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kichimiangra · 4 years

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I only needed 5 minutes...

A story of my day.

I Dunno who actually wants to read this? I wouldn't even want to. But I feel like I need to vent. The last couple of weeks have been fucked... but yesterday I ruined the day... again. I've been doing that alot lately. Almost every other Saturday since August. I hope venting makes me feel better if nothing else. I'll probably delete this later because I don't like leaving a notable paper trail of this stuff that anyone can find. Nothing but trouble comes of that. When I'm on my pc I'll put this under a read more because I dunno how to do that on mobile.

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The Holidays are almost over and I am running out of time to get done. One thing in particular, a gift, is unfortunately gone. My mom has orchestrated all of Christmas, even down to the gifts other people are getting for her... and she's not happy about it. She feels like nobody is willing to lift a finger to help her make Christmas happen. I wanted to surprise her.

She loves making soap. I'm not good at sculpture but I wanted to make a custom soap mold for her. I began with the original that would be used to make the mold. It took days upon days of trying and retrying to get it satisfactory, including one failure where my momnpoked her head in and I slammed my chin down on it so she wouldn't see, though my dad swears my mom never pokes her head into my room... but like she does???

Anyway... I finally had my original, though I think I could do better there's not much time left. I ordered a silicone mold kit and went to work... and it failed immensely. BUT there's still a little time left! I'll order another. Now THIS time was frustrating.

My mom wasn't being nosy... but literally EVERYTIME I got the stuff out to work on she would be there by sheer coincidence! Wait until she's asleep? Dad will have a coughing fit and wake her up and she'll wander out into the kitchen. Wait until she's out of the house? She never leaves. Wait until she does? She forgot something and comes home unexpectedly and I have to quickly hide my shit. She's not doing it on purpose but it gets more and more frustrating that I just can't just fucking get this done! Like... Jeebus Christmas! My dad says this doesnt happen but... it does????? And then I fuck up my second attempt. Fuck... I have less time...

But that's okay! I have enough time to order another kit! I've only spent 80$ so far with nothing to show but third times a charm!!!

Once again I just can't get the time to get this done. She's always there, or up, or poking her head in. It's almost cartoonish! But I have not time left. It has to be today.

My folks go down for an afternoon nap and I immediately get to work. I get toward the end of working, all's going well. I only need 5 minutes...

Then my dad gets up and my moms not far behind. Fuck... I can't move the mold yet... fuck. I just need 5 fucking minutes! I'm wrestling with curious cats. Fuck... My dad is useless at maybe luring my mom away. Fuck... my mom insists she needs to be in that same corner I'm working at. Fuck...! I just need five minutes!!!

Then of course disaster strikes... there's a crack or a hole in my original and silicone is leaking out! I had barely enough silicone to even make this happen! I can't afford to lose anymore! Fuck! I need to fix this! I just need 5 minutes to fix this!

I'm getting frustrated to the point I am starting to do that angry sob thing. I take it to another room now that I can move it. I just need 5 minutes to fix this! My parents follow my to the other room to find out what's wrong. Honestly my dad knows what I'm trying to do so given the context what do you thing is wrong dad? Clearly something has gone wrong with my mold. I tell him to go away cuz really I'm trying to fix this and I need to be left alone. I need five minutes to fix this... but he won't leave until I tell him what's wrong. I try to whisper it to him, the mold is leaking, I don't have enough silicone, nowhere local sells it, I can't get more in time. But his hearing has gone so he can't hear what I'm saying! He wants me to speak up but mom is just around the corner in the other room! I need him to fucking go. I'm frustrated and I tell him rudely "Just fuck off! I have to fix this!" Rude and inappropriate I know... but I just need 5 fucking minutes to fucking fix this I am sobbing at this point.

My dad leaves but of course my mom comes in next and wants to know what's wrong. I'm being very curt with her using my body to block the sight of my mess, telling her as calmly as I can, which isnt very calm, that nothings wrong, no she cant help me fix it, I'll tell her later, go back to the kitchen. I don't swear at my mother. That is important. I just need 5 minutes to fix this!

Finally the leak stops but so much silicone is on my baking tray that the mold is no longer submerged. I use a plastic spoon to get as much as I can back in the mold but it's not enough. I'm covered in silicone up to my wrist, and it's also in my hair. I put it up on a high shelf because the cats helped ruin mold #2 and sit down to mourn the loss of the only gift I had for my mom. I had no backup plans and this ones a bust.

I just need 5 minutes to calm down. I was rude to my parents and need to apologize to them, but first I need 5 minutes to just calm down and breath. Maybe I can find another gift in time? Maybe I can just wrap the original and promise in the nearish future when I can procure more silicone that she will have a mold? First I need to calm down. Then I need to apologize.

My dad comes into the room and chews me out about how rude as I was and how I need to go apologize to my mother. I hate when they do this, now when I apologize it's because I was told to, not because I took the initiative to. My folks can't comprehend I would otherwise apologize if not being told. All I wanted was 5 minutes to calm down.

I go and apologize. I am not the good guy in all of this, I am an adult. An autistic adult but an adult nonetheless, and being rude to my parents was inappropriate regardless. I didn't get my 5 minutes but off to apologize I go. "I'm sorry I lashed out guys. I was doing something, it didn't go my way, I got super frustrated and you guys were just there by coincidence. I didn't mean to lash out." I did mean what I said.

Mom didn't see it that way. My mom is very passive aggressive and honestly I get to be one of the reasons today she hates living here in this house and around us because all we do is "abuse" her physically and verbally. She hates living here and she hates being around us. I apologized again because great. Once again Kacey ruins everything. I need to stop being upset about this shit it's like every other saturday! She continues about how much she hates it here. I leave the room trying and failing not to sob.

My mom also gets up and goes to another room. Whatever she's doing is loud and she's quite verbal about it. I go back to my room, I just need 5 minutes to cry and calm down again. I still have other shit to do for Christmas too.

My mom comes by with a box and puts it on the table, with a sharpie she writes "Christmas soap fail 2020" and tells dad to take it to the basement. For context we had been making soap kits for xmas gifts. I had coworkers who got me gifts. I was dissuaded from buying them much in return because we were makin by the soap gift bags. Those where the soaps... I have nothing in return to give my coworkers. I don't have enough time... all the while my mom is still going off. Later my dad says it wasn't all my fault, he had done something to upset her earlier in the day, then my older sister, I was just the straw that broke the camels back. But honestly in this family it's whatever baby wants; baby gets." And what baby wants is to be mad at me.

I go upstairs and hide in my brother's room. Surprisingly despite the fact that my mom acts like he is one of the only people who care about her and defend her, he was the first one to tell me "Fuck her. If she wasn't going to be mad at you it was going to be something else. Now watch me play Aladdin on Sega genesis!"

After a while my younger sister came over to do her laundry. I began to quietly tell her what the flippity floop she walked in on. In the middle my mom came out and started chewy us out. Y'know, don't let her interrupt us from talking privately amongst ourselves about how much of a bitch she is. Her words not mine. And to be fair I was telling my sister about how I lashed out and caused this. But my mom doesn't like when we sibs talk privately, though she also doesn't like if we overhear what her and my dad talk about privately. Double standards I know.

I thought maybe if I explained what was up maybe she'd understand? So I out myself. I was trying to make her a surprise gift. She orchestrated ALL of Christmas and I just wanted to surprise her. Everything started going wrong and I was getting frustrated because she woke up and entered the room at an AWFUL time and I couldn't get me and my wip gift away from her seeing which made everything worse. Now one thing to know about my mom, explaining oneself is equated to excusing your behavior... and she does not tolerate that. She chews me out more. I'm sobbing again.she insists I told her to fuck of and get away from me... even though I did NOT curse at my mom... at all. I was rude but I did NOT say that! I repeat that I had just wanted to surprise her. She tells me about how unsurprised she is that this is how her day ends. She tells me that she doesn't want whatever trinket I was making for her because now it's tied up in the baggage of having apparently told her to fuck off and get away from me, that she doesn't want another in a long line of ass-kissy gifts because that makes being rude to her okay. It wasn't an ass kissy gift in response to being rude to her... it was a custom made Christmas gift for her... because I thought she'd be surprised? Because I thought it'd make her happy? Though I guess it doesn't matter... she doesn't want it anymore. She doesn't care what it was. Now it is a bad reminder of me treating her like everyone in her whole life has except specifically people who are dead. I have ruined quite a few things.

Honestly... I love my mom. I love her so much and I wish she could be happy. I want to do things to make her happy. But when she tells me that I am just one of the things that make her wanna run away to another state and tell no ody where she went and love alone... I'm not gonna sugar coat it, I wish I was dead.

I am a 29 year old autistic woman. I feel like a failure at growing up. I have stressed part of my colon into not working anymore. I still live at home with my parents and work in a minimum wage fast food job. I have few friends and I speak to them infrequently, but if you are at a place where I call you friend... we could not talk for 10 years and your still my friend until officially broken up. I surround myself with animals and I play with a digimon tamagotchi. My sisters have grown up jobs and drive and live in an apartment away from home and I feel like a failure because I missed all these adulting milestones. I feel CONSTANTLY guilty about everything. I feel like I can't say "hey let's do a shark mermaid themed charity zine and all the proceeds can go to buying preservatives for Rosie the dead great white shark!!!" Without the guilt at the mere idea that someone will tell me "Wow... you care more about a dead shark than say... real living people? You know there's no water in Flint right???" Without feeling guilty that... yes? I like a dead shark more than living people? I don't like people? Also shark is cool? I feel guilty that if I call a day off work SOMEONE ELSE has to be inconvenienced to work my shift. I feel guilty playing World of Warcraft because I'm accused of "Chasing a time I view as better" instead of growing up and moving on. I feel guilty about wanting to ask for someone else's time because they too have shit to do. I feel guilty about so many things...

And I feel guilty when my mom says I'm just another abuser in her life. Her fuse is so short it takes almost nothing to set her off. You have to be calm and happy all the time or she has to "walk on eggshells because anything she does can set US off!"

When my mom is mad at me like that... I hate myself. I have some dark thoughts on a normal day but when she's mad at me in this specific way... I wish I could just unexist. Or go to sleep and just not wake up. I can always logic my way away from the dark thoughts... but they're there nonetheless. And when I'm one of the things that makes my mom want to run away? Then I just wish I was dead really. Or just unalive. Not since I was 14 at least. I don't want to die. Just cease to be. I don't know if that counts as being suicidal but I'll tag for it anyway.

I don't normally talk about this shit with people. I don't wanna look like I'm crying out for attention or help or pity. I don't talk to my folks about it because there's never a good time. When I try to hint it's not taken seriously, and when things aren't bad I don't feel as bad. Keeping quite hasn't made me feel better so maybe just typing this out and being heard will make me feel even slightly better? Like a diary entry.

There's more to the morbs in my life but for now I leave it as this. It's 7am, I am in bed and have dried silicone in my hair and under my nailes, and I have work today. Who knows, maybe it'll all blow over like it never happenned like the bipolar way things go in my family sometimes. Maybe I'll get out of work and my folks will be happily dancing in the livingroom to sugar pie honeybunch like teenagers in love and I will be the only one stressed about it.

Don't take this post at face value. This is only my side. The human brain is flawed and the human ego will remake memories to protect itself. I normally turn to siblings who where there at the time to tell me if what I think happenned really happenned that way.... but I've also been informed that my siblings don't want to deal with me, and don't have the balls to call me out on my bullshit so will tell me whatever I want to hear, so really... I don't even trust that my recount of events even happenned that way.

Maybe I'll continue the story in another post?

And now

I go to bed. Goodnight. I am a tired bitch. I probably only just need 5 minutes to fall asleep.

P.s. I'm sorry if you read all that. It's a bummer. I know. I'll hide it under a read more when I'm on pc.

#trigger warning: mentions of suicidal thoughts #Kc's morb diary

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detectivejigsawpines · 4 years

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Relatively Relativity-part 1 (if you go down in the woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise)

The Pineses go on a hiking trip one nice sunny day, and return...not quite how they were when they left.

Major thanks to DarylStorey for helping me brainstorm this story.

“WHOO-HOO!!!! YEAH!!!! LET’S DO THIS!!!!”

Mabel burst out the door of the Stanley Mobile like a multicolored comet, surging towards the trailhead at a speed that nearly broke the sound barrier and barely even being slowed down by the massive purple backpack she was wearing. It wasn’t until she’d reached it that she turned around and realized that her family was still taking their time catching up to her.

“C’mon guys, what’s the hold-up?” she pleaded, sprinting back across the parking lot to them. “We’ve got an adventure to go on, and lots of cool plants and animals to see! Let’s put some hustle in it, people!”

Stan stepped out of the car at a far more leisurely pace, looking less than thrilled about having to be awake at this ungodly hour of the morning (Ford had insisted that they go as early in the day as possible to avoid the heat and mosquitos). He rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand and muttered, “Hold up, sweetie, not all of us’ve got young legs like you.”

“Ugggghhhh, you guys are so slow!” Mabel ran over to Dipper and tugged his hand impatiently. “C’mon, let’s see if we can get to the main trail before the old fossils!”

“Who’re you calling an old fossil?!” Ford demanded in mock indignation. “I can easily get there before you, missy!”

“Five bucks says you can’t!”

“You’re on!”

Seconds later they were both racing into the woods, leaving Stan and Dipper in the dust.

Stan glanced down at Dipper. “Surprised you’re not getting in on that.”

The boy grimaced. “You kidding? There’s no way I’d beat either of them. Mabel drank a whole pitcher of Mabel Juice this morning, and Ford’s...Ford.”

One bushy gray eyebrow raised, but Stan couldn’t help feeling a little pleased that the kid seemed a lot less insecure about his physical deficiencies than he would have been the summer before, when he was obsessed with trying to become more “manly.”

Now, though, he seemed content for the time being to trot along at Stan’s side, looking around for any unusual creatures that might be in the underbrush and absentmindedly clicking a pen with his thumb, while his other hand already had his pine tree journal open in case he saw something worth sketching.

Up ahead, they could hear excited crashing and whooping; seconds later there was a loud humming noise, followed by Mabel yelling, “Hey, no fair!”

“Completely fair!” Ford retorted, “You brought out your grappling hook, so I get to use the anti-gravity application on my watch!”

Stan and Dipper rolled their eyes in unison.

“Yeah, I’d definitely lose,” Dipper sighed in resignation as they rounded the bend in time to see Mabel trying ineffectively to slow Ford down by leaping from the branch she’d grappled onto and grabbing him around the legs.

********

Eventually all members of the Pines family were back on solid ground, and they began their hike. Stan and Ford told the kids stories about some of their adventures on the high seas, and in return the kids talked about what junior high school was like (mostly pretty terrible, since junior high is one of the greatest sources of evil since the Spanish Inquisition). Both old men sympathized with their struggles, remembering all too well how difficult being a teenager was, even when you’d just barely joined the world of angst and acne.

“Of course, it has its good points too,” Ford pointed out. “You don’t have to be in old creaky bodies like we are.”

Dipper harrumphed. “I’d take dealing with that over puberty any day of the week.”

“Yeah, at least then I wouldn’t have to be worried about starting my period,” Mabel said with a grimace.

All three men glanced at her uneasily out of the corner of their eyes.

“...Have you…?” Ford started to ask.

“No, but Mom says I’m old enough that I’ll probably get my first one soon.” Despite how uncomfortable a topic this was for her, she had to smother a giggle at how her grunkles and her brother all looked like they were seconds away from running away screaming.

At last Dipper cleared his throat and changed the subject.

“Besides, if I was a grownup then I could go into stores and buy pretty much whatever I wanted.”

“Yeah!” Mabel brightened. “Like age-inappropriate romance novels, or a bunch of puppies from PetsMart!”

Stan snorted, and affectionately rubbed his knuckles against her head. “Just so long as you never grow up too much.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” she promised, before gasping in delight and going over to the side of the trail to admire a particularly vibrant flower.

“Hey, Grunkle Ford, do you know what kinda flower this is?”

Ford came over to see it, and his eyes widened behind their glasses. “...Oh my. I’ve never seen one of those before.”

Stan and Dipper peered curiously over their shoulders at it.

It was, indeed, an exceptionally beautiful flower; it looked kind of like a wild rose, except that instead of being pink, its petals were a deep royal blue, and glowing faintly in the pale morning light.

Almost in unison Ford and Dipper grabbed their journals and started sketching it.

“It looks similar to some of the plants I saw in this one dimension,” Ford murmured, “except those were sentient, and generally tried to eat anyone who got too close.”

Dipper looked uneasy, and after a second he tugged on Mabel’s shoulder, pulling her back from getting too close to it. She was a little annoyed, but didn’t shove him off like she would have the year before.

“Do you think it’s magic?” Dipper asked. “I’m pretty sure the fact that it’s glowing means it’s gotta have some kinda magic, right?”

“In this forest, I wouldn’t doubt that it does,” Ford agreed. He sighed in annoyance. “I knew I should have packed my thaumometer for the hike! Why didn’t you remind me to pack my thaumometer, Stanley?”

“Probably cuz I was thinkin’ about more important things like how much I wanted ta go back ta sleep,” Stan retorted.

“Uh, is it just me, or is the glow getting brighter?”

It wasn’t just Dipper.

What’s more, as the four of them watched, the petals began to move, waving back and forth even though there wasn’t that strong of a breeze. As if that wasn’t weird enough, the petals started waving a little faster, and as they did, the glow that was on them started to...rise from them.

No, really; before their eyes it lifted into the air as a sort of pollen, doing a little dance in the beam of sunlight above the flower and growing into an ever-increasing spiral, showing a lot more pollen than you’d think would be possible from one single flower.

Dipper blinked, and swallowed nervously.

“Um, guys? In situations like this, this is when really bad things start to happen. Maybe we should-”

The pollen cloud hit him right in the face.

********

Apparently it had smacked into everyone else too; as Dipper closed his eyes and coughed and sneezed, he could hear his family making similar noises.

It was everywhere, getting in his hair, on his clothes, even inside his clothes and making him even itchier than usual, oh come on!

Dipper stumbled back, scratching frantically and trying to spit out some of the stuff that had somehow landed in his mouth, gross!

“Ugh, what the heck?! That stuff tastes like mothballs!”

Dipper froze.

...That voice didn’t belong to anyone in his family. It was a voice belonging to a young boy, probably someone about his age.

“...Who said that?”

Dipper clamped his hands over his mouth with a frightened squeak when he heard his own voice; it sounded...wrong, somehow. Like it had actually gotten deeper, like in that story he’d told about drinking a potion that made him sound like a TV announcer!

Hesitantly he opened his eyes, blinking away any traces of the pollen that were left, looking for his family-

And came face to face with a startled-looking old woman in a baggy purple sweater.

“Aaaah! Who are you! What did you do to us?!” he demanded, lurching back and putting up his fists. Then he quickly slipped off his backpack and whirled to pull out the knife he kept in there-he didn’t know what use it’d be against a witch or whatever she was but it was better than nothing-but then two things happened at once.

One: a sudden sharp pain locked up in the small of his back, nearly pitching him to the ground with how bad it was.

Two: he got a good look at his hands.

Something was wrong with Dipper’s hands.

They were twice the size he remembered them being when he first woke up this morning, and all weird and wrinkly-looking, with a few blue veins standing out against the knuckles.

Dipper let his backpack fall to the ground, stammering in horror.

“What-what the-”

“...Dipper?” the old woman’s voice quavered behind him. “Is that you? It’s me, Mabel.”

Dipper slowly turned back around, managing to straighten up with an effort, and looked at the woman again, more closely this time.

She looked just as frightened and confused as he was right now, with a lock of her long gray hair clenched between her fingers on the left side of her head and being wrung in her hands. Her sweater looked a lot like the one Mabel had been wearing, except older and less sparkly.

Dipper looked into her eyes.

“...Mabel?”

“Yeah, it’s me, bro-bro.” She tried to smile.

Just then something moved in the corner of Dipper’s line of vision, and he turned his head to see two boys standing there and rubbing pollen out of their eyes.

One of them was wearing a tiny tan trench coat and a red woolly beanie, and when he opened his mouth to cough out some more pollen Dipper could see he had a tooth missing. The other one wore a red turtleneck with a blue coat over it, and had a pair of large spectacles perched on the end of his nose. He staggered a little, and pushed them up with two fingers. Allowing Dipper to see that his hand had an extra finger on the end.

The boy saw Dipper staring at him in dawning horror, and his eyes widened.

“Dipper? Are you-are you and Mabel old?!”

“Grunkle Stan?! Grunkle Ford?!” Mabel crouched down and stared at the boys slack-jawed. “Are you guys young?!”

********

There was a moment of silence.

Then a flock of birds was startled by four voices all screaming in unison.

#gravity falls #grunkle stan #grunkle ford #dipper pines #mabel pines #cousin to relativity falls #age swap #next summer in gravity falls #humor #hiking trip gone horribly wrong

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rosegoldannie · 5 years

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Tell Me No Lies - Chapter 6

Several days passed.

Rowan never asked what was wrong, he never forced her to tell him what was happening.

He simply watched her, always nearby. Aelin began to joke that he was part hawk, due to his keen reflexes and tracking eyes.

Rowan insisted that he drive her to and from work, even though she’d had Aedion give her car a jumpstart. Her car had since sat out in front of their building, unused.

He texted her several times a day when she was at work to check in, making sure that she had eaten, and had enough water.

In addition to all of this, he kept to the agreement, doing the dishes each and every day-sometimes multiple times a day. He had even started to take over the cooking, because he was good.

And Aelin hated it. By God, did he think she was an invalid? Was he simply doing this out of pity? Aelin didn’t think she would be able to stand the latter being true. Out of everything she’d endured and survived, being befriended through pity was by far the worst.

Aelin reiterated all of this to Dorian, who had called her during one of his breaks at work. While initially concerning, she had found herself relieved to talk with her old friend. It was almost like old times.

“I mean, my guess is that this is a mixture of pity and him trying to make up for those first few days.” He said. “From what you’ve told me, the guy’s a prick.”

She kicked at the coffee table, stewing over the fact that she had the day off, wishing she were at work. Hell, wishing she were anywhere but here. Rowan had left a short while earlier to get some groceries after telling her to call if she needed anything. Aelin had replied that she could be burning alive, and refuse to call. “Dorian, you’re not here. I’m being babied. It’s ridiculous.”

“Hmm.” He muttered. “Yeah I got nothing. Have you heard from Chaol by any chance?”

Confused by the sudden change in topic, she took a moment to gather her thoughts. “Um, no. I haven’t. Why?” Where are you going with this, Havilliard? She thought, running a hand through her hair. Her fingers caught on a slight knot, which she tugged at.

“You haven’t?” Surprise positively coated his voice.

“No, not since he left for Antica. Again, why?” There was a long silence, during which a hard, sickening lump settled in her stomach. “Dorian, why?” Again, he didn’t respond. “Dorian.”

At last, he spoke. “Aelin, please don’t freak out, okay?”

“Why, Dorian? Is something wrong?” His hesitancy to reply did nothing to aleve the pit of dread in her gut.

At that moment, the door to her apartment creaked open, and in came Rowan with several bags in tow. He muttered a polite hello, before seeing she was on the phone. Gesturing that he would be in the kitchen, he disappeared with the bags, and Aelin returned to her call. “Dorian, I swear to god.”

“No, nothing’s wrong, per se.” He replied, evasively.

She could make out the sounds of Rowan sorting through the food, and putting it away. Something about the thought was strangely domestic, and she found herself imagining what it would be like to live with Rowan for more than a few months.

Aelin shook her head, and brought her attention back to her friend. “Then what.” She hissed.

“He’s back. But that’s not it.”

“Dorian. What is happening?”

“Chaol saw Arobynn, Aelin. He’s alive and looking for you.”

Aelin fell silent, her eyes grew distant. “How long?” She whispered, a terrifying mixture of icy fear and fury flooding her veins. “How long, Dorian?!” Rowan looked up, questions swimming in his eyes. She simply waved him off.

“Chaol got back a week ago. He saw Arobynn the day before. That’s why I left the night Rowan arrived.

She took a shaky breath. “Please tell me this is a sick joke.”

Pity and sorrow laced Dorian’s next words. “I’m sorry, I wish I could.”

“...Okay. Thanks for telling me.”

“One more thing, Chaol’s m-”

She ended the call, and buried her head between her knees. Gods, what was she going to do?

