, he would leave behind a false clone of himself to further avoid suspicion as he would, in actuality, be sneaking off to track down the wolf-youkai leader — the sole candidate for the position of a worthy partner-in-crime.

Staying awake through the night had proven much more testing than Shippo had initially thought, but having taken a nap earlier in the afternoon hours, he had managed to pull through. All had gone to plan; Inuyasha had no detection of his suspicious activeness in the night, and the cunning fox-youkai was now floating high over the forest terrain in his not-so-inconspicuous ballon-form, as he strained his nose to track a scent.

Being an animalistic youkai, he did possess a heightened sense of smell, but even so it was untrained and not even fully developed; it was nowhere near the level of tracking capability that youkais like Inuyasha and Koga utilized. He had barely managed to pick up the latter-youkai’s scent on the cool night air, but now the boy was finding difficulty in following the faint trail. However, unlike those canine-youkais who relied so heavily on their keen noses alone, Shippo thought to apply his perceptiveness to other methods of tracking, in order to compensate for his mediocre sense of smell. His teal eyes scanned through the darkness for trees shaken up by Koga’s whirlwind; his sharpened ears were at attention for—

Wolf howls, carrying clearly through the silent nighttime air, as if on cue. Shippo drifted in the vague direction of the echoing noise, and after a moment began to doubt his trajectory; until thankfully another howl was let loose, allowing him to pinpoint the exact location of its source. The obnoxious-looking balloon descended right above the spot, and with an unnatural pop!, transformed back into a young boy who landed on a branch of the forest’s canopy. He hopped down the layers of branches similarly to a squirrel, heading for a better view point to watch for the wolves’ alpha. He could only reveal himself if Koga was around, otherwise, his wolves probably wouldn’t hesitate to eat the young fox!

A secure branch both a couple of feet away and a couple of feet above the wolves’ heads seemed satisfactory, so there Shippo perched and began to peer out over the wolfpack. Wolves, wolves, and, more wolves... Huh. No wolf-youkais to be seen, only ordinary wolves… Could this just be a regular wolfpack that I tracked...?! In exasperation he let out a sigh of defeat, and flopped back against the tree trunk that his branch was attached to. A couple of the nearest wolves’ ears flicked towards his direction, but Shippo decided that he was at a safe enough height to have no reason to worry if they noticed his presence anymore.

Or, so he thought.

Before his brain could even process the occurrence, something had snatched him up by the tail and dragged him off the security of his branch. The boy’s eyes shot wide open with terror as he dangled precariously over the menacing hoard of wolves, thinking to himself, This is it, this is it—! This had all been a terrible idea — why did I think to go off on my own?!

“Well, well, what‘ve we got here?” a roguish voice spoke, and it was then that Shippo realized that his tail was firmly grasped in a large hand, not a snout of glistening fangs. He craned his head upwards to see the face of his assailant: Koga himself.

His intimidatingly-sharp eyes were gleaming in the moonlight and his fanged-smile was twisted up into a sardonic grin; with a shudder, Shippo recognized it as the trademark expression of a bloodthirsty killer. He had never seen the wolf-youkai make such an expression; even back when he and Kagome had first met Koga on not-so-friendly terms, when he had thrown the boy to his wolves, he had only sported a look of indifference. Now, Shippo was seeing that Koga wore it well, as if he wore it often… I thought Koga had been changed by Kagome, I thought he was our ally and wouldn’t harm me — is all the ‘ally’ shtick just for appearances, to look good in front of Kagome?! Curse him! Curse him, he’s even worse than Inuyasha! He never truly changed — I put my trust in him and now I only see him for what he truly is: evil! Evil, evil, evi—!

Shippo was so shaken by his enraged thoughts that he didn’t notice the wolf’s features shift from menacing to questioning. “Wait… Aren’t ya that little fox tyke that Kagome’s taken in?”

Said fox tyke’s scornful eyebrows shot up as he recognized a possible hook to escape from this peril. “Yeah! Yeah, I am! So you better not eat me, or else Kagome will never—!“

Koga’s fierce gaze softened, more to one of... friendliness? Yes, a sense of carefree friendliness and amusement twinkled in his sharp blue eyes, as his eyebrows relaxed to their typical cocky posture. He held up his free hand as a signal for his wolves to back down, before gently setting Shippo back upright on a nearby rock and squatting down to look him in the eye. “Well, if my woman’s taken ya in, then I’ve taken ya in,” Koga said decisively.