After several minutes, she made to stand and was surprised by how stiff her legs were, considering that she’d only been sitting for half an hour at most. Glancing up, she saw Rowan was still watching her. He began to form a question, but Aelin quickly waved him off, not noticing how his face fell as she did so. “I know I’ve been a bitch for the last few days, but could you do me a favor?”

Rowan seemed to instantly perk up. “Of course.”

“Could you drive me to Aedion’s place?”

He nodded, grabbing his keys, and tossing her a fluffy sweater she had left on the sofa. A small, impish grin wavered across his lips. “So you want to go to your fiance’s house?” He teased, as they walked towards the elevator.

Fighting the urge to grimace at the tightness in her hamstrings, she quipped, “What is this, Alabama?”

Rowan grinned, leading the way to his car. As he slid into the driver’s seat, he met her eyes. “Alright, just make sure you use protection.”

Aelin’s jaw dropped as they pulled out of the garage and merged into traffic. “Hey! I- What the hell!” throwing caution to the wind, she slammed her palm into his shoulder. Not hard enough to bruise, just cause mild discomfort.

A simple smirk was his only response.

“Get yourself some Jesus.” Aelin muttered, shaking her head.

After several minutes of Aelin refusing to respond to Rowan’s jokes, she at last caved when he dissolved into making fart noises out of the side of his mouth. The rest of the ride to Aedion’s house was full of laughs and jokes.

Lysandra was at the door waiting for them, instantly enveloping Aelin in a bear-hug. “Oh thank God!” She muttered, holding her friend closer. “Dorian called me, and wouldn’t say anything other than you were on your way and that Chaol was back.” She pulled back, meeting Aelin’s eyes. “Did he show up again?”

Aelin froze, and felt Rowan stiffen behind her. “What-”

“Who?” She interrupted, not wanting to explain her past to Rowan. Even though they had become something close to friends, she still didn’t completely trust him.

Lys gave her a confused look. “Chaol, of course. Who else would it be?”

Aelin took a deep breath. Steadied herself. “He’s back, Lys.”

Her friend scrunched her eyebrows, cocking her head slightly. “Who?”

Rather than responding, she simply held her gaze. After several seconds, Lysandra’s face hardened. Then she turned, gesturing for Aelin and Rowan to follow her.

Aelin ignored her roommate’s questioning looks, trailing behind her friend into the living room, where Aedion was relaxed over two chairs, John Mulaney playing on the TV. He nodded at her in greeting. “Hey, cuz.”

Tired fingers rubbed her eyes. Perched on the edge of the sofa, Lysandra turned to her Fiance. “Could you find somewhere else to be for a little while?” There was no bite in her tone, only exhaustion.

He stood, an adoring gaze in his Ashryver eyes. “Of course, love.”

“And could you take Rowan with you?” Aelin called after him.

Her roommate muttered something unkind under his breath, but followed Aedion into the kitchen.

No sooner had they rounded the corner than Lysandra let out a wicked curse. “Goddamnit Aelin, tell me this is a sick joke.”

Regret softened Aelin’s features. “I wish it were. We have to face this, Lys. Arobynn is back and he’s searching for us.”

The blood drained from her face. “No, no he’s not. He can’t be, Aelin. He’s dead.”

“I know, Lys, I know.” Aelin soothed, stroking her friend’s arm gently. “But we have to face this.”

Shaking off her fear, she stood. “You’re right.” She declared. “We need to call Elide.”

“No,”

“What?”

“No, we can’t.” Aelin said. “We can’t drag her into this. It’s not fair.”

Lysandra crossed her arms in the same way she did when Aedion misbehaved, or refused to do as she said. “He could go after her.”

“He doesn’t know who she is.”

Her friend was silent for several moments, then spoke in a quiet voice. “We promised her no more secrets.”

Guilt washed over her, though not strong enough to waver her resolve. “This is the last time we’ll lie, Lys. I promise.” As much as she wished it were true, a small part of her knew it wouldn’t be.

79 notes · View notes

captainillogical · 5 years

Text

Devil’s Ballroom Ch.7

A year after the events from the earth’s final attack, Little Homeworld is finally complete, and there’s a new jazz bar where gems and humans mingle and drink. - As you’re typing back a reply, someone pulls the stool out next to you and takes a seat. You see a sliver of pink out of the corner of your eye as you try not to actually Look. Oh god. It’s her. God can’t help us now.

Spinel/Reader

collab with my lovely wife @firstofficertightpants

ya’ll im sorry lmao

You spend the rest of your evening doing exactly none of the errands that you needed to deal with today. Instead, you're laying on your couch and texting your friends.

Y/N: I'm so tornnnn.

Y/N: Do I say something about the cheek smooch?

Y/N: Should I leave it be?

Y/N: Because she's texting like nothing happened.

Y/N: What if I'm reading too much into it??

Y/N: What if that's just how she shows friendship affection???

Y/N: I might make it so fucking awkward if I assume something!

Y/N: This entire ordeal is mortifying!!!

Y/N: I want nothing more than to dig a big hole and lie in it forever.

Y/N: I might be low-key having a panic attack about this rn but what's new.

Harper: Y/N. chill. you're way overreacting to this.

Harper: even if it meant nothing, she still likes you as a friend right?

Harper: i think it would take a lot for her to like.. not wanna stay friends lol.

Alex: im just saying you could probably kiss her and she'd be ok with it

Alex: cheek kisses are pretty forward

Harper: don't listen to him. all of his relationships ended in failure.

Alex: wow

Alex: im seriously hurt

Harper: am I wrong?

Alex: no..

Harper: my point exactly.

Harper: i’m not saying you have nothing to lose or anything.

Harper: because i myself had to tread very carefully with leah..

Harper: but i think you should just see where it goes and not like

Harper: put too much emphasis on this incase it was nothing.

Y/N: Yeah see now you have me worried it WAS nothing!!

Alex: oh my goooooooddddddddddddddd

Alex: the both of you approach women so.. pathetically

Alex: take a risk

Alex: live a little

Alex: what is seriously the worst that could happen

Alex: she kills you??

Alex: lmao

Alex: its funny cuz of.. you know

Harper: i can’t wait to be home and smothering him with a pillow instead of affection.

Y/N: You and me both.

Y/N: Try being the only one available to play games with him.

Alex: both of you fucking love me okay

Alex: alsooooooo i get to be home the day after tomorrow

Alex: the alex is back, babieeeeee

Y/N: Harper please come home I’m BEGGING you.

Harper: sorry you gotta deal with him alone for another month lmao.

Y/N: Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

Alex: can i get a fucking crumb of love here please

You swipe over to the couple of messages Spinel has left you in the past couple of minutes while you were talking to your friends.

Spinel: It’s another stupid ball, I just found out.

Spinel: I told her that I’m sitting this one out this time.

Spinel: She has so many others that would absolutely love to help her, and yet, still absolutely insists that I must be there.

Spinel: I don’t want to go back to homeworld right now, and not for this.

Y/N: And you put your foot down? Hell yeah, dude.

Y/N: Planning a ball for a bunch of gems sounds like a chore anyway.

Spinel: oh, it is, believe me.

Spinel: And they need everything to be PERFECT.

Spinel: Which isn’t realistic anymore now that they don’t expect any of the gems to stay in line with their gem class nowadays.

Spinel: The last ball they threw almost 4 months ago was utterly chaotic.

Y/N: For thousands of years y'all as a race never pushed to deviate from the norm, and now that you guys are allowed to? I’d go batshit with it too.

Y/N: Being stifled in everyday life, and finally you’re free?

Y/N: Fuck, I’d go around fusing with anyone!

Spinel: That is precisely what too many of them did.

Y/N: Lmao. I wish I could’ve seen that.

You tab back over to your group chat for a moment to see what they’re talking about.

Harper: see? they’re everywhere.

Harper: i wasn’t expecting the campsite to have so many.

Alex: you could have built an army and instead you took pictures

Alex: do you know how easy it is to lure chipmunks?

Alex: oh that lil guy on the bottom right is so fucking chunky i love him

Harper: that’s the one that got the closest when i fed them. :3

Alex: oh i fuckin BET

Alex: you dont get that chubby in the wild without takin a few risks

Alex: if u know what i mean ;)

Harper: i hate whatever you just implied.

Y/N: It’s not a conversation with Alex unless you roll your eyes at least 3 times.

Alex: hey i thought it was 4 times

Alex: dont insult me

Alex: anyway, y/n

Alex: are you workin the day i come back

Y/N: Yeah I’m actually scheduled a double.

Alex: scheduled

Y/N: Yes.

Alex: a double

Y/N: Yes.

Alex: he can’t SCHEDULE you a DOUBLE

Y/N: He can if he asks me ahead of time as a favor.

Alex: that fuckin bastard

Alex: always ruining my plans

Harper: you’re still mad at him for firing you last summer, huh.

Alex: OF COURSE I AM

Y/N: Bro you stole like $300 of cotton candy sugar that summer.

Y/N: It’s only fair.

Y/N: Besides, I’m only doing this because he said he’d give me a long weekend for it.

Alex: kay well

Alex: i guess i’ll just go bug you at work and wait for you to get off that day :'(

Y/N: Get me written up again, I swear to god.

Your phone chimes several times, and you swipe down to see messages from both Spinel and Steven. You check Spinel's first.

Spinel: Do me a favor and ignore any messages Steven has sent you.

Y/N: What are you, my boss?

Spinel: I MEAN IT

You quickly switch over to Steven's texts.

Steven: I was going to ask you if your date with Spinel went okay, but I'm assuming it went fine considering she hasn't really stopped talking about you.

Ohhhh my god, this is wild. You reply to him.

Y/N: It wasn't a date as far as I know.

Y/N: I had fun.

Y/N: She's telling me to not read your messages, lmao.

Y/N: Also what do you mean she hasn't stopped talking about me??

Steven: She’s been lying on my floor for the last hour basically gushing about you.

Steven: But you didn’t hear that from me!

Steven: :D

Y/N: Haha thanks, kid.

You switch back over to text Spinel, and get up off the couch to make yourself some tea. Pulling out your kettle, you turn the stove on and grab some raspberry flavored abomination tea bag that your dad loves more than any of the other good tea flavors.

Y/N: Sooooo.

Spinel: You talked to him, didn’t you.

Y/N: Hahaha noooo. :)

Spinel: The fuck did he say?

Y/N: Absolutely nothing.

Spinel: Seriously? I was sure he’d reveal something embarrassing.

Y/N: Nope! You should probably get off his floor eventually, though.

Your kettle goes off and you grab a clean mug, and pour the boiling water into it along with the tea packet. You look down at your phone, and grin.

Spinel: goddammit.

You let the bag steep for a little bit, and add in a small amount of sugar. Walking up to your bedroom you take a snap of Jellybean half lounging, half falling off the stairs and send it to Spinel. She replies with a couple heart emojis, and you wonder if Steven was the one to show her the proper use of them. You set your cup of tea down on your desk, and turn your computer on. It’s evening now, and it’s much too late to do anything left with the rest of your day productivity-wise, so you settle in on playing more minecraft. Your thoughts wander quite a bit, and you find yourself stuck on thinking about Spinel. Naturally. You wonder about a lot of things she’s learned while staying on earth, from things like - does she pay rent? Does she have a job? Does she know what taxes are? Does she know what a relationship with a human looks like? She said she watched a movie, but didn’t exactly elaborate. You don’t know what human-norms she’s been exposed to. You can’t even concentrate enough to mine any of this redstone for Alex, and you nearly die in-game when the thought of ‘does she know what sex is?’ pops into your mind. You grab your phone and shoot Spinel another message.

Y/N: Quick question.

Y/N: If you don’t mind me asking.

It takes her a few minutes to reply.

Spinel: Sure?

Y/N: Do you know how humans are made?

Spinel: w

Spinel: Yes?

Spinel: Steven told me about it a few weeks ago actually.

Spinel: Why are you asking?

Y/N: No reason! Just curious is all.

Spinel: Hm.

Yeah you’re not too confident that she actually knows, and you’re too chickenshit to elaborate right now. You’ll enlighten her later. You spend the rest of the night browsing memes on your phone, and texting your friends and Spinel on occasion. Before you know it, your eyes drift close with your phone in hand.

You wake up when your alarm goes off for your morning shift, and curse at yourself for not charging it last night. It’s at a solid 32%, which isn’t really enough to go about your day, but you’ll have to make do. You get ready for a hopefully not shitty day, lock up the house, and head in to work.

It’s a complete shitshow when you come in, and you turn your phone off to save battery and concentrate on dealing with more than an average amount of tourists. You find Mr. Smiley sleeping in the breakroom/office/supply closet, and have half a mind to lock him in there from the outside for the rest of your shift. It’s pretty busy, and messy, and it isn’t until you’re there for several exhausting hours that you finally have enough time for a break. You turn your phone on, and instantly you’re flooded with messages from several different people. Ugh.

A couple from your dad - just checking in, really. Group chat too as usual, but none of it seems overly important. One from Spinel, and several from Steven. You open up Spinel’s message first.

Spinel: Do you think we could talk about a couple of things later?

Vague, and a little concerning. You text back an apology for getting back to her so late, and open the messages from Steven.

Steven: Hey are you busy?

Steven: I’m dealing with a bit of a situation right now, and could use your help.

Steven: Spinel locked herself in my bathroom, and she won’t come out.

Steven: She refuses to answer to anyone, and several of us have tried.

Steven: I’m just really worried about her, and you guys seemed to bond, so I was hoping..

Steven: That maybe you could come over?

Steven: Thanks regardless.

You check the timestamp, and that was over an hour ago. Jesus christ.

Y/N: Steven I’m so sorry, my phone was off and I’m at work, give me a few and I’ll be right over, okay?

Y/N: I’ll be quick.

He replies almost immediately with a “please” and you pocket your phone. You try not to worry too hard about Spinel as you rush over to grab your things, and knock on Mr. Smiley’s office/broom closet door. He opens it groggily, clearly just waking up.

“Yeah?” he slowly blinks at you.

“I gotta leave early. Emergency.” You stare at him, trying to not be pissed at his lack of work ethic.

“Are you for real? You’ve got another 3 hours left.” He says and crosses his arms, and you glare at him.

“I’ve been working my ass off while you’ve been sleeping this whole time, AND I’m covering your ass tomorrow so you can go meet your old friend! So the LEAST you can do is let me go early when I have an emergency!!!” You almost yell out at him, and he holds his hands up in defense.

“Okay, okay! Fine. Only because you’re a good worker.” He says, and has the gall to look at least a little ashamed of himself.

“Damn right I am.” You spin around and head out of the building, practically running.

You almost trip and bite it several times on the way over to Steven’s place, but you’re more worried about Spinel. You’ve only been to his place twice, but once you’re there you run up the stairs and open the door without knocking. You’re greeted by the only two people in the living room, Pearl, and Steven.

“Oh, she’s here!” Pearl says and nudges Steven, who looks up from typing on his phone.

“Y/N! Thank god you’re here.” He says with furrowed eyebrows.

“What happened?” You say and shut the door, and cross the room over to him.

“I’m not sure! We were just working on something together for Amethyst, and she got a call from Blue and Yellow. She’s been ignoring them lately, and they’ve been bothering me in turn because of that, so I asked her to take the call just see what they want.” He runs his hand through his brown curls, and just for a moment, you see that 12 year old him in again. The obvious stress masks just how young he really is, and you feel bad that he can’t live life like a normal kid. “She went outside to take the call, and was out there for quite a while. I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but I did hear some yelling. And just when I was going over to make sure they were alright, she comes back in tears, eyes spiraling like months ago, and nearly knocks Pearl over rushing into the bathroom.”

“And nothing since?” You inquire, fidgeting with your hands.

“No,” He says, frustratedly. “I’ve been trying to reach the diamonds to see what this is all about, but I’ve only been getting the pearls. I don’t know what to do. She hasn’t been like this in months. What were they talking about to make her this upset?”

“Maybe I can find out. You said she’s in your bathroom?” You raise an eyebrow at him.

“Yeah, the one right over here.” He says and points to it.

“Is it locked?” You ask.

“No,” Pearl glances towards the bathroom door and crosses her arms. “The lock has been broken on it for a while, since Peridot joined us actually. Both Garnet and I tried opening it, but I think once Spinel hears someone trying to come in she blocks the door.”

Hm.

“I’m gonna try something, but you guys are gonna wanna stay away.” You say to the two of them. “I don’t want to overwhelm her with more than one person.”

“Let us know if we can do anything?” Steven makes to pass by you and gives your arm a light squeeze. “And thanks for coming to help.”

“Anytime, dude.” You give him a half smile, and walk over to his bathroom. You turn to take a look back at the other two, and they’re already in the kitchen discussing something in soft tones. You move to knock at the door, make two light taps against the frame, and wait for an answer.

A couple seconds pass, and nothing. Not even any movement. Nervously, you knock again, a little louder this time, and wait for a good ten seconds.

Still nothing.

You take a deep breath, reach out to grab the door handle, and very slowly and quietly open the bathroom door. You see nothing but absolute darkness, and step in. You feel around the wall to your right and flip a switch just as you close the door behind you with an audible click. The room instantly floods with the dark red light of the heat lamp, and before you can even think about finding another light source, you find yourself slammed up against the wall and let out a surprised yelp. You open your eyes to see Spinel’s face inches from yours, pupils wild, her hands splayed against your shoulders.

“U-um,” Your voice cracks a little. “Hey.”

You watch her eyes take a second to find yours, and almost instantly, she lets you go, arms trembling.

“W.. what are YOU DOING HERE!?” She cries, large tears pouring down her face, eyebrows raised in confusion, mouth trembling. Her hair is in loose pigtails, strands untamed around her face, cheeks stained with tear tracks. She looks like a mess, and your heart breaks, just a little. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt y-”

“I’m fine.” You cut her off. “I should have said who it was outside the door, I’m sorry. And um.. Steven texted me while I was at work, and told me what was going on so I rushed over..” You trail off as you watch Spinel’s entire body shake, and she covers her face with both of her hands.

“I can’t believe I just did that.” You hear her wavering voice, muffled behind her fists, and she lets out a choked sob. “Maybe they were right. M-maybe I’m not meant to-” She quickly moves her hands down to look at the floor with wide, vulnerable eyes, and struggles to form the rest of her words. You hear her breathing pick up pace, and you’re starting to realize she’s hyperventilating.

“Spinel, look at me.” Her eyes shoot up to yours, lips trembling. “I need you to breathe.” You do what your friends have always done with you, and gently grab both of her hands and hold them with yours, thumbs stroking her palms in slow circles. She freezes up instantly, and you’re about to panic, because while a familiar touch helps ground you, you register that maybe it’ll make it worse for her. But before you can pull your hands away, her hands relax ever so slightly, and she lets out a shaky breath. “Good. Just like that.” You motion for her to follow your breathing inverals, and she copies you, hands still shaking in yours.

It’s been a while since you’ve had to deal with something like this, but you’re thankful for having similar life experiences. After a solid minute or two of this her breathing is back to a normal pace, but she’s still crying, and now not meeting your eyes. Almost like she’s avoiding them.

“Look, I.. I don’t know what happened with you and the diamonds, but you can talk to me about it if you’d like. No pressure, though.” You give her hands a small squeeze, and she whimpers, looking up to meet your gaze. Tears are still actively streaming down her face, and you have no idea how to make any of this better. It physically hurts you to see her like this.

“C-can I not talk about it? I don’t think I’m ready..” She pulls a hand from yours, and wipes at her face. She just kind of smeared half of her face with wetness, and she looks miserable.

“You don’t have to talk about anything, Spinel.” You look at her, making sure she sees it in your eyes. You slowly let go of her other hand, and hold your arms out in a silent question instead. Her mouth opens slightly, the red glow of the light around her making her look extremely vulnerable and soft, and she looks at your open arms with a blank face for a moment before understanding. Almost instantaneously, she throws herself against you and wraps her arms around your shoulders, shoving her face into the cradle of your neck. You envelop your arms around her tightly, giving her sides a squeeze, and you feel her start to shake again.

She lets out an unsteady sigh, and hiccups out another small sob. You pull her to lean fully against you as you stand there, bracing your back against the bathroom door. She lets you maneuver her, and you rest the side of your face against her temple while she cries. You resign yourself to letting her cry on you until she’s done, if she needs to.

You feel her sniffle against your neck, and try not to mind that she’s getting your shirt soaked. You give her back a few gentle rubs, feeling her body quiver against yours as she’s trying to control her choked breathing. You’re not really counting the minutes, as right now you’re currently having way too many rampant thoughts about what the fuck the diamonds could’ve said to her. You’re mad as hell, honestly, and if you could say shit to them, you would in a heartbeat. You don’t want to make anything worse for her though, as much as you want to steal her phone and video call them to curse them out. It takes a few more minutes, but eventually her crying dies down, and you feel her breathing even out. Slowly, she dislodges her arms from twisting around you two, and you feel a sigh, her breath hot against your neck. You do your best to school your facial expression as you’re realize just how close you are to her, and she pulls her face from its resting position to look at you. She looks awful.

“U-um,” She lifts up her hand to attempt to wipe her face, failing to rub half the tears away. “I don’t really want to go out there yet..”

“You don’t have to.” You say, quietly. “I can leave if you’d like some quiet to yourself.” Her face looks panicked for a second, and she grabs your wrist.

“Please don’t leave me.” She says, voice wavering again. You try not to let your heart shatter at her tone.

“I won’t if you want me here.” You say, and sigh softly. “Here, hold on a second.”

She lets your wrist go as you move slightly over to the sink, turn the hot water on, and grab a clean hand towel from the counter. You soak it in water, and squeeze out all the excess. Towel in hand, you turn back to her, and she’s looking at you cautiously. You lift the towel slightly, motioning to her face.

“May I?” You ask, and she nods slightly.

Tenderly, you brush a couple strands of hair away from her face, grasp her chin with your left hand and pull her forward, gently pressing the towel to her cheek. She closes her eyes, and her shoulders sag a little as she lets you dab at her face, cleaning her of any tear stain marks. She sighs into your touch, and it strikes you that it would be so easy to just.. lean in and kiss her.

Your brain almost short circuits and you snap your thoughts back to reality. There’s a time and place for everything. This is not the time, nor the place.

Once you’re satisfied that she looks a lot better than before, you pull your hands away to toss the rag in the sink, and Spinel, for a brief moment, looks disappointed that you had stopped. Which.. kind of gives you an idea.

“Can I try something? Harper used to do this thing with me when I.. had similar breakdowns.” You ask her. She raises her eyebrow in response, clearly exhausted from crying so much. “Here.” You say, and take her hand and lead her over to the rim of the bathtub. You sit down on the edge, and motion for her to sit in front of you on the floor. She takes a seat in front of you, still confused, but obeys nonetheless. “Can I touch you?” You ask her, watching her face to make sure she’s alright.

She looks up at you, the red light in the room flooding the entirety of her face, making her hair darker, and the whites of her eyes a bit more dramatic.

“Yeah.” She says in reply, voice tired.

You reach out to her hair, and stop for a moment.

“Can I have you face the other direction, actually? Come over here.” You move to open your knees, making enough room for Spinel to turn around and lean against the bathtub. She’s close to you again.

“What are you..” She trails off as you start to take the hair ties out of her pigtails, one after the other. It takes a second, as it’s a bit tangled, but you manage to get both out, and let her hair fall down. You comb out her hair with your fingers, gently, and she sighs audibly while leaning into your touch. You run your short nails along her scalp, scratching and massaging as you smooth out her hair, attempting to pull all the tangles out.

“Touch used to calm me down, and Harper was really good at it, honestly.” You say while pulling out a particularly difficult tangle without hurting her. Her hair is long like this, and you like it. You wish you could grow your hair this long, but it’s kind of a pain to deal with, and the longest you’ve ever had yours wasn’t even to your mid back, you think to yourself. “Sometimes she’d give me shoulder and neck massages, but I preferred that she’d just play with my hair. There’s just something different about another person touching your hair.”

“I kind of get what you mean.” She says, tiredly.

“Can I braid your hair?” You lean closer to look at her face.

“Do what you want.” She says, looking fairly relaxed.

“Cool. Anyway, while Harper was good at that, Alex, on the other hand, was just terrible at any kind of physical comfort. He’s genuine, and he tries, but he’s an idiot. He’s a lot better at distractions, for the most part.” You run your fingers through her hair one more time, before starting to separate her hair into three parts for a french braid. “He’s funny, and comes from a large family, so he always has stories and jokes. Whenever I’d have a panic attack, those two were always so good about being there for me. I don’t know what I’d do without them.”

You notice that Spinel‘s shoulders have lost most of the tension in them, and you’re secretly relieved. You keep talking to fill the quietness around you two, because you’ve always hated the quiet during moments like these. Your friends aren’t here, so it’s up to you to make up for it.

“It was kind of hard, at first though,” You say, and start looping the chunks of hair around your fingers, starting at the top of her head. “Because for a while there, back when I was 16 and dealing with the worst of my abandonment issues, I clung onto Harper like a baby koala. I had this super weird crush on her even though we had been friends since we were practically babies. I think I idolized her because she was just.. good to me.” You accidentally tug a little too hard on a strand of hair, wince and utter an apology while massaging the spot on her scalp. “I’m glad that didn’t ruin our friendship, but for a while there I really pushed my feelings onto her, which was kinda fucked up on my part.”

“Hm..” Spinel mumbles. “I kind of had a thing for Pink, I think. Which ended up screwing with me even more after what she did.” You stare at the back of her head and pause your hands for a second. Huh. Yeah, you had a hunch.

“If she were still alive, I’d punch her in the face for you, I hope you know.” You state, in full seriousness. This gets the first chuckle that you’ve heard from her today, and you’re secretly overjoyed.

“I’d pay to watch that.” She says, and you laugh out loud. You see her smile, just barely.

“So,” You continue, with both your hands and conversation. “A week or so after my 17th birthday, right after Harper talked to me about this guy at school that she liked, I confess to her. And not like a, ‘oh hey, you’re my best friend and I really like you’ kind of way, either. It was more like a, ‘have a mental breakdown over your best friend liking someone else and make them feel like shit about it on your walk home from school’ kind of confession.” Your hands reach the nape of her neck now, braid mostly done on her head, but you’ve got around another 20 inches of length before being finished.

“Harper avoided me for nearly a week after that. I was absolutely pathetic, and inconsolable. Alex was fed up with my shit after a few days, and nearly slapped me over it. He would’ve been in the right, doing so, honestly. I was a selfish asshole who only thought about her own feelings, and not about her best friends.” Your eyes drift to Spinel’s face, and her eyes are closed, eyebrows unfurrowed.

“Anyway,” You’re nearly done with the entire braid now. “She did end up forgiving me. Thankfully. I don’t know what I’d do if it were my fault that I’d split up our friend group.” You pick up the discarded hair tie from earlier, and tie it around the end of the braid.

“I’m all done, by the way.” You say to her. She opens her eyes tentatively, and she looks sleepy. You stand up, and stretch your back. She also gets up on wobbly legs, and turns to look at you.

“Um.” She’s avoiding your eyes. “Thank you. For this.” She’s twisting her hands together, nervously. You lean your face closer to get at eye-level with her.

“Anytime.. and for the record, you look really cute in a braid.” You say and smile, giving her a cheeky wink. You watch her entire face from the neck up turn bright red, and think that you could probably do this forever, and never get tired. She gives you a noncommittal grunt, halfheartedly smacks your arm and you grin at her.

You hear a quiet knock at the door, and look over to Spinel. She shrugs, so I guess it’s okay now.

“You can come in!” You say to the door. It opens slowly, and you see Steven peek his head in.

“Um.. are we okay?” He asks, clearly very worried about her.

“I’ll be okay.” She says, and you think that maybe she should lay down and sleep. You verbalize this immediately.

“Spinel. I think you should go take a nap.” You look at her, and she blinks at you. “I’m serious.”

“She’s kind of right.” Steven says in agreement with you. Spinel gives the both of you a shrug, and even that seems like it’s taking a lot out of her.

“Okay.” She says, and turns to walk out of the bathroom. Steven opens the door wider, and you can see Pearl in the kitchen leaning against the counter, trying to not seem like she’s intently watching all of you.

Spinel makes her way over to the couch and takes a seat, sitting up rigidly. You walk over to her to make sure she’s okay before you leave for home.

“You know you can text me, right? And if you need me, I’ll be available. I’ll leave my volume turned on.” She gives you a nod. “Oh, and.. take this,” You say, and pull off the pullover hoodie you’re wearing right now, and hand it over to her. “Alex used to let me wear his oversized sweaters, and they used to help me sleep, so..”

She tentatively reaches out, and takes it from your hands.

“Thanks.” She says, and gives you a small smile. With her hair pulled back like this she almost looks human, for a fleeting moment. You sometimes forget she’s a gem. You return the smile back at her, and turn around to leave.

After grabbing your bag that you set down earlier from beside the couch, you head over to the front door and open it. Shouldering the bag, you start to shut the door and see Steven behind you. He closes the door behind him, his face searching yours for something you don’t quite know.

“I don’t know what you did, but thank you.” He says, completely genuine.

“You don’t have to thank me. I’d do it for you, too, you know.” You say to him, and he smiles.

“That’s why I like you, Y/N. You’re sweet.”

“Yeahhhh, don’t tell anyone, though. You’ll ruin my reputation.” You smirk, giving him the side-eye. He laughs and pats your back.

“Ohhhhhh no! Whatever will you do!?” He rolls his eyes in jest. “Get home safe, okay?”

“No promises.” You reply, and jump down his steps, two at a time.

It doesn’t take you long to get home, and you’re pretty tired yourself. You make yourself busy by preparing dinner, cleaning the kitchen a little, and calling your dad for another check-in. Before you know it, it’s nearly 11, and you need to sleep for your double shift tomorrow that you almost forgot about. You’re laying in bed browsing social media before drifting off, and you receive a text from Spinel. You swipe down and open the message.

Spinel: Thanks again for today.

Spinel: I baked some new cookies with Steven, and would like to give you some tomorrow if that’s okay?

You smile to yourself. Ughhhhhhhh, you’re catching the feelings disease, and you swat the air around you like it somehow physically manifested around you.

Y/N: I work literally all day, but feel free to stop by and give them to me.

Y/N: Then I get to see a pretty familiar face to break up all the lame tourists.

Y/N: Cuz that sounds super nice. ;)

Spinel: I’ll see you tomorrow, then.

She didn’t react to your obvious teasing, but you won’t let that discourage you. You fall asleep thinking of the many different ways you can poke fun at her, and this time, you charge your phone.

You wake up the next morning feeling well-rested for once, and get ready for work. Alex has sent you a couple texts about when his flight will arrive, and when he’ll roughly come to meet you. Sometime around 4pm, apparently. You shoot Spinel a good morning text, and she replies almost instantly with the same, which makes you smile.

You head to work, texting your group chat about what happened yesterday with Spinel, and give them basically all the details. Alex makes fun of you for a bit, so you curse him out and pocket your phone as you clock in. Today’s going to suck, but you’ve got a few things to look forward to.

You make it a couple hours into your shift before you finally get a break, and Spinel texts you that she’ll drop by sometime in the afternoon once she’s done helping Bismuth with something. God you hope it’s not when Alex gets here, because you are so not fucking ready for that interaction. You eat your lunch and pray to any god out there that you could have one more day of peace.

You’re outside the main building repairing a couple parts on the carousel, ignoring the bulk of the tourists to focus on work. You don’t realize that quite a while has passed by, because someone walks up to you as you’ve got your head in a small door, and kicks you slightly on your ass. You jolt and bump your head against the opening, and you hear Alex burst out into laughter as you groan in pain.

God fucking dammit, this guy. You pull your head out to glare at him, screwdriver pointing at him threateningly.

“Do you want this up your ass? Because I can do that.” You say to him, and he laughs even harder. You roll your eyes at him.

“Don’t promise me with a good time, Y/N.” He says, and you stand up to smack him.

“I don’t think the pointy end would be a good time, idiot.” You deadpan stare at him. He grins.

“You don’t know what I’m into.” He shrugs, and flips his hair dramatically. You hate that he’s stupid and charming, and you love him so much.

“I know I haven’t seen you in 2 months, but like, I feel like you’ve grown taller?” You stare at him, a little mournfully. You’re the shortest one out of your friends, and you’re of average height. He also seems.. handsomer. You think he definitely got a lot more tan. He’s definitely grown into his looks, his dark curly hair and recently shaved face making him look older than you’re used to.

“I don’t think I did, but I think you’ve grown shorter.” He laughs obnoxiously, and you smack his arm again, which makes him laugh harder.

“You’re so mean to me, like all the time. Why do I love you?” You cross your arms and pout, because you know it gets a rise out of him.

“Youuuuuuu knowww, because I’m just so loveable and gorgeous and the smartest one in the group??” He flutters his eyelashes at you like he thinks he’s cute.

“Wow, you are none of these things.” You reply, smirking at him. He puts his hand over his heart in mock offense.

“Y/N, I’m offended. I’ve been here for like, five minutes, and I’ve received absolutely no affection from you. If I don’t get love, I will wilt and die. Do you want to be responsible for my death?” He opens his arms wide, and you roll your eyes dramatically, and stand there.

“We’re not doing this in public.” You say, standing your ground.

“Ohhh, YES we are, Y/N.” He wiggles his eyebrows. “Prepare yourself for the onslaught.”

You take a couple steps back, prepared to run. He grabs your arms, wraps his around your torso, and picks you up, swinging you around.

“Nooooooooooooooooo!!” You cry. “Put me down you oaf!”

“No! I want love!” He all but shouts, and spins you around. He grabs your cheek with one hand and starts giving you big ‘ol smooches all over your face, and you’re giggling and trying to push him away, when you hear something drop and spill on the pavement a good twenty feet from you. You look up.

It’s Spinel.

Her face is twisted with heartbreak, and before you can even speak up, she bolts.

You look down, and see the cookies she made you scattered on the ground.

#spinel x reader #spinel #su #steven universe #spinel self insert #fic #my fic #devils ballroom #look. im not sorry yall. i promise next chapter youll get what u want LMFAO

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ficsandcatsandficsandcats · 4 years

Text

Road Trip : Punk!AU

Fandom: The Witcher Pairing: Punk!Jaskier x Reader, Punk!Geralt x Punk!Yennefer Word Count: 5,238 Rating: T Taglist: @heroics-and-heartbreak @whatevermonkey @mynamesoundslikesherlock @magic-multicolored-miracle a/n: Here is the long-awaited update to our series! It’s a big one but I hope you all enjoy it! Part V will be coming from @heroics-and-heartbreak sometime in the future so keep an eye out and let us know if you want to be added to the taglist!

Part IV – But Where’s Your Heart?

{Part I}{Part II}{Part III}

Something was very, very wrong.

Jaskier was sitting shotgun while Yennefer rode behind him next to Y/N. Aevryn and Win still sat in the far back but no one spoke much. Geralt had music playing from his phone but no one sang along. It seemed like a white noise intent on covering up the awkward silence but everyone knew better. No one was talking, though. Jaskier had tried to ask Geralt about it when they pulled over at a rest station but his trademark stoicism was back with a vengeance and he shrugged him off. He’d tried to talk with Aevryn who just plastered a smile on her face and when he broke through that she just told him to let it be. Yennefer approached him first, having watched him try and get answers from the others, and told him plainly to stay the fuck out of it.

“Shutting out your friends isn’t very punk rock of you, Yennefer!” he’d called at her retreating back. She flipped him off without so much as a glance back and Jaskier made up his mind.

“There,” he said, pointing to a spot on the map.

“What’s that?” Geralt asked.

“Chicago. We’re going to Chicago. We’ve been driving without so much as a World’s Biggest Yarn stop. I know it’s called a road trip but you are actually supposed to get out and see things once and a while,” Jaskier explained. Geralt rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Aevryn, what do you think?” Jaskier asked, calling back to his friend who looked up from her phone with a startled expression. Yennefer didn’t turn to look at her, but Aevryn felt her gaze all the same.

“Sure, sounds good,” she said. Jaskier brightened a bit and turned to you.

“That’s one vote in favor, Y/N, I know you’re with me?” he asked.

“Of course!” you said quickly. You’d picked up on the odd vibe in the van and it had begun to pick at you, making you think about and face your own insecurities and doubts when you’d really wanted the trip be a fun, breezy distraction.

“That’s three, Win?” Jaskier asked, shooting her a charming smile.

“You know I’m up for a good time,” Win replied. Jaskier turned to Geralt holding up four fingers triumphantly.

“And when did this become a democracy exactly?” Geralt grumbled.

“Since I said so,” Jaskier retorted.

“Oh very democratic of you, don’t recall voting on that,” Geralt muttered.

“Think of it like this, Geralt. You all are Parliament but I am the Queen,” Jaskier replied giving the drummer a magnanimous grin.

“Infirm and needing to be overthrown as soon as possible?” Geralt retorted.

“Oh for fuck’s sake Geralt are you going to Chicago or not?” Yennefer snapped. You and Jaskier shared a wide-eyed look and then quickly looked away. Geralt stiffened in his seat and you thought the steering wheel may break in his grip. Another silence settled over the car but when the sign for the exit came, Geralt turned onto it without a word.

-----

“Navy Pier!” cried, arms thrown open wide as your little group stood at the entrance.

“Where’s the bean?” Aevryn asked, looking up from her phone where she’d googled Chicago just to try and remember which of the states that was.

“No bean here,” Win explained, threading her fingers through Aevryn’s, “Lots of other cool stuff though. My parents took me here when I was a kid. We gotta go on the swings.”

“Swings?” Aevryn asked, giving her a bemused look, “We have swings in England too.”

“Not that kinda swing, babe,” Win said with a little wink and then, a little pointedly, “You’ll have to put the phone down while we’re on it though.”

Yennefer looked intently out towards the ocean and you felt another thread of tension wend through the group. Aevryn and Win set off and you heard Win asking, “real quick, how do you feel about heights?” as they disappeared into the roaming crowd of tourists.

“Hey,” you said, turning to Jaskier, “I have an idea. How about we pair up and take on the park. Divide and conquer, you know?”

“Um,” Jaskier glanced at the group and then back at you, “I mean… yeah…”

“I’ll go with Yennefer!” you declared, a look of relief immediately coming over Jaskier’s face.

“Alright Geralt that leaves us!” he said, walking over to his friend who grunted in response. You took Yennefer’s arm and walked off with her, trying to decide what would be the perfect activity to do with the coolest person you’d ever met.

-----

Yennefer clutched the golden pole sticking out of the bright, teal dragon she sat on. You squeezed the center of the brown horse you sat on and held your arms up as you had when you were a little girl.

“Look!” you cried, pulling Yennefer’s attention to you, “No hands!”

She laughed, looking relaxed and happy for the first time in days. She shifted in her seat so she was sitting side-saddle, rising and falling as the carousal wound its way in a circle.

“Admit it, you thought it was gonna be lame but it’s really fun going back and doing the stuff from childhood,” you said with a smug grin.

“This is my first carousal ride actually,” she admitted.

“Oh… does England not have…?”

“Oh, they do,” she said with a laugh, “I just didn’t go out much. My foster parents weren’t big on trips.”

Your stomach flopped with the motion of the carousal horse and Yennefer saw you freeze in a way she was used to people doing when she let slip that she’d been a foster child.

“They weren’t abusive, they just had too many kids to wrangle to the fair and stuff. It wasn’t bad,” Yennefer insisted.

“That’s cool,” you said, nodding, uncertain what else to say.

“Also, I didn’t think this was going to be lame. You had me at ‘you can ride a dragon’,” she said with another smile that lit up the usually cool, impassive face.

“Hey,” you said, trying to sit side-saddle as well and nearly falling off the horse, “We don’t have to talk about it, but I just wanted to check in. Cuz things aren’t ok. And you should know that you can talk about it if you want. I won’t even tell Jask, swear on MCR’s entire discography.”

You said this with a solemn face, holding your hand up as though you were in court. Yennefer considered your words and you held your breath, wondering if she might actually confide in you.

“What would you do if Jaskier and you broke up?” she asked. You blinked, the words hitting you like a bucket of ice water and sinking deep down to the thoughts you’d been fighting against.

“Um. Well… cry?” you offered lamely.

“Would you still travel with him or would you go back home?” she probed.

“Well, I would probably go home. I mean, that’s gonna happen anyway, right? I still have school to finish and this isn’t… we haven’t really talked about what happens next,” your voice trailed away and your nails chipped at the golden paint of the pole you gripped a bit tighter.

“Oh shit, Y/N, I’m sorry that was a senseless question,” Yennefer apologized, jumping of off her dragon steed to walk over to you.

“You can’t do that!” a kid yelled behind her. Yennefer shot them a baleful glare then turned back to you.

“Hey,” she said, “You and Jask are great. Whatever you’re facing you’re going to do it together. It’s different for you. You… you really have something, you know? It’s not like… I mean… It’s not…”

Her voice trailed off as well and she held onto your horse, the swirling of the carousal suddenly hitting her as well. You took a deep breath and looked at Yennefer, a fierce determination in your eyes.

“Once this thing stops you wanna go eat just a fuckton of corn dogs?” you asked.

“What’s a corndog?” Yennefer asked. Your eyes widened and she grew nervous at the intensity in your eyes. Apparently she would be learning what a corndog was very, very soon.

-----

Geralt gripped the rock in his hands, muscles rippling beneath the loose, white tank top as he pulled himself higher. He was only halfway up but that still left him a good 12 feet above ground. He took a deep breath, a sense of relief flooding him as he rose above the pain and problems that awaited him back on earth.

“You’re doing great!” a voice called somewhere below him a good six feet, “Well done Geralt!”

Geralt peered over at Jaskier who gripped the piece of rock with white knuckles and frowned.

“Why did you do this, Jaskier? You hate heights,” Geralt called down.

“I do not! Well, I didn’t know that I did,” Jaskier amended, marveling at how relaxed Geralt seemed while hovering above the earth in a way humans were surely never intended to be. “Anyway it seemed like something you’d enjoy and I was right! Look at you! You almost look human!”

Geralt shook his head but Jaskier could see a hint of smirk in the corner of his lips. It spurred him to climb a bit higher, Geralt watching with concern that did not help Jaskier feel any better about things. When he was about eye-level with Geralt’s knee he paused and looked up into his friend’s amber eyes.

“Alright Geralt, talk to me,” he said between gasps.

“Was this your plan? Isolate me in the air and get me to talk?” Geralt asked, looking almost a bit proud.

“Well that’s one way of putting it. Another is that I would help my friend relax and hope he may open up to me a bit,” Jaskier replied. Geralt looked up to the top of the wall and back down at Jaskier, a dangerous smile on his face.

“If you can meet me up there, we’ll talk,” he said, and turned to start climbing, scaling the wall with a nearly inhuman nimbleness while Jaskier sputtered and then set his face, determined.

“Alright you bloody bastard I’ll show you that Julian Pankratz doesn’t back down from a challenge,” he mumbled. Geralt looked out across the pier, the cool breeze of the air blowing his hair back and cooling the sweat off his face a welcome balm. Somewhere out there, among the millions of people, Yennefer was walking around. He wondered if he looked right now he could find her, seemingly always drawn to her no matter how much they tried to pull away. His musings were interrupted by the sound of a familiar voice calling his name. He looked down and paled as he saw Jaskier gripping a rock much closer than he’d expected. He’d thought Jaskier would give up and head back down and Geralt would get more of his quiet contemplation. Instead his friend had apparently taken the challenge in earnest. It hadn’t felt like a long way to climb when it was just him but now that he saw Jaskier hovering over the earth it was a dizzying expanse and he quickly climbed down where Jaskier stood. He knew that his friend wasn’t weak by any means but his arms trembled, from exertion or fear he couldn’t tell.

“Jaskier,” Geralt said, gripping one of Jaskier’s arms.

“Oh hello Geralt I was just, uh, well I looked down which was deeply stupid of me and now I seem to be paralyzed,” Jaskier replied, a slightly manic smile on his face. His breathing was a bit shallow and Geralt locked eyes, amber seeking sky blue.

“Jaskier, the only way at this point is up. I’m going to get you there,” Geralt said, speaking slowly.

“Cool cool cool brilliant but the part where I’m paralyzed, Geralt, what of that?” Jaskier asked.

“Just stay focused on me, alright? Take some deep breaths with me.”

Geralt helped Jaskier slowly deepen his breathing and once that was done he began to talk to him about random things, trying to distract him.

“So, is the road trip everything you’d hoped?” Geralt asked.

“Well it was before everyone got so weird,” Jaskier said, pinning Geralt with a meaningful look.

“Hmm,” Geralt replied.

“I’ll make a deal with you Geralt,” Jaskier suggested, the sly tone in his voice making Geralt very suspicious, “I will climb a bit more with each answer you give me.”

“That’s extortion,” Geralt argued.

“Are you in a position to barter?” Jaskier asked.

“Are you?” Geralt bit back.

“C’mon, Geralt, we both know you’re hating this more than I am. And that’s saying something because gods knows I’m hating this with every fiber of my being,” Jaskier argued. Geralt took a deep breath and nodded tersely.

“But I have the right to refuse the question,” he said. Jaskier nodded in agreement and thought about what to ask, not wanting to shut him down by asking the bigger questions too quickly.

“What do you think of Y/N?” he asked. Geralt blinked in surprise, relieved to have an easy question.

“I like her,” he replied, “She doesn’t suffer your bullshit but she’s also good to you. She fits in with the band well.”

“I like her too, a lot,” Jaskier said, a dreamy smile coming over his face. Geralt looked pointedly at Jaskier who remembered his side of the deal and took a few tentative steps, Geralt watching him carefully though he knew that he was strapped in a harness that would prevent any lasting damage if he fell.

“Who’s a better musician? Me or Valdo Marx?” Jaskier asked, his tone fierce and his blue eyes steely.

“You,” Geralt answered quickly, “Where the fuck did that come from?”

“Just checking,” Jaskier answered, seemingly distracted by his anger at Valdo as he progressed up the wall farther than Geralt had expected, stopping a few feet from the top.

“What is one thing we haven’t done on this road trip that you want to do?” he asked. Geralt furrowed his brow, thinking over the question. He only really wanted one thing anymore and he couldn’t have it. All other things felt small in comparison.

“I want to put my feet in the ocean,” Geralt said, trying to figure out a thing that may be nice. Jaskier’s face lit up and he crossed the last bit of wall, sitting next to Geralt at the top.

“I can do that, Geralt!” he said excitedly, “We can go right after this!”

“Jaskier you did it!” Geralt said. Jaskier looked around, suddenly realizing that he was no longer clutching the side of the wall. He took in the beautiful view and exhaled slowly.

“Well I guess I did,” he said offhandedly before turning back to Geralt, “Seems I have one last question.”

Geralt ran a hand through the silver hair he’d tied up in a bun, pulling some strands out as he did.

“Geralt, what is going on between you and Yennefer? I don’t need gross details, but I want to know what’s happening,” Jaskier implored. Geralt knew it was coming but it didn’t make hearing the question any easier. Jaskier waited patiently, hands in his lap as he left his friend the silence he needed to ponder his answer.

“I proposed,” Geralt said. Jaskier’s eyes widened.

“Oh that’s – Oh, ah,” he said, is excitement shifting to pained sympathy as he realized that it must not have gone well.

“Last year,” Geralt added.

“What?”

“Yeah,” Geralt nodded and sighed deeply.

“And she…”

“Said no.”

“Right.”

The two men stared out at the pier as Jaskier chewed over the words in his mind, trying to decide what to say next.

“Geralt, why didn’t you tell me?”

“What? Oh hey Jaskier, I asked Yen to marry me, she said no and also broke up with me,” Geralt said sarcastically.

“Yes, sure, why not? We’re friends, Geralt, friends share these things,” Jaskier argued.

“I guess I’m not really sure how this all works yet,” Geralt mumbled.

“What, friendship?”

Geralt didn’t answer but Jaskier understood his silence.

“Well… fuck her, right?” Jaskier asked, trying to sound confident in his declaration. Geralt glared at him.

“It’s not her fault,” Geralt said, “I’m not mad at her. Well, I am. But I’m also not. It would be easier if I was just angry.”

“How have you worked together so well? I mean there’s been fights and awkwardness, sure, but you both still show up,” Jaskier said.

“Of course we show up,” Geralt replied, “We’re not going to abandon you, Jaskier.”

Jaskier laughed and blinked back the tears that the words brought to his eyes. Geralt glanced at him and then quickly looked away.