Okay, maybe Shippo had let the blood get to his head, and all that he had previously thought only moments ago about Koga being pure evil, was actually null and void.

“What brings you out here all alone, and at night, kid? From what I can smell, Kagome’s quite a ways away.”

Shippo breathed out a sigh of relief that he was correct in his original assumptions of Koga. “I was looking for you,” he started.

Koga raised an eyebrow. “Eh? Why, what can I do for ya?”

The fox-boy planted his hands on his knees and leaned forward conspiritively, with a sneer. “3 words: Revenge on Inuyasha.”

Now both of the wolf-youkai’s eyebrows raised... before furrowing in suspicion. “What? You’re all friends, arentcha? Is this... some kind of trick?”

“A trick? No, no no!” Shippo exclaimed and frantically waved his hands for emphasis. “All of us are friends — all of us, except for me and Inuyasha. You see, that uptight brute is always bullying me; he steals my food, insults my courage, and beats me up!! Does that sound like a friend to you?”

He actually gave it a moment of thought. “...No, I suppose it doesn’t.”

(Somewhere behind him, Ginta and Hakkaku’s faces simultaneously darken, drilling holes into the back of Koga’s head as they think, Those are exactly the things he does to us!!)

“So, ya wanna get back at Inutrasha, and you want my help for it? What do you want me to do, kid, beat him up for ya? Believe me, I’d’ve done that on my own a long time ago; but unfortunately I don’t think Kagome would appreciate that very much…”

“I already assumed you’d think as such,” the young fox replied, as he folded his arms within his loose sleeves sagely. “I can’t just use my tricks and beat him up either, he always knows it’s me and will just hurt me all over again! That’s why,” he concluded, “we should work together.”

“Work together?” Koga echoed.

“Yes. With my vast knowledge of trickery and Inuyasha himself, combined with your grown-up size and strength, together we can teach him a real lesson, and without getting in trouble for it!”

“Hmm,” Koga squinted seriously at the scheming fox-youkai. “That does sound tempting… But, what if I decide that my time is better spent hunting down Naraku, the despicable bastard that he is?”

“You yourself said it earlier: you hope Inuyasha gets what’s coming to him — This is what’s coming to him! But he won’t ever get it, not without your help!”

Although not phrased in the most eloquently compelling way, little Shippo’s meaning rang true in Koga’s ears. Pondering over the matter, he recalled that the whiff of Naraku’s scent that he and his wolves had been chasing had gone stale this morning... Perhaps his loyal companions could use a day-or-so’s respite. “Alright, you got yourself a deal, kid.”

Shippo’s harsh conniving grin softened into a genuine, beaming smile up at the wolf-youkai leader, as he henceforth decided that he preferred this gruff canine over the one he traveled with anyday. His so-called-friend Inuyasha never took his brilliant, cunning ideas seriously! Koga flashed the young fox a friendly smirk in return, before he stood back up to his full height and extended an elbow out to him, wordlessly offering a perch for the smaller youkai. Shippo graciously accepted the affable action with an effortless leap up onto the wolf’s shoulder.

Koga and his wolfpack began navigating through the trees once more as he continued, “So, what’s our first move?”

TO BE CONTINUED...

Further disclaimer: I am aware that Inuyasha ignoring Koga for a moment and not immediately going after his throat might be a bit out of character, but, I needed Inuyasha to have some sort of ‘win’ to get Koga frustrated enough to say what he did about ‘getting whats coming to him’.

And also, I saw that another of your prompts avannak was Inuyasha and Shippo having brotherly/fatherly bonding, so, don’t worry, it doesn’t end here with such negativity from Shippo towards Inuyasha! Brothers fight sometimes, and kids tend to over-exaggerate things, right? ;D hahaha

#iyfss18 #my creations i birthed from my brain #i guess I need a 'my fanfics' tag #my dramatic writing #inuyasha #fanfic #fanfiction #shippo #kagome #koga #kouga

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ii-thiscat-ii · 6 years

Text

Inspired by this hc.

On Ao3

“I hate this. I hate this I hate this IhatethisIhatethis.”

Mabel was staring at the mirror in the school bathroom, leaning on the sink.

They were alone there. She had run out in the middle of class, after one too many comments, one too many sympathetic looks.