“So, uh, where does that leave you now? I mean is there any chance that you’ll… I dunno. What do you want?” Jaskier asked once he’d composed himself. Geralt closed his eyes, remembering the feeling of her skin, still able to conjure her sweet scent and the sound of her voice in his ear. She was always with him and somehow never fully there.

“It doesn’t matter what I want,” Geralt said, “Not if she doesn’t want the same things. And she doesn’t.”

“Well that’s… balls,” Jaskier finished lamely.

“Yeah, it is,” Geralt agreed. They shared a sad smile and looked out onto the pier where Jaskier’s eyes fell on something that made him sneer.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” he bit out.

“What?”

Jaskier pointed to a billboard in the distance. It was a black board with two initials in emerald green: VM. Below it was a date 07.31.21.

“Ugh, I almost forgot he was releasing an album. I don’t like it, Geralt. Its smug aura mocks me,” Jaskier complained. Geralt chuckled at his friend’s vehemence but shared his dislike for the advertisement.

“Well that’s ruined this air, how do we get off this damn thing,” Jaskier grumbled and Geralt moved quickly to help his friend over to where they could begin their descent, moving away from the all-seeing eyes of Valdo Marx.

-----

Aevryn screamed.

The world spun below her, legs dangling in the air as she was thrown around in a large, yawning arc and she screamed louder than she had in her entire life. She screamed out of sheer exhilaration at the weightlessness and adrenaline pumping through her veins. She screamed for the frustration she felt at Yennefer and herself and Valdo and nearly everyone in her life. Most of all she screamed because it felt like the only thing she could do right now that wouldn’t cause someone pain. When the ride slowed she tilted her head back and closer her eyes, bidding farewell to the reprieve she felt from her problems. Once reunited out of the ride gates Win pulled her into a hug.

“Are you ok?” she asked.

“Yeah that was great! Why?” Aevryn asked.

“You just screamed a lot I was worried you’d been trying to look brave for me when you agreed to ride it,” Win replied. Aevryn planted a soft kiss on Win’s cheek and looked into her eyes.

“You’re so sweet,” she said. She knew it wasn’t fair to compare Valdo to anyone but she had to admit it was clear between him and Win who was kinder. Then again, it wasn’t about Win or Valdo, really. It wasn’t a competition. That’s not how love worked. Aevryn slid her hand in Win’s and walked her over to a bench that looked out onto the ocean, steeling herself to have a conversation she hadn’t been expecting to have until the end of the tour. As soon as they sat down Aevryn’s phone vibrated in her pocket but she forced herself to leave it alone. Win looked into Aevryn’s sea green eyes and pulled her in for a kiss, cupping her face as she pulled back to look her in the eyes again.

“I release you,” Win said dramatically.

“What?” Aevryn asked.

“Aev I know what’s about to happen,” Win replied with a little smile, “I’m not dumb. I know that the ex is in the picture.”

“It’s not that s-”

“Babe,” Win said, giving her a look that halted Aevryn’s attempt at an explanation, “It’s ok. We knew what this was when we entered it and while you’re an amazing woman, I’m gonna be ok.”

Aevryn worried her lip between her teeth as she considered what Win said, wondering if anything really could be this easy.

“Are you sure?” Aevryn asked. Win nodded and patted her knee.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Win asked, nodding to the phone in Aevryn’s pocket.

“Not really,” Aevryn answered, though a part of her desperately did. She didn’t have Yennefer to talk to anymore and while she trusted you, she was afraid Jaskier would somehow find out. The fewer people who knew the better.

“Ok,” Win said, “Then we won’t. But the offer stands.”

“You’re a really good friend,” Aevryn said sincerely, heart filling with gratitude. Everything felt out of control but Win remained the eye of the storm, a calm reprieve amidst the chaos.

“I really am,” Win emphasized with a playful smile that made Aevryn laugh. “Did we make plans to meet up with the others?”

“Uh I don’t think so, let me see if Jask texted about it,” Aevryn said, pulling out her phone.

@valdomarxofficial: My new album is coming out tomorrow. I hope you’ll listen to it, even if your music tastes have changed.

Aevryn sighed and Win pulled out her phone to text you about plans instead as her friend typed back.

@aeverona: just bc Im with vicious mockery doesn’t mean I hate your music, Valdo. Ive always loved it. That hasnt changed.

“We’re meeting up at the Ferris Wheel,” Win said.

“What?” Aevryn asked, looking up at her. Win smiled and shook her head.

“C’mon,” she said, standing up and holding out her hand for Aevryn’s. Aevryn let Win lead her through the crowd, trying to pretend the buzzing of her phone didn’t send a jolt through her heart as she made herself leave it alone as they made their way to the looming Ferris Wheel.

-----

You and Yennefer arrived at Wheel first, Yennefer holding an untouched corndog. Two hands covered your eyes and you could smell the telltale cedar that followed your boyfriend around.

“Guess who,” he sang into your ear.

“Geralt we have to stop meeting like this,” you joked. Jaskier swatted your ass and pulled you around to face him, pulling you in for a kiss. Geralt walked up, the flannel he’d tied around his waist to climb back on his shoulders as the evening air cooled. Sunset began to creep across the sky and it was lovely. It also escaped Geralt’s notice completely as Yennefer walked up to him and thrust out the corndog.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“It’s a corndog,” she said, holding it out like an olive branch.

“What do you… do with it?” he asked. She smirked at his confusion as though she hadn’t asked you the exact same question when you’d handed one to her.

“You eat it,” she said. He shrugged and took it from her hands, fingertips brushing against each other’s in the briefest caress, and took a large bite. He chewed for a bit, face ponderous for a moment.

“If nobbad,” he mumbled through a mouthful of cornbread and hotdog. Yennefer chuckled and Geralt softened, happy for a reprieve from the tension though he knew it was only a matter of time before it was back.

Jaskier pressed his forehead against yours, nose brushing against yours.

“I missed you,” he said, sky blue eyes gazing into yours.

“I missed you too,” you said, tilting your head up to plant another soft kiss on his lips.

“I have a plan for some alone time but we’re going to have to engage in a little celebrity pandering,” Jaskier said.

“I don’t care if you have to buy the whole park to do it, I want some time with you. But I mean. Don’t actually do that,” you said. He smiled and kissed you again, taking your hand in his and walking over to where Aevryn and Win now caught up with Yennefer and Geralt.

“Alright gang, I hope you’ve all had a wonderful day, I nearly died no fewer than 27 times as Geralt will attest-”

“He was perfectly safe.”

“As I was saying, I am a hero among men and I have missed you all but not as much as I’ve missed Y/N so I am going to do the thing we always promised each other we wouldn’t do unless there was a dire need,” Jaskier announced dramatically. You and Win exchanged confused looks while Yennefer, Geralt, and Aevryn exchanged judgmental ones.

“I am going to name drop,” Jaskier said. “I am going to offer a selfie, I am going to offer a review, I am going to whore myself and in turn all of us out for a shot at getting one of those brilliant blue buckets for Y/N and I to share alone.”

“Just go fuck in the porta potty like a normal person,” Win said, rolling her eyes.

“Bro,” you said, sound betrayed. Win just shrugged but shot you an amused smile.

“You realize once we’ve done that it’s going to be a madhouse,” Yennefer argued.

“I do,” he agreed, “But we will sneak out and run away. After I sign a few autographs. Maybe take a few selfies. Agree to host a few karaoke parties…”

“Jaskier!” Aevryn cried.

“Kidding!” he argued, though you could tell he wasn’t. “Anyway, I felt it was only fair to warn you before I go do this. I will try and keep you out of it if possible but all’s fair in love and war and at a carnival, you’ve got a bit of both. Ooh that could be a lyric maybe…”

He walked off with you before anyone could protest further. It turned out to be much easier than he anticipated. The operator of the ride knew him on sight and was thrilled at his offer of a selfie as well as a generous tip. The next bucket came down and the two of you climbed on, trying not to feel bad about the people left waiting in line. Jaskier wrapped an arm around you and snuggled in close, holding your head against his chest as the bucket slowly rose in the air.

“Wait, you hate heights!” you said, sitting up so suddenly you nearly gave him a black eye.

“Oh I’ve conquered that fear today,” he said casually, wrapping an arm around you again, “Speaking of, what did you and Yen get up to today? Any new piercings I should be warned about?”

He peered at your waistband and you shoved him playfully.

“No! We rode the carousal,” you replied.

“Really? Oh man what I wouldn’t give for a photo of that,” he mused.

“It was actually really nice. We just talked,” you said and then your heart sank as you remembered what you’d talked about. Jaskier sensed your mood drop, pale blue eyes lined with kohl giving you a meaningful look. You took a deep breath and shifted to face him.

“Jaskier I…”

“I love you.”

Jaskier blurted out the words that sat between the two of you, lingering in the air like the sweet scent of cotton candy and salty tang of the ocean.

“Oh,” you said, uncertain what else to say. Well, you knew what you wanted to say, but it wasn’t that easy.

“It’s ok,” he said, “I mean, say what you need to say I just… needed you to know that.”

He looked down and his hands, still holding one of yours, and you lifted a hand to cup his face. He leaned into it, pressing a kiss into your palm, the soft, chestnut hair brushing against your fingertips.

“I love you too,” you said, because it was true, regardless of the unanswered questions. His eyes rose to yours and saw a mix of fear and relief.

“I feel like people are usually happy when they confess their love for each other but… you don’t look happy. What is it, love?” he asked, the endearment hitting you harder now that the full weight of the word stood behind it.

“I love you so much,” you said, fighting back tears, “But… Jaskier what happens next?”

Jaskier took a deep breath and looked down.

“We keep saying we’ll deal with it later but we’re running out of later, Jask. Summer’s almost over and I’m scared… I’m scared that this is just going to… I don’t know. I’m not sure,” you mumbled.

“Yes you do,” he said, looking back up at you, “You’re scared that you’ll go back to school and I’ll go back to LA and we’ll try and keep in touch and visit but it’ll peter out.”

“Yes,” you admitted, “That’s exactly what I’m scared about. And there’s really no way around it because you have your life and I have mine and I’m not going to give up school.”

“Y/N I would never let you do that. I’d never support the choice, anyway, not for me,” Jaskier insisted, “But I’ve been thinking about it and I have an idea. It wouldn’t mean no time apart and it wouldn’t mean that our lives wouldn’t still be busy but… I’m willing to do what it takes, Y/N.”

“What’s your idea?” you asked, wiping away the tears that had fallen despite your best efforts, smearing your eyeliner in a way that you were sure was ghastly but Jaskier’s eyes remained just as filled with love and adoration no matter how much of a raccoon you became.

“Seattle’s a pretty big city. A lot of great opportunities for musicians there,” he said. Your eyes widened as you realized what he was saying.

“Jaskier you can’t just up and move,” you cried.

“I can, though! That’s the thing about being rich, you can literally do whatever you want pretty much. It’s actually a bit terrifying. And I know what you’re going to say and yes, I’ve talked with the band. And I talked with Andrzej when I first had the thought and he said it’s possible. But I want to respect your space as well. So if this is something that would be too much or you don’t want me that cl-”

You cut off Jaskier’s words with a kiss, pressing yourself as close as possible. He deepened the kiss, tongue sliding between your lips as you nipped at his bottom lip. When you pulled back for a breath he kept his forehead resting against yours.

“I want you as close as I can get you,” you said, “I don’t care how creepy that sounds, it’s true.”

“Gods I love you,” he murmured.

“I love you too.”

“I love how that sounds,” he said with a little laugh, “I love love.”

“Ok we’re getting gross we have to pull it back,” you said. He nodded in agreement and settled on kissing you again and again. Outside the bucket the world rose and fell, the sun waned and the tides turned and a thousand questions and choices and uncertainties waited for all of you. But in that little bucket, Jaskier in your arms, you knew deep in your bones that you would find a way through.

#Road Trip:Punk!AU #Punk!Jaskier #Punk!Geralt #Punk!Yennefer #Punk!Jaskier x Reader #Punk!Geralt x Punk!Yennefer #Vicious Mockery #Vicious Mockery AU #The WItcher AU

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smolbeandrabbles · 5 years

Text

The Scientist - Killian (Spies in Disguise)

x OC

Author’s Note: Well I can’t draw her, so I’m writing her. (Even though she’s our reader character with her name back so... I’m already writing for her.) AND forcing my two current MoTM to work together. Because screw the both of you and your voice actors, okay!?

Right. *ehem* Rant over. Here we go.

...Uh... If you know nothing about the Dark Crystal (Specifically Age of Resistance) then... uhm... I mean you don’t need to know much but it is heavily referenced. Anyone who knows the characters might look at the title and know exactly where I’m going to go with this... though To the people I’ve forced now to look at that moodboard 3 times. I’m not sorry.

Disclaimer: Dark Crystal characters not mine / Spies in Disguise characters not mine / lyrics not mine / OC is my baby

Premise: On the eve of an important business event Killian still has time to learn some important lessons....

Words: 2662

Warnings: Possible Dark Crystal spoilers / equal parts fluff & banter... with the tiniest bit of angst. Not Reader Insert...

________ You don't know how lovely you are I had to find you Tell you I need you Tell you I set you apart Tell me your secrets And ask me your questions Oh let's go back to the start Running in circles, coming up tails Heads on a science apart Nobody said it was easy No one ever said it would be this hard Oh take me back to the start I was just guessing at numbers and figures Pulling your puzzles apart Questions of science, science and progress Do not speak as loud as my heart Tell me you love me Come back and haunt me Oh and I rush to the start Running in circles, chasing our tails Coming back as we are

---

It was getting pretty late when Killian finally glanced up from his work at the clock. He sighed, if he didn’t go now he wouldn’t even be fashionably late. He sat back in his chair and tapped the file in front of him – no, he didn’t want to go. But given the importance of the event he knew he would have to. Swivelling, Killian propped himself on his elbows to check on KiTT. The little assistance drone was busy putting all the final checks in place, chattering away to itself. Killian had long since sent her away, but he supposed it was time to call it a night. “KiTT!” The little Drone finished soldering and beeped enthusiastically, zooming through the air to his side as Killian stood; “Let’s go. It’s late.” He beeped again and then hovered ahead at pace as Killian dragged the file from the desk and began shutting down. He took a deep breath, big day tomorrow… And followed the drone out. Upon ascending to the living floor Killian could already hear the television, probably on louder that necessary, and knew she would be curled up relaxing to one of her favourite shows. Upon hearing this himself KiTT gave an excited squeak and set off quickly towards the room. Killian just chuckled and rolled his eyes; “Yeah! Don’t wait up!” He instead turned off at their bedroom to deposit the file on his side table and pick out a tie. Once that was sorted he crossed the corridor and into the little room she’d set herself up in.

“Ashlinn, would you-” He paused and raised an eyebrow at the TV screen. She was concentrating hard, hair pulled back off her face in a high pony tail, knees up, blanket around her, thumb pressed up against her lips, green eyes wide. Killian stepped a little closer and leant forward, intrigued. “Are they… puppets?” She nearly jumped, and then threw the remote at him; “OH MY GOD-! KNOCK-!” That only made him laugh as she scrambled to pause it; “Sorry, I didn’t realise you were that into it.” “This is pretty dark stuff, you just gave me a heart attack!” He noticed that KiTT was now resting next to her on the sofa; “Oh and he didn’t? Dark?!” He indicated to the screen, “It looks like the Muppets, what is this?” “First off- How dare you! This is the Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance!” Ashlinn glared at him, arms folded “Second of all – I guess you’re not wrong, it’s all Jim Henson. Third of all, KiTT doesn’t bother me and actually sat down quietly. Unlike some people.” Killian sat next to her and presented himself to show he could also do just that; “I see you’re not going to forgive me until I ask about it.” “…It’s pretty good, yeah.” She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. He crossed his legs, resting his foot up on his knee and pointed back to the screen – a single character now stuck on pause “Who is that?” “Rian. He’s the hero. Or, one of. To be honest, I didn’t like him at first – annoying – but he grows on you.” “Uh huh. I see…” He tipped his head, the character looked a little like an Elf. But Killian wasn’t really getting passed the puppets and his smile was amused. “Great colour scheme though.” Ashlinn scoffed, yeah he would think that, blue and black. “So, if he’s the hero but is annoying. Who is your favourite?” She laughed, giving him a sideways glance of significance; “Oh, you know me, K. I’ve always had a thing for the bad guy.” He raised an eyebrow at her, “Oh? Are they strange little puppets too?” “I mean I guess.” She gave a shrug “Although they don’t look like that – they are strange, raptor… bird creatures. My personal favourite is the Emperor… though half of it is probably Jason Isaacs’ voice acting, cuz hot damn.” Killian wasn’t sure if he should be worried about her or not, but his face was clearly bemused. It didn’t deter Ashlinn “…You got nothing to worry about babe, trust me.” “Are you sure… I mean, this raptor bird thing is an Emperor.” “Ha. Ha. You’re in luck, he’s black and purple. Oh but he does have pretty neat blue eyes.” “Blue eyes and a great voice. That… sounds familiar.” His smirk was almost cocky, “Well yeah – and a bad guy. I’m a complete sucker. Thank God I have you!” He had to chuckle at her dry humour. “Anyone else, or is he the epitome of characters.” “Well, Deet, she’s one of the heroines, is just absolutely adorable…” Killian watched the way Ashlinn’s eyes lit and the way her voice pitched. That was something he recognized in her alright, from days long since past. He hadn’t seen a lot of it since Kyrgyzstan... “I see. And is she a raptor bird or does she look like Rian?” He pointed back to the screen “Or neither?” “Oh. No! She’s not a Skeksis! She’s a Gelfling like Rian, but a completely different type. So she’s green. OH! And girls have wings.” All Killian looked now was completely lost. “…Right.” “I’ve lost you, haven’t I?” “Yup.” Ashlinn indicated to the screen “You could just watch?” Killian would say yes, but he also knew he had to leave. And in the back of her head, Ash knew that too, so she sighed, trying not to make him say it for himself. “…You know…” her voice was quiet, and she lowered her eyes from his face “…There is another character. And maybe you’d like him…” “Go on…” “He’s… I dunno… I mean I guess he’s one of the bad guys, but he kinda has a heart and he cares about a few things, y’know… He actually refers to some of the creatures as his friends. He likes tinkering with things, and experimenting… I mean, maybe he’s a little crazy, but it all adds to the charm.” Killian watched the little smile creep across her face, “And he kinda snuck up on me, I didn’t exactly expect to like him but then – boom – he successfully infiltrated my heart… And he’s kinda a little isolated and no one understands him. Sometimes they are downright mean... I don’t like that very much. BUT he’s a complete genius, like oh my god! Without him they wouldn’t have a CLUE! He also ends up in some not fantastic situations because of some complete assholes.” She gave a shrug “I mean I guess he’s a little like you.” Killian had a feeling she was going to come to that conclusion. “What’s his name?” “The Scientist.” She smiled gently, “But he… he’s also cybernetic. But like almost literally in exactly the same way you are. I mean it’s his right arm and his right eye but… it was a weird thing to suddenly realise. I mean I think his leg too, but that’s more me, so we’ll forget that - And I mean the eye at least wasn’t his fault… But I just. Do I love him because of you or is it just… that I’m making a connection that-” “Ash.” Killian brought her back to him gently, “It’s okay… you made your point.” But he was smiling too, “So. This Scientist. You think he’d be my favourite?” “I mean he’s cool and he’s my baby, so yeah.” “Your baby…” He chuckled at the protective way she said it, and even that notion made sense – as the way she was with him; “Fair enough…” But after perhaps piquing his interest, Ashlinn wanted to take this as far as she could; “He’s also voiced by Mark Hamill. Which, I think is pretty damn cool on its own.” “Luke Skywalker, huh?” “Yeah.” Ashlinn gave a gentle knowing smile which only made him laugh, “Okay, darling I get it.” “Well I just need to make sure you do alright!? Though I can’t say any of them are Australian. Which is a shame.” He sighed gently, “I always knew it was the accent.” “Certainly is! Everything else I hate but that’s pretty sexy.” “Well if one thing keeps you here who am I to argue...!?” Killian’s eyes flicked to the screen curiously “...what does he look like?” “Oh! You’re interested?” She beamed - But instead of hitting play Ashlinn scrabbled for her phone, typing in details she turned it around to him. “Ta da!” Killian took it from her delicately, immediately getting the “cybernetic” physicality comparison but also- “Oh my god-! Is that what they look like!?” He couldn’t really hide his face of disgust, “Yeah. Bird raptors is right! I hope you’re not making a physical comparison!” To jab back at him Ashlinn simply folded her arms; “Well you can hardly talk! I mean-!” He opened his mouth, wanting her to be so bold as to try that one again; “Don’t you dare!” “I offered plastic surgery-!” She simply gave another shrug, not breaking her measured stare “Oh my god! How could you say that to my face-!?” He throw her phone across the room in revulsion and it clattered twice. “Well that was uncalled for!” “I do not look like THAT!” She snorted, placing her hand over her heart at how serious Killian was taking her – and then took a deep breath, looking at him like he was insane. A look he was rather too used to these days; “What-!? That’s not what I said!” “Good. Unless you’re about to tell me you’re attracted-” Ashlinn held her hands up “Woooah, I think that’s something else! And would be incredibly private! Thankyouverymuch-!” There was a pause as Killian eyed her suspiciously, then he sighed “I’ll get your phone…” “Thank you.” She watched him draw himself to height, and as her stare was already so intense she couldn’t help but bite her lip as she watch him cross the room, and then stride back. He resumed the same comfortable position he’d just left and held it out to her, not catching her eye - Ashlinn took it back just as delicately as he had - noticing the way Killian smiled as she made sure to brush her fingertips against his. “But I mean it… I think you’d really like to see a character who… is like… you are.” Ashlinn gave a shrug; “It might help.” Then she grinned with a wink; “Besides, we already know: Cybernetics are sexy!” He took her hand in his for a moment, though his huffed laugh was in agreement, “Ash… Darling… You’ve helped enough. But if you want me to watch it with you, of course I will. Only, tonight, I’m afraid I cannot.” She glanced to his attire; and more noticeably his slacked tie. “Oh! I’m sorry, you could have just asked!” “No. I wanted to hear you talk about your Dark Crystal.” “You did not!” “Not necessarily true – It makes you happy… Ties are just… hard.” He indicated to his hands, then sat still for her. Ashlinn knelt up and pulled Killian towards her, tugging the tie she looped it into an Eldredge knot and pulled it tight, straightening his collar. “Big event?” “Corporate.” “That explains the waistcoat.” She brushed him down; “It looks pretty sexy I’ll give it that.” “Don’t you start!” He gave her a warning look, but it was half hearted, and she offered him a smirk back; “Don’t forget to pick me up some diamonds!” “Oh no!” Killian pulled her into him kissing her temple “No stealing tonight-!” She snickered, even though she knew that; “Aw, you’re no fun!” “Mmm, so you say.” He murmured against her skin, but all that did was send a shiver of delight up her spine. “J-Just be careful with that arm.” Killian let her turn to him, releasing her from his grip, although Ashlinn kept her hands on him; “I will, I promise.” Her eyes searched his face, curiously, “…What is it for?” “You mean who am I tonight?” He tipped his head, “Tristan.” “Then be EXTRA careful.” “Ashlinn…” He nearly murmured it, blue eyes looking between hers, “You have my word.” “Good. Keep it.” She let him go and kissed his cheek, curling back up on the sofa. Killian shook his head slowly, she was about as unfathomable as her explanation of the program she was watching, and pulled Ash back to him. This time his lips were against hers, and she closed those gorgeous green eyes, running her hands up his chest and wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she didn’t dare crease his suit or mess his hair up. Killian on the other hand could run his hands through her long dark hair. He wanted it to last longer, he wanted to lay her back and make her forget about whoever this Scientist guy was and get her lost in real cybernetics… But he knew he couldn’t, and Killian pulled back all too fast. “I’m sorry. I wish I could stay.” She did her best to look understanding, “No, go, this is important I know. Go-!” He stood, and shrugged on his suit jacket; “I’ll leave you to your… bird raptors now…” “Please, who needs those cybernetics when I have yours.” “And your own.” He snapped his fingers, “Intriguing notion.” “Oh shit! You had the same one.” He chuckled, leaving that to her imagination; “I’ll see you later, Ashlinn.” “Awwww--!” She whined, “That’s not fair!” Ash watched him walk away, the way he still tucked his arm behind his back like that. Bother, or shame, or because it looked cool... she wondered which Killian would admit to. It wasn’t the lightest material but she’d made sure that his muscles and his back could hold it. Maybe it was easier to balance his weight distribution that way..? She thought voicing it might just get his back up, but it didn’t make her any less sad about it. And she worried. Mind you, Ashlinn always worried. More so now than ever before.

Killian paused at the door and turned back to her; “I’ll be really late home, okay, so… don’t wait up for me.” Her eyes flicked to the screen, and then back to him; “Uh… Yeah.” He rolled his eyes; “Alright unless the show is still on!” Killian blew her a kiss, “Goodnight Ashlinn!” But listening to his footsteps fade away only made her feel lonely and she had to call him back; “Tristan! I love you!” He stopped dead, and chuckled. Tristan… A name he’d be hearing all night, but never the way she’d just yelled it. Well, how could he just leave her at that? He glanced at his watch – he still had time. Turning, he walked all the way back – but he didn’t stop at that. Gathering her face in his hands, Killian kissed first her forehead, and then her hair; “Silly girl. You think I don’t already know that?” Ashlinn placed her hands over his – running her fingertips gently over his cybernetics – that part of the conversation far from forgotten. And let him gently release her, not letting his fingertips part from hers until they absolutely had to – smile beaming, and eyes full of adoration. Killian was never sure he really deserved either – but what else did he have these days?

His walk away from her this time was slower, and he once again paused at the door, locking those blue eyes on her with an intense stare; “I mean it! Get some rest it’s a big day tomorrow!” Then he disappeared, knowing that he now certainly was running late. But Ashlinn couldn’t resist one more call back; “I know! I hope you’ve brushed up on your Japanese!” And the last thing she heard was his laugh echoing down the hallway as he made his way to the helipad. She ran a hand over KiTT, who beeped at her affectionately, and she smiled, biting her lips together and then running her fingers over them as his kiss lingered with her just a little longer. “Okay, KiTT… where were we?”

---

...Soooo... we almost got a Netflix and Chill moment there. Dammit Killian, who cares about the damn party-!?

Ashlinn probably has a voice kink, size kink, and likely a cybernetics kink too... 🤔

I hope this comparison is Original - and I’m taking credit! But I was watching and suddenly it all clicked

Thank you for reading 💜💙

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365daysofsasuhina · 5 years

Text

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day Three Hundred Twenty-Four: Loss of Memory ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto, Ebisu ] [ SasuHina, blood ] [ Verse: Like Magic ] [ AO3 Link ]

It all began in that bookstore.

Rescuing Naruto from his no-good Summer guardian (which, in all fairness, was mostly Shisui’s hairbrained idea to use his Merlin-forsaken enchanted car) meant that Sasuke and Naruto visited Diagon Alley together with the former’s elder brother Itachi leading them through their school supplies list. They’d met up with their friends - the Hufflepuff Hinata and the Ravenclaw Sakura - on the way, barely able to fit into the bookstore. A so-called famous author, Ebisu, had been there signing copies of his books...and Mikoto had begged Itachi get her a signed copy of one of his tomes.

And it was there they ran into the last people they wanted to see: another Slytherin, Gaara, and his father Rasa. After a rather tense standoff, Rasa calling Hinata a blood traitor as a pureblood mucking about with those ‘lesser’, they’d all failed to notice the book he’d slipped into her cauldron of supplies.

It was that book that would shape the coming year in terrible, terrible ways.

The first attack left the entire school shaken: the caretaker’s cat petrified, and a bloody message written on the wall just beneath her form:

“The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware.”

A Chamber of Secrets…? Not an entirely unfounded idea in their four young minds. After all, Hogwarts was old, and even the headmaster had claimed there were still things undiscovered and unknown about it. But given the impressions from the staff (and some students…), it had seemed such an idea had been heard of before.

Only through their history teacher did they learn of the rumors of the Slytherin founder’s alleged secret chamber: a place housing a terrible monster to cleanse Hogwarts of those Salazar found to be ‘unsuitable’ for learning the arts of magic.

A monster within Hogwarts...and one bent on eliminating those of so-called ‘impure’ blood...a terrifying thought. Especially given that one of their own, Sakura, was Muggleborn. And Naruto himself was a halfblood.

But the strange happenings didn’t stop there.

During a Quidditch match, Naruto found himself being chased by a seemingly-rogue bludger. Only after it broke his arm (and the incompetent Ebisu vanished his bones) did Naruto come to know it was Shukaku - a house elf bent on keeping Naruto from the castle - behind several incidents thus far. He revealed that the Chamber had been opened once before.

...and the attacks continued. The school began a dueling club in hopes of preparing the students for trouble. And it was then during a typical rivalry escalation that Sasuke learned something about himself he’d never known before:

He was a Parselmouth.

Immediately, suspicion began to grow against him. Salazar, after all, had been famed for his ability to speak to serpents. And now Sasuke - part of a pureblood Slytherin-frequenting family - was revealed to have the same ability?

...could he be the heir…? The one attacking the Muggleborns? Maybe his friendship with Sakura was fake...after all, they’d been seen bickering at times.

Desperate to find the real mastermind, the group decides to use a Polyjuice potion to interrogate Gaara, figuring his family’s sketchy history may be a clue. The broken bathroom they used was always occupied by a peculiar girl ghost, who later revealed a key clue: a strange diary someone had left in her haunt.

Sasuke did all he could to uncover its secrets, discovering it belonged to a young man named Madara. He had been present during the last attack, showing his valiant capture of the previous perpetrator: the current groundskeeper.

But that did little to solve their problem. As the headmaster and groundskeeper were removed...one last attack seemed the final straw:

Sakura.

But she provided the clue they needed: in her bookish ways, she’d finally found the answer. The monster was a basilisk: a giant snake, explaining Sasuke’s ability to hear a strange voice all year coming from the walls. They then realize that the student killed when the chamber was last opened was none other than Rin, the lavatory ghost...who tells them all they need to know.

But upon their attempts to rally the last of their group...they find Hinata gone. Taken into the Chamber for her status as blood traitor. Desperate, the boys go to enlist Ebisu’s help.

...only to find him quick busily packing.

“...going somewhere, professor?” Sasuke asks, stepping into the room and drawing the man’s gaze.

Ebisu, as it turns out...is a fraud. But that doesn’t stop Naruto and Sasuke dragging him into the bathroom where Rin waits, Sasuke opening the chamber at last with a command of Parseltongue.

One ride down the pipes later, and the trio find themselves beneath the castle.

“...bloody hell,” Naruto mumbles, pointing. “...is that…?”

“A snake skin,” Sasuke replies. “And a huge one. That’s got to be from the basilisk. Remember...keep your eyes closed if you think it’s near.”

“Oh...well…” With a roll of his eyes, Ebisu simply...collapses.

Both boys give him a glance. “...he’s fainted,” Naruto mutters. “Git.”

Making to poke him with his patched-up wand, the blond gives a holler as the professor snatches it, leaping up and grinning.

“Well now...that’s better. Can’t have you two telling anyone what you know! Now, let’s see...how to spin this little story...ah, yes. We were...too late to save the girl. You both succumbed to shock and madness at the grisly sight. All that remains...is to wipe your memories. Obliviate!”

Before either boy can react, there’s a sparking glow from the split in Naruto’s wand...and then Ebisu crashes against the wall.

And then with a rumble, the chamber begins to crumble…!

“Look out!” Each skittering backwards, the boys duck for cover...and as the rubble comes to a standstill, it’s piled high and wide between them.

“Sasuke!”

“I’m all right! But...I don’t think there’s a way through.”

With a groan, Ebisu then lolls his head up to look at Naruto. “...oh...well hello. Who...who are you? And…” His brow furrows. “...who am I?”

“...I think his spell backfired, he’s lost his memory...but what do we do now?”

Sasuke hesitates. “...stay here, and try to move some of this rock, if you can. I’ll go find Hinata! And...keep an eye on Ebisu. Who knows if he’s faking again, so...be careful.”

“...right. You too.”

“Not sure there’s much point in that now,” Sasuke mutters to himself, continuing down the rocky corridor...only to find another door.

“...all right. Er…” Swallowing, he gives another murmur of Parseltongue, the ornate serpent lock coming undone and revealing a huge chamber. At the rear, a giant stone statue of Salazar, flanked by snakes.

And at the end...a motionless Hinata.

“...no…!” Heart clenching in fear, Sasuke dashes forward and crashes at her side, seeing her skin as pale as death. “Hinata...Hinata!”

“...she won’t wake.”

Gasping, Sasuke looks into the shadows, where a familiar young man walks. “...Madara…? But…? Look, we have to get out of here! There’s a monster!”

“It won’t come until it’s called.”

Sasuke pauses...and then lifts his gaze. In Madara’s hands, forgotten by his own, is his wand. “...give that back.”

“Oh, you won’t be needing it.”

“Didn’t you hear me? There’s a monster! And...we…”

“I can’t let you leave. You see...the weaker this blood traitor gets...the stronger I become. It was she who opened the Chamber of Secrets.”

“No...she couldn’t, she -!”

“She unleashed the basilisk, let it seek out the Mudbloods in the castle...and it was she who wrote the warnings on the walls.”

“But...why?”

“Because I told her to. My instructions were rather...convincing...” A smirk grows across his face. “But not to worry. It was I, not she, who was in control. To finish what Salazar aimed to do.”

“Why would you…?”

“Because I...am the heir of Slytherin. His blood courses through my veins. Veins which, soon now, will be living again. Resurrected from a memory preserved in a diary for fifty years. And very soon now...I will be reborn. And this time...nothing can stop me from purifying the wizarding world. Not even you...your precious headmaster is gone. No one is left to stand against me.”

“You’re wrong...he’s never gone. Not so long as students remain who believe in him…!”

As the pair stare each other down, a trill sounds at the front of the cavern.

“...Fawkes…?”

With a toss, the phoenix drops a worn piece of fabric Sasuke struggles to catch. It’s...the Sorting Hat…?

“...ha...so this is what your loyalty earns you? A songbird, and an old hat. Well...let’s see how it matches up against the power of Salazar Slytherin…!” Eyes wide with malice and grin bearing teeth, Madara turns to the founder’s likeness. A chant of Parseltongue sees the statue’s mouth begin to open.

“Now what will you do…?”

Staggering back, Sasuke watches with wide eyes as a rustling fills the air...and the basilisk emerges with a geyser-like hiss.

“Very soon now, the process will be complete. Hinata Hyūga will die...and I will be born anew. And by then, you’ll be rotting in the basilisk’s belly!”

Barely breathing, Sasuke does all he can do, wandless and alone.

He runs.

.oOo.

(This is a sequel to days 28, 230, 299, and 316!) Well this is...a lot more rushed than I'd like, but it was the first thing that came to mind. And after wasting WAY too much time reading a summary and then checking film pieces to refresh MY memory (ahaha, get it?), I couldn't back out xD I love this crossover, but obviously I need to find more roles, cuz uh...I had to leave quite a few blank, and some of these are a little...hurried, lol BUT! We have a crossover with Chamber of Secrets. And it's valiant Sasuke off to save Hinata! Well...he doesn't look too valiant running away at the end there, but he needs to plan! And not get eaten! Not to worry, I'm sure he'll save her in the end. I know this is an evil cliffie, but...at the same time, we all (or most) know how this goes, right? Forgive me xD Limited time and word count is a killer, lol - maybe I'll do more another time! Buuut anyway, it's...very late, so I better go ^^; Thanks for reading!

#sasuhina #uchiha sasuke #hyūga hinata #uzumaki naruto #ebisu #blood //#like magic [ au ]#365daysofsasuhina

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shellalana · 5 years

Text

Furball of a Problem

((I blame @maliwarm for this))

It had taken them a long time to get to this point, to be able to trust each other, watch each other’s back, sit down and have a conversation that didn’t devolve into an argument five minutes in. It had been a struggle - with tears and vented drinking on both sides - but Reyna was absolutely positive that he was ready. That they were. “C’mon, mom, this is stupid!” K’ struggled to keep his balance with her hands over his eyes, trying her best to keep up with him while blocking his vision from the surprise waiting for him. Why did the universe have to bless her with a tall-as-fuck son? “You say that now, but you’re gonna be thanking me for a week straight once you see what it is. Now stop bitching.” Better yet, why didn’t she just have the big man do this part for her and carry him down the hallway himself? It would have been easier, but it would have made the moment much less special. It was very rare that they got moments like this alone that didn’t involve coming with another plan to take down Thrall or Jennerit forces or NESTS. Those quiet peaceful moments where they could just sit and be in each other’s company. “Ha! Doubt it. Unless it’s a lifetime supply of jerky, there’s nothing you can do to make me that grateful.” Oh, how hard she wanted to smack him in the back of the head at that moment. She was going to make him eat his words. Carefully, she stopped him in front of his quarters and nudged the door open with her hip. She hid the little gift in the last place he’d look while he was out on his last mission; Maxima had kept him out at the bar too, in “celebration” of their success. That gave her enough time to get everything set up. “Okay, we’re gonna head to the bed now. I need you to just sit there, okay? And for Pete's sake, don’t scream your fucking head off.” “Swear.” A bit hypocritical of him, since he did it all the time, but she’d chastised him for the same thing. It was only fair that they played by the same rules. “Yeah, yeah, shut up.” Reyna sat him down and positioned his arms across his lap, his hands palm-up. She held her breath as she stepped into his bathroom and scooped up the little fuzzball into her arms. She kept a hand around its muzzle just in case she decided to yap or whine in protest, but it was proving to be something of a struggle. “You ready?” K’ sighed. “Just get it over with, will ya? I got shit to do.” Reyna plopped the little into his arms and stepped back. K’ flinched and almost shot out of the bed, his eyes shooting open at the strange warm thing in his lap. On witnessing the puppy, however, his face began to turn an unbelievable shade of red. Reyna swore she saw glimmers in the corners of his eyes. When he didn’t say anything for a good solid minute, the puppy staring up at him with her tongue lolling out of her mouth, Reyna finally kneeled on the floor in front of him and held up the little tag on its collar. Worried by the possibility he hated his gift, she needed something to fill the silence with. “I named her Starbuck, but we could always go with something else if you like. And I got her a crate and some toys, a bag of food, some pee pads, and a leash. I went with green instead of pink since, uh, you’re you and I know you like your tough image, so-” Reyna’s words were choked off by the arms suddenly flung around her neck. Starbuck wriggled between them, a little crushed from the surprise hug. It was only when she let out a little whine that K’ finally let go and slid onto the ground beside his mom, the puppy in his arms. “How... Why did you...” He ran his hand through his hair but Reyna was sure he was wiping away the remnants of a tear. “Cuz you wanted one when you were younger. I figured since you’re old enough to actually walk a dog on your own that you deserved one. Someone else to tell your secrets to when you... don’t feel like sharing with me.” Reyna gave Starbuck’s ear a good scratching; she leaned into it, her hind leg twitching and jerking with relief. “I know we’re still trying to patch things up, and you know how busy I am. I don’t want you to feel like I’m blowing you off when I can’t be there to listen. You understand, right?” K’ wanted to so badly, to put himself in her shoes and just let go of all that anger and hatred he’d held onto over the years. For her giving him up. For not looking for him. “For not” a lot of things. That anger he’d become comfortable with because it was what had kept him alive for so long. All this soft... it made his skin crawl, despite it being the one thing he’d been looking for all his life. So he nodded silently and buried his face in the soft fur of Starbuck’s neck. She filled his ear with snuffling and then playful licks until he couldn’t help devolving into soft chuckles. “Don’t... think this makes up for everything,” he said in a chastising tone. “I don’t. I know where we stand. I’ll leave you two alone.” Before Reyna could get too far, the warm metal glove caught her wrist and pulled her back to the ground. There, she gazed upon a face that was half hers, half someone else’s. But those eyes - honey-brown and piercing - were definitely hers. How could she have let him go in the first place? “Y-yes?” Her throat was suddenly tight with emotion she didn’t want to show. “Can you show me how these pee pads work? ... before she pisses on my bed.” K’ gave her a look of slight disgust, mixed with amusement. “Might as well. This room already smells to high heaven, no reason it has to get worse.” K’ smirked and shoved her shoulder, eliciting a playful growl from Starbuck in response. “Thanks, mom.” Reyna would never get used to hearing that. “No problem, kid.” Now if only she could get those other three words out, then everything would be perfect.

#prose #fanfiction #crossover #starburst AU #reyna valeria #k'#I should have done better with this #but it was getting too long at this point

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salmonthestoryteller · 5 years

Text

Obsession

Author’s Note: I wrote this a few weeks ago, but it didn’t end up aligning with canon or my fic series To the Moon and Back over on AO3. I think I was just in the mood for angst. That’s pretty much my only excuse.

Warnings for Torture, Mentions of Torture, and Imprisonment.

Obsession

A Roswell: New Mexico (2019) Fanfic

“Tell me who killed them.” Jesse Manes stepped close behind him, his voice a low threatening tone all but in his ear.

Michael looked at the faces of the girls from ten years ago - but these were marred by handprints. Handprints that made no sense. Isobel and he never left handprints. They're powers didn't require touch. But as much as he wanted answers, he needed to stall more. So far, he was the only one captured. The longer he kept Manes from looking the better. “I killed them.”

“Did you?” Manes circled around to the front of the desk. The question sounded mocking. “Do you know their time of death?”

“I must have forgotten to synchronize my watch before my killing spree.” He dodged the question. He didn't know the answer, and he was hoping to bait the other man.

Manes just gave him a bland smile, and started to circle him. “Kate Long and Jazmin Frederick were killed before Rosa Ortecho. At 5pm to be exact. I think we both know your whereabouts at 5pm that afternoon. Don't we?”

Michael felt himself began to sweat, registering the fingers of his left hand curling instinctively. “They were burned post mortem. Maybe I found them dead and lit them up for kicks.”

“Except the fire wasn't the cause of the handprint.”

“Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't.” Michael feigned nonchalance. Keep him talking. Keep him guessing. Give Max and Isobel time to get out.

“No, it wasn't” Manes remained calm, circling behind him again. “You see, just like with Rosa, there was no cause of death found besides the handprint. It was as if they're bodies just… stopped. Then they were burned. So, let's try this again.” He leaned close, breath hot against his ear. “Who killed them?”

“I did.” Michael repeated.

“You think what I did to your hand was painful? It's nothing compared to what I can have done to you. Who are the others?”

Michael felt himself shake, but kept his eyes on the faces in front of him. “I killed them. There are no others.”

“You fancy yourself some kind of protector, don't you? Shoving between my son and I that day. Claiming this murder now. You couldn't even protect yourself in the end, though. Not then. And not now.”

Michael felt the rage in him leak out - try to send out a wave of power. His head exploded in severe pain and he screamed out in it. As it faded to a dull pulsing, Jesse Manes was in front of him. “What-?”

“We studied the bodies. And the survivor. We have ways to prevent the use of your power.”

Michael felt his heart begin to pound in his chest. Without his power, he had no way to escape. He was completely at the mercy of Manes and his soldiers. “What survivor?”

“From the original crash. If you're wondering - it never escaped. So…”. He circled behind him then, and Michael found himself curling away on instinct. “Tell me again. Who killed them?”

This time Michael only closed his eyes and refused to answer.

He awoke in pain - electrical shocks had left places of his body burnt and he could feel muscles spasming and twitching still. Contracting painfully in places. He had no idea how long Manes had subjected him to the shocks. He'd been too busy reigning in his power because whatever prevented it was horribly painful as well. No clue how long he'd been passed out. Strangely, whatever he was resting on felt soft. Not a cell floor or even a metal bunk. He gave a cry as his arm muscle contracted until it was rigid.

“Shhhh…”. A voice soothed. Soft and hypnotic. “It will pass.” Something warm was placed over the arm. Some sort of hot pack.

Confused, he forced his eyes open. They blurred through tears of pain for a moment before settling on the woman standing over him. “Who...?”

“Shhhh…” There was a disturbing look to her eyes. A blankness that looked strangely familiar. “I'll take care of you. I'm so glad you're here, Michael. I've waited such a long time to meet one of you in person.”

Something pricked at his mind. The tilt of the woman's head, and the way she spoke. “Where…?”. He tried to look around. The room looked like a studio apartment, and he was resting on the pull out mattress of the couch in the center of it. The walls were metal, though. And where the entrance should be was a clear glass door blocked by iron bars. Outside he could only see another metal hallway.

“My home, of course. Soon, we'll all be together. It's all I ever wanted.” She paused to consider the statement. “I thought I wanted someone else for awhile. But she couldn't be trusted.”

The words made his breathing speed up, nudged insistently at something in his mind but there was too much new information, and his mind was spinning too fast to catch the thought. His arm was no longer cramped to the point of pain, but it was still hard and tense - preventing movement. The woman began to rub it gently. He flinched at both the pain of the action and the unexpected touch, but was too weak from Manes’ torture to pull away. “Who are you?”

“They call me Subject Thirteen.” She told him calmly. The words made him sick to his stomach. If she was thirteen, where were the other twelve? “But I prefer the name Ophiuchus.”

“How… how long have you been here?” He asked her. Manes had tortured him again. This time some sort of drug had been involved. They'd always been wary of drugs. Even over the counter ones. Uncertain of their own biology. Manes seemed to understand his biology just fine. The drugs had been horrible and painful. Even now he was shaking from what they'd done to his system.

“I've always been here.” Ophiuchus was petting his hair gently. She had no understanding of personal space. She always seemed to be touching him. Right now it was almost soothing, but other times it felt invasive.

Her answer was no comfort. He glanced around the fake apartment again, the glass barred door. She had to be as old as them - maybe even slightly older. “Were there others?”

“There's never been any others. I came from a single pod. I wasn't lucky like you three.” She kept saying things like that - hinting she knew things. He wasn't sure if the room was monitored or not, though, so he worried about her saying too much. “You were the first one I felt. Out there in the desert. Such loneliness. Such longing. But your mind is so chaotic.” She leaned closer, as if breathing in his scent. Her hands curled into his hair - possessive. “I couldn't get in. Even now, I can't… but it's alright. It's alright cuz you're here now.”

She started petting his hair again, but it no longer felt soothing. Nothing was alright. He didn't want to be here, and the longer he spent with Ophiuchus, the more he was certain she was completely insane. Possibly because of Manes experimenting on her - possibly because she'd been a prisoner for twenty years. He closed his eyes and willed himself to think of anyplace else. He wasn't in some secret prison, he was sleeping on some motel bed maybe. It was Isobel petting his hair in a rare show of affection. He'd been rescued, and Manes had been shot in their escape cuz screw the bastard and they'd run away like Max had suggested weeks ago. He felt the prick of tears and squeezed his eyes shut tighter.

“Shhhh.” Ophiuchus whispered, breaking the illusion. “It'll get better.”

“Let's try something different this time.”

He was strapped to a table instead of a chair.. Michael really wasn't sure how much more he could handle. The pictures of Rosa, Kate, and Jazmin were painted behind his eyelids. He kept insisting he killed them and there were no others, but Manes knew better. Knew he'd been with Alex when the first two murders occurred. It wasn't a real interrogation - just an excuse for Manes to hurt him.

“What powers do you have?”

That was new, and Michael stared at him, confused. “What?”

Something burned hot - searing into the flesh of his leg and he screamed. “What powers do you have?”

“Why do you want to know?” Michael asked him - only for the burning to return - to his arm this time. He screamed again. What was the point in not? He had no pride to lose when it came to this.

“What powers do you have?”

It was a harmless question, right? It wasn't as if he could make him do anything with it. It wasn't as if it erased his confession, right? When the burning sensation seared his leg again, he gave in. “Telekinesis!”

Manes stood over him, his eyes searching. “Tell me again - what powers do you have?”

Michael stared up at him, pained and confused, and feeling like he was a child again - alone in a merciless world waiting for someone to come save him. To take him home. “Telekinesis.”

Manes’ lips curled into a cold smile. “Good boy.”

The words turned his stomach - more so when the straps were slowly unbuckled and two soldiers appeared to lead him back to the room where Ophiuchus was. He memorized the route - not sure it was useful to do so. For all he knew the interrogation rooms were farther into the base and Ophiuchus’ room was closer to a way out.

“You're awake today.” She seemed to consider the notion, then nodded. “That's good - you're learning.”