Dipper hardly remembered what had been said. That was irrelevant.

Mabel squeezed her eyes shut and kept the words going, flowing together into a single meaningless stream. Her emotions stood out to his eyes like wounds in the air. Painful flashes of panic growing rapidly, small bubbles of pitch, blue-sharp hurt rising and bursting with nasty pops, all accenting a thickening haze of muddled anger and sadness and pain.

Just a few months into high school. It was not supposed to be like this.

“I hate this I want it to stop I wish it would stop,” she continued.

He had no idea what to do, so he hugged her from behind, burying his face in her shoulder and holding her close with his arms around her chest and his wings around her waist. It was all he knew how to do.

“I wish I didn’t have to, I wish you could do it,” she said, and that…

That…

Tugged at him.

A wish like that?

This sincere?

Voiced out loud?

That

Felt

Permission.

“Gaahhhh!”

TOUCH!

The next breath he drew burned like it was seared into his lungs. The sharp light from the ceiling lamp branded itself into his eyes, all sharp contrast and hard realness. The echoes of his own shout were too loud and not loud enough.

He was drowning in senses.

Everything was too much, and yet he wanted it so desperately he tried to take it all in at once, and was overwhelmed by the realness of it all, from the pain of his fingers being clenched against the sink to the comforting scratchy feeling of his sweater against his…

Wait a second.

He was hyperventilating. Adrenaline rushed through his veins.

He calmed that down in an instant. He just had to think about it, and his body obeyed. It was easy.

He took a couple deep breaths, and slowly adjusted to the world very abruptly being real again.

Eyes opened. Mirror in front of him.

Mabel stared back, eyes glowing yellow and slit-pupiled.

Oh fuck.

The real Mabel was floating up above his (her?) right shoulder, looking just as flabbergasted as he felt.

“Whoa,” she said.

“I had no idea I could do that,” he said, in a single, whooshing breath. “I didn’t mean to! I’m sorry, I think I can undo it…”

“No, wait,” Mabel said, reaching out to put an insubstantial hand on his (her?) shoulder. “Just wait a second, bro.”

Dipper grabbed her hand instinctually, and apparently he could do that, and he also knew that he could choose not to, could choose to pass straight through her like everything else would in this state, as it had with him when Bill had done the same to…

“Mabel?” he asked, voice wavering with more distraught confusion than he would have liked.

She put her other hand on top of his (hers?) again, and this was such a strange reversal of roles, her floating and insubstantial and him standing on the floor like a person…

“You don’t have to undo it right away, right?” she said. Then she looked away for a second, almost embarrassed, before she looked back. “I mean, you’re kinda, uh, possessing me now, right? And that’s actually perfect! ‘Cause I didn’t want to go back to class, and now I don’t have to, ‘cause I’m a ghost!”

“Mabel,” he said again, disbelief tinging the word. “Are you really okay with staying like that? It’s… I- I know it’s not… pleasant.”

“Pssh,” Mabel said, waving the sentiment away. “Hey, no more panic attack.”

“I… suppose that’s true.” Dipper almost smiled. It was. The colours of her emotions had followed her out of her body, and were now settled on a vague haze, still tinged towards negativity, but no longer boiling into painful bursts.

“Of course! It’s me!” Mabel said proudly, putting her hands on her hips and curling her floating legs up behind her like a proper little ghost. “I’m always right. But enough about me, for now, how are you doing, bro?”

(Things were real, he could feel things again, it was all real, it was all good, oh god this was just like Bill, it was real, he could touch things, he could feel things, touch was good, sound was good, sight was good, pain was good, no it wasn’t, yes it was.)

“I’m… okay. I’m doing okay,” he said. “Had some minor sensory overload. I’m good now.”

“You don’t mind being a girl for, like, half a school day?” she asked.

Dipper blinked, then blurted out, “That was literally the last thing on my mind.”

“Okay, great!” Mabel grinned, then she got very close to his (her?) face and furrowed her brows. “But if you’re gonna pretend to be me, you gotta do something about those glowing eyes. Think you could do that?”

The answer sprung to his mind like it had been waiting for the question. Small perception-based illusion centred on the face. Simple enough at full power, should be impossible in a form this limited, but limits no longer exist for you-

“Yeah, I can,” he said. “Shouldn’t be too hard. I’ll just…”

He stared into the glowing eyes in the mirror and bit (her? His, for now?) his lip, concentrating.