He sat down in a chair this time, and if he had any doubts then her words confirmed it. Manes wasn't using the torture for answers. He was trying to condition him. By answering the question today he had given him what he wanted - obedience. As good as it felt to not be more injured - to have escaped further torture - that, too, was part of the mind game. For his mind to connect obedience with the absence of pain. “It's not good.”

Ophiuchus tilted her head in that disturbing way of hers, even as she brought the first aid kit over to him. “You want to be more injured?”

“I want out of here!” He snapped at her, which wasn't really fair because none of this was her fault. She flinched at the shout, but still reached out to take care of his injuries. Michael wondered if the way he let her just touch him and do whatever she wanted was another form of conditioning.

“Manes says we aren't meant to be out there.”

“Manes is full of shit.”

“... sometimes I think he's lying.” Ophiuchus admitted. “But I tried once, and people don't make sense out there.”

“Trust me, the people in here make less sense.”

“I met her when I used her to scope out a potential target. I can't talk to people when I control them, but I feel their minds. I liked hers.”

“Control them? Order them to do things?”

“No, complete control. Manes says I use them like a puppet, but I don't think that's right. I can see what they see. Hear what they hear. For awhile it's like their body is my body. I can't taste though. Or smell. Touch is almost muted. Like through a thin layer of something else. A film.” She was working on the burns on his leg, and her hands stroked the skin. “Real touch is so much more powerful.”

Michael felt his hair stand on end - none of this sounded good. “Ophy.”

She smiled up at him. “I've never had a nickname with my name before. I like it. You only give nicknames to people you care about. She gave me a nickname too, but it wasn't my name - it was the name of the puppet, but that's okay. We became friends… or I thought we did.”

The story wasn't leading anywhere good. He could already to tell. “Who's 'She’?”

Ophiuchus ignored that question. “I killed them for her. They were bad, so I killed them. I don't understand why she reacted that way.”

“Killed? Ophy, who did you kill?”

“The bad ones. The ones that harassed and hurt her. I killed them for her.”

Michael closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Ophiuchus, who did you kill?”

“I had to kill her in the end, even though I did it for her. I did all of it for her.”

Those words finally broke through. Suddenly he was seventeen again watching Isobel walk and talk and look at him like a stranger. ‘I did all of it for you.’ She'd said to Rosa that night.

“You're talking about Rosa Ortecho, aren't you?” Michael asked her. Ophiuchus began to pack up the first aid kit, not replying. “Ophiuchus, are you talking about Rosa? Are you… was Isobel your puppet?”

“It let me be close to you three.” Ophiuchus replied. “But then you were leaving me. Leaving us. So I thought Rosa could be our new friend. But she couldn't be trusted.”

“We weren't leaving - we were just living-”

“You were leaving!” Ophiuchus stood up, the first aid kit falling to the ground. “I couldn't follow! It takes forever to get a puppet that far away - when I do it for Manes it takes hours and I get sick afterwards!”

“Do what for Manes?”

“Use my powers to make a puppet kill the target.”

“You kill for Manes?”

“Of course.”

“For how long?”

Ophiuchus only gave her usual confused head tilt. “For always.” She responded, as if it was obvious.

Fini

#roswell nm fanfic #fanfic #michael guerin #jesse manes #roswell new mexico #roswell nm #angst #why did i write this

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inkedcinders · 6 years

Text

Missing (Chapter 2)

Also Available on AO3

X6 paced within the Director’s quarters, his boots making a soft click, click as he turned. He could be utterly silent when the situation called for it, but he found the sound soothing, something to match his heart rate to.

He was finding it difficult.

Night had come and gone, and Tesla had yet to return. On the surface, it would be approaching midday. In the Institute, time was a little murkier. X6 had been quietly getting in contact with the Institute’s various surface-side resources, but no one could tell him where Tesla had gone. Everyone had orders to keep a look out for her, and to send word as soon as they could if she were spotted.

You are worrying too much, he silently chastised himself, one hand clenching the other behind his back as he made another turn. She has spent far longer than this away from the Institute, even without you being there. There is little to worry about.

And yet, he still worried.

Empathy was not his strong suit. He understood that, and even preferred it; emotions were messy and seemed to only serve to get in the way of things. Even so, he understood that Tesla was not well. If she felt that she couldn’t handle her grief...

His mouth thinned into a grim expression, stopping in the middle of the room. Suicide, while not as common as on the surface, wasn’t unheard of in the Institute. He’d seen a few attempts, both successful and unsuccessful. The thought of Tesla doing something similar was unspeakably unpleasant.

He decided not to examine that thought any closer.

X6 mentally ran down the areas Tesla would most likely go. Sanctuary was his first thought; it was her home, the most peaceful of the settlements she’d established with the assistance of the Minutemen, and far away from the lingering remnants of the Brotherhood of Steel and the Railroad. This was the most likely option.

His second thought was Nuka World, but he dismissed that almost instantly. From what he’d gathered, Tesla and the raider who’d dragged her into that whole mess hadn’t parted on the best of terms. She was surprisingly tight-lipped about the subject.

He knew she wasn’t in Diamond City, the Institute’s agents would have sent that news along if she was.

Tesla was also close with that ghoul, the mayor of Goodneighbor. Hancock, was it? He rubbed his thumb against his hand, thinking. With Tesla’s current abuse of drugs, the ghoul mayor would certainly be a tempting choice, and Goodneighbor in general would make it too easy for her to procure more drugs, even without the mayor.

A short sigh passed his lips, and he closed his eyes briefly, centering himself. He had a lot of preparation to do to get ready for his excursion to the surface, if Tesla did not return by the time night fell.

And he was certain that she wasn’t going to.

- - -

Tesla stirred, her mind foggy with sleep and the remaining dregs of her drug cocktail. Her limbs felt like they were weighted down with concrete blocks, and she spent a few minutes just lying there, focusing on her breathing.

She should have been getting up immediately to take charge of the situation, but she felt curiously safe, wherever she was. At the very least, she could afford a few minutes to let herself fully wake up.

There was something familiar about the smell of the place. The smell of old, treated wood and furniture mixed with the newer smell of dirty bodies, a faint strain of chems filtering through it. The smell of chems made her mind itch, addiction clawing forward, demanding to be fed, along with the desire to obliterate all those painful memories.

I’m in Goodneighbor. How..? She slowly sat up, her head screaming pounding pain as she did so. She was laid down on a couch in Hancock’s “living room”, as he sardonically had called it. Some of the furniture had changed, but it was still familiar. She slid her legs off the side onto the floor, leaning forward with her head in her hands as she groaned. She wasn’t sure if it was the comedown, or withdrawal.

Vague memories began to filter through the haze, of being dragged through Goodneighbor’s gates. She may or may not have been fighting Hancock the whole time. I’ll need to apologise to him...

She blinked a few times, rubbed her eyes. There was a bottle of water and some med-x on the table by the couch, likely from Hancock. She gratefully drank the water, suddenly aware of savage dehydration, then eyed the med-x warily.

She knew the drug use was bad. She took too much, made dangerous combinations. It would end up killing her one day.

Would that really be so bad?

The water had eased her headache somewhat, but it still throbbed painfully as she leaned forward to pick up the chems, her hands shaking slightly as she did so. My head hurts, med-x dulls the pain, that’s what it’s for, it’s not the same...

She stared at the syringe, wishing that it dulled mental pain, too.

As she contemplated the drug in her hands, one of the double doors leading to the room opened, and Hancock stepped into the room.

“I see yer awake, Sunshine,” he drawled, kicking the door closed behind him.

“Hancock,” she said hoarsely, absently putting down the syringe.

“At least y’remember my name,” he said, hands in his pockets as he sauntered over. “You were pretty fuckin’ high there, Tes.”

“Guess I was,” she said. Why do I feel so awkward?

“I never took y’fer a chem kinda gal. Never touched the stuff when we ran together,” he said, watching her.

“I thought I’d pick up a new hobby,” she said flatly. “You made it seem to appealing.” Why are you being so antagonistic, Tes?

He let out a bark of laughter. “A guy like me makes everythin’ look appealin’, Sunshine,” he grinned, but it didn’t meet his eyes. “You were a fuckin’ mess, though. Didn’t anyone teach ya not to mix yer poisons?”

Tesla stood, a little unsteady, uncomfortable to be sitting down while he was standing up. Too easy to get the drop on me... but Hancock was a friend, right? “I wasn’t really thinking about it. I’ll keep that in mind.” Trying to do a lot less thinking right now, thanks. “How... how long have I been..?”

“Passed out in a drug-laden stupor?” He finished for her. “I found ya around... 2 in the mornin’, I guess? You passed out once I’d dropped you on the couch. It’s midday now.”

I lost half a day? Fuck. “I... thanks, Hancock.”

“What’re you doin’ out here, Tes?” He sounded almost accusatory.

Good question. “Just... needed to get away for a while,” she said, not quite willing to go into specifics. Not yet.

“I’m gonna need a little bit more than that, Tes,” he said. “I got people here t’protect, and I can’t have the Institute come crashing in here cuz you pissed them off.”

She bristled, at that. “I didn’t do anything to the Institute.” I did everything for them, and what has that gotten me? “You don’t have anything to worry about, on that front. I just need a... a vacation.”

“Why not go to Sanctuary then? Nice an’ peaceful up there, far away from everythin’ that could bother ya.”

Her skin crawled at the thought. Even before fully throwing her lot behind the Institute, she hadn’t stayed in Sanctuary. She couldn’t bear it, seeing the house she’d bought with Nate in ruins, so close to his eternal tomb...

“What does it matter, Hancock?” She sighed, looking away from him as she moved past, towards the doors. “This place is as good as any —”

If she’d continued watching him, she would have seen his change in expression. As it was, she was caught completely off guard when he cut her off.

Hancock had her against the wall, switchblade lazily swinging in one hand while the other found balance on the wall beside her, trapping her. She was two inches taller than he was, but he was a force of personality, and she was so very tired and broken, he might as well have been 10 feet tall.

Tesla kept her expression calm, neutral; she’d gotten very good at it under the constant surveillance of the Institute, specifically X6. She kept her eyes on Hancock, but she was very aware of the switchblade in her peripheral vision.

She remembered Finn.

“So you fuck off, slum with those Institute guys for months without so much as a hello, then suddenly show up literally out of nowhere,” he said easily, almost cheerfully, in utter contrast to the words he was speaking and the expression on his face. “And yer asking me for... what? Take you up for a bit? Hide you? Why would I do that?”

Tesla took a slow, steadying breath, not breaking eye contact for a second. Not making that mistake again. “We were friends, once. Hoping we still were. We’ve been through a lot, you and I; that means nothing to you, then?” And, you know, you’ve already helped me out a bit here.

Hancock chuckled. “That was before you threw your lot in with a bunch of crazies who have little respect to the idea of free will and who want everyone up top to die.” The switchblade spun around his fingers, and Tesla couldn’t help but to briefly twitch her eyes towards it. “That isn’t the sort of thing t’get a guy all charitable, Tes.”

“And what would, Hancock?” She asked.

“Hmm, what would?” His stance changed subtly, but enough, closing in the distance between their bodies, pushing her further against the wall as she attempted, and failed, to maintain a comfortable distance. “You could always spend a few nights with me.”

Oh for fuck’s sake. He’s fucking playing with me. “That’s hardly a fair trade, Hancock.”

She felt the cold metal edge of the switchblade against her cheek, and she kept herself absolutely still. “I could always stop making it a request.”

She stared at him flatly, impervious and cold. “John,” she said sharply, and he actually flinched. “We both know you’re not that kind of man, so stop fucking with me already.”

The ghoul laughed, stepping back and hiding the switchblade back up his sleeve with a flourish. “Hey, I hardly ever get to play the bad guy, can you blame me?” He shoved his hands in his pockets, looking down at his boots as one scuffed at the floor. “I wasn’t bein’ entirely dishonest, though. You’ve been gone an awful long time, Tes, without a word. Like you said, we were friends, once, so why the silence?”

She finally looked away from him, staring at the thin light filtering through a window to weakly illuminate the room. “Shaun... my son... he...” It still hurt. It hurt so badly, and no one seemed to care about what she’d lost. “He died. Cancer. There wasn’t... wasn’t anything they could do.”

Hancock looked up. Her voice was shaking, so very uncharacteristic of her. Her eyes were dry, but there was a strange deadness to them that he was all too familiar with. How many people had he seen with that same expression?

How many times had he seen that expression staring back at him from the mirror?

“They don’t get it, John,” she said softly, barely above a whisper. “They lost their Director, but I lost my son, that I spent so long searching for, who was ripped away from me after my husband was murdered. They had a lifetime with him, I had... I had barely any time at all.”

“Tes...”

“It hurts, you know?” She continued, still staring at the window. “Worse than any bullet or stinger. It doesn’t stop, doesn’t heal. It’s just... there, constantly.” She laughed, a dull, wooden sound. “I tried coping, you know. In the worst way. A few drinks before sleeping, just so I could sleep. But I’d wake up remembering, so I’d drink some more.”

“Tes.”

“Next thing you knew, I was drinking all the time.” She said it so matter-of-fact, one could almost think she was talking about someone else. “Those scientists, they knew something was up. But I hid it pretty well, so they never figured it out. They probably would have, eventually, if it weren’t... if it weren’t for X6. He helped hide it and cover for me when it was... bad.”

“Jesus Christ, Tes.”

“Eventually he got sick of it. Can’t really blame him, I guess. He threatened me, to turn me out to the scientists and expose everything, if I didn’t stop. So I stopped drinking, sure, but I just picked up... worse habits. It’s not hard to leave the institute when you’re the Director, you know? Pop out every once and a while with the guise of hunting down a runaway or recovering captured synths. It’s so easy, I could do it without X6. He was suspicious of how often I would go out without him, so I started buying a lot at once when I didn’t bring him along and hiding it.

Hancock was staring, shocked at the story he was hearing. This was Tesla, sole survivor of Vault 111, who’d taken on the Commonwealth and won, right? She’d appeared so strong and focused, it was hard to believe there was this much pain underneath it all.

“Eventually I couldn’t stand being there anymore,” she said dully. “I gathered up some supplies, took a few hits for the road, and chose a random destination to get teleported to. My luck I ended up so close to Goodneighbor, I guess. Or maybe I didn’t, and I just wandered here out of... I don’t know... instinct. I took a lot of drugs before hitting that teleporter, it’s kind of hazy.”

His decision to take a walk outside of Goodneighbor was certainly turning out to be rather serendipitous. “Shit, Tes, why didn’t you come to any of us? We don’t got any of that fancy Institute tech, but...”

“I recall very few of you being happy with my decision to throw in with the Institute,” she said dryly. “Piper and Nick in particular had some very... vocal opinions. I didn’t think... I had a place here anymore.”

Well, fuck, now I feel super shitty for my earlier behaviour. You gotta stop with the snap judgements, Hancock my boy. “Listen, Tes... you’ve always got a place here in Goodneighbor. I can’t speak to the others, but I ain’t gonna kick you out in your time of need.”

“No, you’re just going to pin me against a wall and threaten me,” she said pertly.

“Uh, yeah, that was uncalled for,” he admitted sheepishly. “I was just... angry, I guess. Kinda felt you were only dropping in cuz you needed something, after abandoning us for so long.”

“Well, considering, you’re not totally wrong...” Tesla sighed.

“I think after hearing about your particular circumstances I’m willing to forgive it. Seriously, you can stay as long as you want.” He paused. “Do you want your stay here secret..?”

“Not sure how secret it can be, considering a dozen or so people saw you half-drag me here earlier...”

“You were high as a kite and being very uncooperative, what else was I supposed to do?” Hancock grumbled. “I won’t say anything though, and I’ll make it known that you’re “not here”, if you want.”

“Thank-you, John,” Tesla said wearily. “It’s only delaying the inevitable. The Institute is going to come drag me back eventually. It’s not even that I don’t want to go back there, I just... can’t be there. Not yet. It hurts too much.” She glanced down at her arms. Even though she couldn’t see them, she was very aware of each track mark, and she suddenly felt ashamed of herself for it. What am I doing with myself? “And I should... probably get myself clean anyways.”

#fallout 4 #fo4 #x6-88 #john hancock #female sole survivor #sole survivor #fic #missing

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childofsquidward · 6 years

Text

Queen’s Battle (pt. 1 + pt. 2)

*WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD*

First off, I didn’t think we’d get Queen’s Battle before 2019. I can’t be the only one. I for sure thought that Frozer would be the last episode we’d get to see for 2018.

Moving on, literally every time Marinette goes into freak-out mode, I want to reach through my screen and give her a hug - stop stressing my child out 2k18 and beyond. Everyone needs a Tikki in their lives, btw. Also, why do I feel as though the writers scroll through Tumblr? Because everyone’s been talking about Adrien’s allergies, and the writers fixed that plot hole up real quick with synthetic feathers. Like, I feel as though they’re getting better at not leaving us with a million questions…?

AntHoNy -

Girl, you forgetting his name on purpose or…?

(Gorilla’s face was everything though, he was probably just like, “my boss may be Hawkmoth, but at least he remembers to treat me like a human every now and then, sayonara bitch.”

Why isn’t the carpet made out of marble - jfc! I can’t deal with this woman and it’s only been like two minutes. Her magazine is named Style Queen? Why didn’t anyone on here think of that? Also, Audrey’s just a straight up bitch, I want to knock that ridiculous hat off of her head, she is the worst, and not to condone Chloe’s own actions, but if that's what I had to look up to, if that was my main influence growing up, I’d be Chloe too.

cLarA?!

Thomas, what the hell is this?! We can’t have parents on this show who are worse than Gabriel, he’s the fucking villain!

“And you’re fired.” - from what, being your daughter - wait, actually, that’s not the worst idea, run Chloe run (I’d just quit if I could)

Aw, Adrienette, my sun, my stars, the only way to turn this episode around… No, seriously, I missed their adorkably awkward interactions, it feels like it’s been a while since we’ve had on of those (maybe it’s just the shipper in me, but whatevs)

Okay, I know that everyone thought that Nathalie might deliver some savage comebacks or whatever, but her monotonous air of ‘shut up, god, why are you still here?” was the funniest shit ever, I lived for it people! Oh Nathalie…

Moving on, are they really gonna’ have Audrey get akumatized cuz she thinks that Gabriel making her sit in the second row (GOD FORBID) is a sign of disrespect? So he reserved the front seat for his son’s closest friends, one of whom designed a piece for the show, big deal.

The coffin - oh dear god, I knew it was coming but with the music and everything, chills, literal chills. Also, why does Emilie’s outfit look like a fencing uniform…?

But like, my boy Nino living his best life, fulfilling his dreams - YAAAASSSS DJ!NINO

“Is this supposed to happen?” - Tom is so precious!

ADRIEN WHY DIDN’T YOU RUN?! (I knew it was gonna’ happen, but he could’ve gotten away and transformed, ugh)

I know that Style Queen’s the villain, but she’s not wrong about the costume. Is it practical and thematic? Yes. Does it look like the work of an aspiring fashion designer? Don’t make me laugh.

Aw, Chloboats just saved her hero’s life - Chloe’s a real stan, like she’d do anything for Ladybug, even somewhat defy her mother.

Also, I can’t believe they actually made Adrien as Sleeping Beauty canon. I’m telling you, someone in that writers’ room is on Tumblr.

Mari met Plaag guys, she met Plaag- I LOVE THIS SEASON SO MUCH!!!

Yo, I need flashbacks of what Plaag did to Atlantis, the leaning tower, dinosaurs, and god knows what else. Master Fu was quick to jump on him though. Like, Marinette comes in full panic mode and he’s just chillin, meditating, living life, but the minute Plaag starts talking he was in Mari mode like “no, nope, nopitynopnope.” and Wayzz just groaning in the background - highlight of the episode for me honestly.

Alya nearly became Queen Bee y’all!!! I love how Marinette just knows that she’ll be there, so she’s like, ‘yo, how’s about a second miraculous, you up for it?’ By the way, what are rules of being a miraculous holder exactly? Like, are you allowed to be in possession of more than one? Can they like, switch miraculous all willy nilly depending on the situation?

Is it wrong that I love Plaag even more now knowing that such a tiny little bean can cause so much damage? God bless Marinette and Tikki’s powers cuz’ otherwise, I think Plaag’s cataclysm would’ve probably destroyed the entire city, or at least half of it.

Also, Mari, sweetie, the bee miraculous! The bee mirac- this girl...

Nathalie knows?! Did we know she knows?! I know we headcanon she knows, but did we know?! Guys, this is too much for me. On that note, Pollen is adorable, I love her already, she must be protected at all costs!

Now onto part two…

HE’S GIVING UP?! GABRIEL, REALLY?! I mean, should be happy…? I did not see that one coming but I guess this was the final straw for him, so I kind of get it. Like, Style Queen was supposed to be his end all be all, and even she failed to seal the deal for him, and with Adrien being caught in the crossfire once again, it was just too much, and goddammit, am I relating to/sympathizing with Gabriel? Especially after what an asshole he was to Nooroo during the last episode, like, guys, I wanted to wring his neck, what is this feeling?

Okay, so after all that crap in part one, Audrey’s suddenly doing a complete 180 and being sweet and complimenting people? I mean, she’s still a shit mother so I still loathe her existence, but giving credit where credit is due is actually pretty fair of her considering everything we just witnessed. Everything’s coming up Marinette, and I want to be happy for her, I really, truly do. But we all know Chloe’s hurting and she’s gonna’ blow a gasket.

Imagine doing everything you possibly can to follow in your mother’s footsteps despite the way she treats you, imagine loving her so much that you nearly start to become her, and she doesn’t give a fuck and simply continues to refer to you with the wrong name (casserole, really?). Then imagine watching her praise your classmate who you despise, and offering to take her to New York with her when she wouldn’t even take you, her daughter. Add that to said classmate getting support from her own parents, one of your oldest and only friends and his dad, the biggest name in fashion who is known for being cold-hearted and ruthless. And the cherry on top is said mother not feeling a single speck of guilt, remorse or regret. I feel bad for Chloe you guys, her outburst makes sense, her anger is justified in my opinion.

Pulling out the miraculous though… I get it, rash decision taking her heightened emotions into account, but still not okay. Despite my feeling bad for her, I still don’t think her actions were okay, she’s so all over the place emotionally, she’s going about things the wrong way. She’s so desperate for her mother’s approval, she’s ready and willing to do anything, which actually makes her so dangerous taking her powers into consideration.

CHLOE WHAT THE FUCK?!

NONONONONONONO

SHE INDIRECTLY BROUGHT HAWKMOTH BACK TOO, DAMMIT, EVERYTHING WAS GOING SO WELL!!!

Of course Mari’s parents are the first to rise to the occasion and help save everyone, everything about Marinette makes so much sense now.

Moving on, the fight sequences in this episode were exceptional! I don’t know why, but they were so cool in this episode I just had to talk about them. Queen Wasp was like a one-woman arsenal, she was the most badass villain ever, which is saying a lot considering Anansi and Sandboy. The underwater fight sequence was good too, my only complaint about this episode is honestly just the lack of Pollen, like, she’s so precious, I wanted more than four words to come out of her mouth y’all.

I don’t know how the rest of you felt about the episode, but I don’t think that they forgave Chloe too easily. Obviously Adrien knows her, he knows she is and he understands why she did what she did. But that look on Mari’s when Audrey told Chloe that she wasn’t exceptional, and then later on when Tom said he was willing to do anything for his daughter, I think something may have clicked inside Mari like, ‘I have two parents who love me, so I’ll never understand how Chloe feels, but I guess I get why she is the way she is,’ and just like in Zombizou, this was Marinette extending the olive branch in a way. This Marinette is definitely different than the one from Antibug, and I like that Marinette is being patient with Chloe and letting her come terms with her actions on her own rather than being so quick to just berate her for her mistakes - THANK YOU CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT (for both my girls).

Now, as far as the confrontation with Audrey goes, I think a little part of Marinette used helping Chloe as an excuse to stick it to both Bourgeois women, and honestly, I see you Marinette and I must admit, you made me proud. Mari throwing shade aside, I feel like they could’ve ended it with a much more tender moment between Chloe and her mother rather than Audrey just being ecstatic at how her daughter is as horrible a person as she is, which I honestly think just regressed all the progress she made, like, come on Thomas, give me a break!

All in all, I did think that Queen’s Battle was a really great two-parter, part two was definitely a lot more action-packed and hit me right in the feels, but part one really brought that comedic element, so I guess they’re both pretty even in that sense.

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podmusical · 6 years

Text

The Ballad of GG Scrumptious, Part 1

Credits and Lyrics for Episode 7 of Days of Future Fuzz

starring:

“Narrator” - Jordan Gelber Golden George Scrumptious - Andrew Radford Butler

written by Jonathan A. Goldberg music by Matt roi Berger

recorded, mixed and edited by Marcus Bagala and Will Melones

NARRATOR

Oh hello there, what’s that? You want a story?

Something real and true, but perhaps, too, allegory?

Oh well, let me see, let me see, let me have a drink

And think up a story worth your time - let me think-

Ah! I’ve got it, and it’s got it all!

A hero and prophecy, a warning, a fall

A promise, a history - hidden, but crucial

And a secret you’ll never guess - though maybe you will

I think you look smart, I mean, you came here to me

When you needed some fun - that’s as smart as can be.

So what do you say? Let me lay out the scene

Let’s start at the beginning, the best place to begin:

Born beneath a lard-shaped star

The moon was in the House of Starch

(The house, by far, the fattest -

Like being born in a fry basket)

His mother labored in great pain

16 lbs, this fellow weighed

And his eyes shown like a grease stain

Skin glowed like a casserole fresh made

His mama named him Golden George

Papa Scumptious was overjoyed

Said “we’ll call him GG for short.”

He was in the kitchen by age two

Cooking breast milk cheese fondu

Had his mama spooked - but one taste she knew:

Her boy cooked naturally

Over time his talents grew

And his confidence grew too

Said he would shape the world of food,

Fast and Casually.

He sang:

GOLDEN GEORGE

My gifts know no restraints

Soon all the world will know my name

My gift to all shall be

An escape from drudgery

Via culinary artistry.

NARRATOR

So how do you like him? Guess he’s our hero

The boy with a wish and a gift… and an ego.

But this amico was on to somethin’ -

The world is bitter and cold and troublin’

But nothing’s so warm as something straight out the oven

And filling you up and giving you comfort

Adjusting your dials and pushing all your right buttons.

So why not toot his honker when he’s so much to offer?

Food and drink HEAL - and this boy was a doctor

But he needed more than a gift or a wish

He needed more than an ego - he needed a DISH.

GOLDEN GEORGE

It’s time to make my fortune

So let the world prepare

I’ll save their mouths from boredom

All other chefs beware!

I’ll keep the oil flowing

I’ll keep the oven hot

I’ll find the dish that shows them

What I’ve got! Yeah!

Teryaki steak tips!

Buttered sweetbread fries

Cheese-laced onion blossom

Ranch on the side

Now, here’s my masterpiece! It’s

Piled high with 7 cheeses

What taste, what artistry

Baked Macaroni - I’m a genius!

NARRATOR

And though it sounds simple, and maybe you laugh

That macaroni pasta put GG on the map

That macaroni pasta was better than yours by half

His use of thousand island dressing WAS astounding

Over seven layers of cheeses, french AND italian

And one that might be Russian but ain’t NO body telling

Mm mm!

See, the recipe’s a secret, and GG’s smart to keep it

Cuz everyone wanted what that bastard was selling

The momentum of this dish on every wish list

Was enough to propel him to the highest echelon

Of chef’s and give him what they all were eyeing:

FRANCHISING!

But as GG sat in his kitchen, in Centralia New Jersey

Sizing up contracts, showered in glory

He felt a worry, an itch left un scratched

He was lost in the dark, lost his spark, all seemed black.

Something ached in his twice baked heart

Tho his macaroni was a work of art

All that work felt artless heartless

See, at the top, the drop’s all you got left

Now, his hostess was a beauty queen

Named Melanie Marie Manzine

Triple M saw GG’s depression

And so she pulled him near to tell him:

TRIPLE M

“I watched you build this place -

The joy that played across your face.

Why not give everyone

A taste thereof

Fill your menu with that joy and fun.”

GOLDEN GEORGE

Fun? Yeah,

NARRATOR

thought GG,

GOLDEN GEORGE

that’s the one!

The ingredient I had, but since had shunned

I’ve been so high on my own hot air

I’ve lost the fun that got me there.

Food should always be fun!

It’s entertainment for tongues!

That was obvious once

But I was blind I was dumb

As to what I’d become!

Goodbye to former pursuits!

Better to give and include!

Without further ado, I present you

A place where the food can always lighten the mood

The all new GG Scrumptious, where fun is always on the menu!

NARRATOR

Well, you can guess what happened next

Oh, you can’t? Well here it is:

GG rethought the plot of his vocation

He let go of the top and focused on elation

The silly joy and fun of stuffing your face and

Drinking your weight in

Milkshakes and

When his restaurant reopened after a short renovation

It was a success! He was met with adulation,

And opened up franchises in 7000 plus locations!

GOLDEN GEORGE

GG Scrumptious, where fun is always on the menu!

NARRATOR

And he married his muse! Yes he truly fell for

That clever, wild woman who’d been running the door.

Triple M and double G had their lives intertwined

By a wild west rabbi named Tex Rubenstein

Beneath a papermache macaroni

In the most beautiful mixed-denominational ceremony

GOLDEN GEORGE

Finally everything is right

I love my work, I love my wife

This is more than I ever could have hoped for

TRIPLE M

[Crying]

GOLDEN GEORGE

What’s this? My love, why do you cry?

Tell me and I will make it right!

There is no worry we’ve in sight

TRIPLE M

“GG, I’m pregnant!”

NARRATOR

What? You don’t feel the tension?

Yes of course a child’s a blessing

It’s just - oh, I get the impression

You’re missing a key component to our hero’s depression.

So, for a second let’s leave the present.

It’s time for a little history lesson…

Long ago when the world was young

When the restaurant game had not yet begun

Casual eateries didn’t exist

And the only fast food was that you couldn’t catch

If early man sought something good to eat (yeah!)

He’d best fall down on his knees and pray to the gods of drink and feast.

It was the perfect way,

And would still be today, but…

A lesser god of feast was this gal Edesia

Ha - your face betrays you never heard the name.

You missed nothing if you never met her

Though she thought she was an up and comer in game

She made a plan to be

The greatest god of food and drink in history

She’d show humans the holy ways

And thus secure their love and praise

Till the end of days

Well she didn’t wait more than a thousand years

When a man hit bottom and her chance appeared

A failing chef named Ray of the Romulus line

Stumbled in and begged at the foot of her shrine

He wanted fame and a chance to succeed

He was a fine mix of talent and greed

She saw her play

And she didn’t delay

Gave him a vision:

Her, descending on the gravy rain.

The salty brown drops

Washed his pain away

And she offered him the deal

That saw the world changed

In her vision, she said to him:

EDESIA

“Oh Ray unknown, how your talent and your pallet go to waste

As well you know, Gods tip the balance, and in their talons grip your fate

In this market how can you make

Your name known? Oh no!

But I’ve a deal that, if you should take,

Your fame will grow, and grow, and grow!

I see your wonder, see the hunger in your eyes

With my secrets you’ll stun ‘em be their culinary prize

All that I charge of you

Is never have a child - your praise alone is mine

Yes, no children shall you bear

Though many will you claim as hairs in time

Yes the king of food for all your days

The people will taste and they will praise

O’er all you’ll reign, you’ll not be done

You’ll rise so long as the sun has rays

And only set when the Rays have son.”

NARRATOR

You’ll rise so long as the sun has rays

And only set when the Rays have son.

Well Ray thought that sounded mighty fair -

A heavenly answer to his despair.

He bowed in praise, swore his faith blindly

Which, for gods, is legally binding

Ran down to town to his deep fried peacock eye food cart

In an hour he’d sold out, he was the talk of the town, his food a work of art!

And it grew and it grew and it grew and it grew

And Ray learned the secret that the Gods all knew

And he used them to create a new empire

Food that’s fun served fast, with cheer

Paired with a casual atmosphere

Fills all with food, yes, true, but too - delight!

People could not get enough

They came to get their faces stuffed

How nice! … for Ray…

The gods of food and drink were forgot

Edesia too, it seems her plot

Backfired.

And Ray looked down over all he commanded

By his death, to 1042 locations had he expanded

And as the ages changed, so did Ray’s descendants menus

As they took the empire to new, exciting venues

The Visigoth Grill, Crusader’s Crudo

Pita the Great, Dynasty Noodles

The Original Scythian Style Pub

Bennigans, Arby’s and Stubbie’s Subs

Mongol Flay It Yourself Easy Horse

And on and on til present day, of course.

And the most powerful chain on down that line

Was the Ray’s Pizza Franchise

Featuring Real Ray’s, Original Ray’s, Real Original Ray’s

Famous Ray’s, Infamous Ray’s and Ray’s of other Names

From the first Ray’s cart, this chain had continued

And you could still order peacock eyes off the secret menu.

And they ruled all the franchises with an iron fist

Ah - but how did Ray’s have heirs, if Ray’s never did have kids…?

Listen to this:

Oh it was all part of Edesia’s promise

Which was so poorly thought out it was almost comic

The contract was written up by the best lawyer of the time

Marcus Legislatus, and the print was very fine

As his wife had written it all by hand

And Marcus had married the most beautiful cricket in all the land!

But we don’t have time for that part!

What matters is the deal at this vile contract’s heart:

The Ray to Play Stipulation…

…which stated

That any chain restaurant whose owner mated

Forfeited their first born child to the Rays

Or they handed in their restaurants - either way, they all paid.

And the chains turned over became the Ray’s

And the children turned over - well, the Ray’s they became

Many chains tried to avoid this doom:

Ray Kroc hid his son in a Grimace costume

Papa John put Baby John in a basket of reeds

Dave Thomas sent Wendy to live in a tree

But each was found out, and each child was claimed

And through old, evil magic, was changed to a Ray…

Mama chef, papa chef, RUN! Hide your child away.

Look how the Rays come, on the 5th birthday of,

Oh!, what you most love, they’re gonna take away, and,

Oh!, what you most love -They’re gonna make a Ray.

They’ll file in, eat up all that you’ve got

And you must feed them your best - whether you wanna or not.

Then when they’re done - oh! - that’s when you give ‘em either

The first child of your blood, or all of your franchises

All that you’ve built, oh!, is it worth the pain

Worth all the guilt - oh - to see your child a Ray?

Many parents chose of course their child to keep

But many a chef was overcome with greed

And that’s how the Rays stayed on top of the game

And that about brings us up to date.

So now you may be keen

To the fear that chilled GG

When Mel

Said that she was with son…

All he’d made, all he’d created

Was to crumble lest he gave their

Son…

What was to be done…

GOLDEN GEORGE

My dear please dry your tears

You’ve nought to fear for our son’s life…

Let the Rays take all I’ve made,

I promise I won’t contemplate

The trade of child for franchise…

NARRATOR

Well, Triple M was overjoyed

But you and me, we know our boy

GG’s not the sort

To sell himself short

He doesn’t give - he takes!

And he’d fight, he might even tempt fate…

Sure he’d changed his ways,

But to give up everything he’d made?? it-

Was a thought that repulsed him, everything he hated.

Well GG Jr came short months later

And his parents love - well, it couldn’t have been greater

And though GG’d been conflicted on what was to be done.

He’d greatly underestimated how much he’d love his son.

GOLDEN GEORGE

Feel how his smile calms me

See how his hands are strong

He’ll be flipping frying pans before too long!

God, he’s such a nat’ral!

See him with that spatula!

One day all that I’ve made will be… no…

NARRATOR

Yes…

And two weeks before lil G turned 5

A letter came in the mail, said “It’s Time.

We march your way in 14 days.

Prepare our feast. Signed, the Rays.”

Outside there was a storm, but there was a knock at the door

GG turned and saw dripping on his floor

A chef, clad all in mauve

How’d the man get inside? GG worried this was bad

But the chef simply smiled and acted as if he had

All the answers in the world. And GG eased, suddenly calm.

He offered the Mauve Chef a drink, but then the chef dropped a bomb:

He looked GG in the eye

And the Mauve Chef said:

MAUVE CHEF

“I can save your son

Save all that you’ve done

But you must be brave,

No matter the pain

And do as I say.”

To be continued…

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lore-a-lie · 7 years

Text

Chapter 1: Her Threads Dividing Heaven From Hell

Daily Life

Kaede opened her eyes to the sound of her door sounding on the verge of breaking rather than the announcement, so sleep must have won out after all at some point. She shot from the bed to open it while it was still in one piece and became smothered by something big and warm for her efforts.

“GONTA IS SO HAPPY KAEDE’S NOT DEAD!”

Well, that answers who has her trapped in a bear hug right now at least.

“Umm. Yes. I’m not. That may change in a bit if you can’t let go a little but I’m definitely alive right now.”

“OH. Whoops, Gonta is sorry. Gonta came by because he got worried, Gonta was asking the others why you hadn’t come to breakfast yet and Kokichi said it cuz you were too busy being dead.”

“... Excuse me?”

“Well Kiyo said you might be talking to Shuichi’s hat, but Kokichi insisted you were so sad you just died of loneliness. Like his bunny.”

“... What?” (Should I be happy Kokichi chose to make it sound less like I lost my mind or committed suicide over a boy I knew for only a few days or offended he put this idea in Gonta’s head at all?)

“Everyone will be so happy to see you fine!”

And with that and little that could be said to stop him Gonta “escorted” Kaede to the dining hall like a true gentleman should. If it was more socially acceptable to practically to carry the “lady” in question somewhere she wasn’t really going in the first place. Inside she found evidence of Kirumi in the kitchen, Kibo having an argument with Kokichi about his robophobia, and Korekiyo sitting further apart eating on his own. Somehow. Without taking off his mask or undoing the zipper. No time to get distracted though.

“Hello everyone! As you can see I’m not dead, nor have I lost my mind and taken to talking to inanimate objects. So what’s been going on?”

“Well Kibo’s here so you are still totally talking to an object right now but okay, we’ll pretend to believe you! It’s not like you’ve ever lied to us before or anything.” It was hard to tell if the grin on Kokichi’s face as he spoke was one of mockery or malice considering his words, but the reminder stung all the same.

“I am not an object! I just finished explaining that-”

“And I wasn’t listening. Obviously. We’re still just waiting for everyone else to show up, and I was thinking it was pretty weird for us to be up soooo early and ready to plan while our “Leader” moped in her room over some emo murderer some more.”

“Huh? That’s not what you told Gonta-”

Korekiyo chose to interrupt Gonta’s confusion to try and smooth over the conversation without Kokichi’s excuses or lies derailing things. “It’s good to see you are doing better at any rate. And as it sounds like my own suggestion has been misconstrued I merely offered that you had taken our friend’s hat with you with the intent to use it as a coping mechanism to help you through your grief. Briefly as we’ve known each other you two had connected rather strongly, what happened to him was very traumatic, and you were clearly distraught. Belittling any chosen methods to help you deal with your loss or questioning your mental health were never my intentions. There are far less conventional means of doing so after all and no one should judge you for mourning the loss of a life. Particularly one who helped save all of our own in a way.” Kokichi flinched a little at the cold glare Korekiyo directed at him as he finished.

“Are you feeling better this morning Kaede? Can I get you anything? Is there anything you’d like for breakfast?” Kirumi came out of the kitchen with a cart stacked with food and began to effortlessly lay out the filled dishes on the table without breaking her concerned eye contact with Kaede.

“No, I… Thank you for your concern but I’ll be okay. Maybe something simple like pancakes? Only if you’re already planning on making something, I don’t want you to feel you have to do anything.”

The pancakes helped give some sense of normalcy and were easily the best she’d ever had, but if grandma ever asked after all this was over she’d still have to say hers were the best. She took a seat between Korekiyo and Kokichi as she waited for the others to arrive. Miu arrived a few minutes later and made a beeline for Kibo’s side where they started animatedly talking about something. Hopefully work safe. It sounded like it might be about making upgrades to some of Kibo’s features, since for an Ultimate he is rather underwhelmingly normal and now they really have the time to help change that.

It was after Angie came springing in that Korekiyo had eaten enough to go back to “Professor” mode and give a lecture about the cultural trivia and origins related to their food, though only Kaede and Kirumi paid it any attention. Kokichi was more focused on trying to get a reaction out of Kibo and Miu over anything he could, which proved as effective as it was amusing for him.

Benefits of sitting close to the two creepiest kids of this hodgepodge group of friends: the not-so-local religious zealot can’t ask you to join her cult and both love the sound of their own voices so much there’s little pressure to do much talking yourself so you can just focus on eating and breathing and trying to get the images of that godforsaken trial or Rantaro’s corpse out of your head for a few minutes of peace.

After Angie came Kaito, Ryoma, and Maki. Kaito must have tried dragging both of them here, but since Ryoma is here he was likely only a token effort while Maki looked ready to kill something. (Maybe she’s so good with kids because she scares them too much for them to risk giving her trouble but not enough to the point she stops being “cool”? She does look kinda badass right now, in a scary sorta way.)

Tsumugi, Himiko, and Tenko were next, which was a bit odd for a girl as energetic as Tenko to be so late.

Once everyone was together it was time to start planning on what everyone was going to do. The day before everyone finished exploring all of the newly unlocked areas. Tenko even set up a little poolside date for most of the girls and Kibo. Maki wanted to stay in her lab again instead and Miu was too busy due to a project Kaede asked her about so she pushed for Kibo to go in her place. (No one really knew what to make of these memories about the Ultimate hunt either since Rantaro was no longer with us.)

“Has anyone else watched those tablets the Monokubs gave us? I tried to but when saw that I got someone else’s I stopped so I didn’t see the whole thing.” (What? More tablets? When? Why?)

“Kaito got one too? Atua said the one Angie got would mean nothing to her, so I just started trying to incorporate it into a sculpture instead for now. Since damaging it was said to be against the rules.”

“Wait what do you mean you got someone else’s? Mine had my name plainly written on it but it wasn’t anything special.” Tsumugi sounded very confused, almost concerned, by this turn of events. But even she knew what was being talked about, which was more than Kaede could say. (I better fix that then.)

“I didn’t see anything when Gonta got me this morning, what are you guys talking about?”

“What, really Kaede? We all get motives delivered beyond our doorstep and you can’t even get ahold of yourself enough to even notice? Jeez, some “Leader” you are-”

“OI, watch it you brat! Besides if these are motives it might’ve been for the best most of us didn’t fucking see ‘em.”

Kibo was quick to latch onto this idea. “I agree with Kaito! If they are truly intended as “motive videos” for us I think the easiest way to protect ourselves from this threat is to ignore them.”

“Oh come on, it’s because they’re motives that we need to know what’s on them all! If we don’t check ‘em we’ll have no idea what we’re up against. Especially if not all these videos have a one to one switch, who knows who’s seen what by now! Doesn’t take much to lie about this ya’know.”

“You are suggesting we all divulge the contents of whatever video we were given yes? Have we and the owners of their respective videos no right to privacy anymore?”

Everyone started arguing over what to do, some sharing who’s videos they had while others refused despite trying to find out who had their own. If Kaede didn’t do something people would probably leave to take matters into their own hands, and who knows what that could lead to. (Well Shuichi and Rantaro know now, don’t they?)

“Wait everyone! Kokichi might have a point here.” She tried ignoring the look of shock that quickly changed to one of smug superiority on Kokichi’s face, but she certainly had everyone’s attention now.

“If we watch all of these videos together we’ll better know what’s being used against us. Depending on the contents of the motives it may also be good to have others to talk to about them too, rather than dealing with any stress they could cause alone. I don’t see anything Monokuma wants us to have being purely for our own benefits after all, and who knows if the contents of these are even true or not.”

Everyone quieted down to weigh their options. Ryoma was the first to speak up.

“Not all of these motives could even lead to a person trying to kill you know. I just want to know what reason Monokuma thinks would work on me.”

“Gonta thinks it could also help us get to know each other better! Gonta never watched movies with friends like this before.”

“And what of those of us who would rather not know? Or those who think their video could do more harm than good? Will you just force us all to participate for the sake of your own paranoia?” Maki’s deduction hit a little too close to home, but Kaede ignored that best she could. It was a fair point.

“Come on now Maki Roll, it can’t be that bad. And if you don’t want to know what your own video’s about you can just leave the room for a bit or something. If it’s because the idea scares you then at least we’ll be able to let you know if those worries were founded or not and help you through it either way!”

The look on Maki’s face was enough to reconsider how safe of a plan this really is. Or at least think twice about using that cutesy nickname for her as that’s when this glare started, not that Kaito noticed. (But this was the easiest way to regain some faith in my friends again. The easiest way to prevent another Shuichi.)

“Well everyone let’s just take a vote then! If we want to watch the videos we’ll find a way to hook them up to the projector in the AV room, and if we don’t we’ll just gather up all of the videos and decide on a safe place to lock them all up as a group. Since Angie mentioned destroying them isn’t an option for us.”

Ryoma’s hand was the first up when voting for the videos, followed by Kokichi, Gonta, Kirumi, Kaito, and Kaede. Tsumugi took a while before saying how since she already saw her own video it wouldn’t be right to vote any other way. It looked like Tenko was going to wait for the “no” votes but when Himiko raised her hand so did she.

Maki, Angie, Kibo, and Korekiyo voted against it. Miu said she wasn’t really interested either and already had other projects to work on so she just didn’t want to be put in charge of projector duty.

With the results in, 9 for it to the 5 against, it was easy for Kaede to announce their decision. “So looks like that’s settled then! Think we could watch them all tonight, about when nighttime starts? It’ll be better to get this over with sooner rather than later to keep more of us from peeking early.”

“I guess I’ll take a look at the projector now and tell ya if it’ll look like I’ll need to make any adjustments to it for this to work, but sure sounds like a plan so far. Or ya’know even if it doesn’t we can just bunch together and use the tablets directly while we netflix and chill-”

“I’m fairly certain that’s not a program any of us have access to nor is “chilling” a part of neutralizing a potential threat on our lives.”

“I think it’s plainly obvious that’s not exactly what she had in mind Kibo.”

In an effort to keep Tsumugi from explaining the “joke” to the naive robot right now Kaede carried on. “So anyway I guess we’ll just have some free time for ourselves for now!”

As everyone left the dining hall at that implicit dismissal Kokichi took a moment to pull Kaede aside.

“What are you playing at here exactly?”

“I don’t get what you mean.”

“I suggested the video thing and you just agree with it? You even twisted my words to make it something easier for the others to swallow to help them see it “your way”. What are you trying to get here?”

“I’m choosing to trust your judgment on this, even if our reasons for both coming to this conclusion differ. While I may be the leader this is a role your talent’s better suited to and I think working together like this can benefit everyone”

“... Even though I’m a liar. A lying liar who lies. Who nobody really likes if they have two brain cells to rub together. How do you even know I’m not lying about my talent? Or that I’m not hoping you’ll mess up so badly this buddy-buddy thing you’re trying to foster between us crashes and burns?”

“Because you’re smarter than me, possibly all of us. And putting our lives at risk could be just as dangerous to your own. You caught onto what Shuichi was doing… Long before I did. You’re able to point out when I’m doing more harm than good, and unlike me, you aren’t afraid to play the bad guy.”

“Who says I’m playing? I’m the Ultimate Supreme Evil Leader after all. And getting everyone killed would totes be to my benefit for this game.”

“Well, I think you’re lying right now. Because if you were it’d be more to your benefit to keep all this to yourself, since I’m more predictable to you than you are to me.”

“... I’m not sure if this attitude is making you more interesting or just a total snooze fest.”

“Then I guess time will tell won’t it?”

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alexiela73 · 7 years

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Hello dear~ I am new to this request thing but I would love to see Hanzo, 76,Genji,and Reaper(separate) in love with or courting a fluffy(bigger gal who is about 5'8 a little taller then most gals) southern who is a huge sweetheart! who is a healer but if not that's fine~ She loves them no matter what they do or did and loves showing them how much she care with gifts (like crocheted items and homemade tea) and honest sweet compliments! She may sneak in some hugs if she can! Thank you so much!!

Just wanna say, not only did I accidentally delete this once but I got carried away twice and it still did not end up exactly how it should have. Definitely veered off the request path a bit but its still kind of cute and I…I hope you still love it.

Hanzo:

When Hanzo first met you, he had no interest in you. Not right away anyway.