The immense power that had been at the back of his mind for months, constantly threatening to overwhelm him, was distant now. The solid realness of the world around him felt like a barrier between him and it, preventing him from reaching it as easily.

A trickle still came through when he pushed, tingling pleasantly through his body and leaving a wonderful burn on the inside of his skin.

Weaving it into the necessary shape around his eyes was easy, instinctive, and then his eyes looked normal again. Exactly like Mabel’s eyes usually did.

“Like that,” he said.

Mabel ooh-ed and clapped her hands. “Awesome,” she said. “Now no one is going to suspect anything, no matter how long we stay like this!”

Dipper’s objections died on his tongue as Mabel grinned at him. Instead, he nodded and tried to smile back.

He had no idea how to handle this.

Possession?

That was wrong. That was capital-b Bad, and Demonic, and Evil, and every horrible thing he ever remembered Bill doing, and it was too much like him in ways that turned Dipper’s stomach. (Metaphorically. Literally, this was not his body, and he had an iron grip on it. No one’s stomachs were being turned here.)

On the other hand, he was not about to stab himself (even if that would probably feel wonderful), and Mabel was okay with it (even if this had to be terrifying for her), and he would give her body back the second she wanted it (despite how much he wanted to keep it forever, and how easy it would be to keep it from her.)

The world around him was still too crisp, every miniscule crack in the tiling of the walls and speck of dust on the floor stood out too clearly. Even the sound of his own breath felt too loud, and the feeling of breathing was disturbingly unfamiliar.

And he loved every second of it.

If he was drowning now, that was only because he had been dying of thirst. The world was still too much, but he wanted it that way, he wanted the way it bordered on pain, filling needs in his mind he had not even been aware of.

He had not realized how much he missed such simple things as breathing, as feeling the air against his skin as he moved. There was a wonderful taste in his mouth.

Slowly, slowly, he settled into his own (Mabel’s) senses and could let go of the sink without the changing sensory input overwhelming him. Balancing was a little harder than he remembered it, but he got the hang of it quickly.

Then he heard approaching footsteps, stopping in front of the door.

“Mabel?” said the voice of Mabel’s teacher, whose name Dipper had never cared to remember. “Are you in there?”

His heart tried to start racing again, but he kept it down and quickly cleared his throat.

“Yeah,” he said. “Coming!”

He almost stumbled over his feet when he turned towards the door, but he caught himself before he fell, and then he opened it.

The teacher stood outside, bluish grey clouds of concern hanging around him. “Are you feeling all right?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Dipper said, a little louder than he had meant to, so he adjusted down. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just… I needed a bit of air. I’m good now.”

The teacher stepped back and studied his face for a second. “You’re bleeding,” he said.

“What?” Dipper said, lifting a hand to his lips, and yes, that was blood.

At least that explained the taste. It was a lot nicer than he remembered blood to be. He must have bitten through his lip earlier.

No, no, not his lip. Mabel’s lip. He had to keep that straight. He was borrowing. Only borrowing. None of this was his.

He ran her tongue quickly over the wound on her lip to check it out.

“Oh, right,” he said. “I don’t think it’s very deep. It’ll probably heal up in a few minutes. Um, I’m sorry about running off; should we go back to class now?”

The teacher’s concern roiled around his head as he glanced between Mabel’s red-rimmed eyes and bloody lip, and the classroom down the hall. Small bubbles of green-tinted pink worry shot through it, likely as he thought about the class he had left to their own devices.

Coming to a decision, he looked Dipper in the eyes. “You know you can always come to me if you want to talk about something, right?”

Dipper nodded, and tried to look as un-troubled as possible. He was not quite sure if it worked. He had never been a great actor, and he was not sure if wearing someone else’s body was helping or making it worse.

Either way, the teacher seemed to accept it, because he nodded and started walking back towards the classroom.

Dipper took a deep breath, revelling in the feeling of air filling his lungs, and glanced at Mabel, floating beside him. She gave an encouraging nod, and he smiled back and followed the teacher.

The sounds of the classroom ahead flowed through his ears in a wonderful buzz of voices, as strong and as strange as every other sense touching him, promising hours more of the most bizarre experience he had been through since, well, since that summer.

He could get used to this.

#transcendence au #My writing

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