To be fair though, Hanzo really has no interest in anyone. People are just a bunch of faces, and half are rude, deceitful or liars. So he usually just doesn’t notice anyone…including woman.

What first brought his attention to you was when McCree struck up a conversation with you. You were sitting at a table in a small diner that was beside you, sitting on your laptop as you typed away.

Hanzo was focused on stirring his tea, but after a few minutes he finally began to tune in. Your voice had a soft lilt, and as he studied you, Hanzo found the soft southern lilt of your voice and the way your eyes sparkled like jewels to be rather enchanting. No thoughts of your size flitted across his mind, no comparisons to any other woman he'd ever met. He was simply entranced with your voice.

When you giggled at something McCree said, Hanzo finally started to get into the conversation, to Jesse's surprise. Hanzo thought you were intelligent, and liked how you spoke so passionately about your work in computer programming.

Jesse got your number at the end of the meal, almost two hours later. The three of you had been talking the whole time, though with McCree noticed the way Hanzo watched you with interest, he kind of backed off a bit. God forbid he try and steal the limelight from Hanzo when he finally has interest in an actual human being.

The three of you ended up meeting a few more times. It was really cute, because every time you all met up, you'd hand them both a small wrapped gift of cookies or sweets. McCree had noticed the way you glanced shyly at Hanzo whenever you handed it to him, or how you'd watch eagerly to see if Hanzo really enjoyed it.

The more time you spent together, Hanzo found himself falling for you harder and harder. He started noticing little details about you. The way your ears went pink when you were embarrassed. The way you spoke quickly and mumbled whenever you unsure of yourself. The fierceness with which you spoke about things that mattered to you. The shine in your eyes when you spoke of the past.

One day, he finally broke. “Y/n,” he said, pulling you to the side as the three of you neared the end of your walk through the park “If possible…would you be opposed to me courting you?”

For a moment you both blinked. Jesse face palmed at his stiff composure, while you simply looked stunned.

“You…you want to date me?” you squeaked, smoothing your shirt down. Like usual, your ears turned pink as you blushed heavily.

Hanzo stared at you quite intently, taking your hand in his with gentleness. “I do. I think your enchanting,” Hanzo admitted, and a smile teased the corner of his lips. “Exquisite.”

Ducking your head, you couldn’t believe what he was saying. You were a fluffier girl, with large hips and enough cellulite on your thighs that some women would explode over. ”You can’t mean that. I…I’m not really that pretty. Even i know that…”you said softly.

Taking your chin gently, Hanzo lifted your face. “I think you are beautiful. And if you are talking about your body…” Hanzo’s hands moved down to cup your waist, the warmth of his hands sending a tingle through you as he pulled you closer. “Your body is beautiful too. I see no imperfections before me,” Hanzo insisted, thumbs rubbing soft circles against you.

A shuddery breath left your lips. This was the first time a man, and one so beautiful, had ever spoke to you like this. Yet when you looked into his eyes, they seemed to hold conviction.

“O-okay,” you whispered. “…I would love that. A lot…..”

A smile spread across his face, and he brushed his lips across your forehead in a soft kiss that left you weak in the knees. ”Thank you,” he murmured.

A cough sounded beside you, and Jesse rolled his eyes. “Can we get going? I”m happy for you and all but its getting mighty chilly out here,” he said and with a laugh, the three of you left the park.

76:

The two of you have been together for almost seven months now

It had been a shock to you when he had first asked you out, and at first you’d thought it had been a joke. But he’d been persistent and you were delighted to agree.

Your weight really didn’t hold you back, nor did it bother you much. Rarely did you look in the mirror and frown, as you had been raised to be confident in yourself. And Jack seemed to have no problem, so why should you?

That didn’t mean you didn’t have your days though, nor those little thoughts niggling at the back of your mind, worrying about your weight and if you were ugly or not.

One time the two of you had planned on a big date, to celebrate making it to half a year together. Jack had it all planned out, and you were excited.

Deciding to go out, you wanted to buy a new dress for the occasion. Like any other woman, you liked to dress up for special occasions and you wanted to look good when he picked you up.

In the mall, you found this beautiful pearl gray dress that had a skirt that flared at the waist to the knees, and no back. It was a bit bolder, but you decided you really liked it and that it would work.

After purchasing the dress, you noticed at a shop across the hall that held a pair of shoes you should would look lovely with the dress. Hurrying over, you gingerly picked up a slipper and studied it.

Snickers caught your attention. There was a group of three women not far away, whispering to each other…except their whispers weren’t quiet enough.

“Its that girl again,” said one, rolling her eyes. “She knows that dresses are meant for pretty people, right?”

Another one, a blonde, covered her mouth and snickered again. “It was like watching a hippo try to get into a dress. Jeez, maybe if she laid off all the burgers…nah, she’d still probably look like that,” she said and the three of them laughed.

You stood frozen in place. It had been a long time since someone had commented on your weight, and the comments of those women had torn at your heart. They were laughing at you, you thought. A hippo…

“Oh my god…she’s crying…do you think she heard us?” whispered one girl to another in alarm.

After a moment you touched your cheek and felt the wetness of your tears…it had been awhile since you’d cried over something like your weight. With a sob, you dropped the shoe and went home.

The afternoon was spent crying in your bed. After exhausting yourself with your crying, you drifted in and out of sleep, the mean comments plaguing you. You didn’t even realize the time till the doorbell rang.

When you didn’t answer, Jack walked in. Searching the house, he finally turned on your bedroom light and relaxed. “Oh, there you are. I thought you’d forgotten about the…” he stopped as you sat up, and noted how puffy your face was, the pink of your eyes and the faint mascara marks that you had tried to wipe away earlier.

“What happened? What’s wrong, sweetheart?” he asked, hurrying over and he sat on the edge of the bed, taking your hand. Fresh tears filled your eyes, threatening to spill. “Oh, baby, please don’t…don’t cry, sweetheart, please…”

Immediately he cupped your face gently, pressing his forehead to yours.

Letting out a ragged breath, finally you whispered, “Why did you choose to date me, Jack? Why me, out of everyone? There are…so many women who are prettier and thinner and look good…”

For a moment he said nothing. It made him angry to think anyone had said something mean to you, but he was more in disbelief that someone had managed to tear down your self confidence and happiness so easily.

“Y/n, I want you to listen carefully,” Jack says softly, “You are beautiful. Every inch of you. There is nothing about you or your body that I do not adore. I don’t want a small girl. If I wanted a smaller girl, I would go date one. There is only one you and that is the woman I want.”

You let out a soft sob at his words, and buried your face into his shoulder. Jack cradled you, stroking your hair tenderly. “I’m in love with an angel, you know. She’s sexy, with these thick curves and this long hair and a smile that lights up a room,” he says softly, and he smiled softly as you cried harder, but he could see the smile tugging slightly at your lips at his mushy words. “She’s all I want. Your all I want.”

It was sweet of him. It took a bit, but finally you got yourself ready for the date. You calmed down a bit, and during dinner Jack spent the time talking to you about how perfect you were and what he’d fallen for.

From this point I have to try to make it a bit smaller cuz I’m just getting too out of hand, and taking too long writing this.

Genji:

The two of you started out as best friends before you began to date

You were the first one to make a move. You’d had a crush on him for awhile, and you wanted to know if he might feel the same way for you…so you mustered up the courage and asked him out.

You were prepared, for there was a good chance he’d say no. But to your surprise and delight, Genji agreed without hesitation.

At first, it didn’t feel like there was really any change to your relationship. The two of you weren’t acting any different, except for the shy glances you’d send him.

Then slowly, the two of you began to flirt more and more, and you’d be holding hands or cuddling. The closer you both became, the more you feel for each other.

You loved hugging Genji. Surprise hugs were your favorite, especially since it was hard to actually sneak up on him

Genji never had a problem with your weight, and commented often on how beautiful his girlfriend was. The first time you both made love, he worshipped every inch of you. You were so scared that he’d hate looking at your body, especially when he saw the stretch marks

But he lavished you in love and could only remark on how despite thinking you couldn’t get any more gorgeous, he had been proven wrong.

One time Zarya tried to convince you to join her gym program, saying that it would help you lose weight. After dating Genji so long, you found that you had a renewed sense of confidence in yourself, and that you loved the body he obviously cherished

“No thank you,” you’d said to her, and before you could convince her, a second pair of arms had slid around your waist out of no where. Giggling, you realize he had caught you in his own surprise hug.

“I second that,” he says, hands stroking your waist as he pressed a kiss to the back of your shoulder. “I like her just the way she is.”

Unable to come up with any better excuse, Zarya had left the two of you alone and Genji had taken you back to his room. As the two of you got into bed, ready for another tender round…

“Are you sure?” you asked softly, staring up at him. Your cheeks were pink, still unused to how to felt to show your naked form to him. Did he ever doubt his decision to be with you?

“Sure about what? About you?” he asks, before he gives you a rakish smile and presses kisses along your collar bone. “Always. I’ve never been more sure about anything or anyone in my life.” There was no hesitation in his answer.

Your heart melted when hearing such things from him.

Reaper:

The two of you started dating one night in Overwatch, before he became Reaper.

The women of Overwatch and Blackwatch were desperately for a break and some kind of celebration. So together, they had come up with a party to have at the base for everyone to attend.

Gabe had noticed you weeks and weeks before. You were cute, he thought, and he liked how shy you were. But more, he liked your kindness. You were always carrying around gifts for others, or helping others when they were sad.

The night of the dance, Gabe finally decided to go. The party was outside, and was huge. Lights were everywhere, a few tables with food off to the side. Music played and in the middle was the dance floor. Even Winston was dancing, Tracer giggling as she followed in suit.

His eyes scanned the crowd as he grabbed a glass of punch, downing it quickly. Where were you…

When his eyes found you, his heart raced wildly in his chest. You sat off to the side, wearing a long straight black dress that hugged your waist and thighs. You looked beautiful and wore a white coat that suited the dress.

No one sat with you, and he could see you looking longingly at the dance floor. How you wished someone would dance with you, or even sit and chat with you…you worked as one of the many assistants in the base.

Gabe, after a moment of getting a grip on himself, managed to pull himself together and walked over, wearing a dress shirt and pants, and even a red tie.

When you saw him, your cheeks flushed and you looked shocked as he stood before you and offered you a hand. “Hey,” he said, giving you a crooked grin. “Um…care to dance?”

For a moment you stared at his hand. Then you let out a breath and took it, letting him lead you to the dance floor. You were surprised when his hands cupped your full waist, and he pulled you right against him without any kind of hesitation.

“Your confident,” you managed, managing a smile. Were most men as gorgeous as he was?

“Have to be, otherwise I have no chance with women as beautiful as you,” Gabe said with a wink, twirling you around.

Letting out a laugh, you were surprised by his words. “As beautiful as me? That’s not hard. I guess your just warming up for the prettier girls, right? Lets see…” you looked around, before pointing at a blonde you knew was a medic. “She looks like more your type.”

Gabe glanced over. “Angela? No. Not my type. Too mom-like. I like girls with spunk and a bit of meat on their bones,” Gabe said. You couldn’t stop yourself from looking at him quizzically. Was he joking??

“I doubt it. Men who look like you don’t date girls like me. You probably don’t even know who I am,” you said, shaking your head. “Or my age or what I do for a living-”

“Don’t call me a stalker, but your y/n. You are twenty seven and you work as one of Winstons many assistants in the computer labs,” Gabe says and pauses, before smiling sheepishly. “This isn’t the first time I’ve noticed you. Its just the first time I’ve been able to ask you to dance.”

It stunned you. The man knew who you were, what your name was. He’d taken the time to find out before this evening…he had planned this all along?

“Oh,” you breathed.

“So, um….what do you say about me taking you out to dinner sometime?” he asked, still dancing with you even when the song has ended. “Would you consider-”

“Yes,” you say immediately, your heart beating wildly.

A grin spread across his face. “Perfect. So, um, I plan to dance with you all evening…hope you don’t mind. I just don’t get this lucky often,” he says and winks at you.

With a soft laugh, you twirled once more in his arms. “Neither do I,” you murmur softly.

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callistawolf · 7 years

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Season 5: the Good, the Bad, and the Meh

We made it to the end of the season!

There was a time when I wasn’t sure we would. There was a time I thought “can we just fast forward the next few months and get there already?” And crazy cliffhanger that I willfully ignored could actually happen aside, I did believe we’d end up here. Yes, even back at the start of the season. I knew we’d end with Olicity back together and Oliver fully evolved. I think that’s the most important thing. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

So I’m going to do a post on the Good, the Bad and the Meh about this last season. And since it’s my post, I have the right to post these things out of order. Let’s start with the Bad, simply because I like getting bad news out of the way first.

The Bad

Susan Williams I think we can all agree that she was the worst of this season, regardless of if you liked season 5 or not. Listen, the showrunners can say until they’re blue in the face that Susan wasn’t meant to be shady or that she was a good person but I know what I know. And Susan was shady. And she was a terrible person. And nothing I ever saw on the screen ever dissuaded me of that. She came on the screen in such a way that the audience was immediately against her. No one, save Oliver, seemed to like her. Even Lance kinda curled his lip at her mention. She was researching a story behind Oliver’s back and we never really got a good resolution for that. The actress didn’t have great chemistry with Stephen, Oliver looked like he’d rather chew his arm off than lay in bed with her in 5x12. The breakup was anti-climactic and downright cold. I just am not sure what the point of her was, outside of being a love interest for Oliver. (More about the whole love interest thing under “The Meh”)

Lack of Diggle It’s not that Dig wasn’t around this year… he was… but I didn’t feel like we got as much Diggle as we deserve. For one thing, he was in the army and/or prison for so much of the first handful of episodes. Which… no. Not a fan. And even when we got him back, he seemed to be more of a “newbie whisperer” than anything else. I guess it made the moments he stood out all the better (episode 5x18 in particular but I also have a fond spot for 5x20). We need more Diggle. 150% more.

5x13: Specter of the GunThe gun control ep. Ugh. I never thought any episode would supplant 3x13 “Canaries” in my opinion of worst Arrow episode ever but 5x13 proved me wrong. Maybe there’s a jinx on the 13th episode of the season? Cuz… I don’t think there’s been one so far that I actively LIKE. But this episode was particularly bad. It didn’t really further the season long arc or even play into the season long theme. Characters who should have spoken up were silent and the ones who did speak up said things we’d rather wish they hadn’t. Very uneven. The true nadir of season 5.

Lack of Thea I could also include “Lack of Lance” here too since they were both nearly equally sidelined but it did feel, especially towards the end, that Quentin got some meaty story to grapple with (and I did love his interaction with Rene). Thea, on the other hand, got the bum end of the stick and it was frustrating. We only got to see her suit up once, for the crossover. She was either stuck in City Hall or… mysteriously out of town. I liked her grappling with her similarities to Moira but would have liked more time spent on that. I would have appreciated more of a showdown between her and Susan. Also, let’s not fool ourselves: Thea was right about Susan. Can we get better treatment for Oliver’s sister in season 6? Please?

Felicity Smoak Say it isn’t so! I was conflicted about Felicity this year, so I’ve got her under both The Good and The Bad. So first... the bad. I do feel she was mis-used in 5a. Her Havenrock resolution had more to do with Rory than it did herself. Her relationship with Billy Malone was two dimensional and half-formed. We don’t even know how they met. Then there’s the issue of her employment. She gets money from her shares of Palmer Tech but what does she do? I have a hard time believing she would just do nothing when not Arrow-ing. I just felt those things were overlooked in favor of Oliver’s story in 5a, which while I understand, I still found frustrating

The Meh

Billy and the Love Interests Sounds like an pretty meh indie band, doesn’t it? Listen, I’m not going to defend the show for going the love interest route with Oliver and Felicity while they were broken up. I knew when season 4 ended with them still apart that it was a possibility. Not just that, but a likelihood. This is TV. Furthermore, this is the CW. And since Olicity is endgame, you gotta milk the last time they’re apart for all it’s worth, right? Plus, how better to show that these two can’t move on than show them trying to move on?

I get it. It still was lame. There were other directions they could have gone. But the fact of the matter is they didn’t. So we got Billy and Susan. I already addressed the awfulness of Susan that had (almost) little to do with her dating Oliver. Billy wasn’t Bad, he was just Meh. It was difficult to understand why Felicity would hook up with a guy like Billy Malone after she’d had Oliver, you know? Then again, maybe that was the point. She wanted someone as not like him as possible. I feel like the show pulled it’s punches with him and with Susan too, to be fair. It was a lot more traumatizing to watch Felicity’s relationship with Ray and Oliver’s with Sara, for example. But Billy was still bland. And while I’m not exactly unhappy that they didn’t try to make him (or Susan) more compelling, it didn’t exactly translate to thrills on screen.

Bratva Flashbacks It pains me to say this. I had such grand hopes for these flashbacks. But there were a couple strikes against it. Namely that the whole flashback thing was pretty played out. Viewers were pretty tired of the device by the time season 5 started. Secondly, the flashbacks sometimes drew needed focus way from what was happening in the present. That said, they were a sight better than the season 4 flashbacks and it was really awesome to see Anatoly again. The flashbacks weren’t all that bad, and it was really great to see Oliver come back full circle, become the dark man we met in the pilot. But I’m not at all sad to see these particular flashbacks come to an end.

Second Tier Villains You never want your JV squad to overshadow your Varsity team right? The problem is that for the first 15 episodes, we didn’t know the identity of our Varsity captain. The menace of Prometheus was appropriately haunting though and I don’t think we would have noticed the lack quite as much if the secondary villains had been more compelling. Tobias Church fell flat. Derek Sampson failed to thrill me (I want the original Count back, please). Even the girl gang of Cupid, China White and Lady Cop were mostly meh. I wasn’t captivated by these guys. Was anyone?

The Cliffhangers I think its time to accept that Arrow just doesn’t do cliffhangers very well. I tend to enjoy midseasons and finales that have a more emotional and resolved ending. I loved the ending of 2x23 and 3x23. I loved the ending of 2x09 too. 5x09 left off with the Laurel reveal. Which, for me, didn’t work as a cliffhanger. And this could have something to do with being in fandom and knowing too much. Because I knew Laurel wasn’t back, I expected the fakeout. So the whole thing felt manipulative in order to generate buzz which makes me cranky. Maybe if I were a more casual fan, I would have been more surprised. It’s a similar gripe that I have about 5x23. We know what cast members are returning in season 6. So the island exploding doesn’t really work as a cliffhanger. It’s emotional, sure, but I think it would have been nicer to end with Oliver leaving that island behind both past and present.

Oliver Queen as Mayor There were moments I enjoyed but overall, the mayor storyline just fell flat for me. Could be because of Susan. Could be because of the gun control episode. I don’t know. Maybe I’ll change my mind on a rewatch, knowing how the Adrian stuff all shook out, but at the time, I just had a hard time really caring and I’m sure I’m not the only one who felt that. I hope this role is beefed up and used in an interesting way in season 6.

The Good

Stunts! Well, not just stunts but all the fight sequences. This was most apparent in the first few episodes of the season but I saw the stunts as consistent throughout the season. In years previous, it looked like capable fighters like Diggle and Oliver were being sidelined to spotlight other, less capable fighters. *Ahem* This year, save for Curtis, everyone is a capable fighter, more or less, so it makes for more engaging fighting sequences for all.

Oliver’s Growth This might be my favorite part of season 5. Which is a lucky thing because this is probably what season 5 was chiefly about. If you don’t like Oliver, don’t care about his journey, then I imagine season 5 fell flat. But I saw the resolution of a 10 year journey and watching all the pieces fall into place was immensely satisfying as a fan. And this growth was twofold. We got to see Oliver become the man we met in the pilot and we got to see Oliver leave that broken man behind too. I’m still smiling just thinking about it.

Prometheus During 5a, we weren’t entirely sure if Prometheus was going to pay off. The setup was pretty good, he was legitimately freaky and I was intrigued but I know I’m not the only one who started to feel a little concerned that the identity payoff wasn’t going to be worth it. When we learned he was Adrian Chase, that reveal felt so anti-climactic that I was definitely disappointed. But then we got to see what Prometheus was all about, and how amazingly thorough Adrian was as a villain. And I’ll be darned, the guy won me over. And then some. Hands down, my favorite Arrow villain. The word “menace” was created to describe men like him and it was a pleasure to watch.

Newbies Are you surprised to see me list this under “Good”? I know a lot of people were reluctant at the start of the season to welcome a whole new team. Admittedly, I was in favor of giving them a try. I grew to love them. Well, except for Evelyn who betrayed my babies and Curtis who just seemed to grow more and more aggravating as the season went on. But I love Rory, I grew to love Rene and Dinah was such an instant and easy fit on the squad that I couldn’t help but love her too. I love the “B Team”. There, I said it.

Felicity Smoak So I had her under “The Bad” but it wasn’t all bad for Ms. Smoak in season 5 The good news, is that Felicity in 5b got a lot better agency with the story than she got in 5a. She still didn’t have a job, but she was no longer in some sort of strange place-holder relationship. And she had issues. And she made mistakes. And she looked out for herself (and her team too, but herself first and foremost which I found so great for her overall journey). Her reactions in 5x10, leading to her toying with darkness in 5x12 and then getting in with Helix full-stop after that… Be still my heart. I loved it. It might not make up for the dropped balls for her in 5a, not entirely, but 5b definitely lessened my annoyance so I’m counting some of this as a good.

The 100th Episode I’ve made no secret that I am generally skeptical of the DCTV crossovers. Save for the first one (which I consider to be season 2, when Barry first showed up on Arrow), I think they’re mostly meh. Especially the Arrow side of the crossover. This year was different. It was Arrow’s 100th episode and while all the heroes were fighting aliens (god, I still can’t believe they did that… sodumb), the Arrow ep was an alien induced dreamworld which meant most of the episode was… different. I know a lot of people didn’t enjoy the LL/OQ of it all, but I couldn’t help but see the parallels between his relationship there with his relationship with Felicity. Plus, it was a very emotional hour for Oliver and absolutely tied in with his journey this season. Seeing his parents again, having that temptation… it meant a lot. I found it to be very meaningful and as a fan of Oliver’s growth, very satisfying.

The Pacing Arrow has always struggled with pacing. I feel like season 5 has handled it better than most previous seasons and if anything, the progression has been a little slow at times. But slow is better than fast, I feel, especially for a story arc like this. Everything felt like it happened when it was supposed to happen, which is satisfying for me, as a viewer. The last eight episodes were the best run of episodes we’ve seen since 2a, if you ask me. I did not feel as though any balls were dropped, as though anything was rushed… even Olicity is taking things “one step at a time” which if you ask me, is a great thing. I’ll talk more about that here in a minute. As for the main action of the season, the build into the finale was pitch perfect.

Olicity I know this is probably a controversial opinion but I liked everything we saw with Olicity this year. I went into season 5 knowing that my ship was broken up and would likely stay broken up for the bulk of the season. That was just facts. Since I wasn’t expecting a reunion for most of the season, I found it easier to sit back and enjoy the small moments, hints and gestures that we did get. Especially given what we learned in 5x20 about the months before s5 began, I find their interactions early in the season to be particularly poignant and bittersweet. I really liked how the show had Oliver and Felicity walk in each other’s shoes a bit. I also really appreciated that these two never lost their love for on another. They couldn’t be together, not until certain things were dealt with first, but their affection was a constant. Their foundation was rock solid and that’s how they rebuild their relationship now; on that firm and strong foundation. By the time the end of the season arrived, their reunion was a natural thing, a foregone conclusion. I loved that.

I think, all told, I really enjoyed season 5. I love it for what it is: the culmination of Oliver Queen’s 10 year journey. Felicity and his relationship with her are a fairly significant piece of that puzzle but that’s all still just a piece. Words can’t express how satisfying watching that finale were, to see Oliver coming full circle like that, to become the man he was always meant to be. Robert Queen would be so proud. And so am I.

Now… bring on season 6! I hear the theme of the season is family which makes me so happy because that’s what I was hoping for. We’ve got William, we’ve got his relationship with Felicity (can you say wedding time… for real this time??) and we’ve also got the found family he has with his team. I can’t imagine a more perfect way to move on from here than that. Can’t wait for October!

#arrow meta #arrow season 5 #season 5 wrapup #olicity #my meta #show: Arrow #ship: Olicity #character: Oliver Queen #character: Felicity Smoak

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