#told her about red canary and she was so grossed out

[oakt733]

me, infodumping about the magnus protocol : 😛🥳💃 the horrors!! 😁🎉🙌

my mother : .. the horrors … ☹️😰

[refinedbuffoonery]

Flawless (6)

masterlist.

Content Warning: swearing, violence, sex, PTSD

Not gonna lie, this is a bit of a filler chapter. But the NEXT chapter...that’s the one you’ve all been waiting for. Also, I’ve had “bad guy” by Billie Eilish stuck in my head for DAYS, so that’s the song playing during the runway show. 

*****

A week after the job at the director’s house, Riley sank into her first-class airplane seat and immediately opened her laptop, the tan pleather chair squeaking slightly as she crossed her legs beneath her. Dimming the brightness, Riley angled her laptop so no one could see it but her. She’d been profiled plenty of times in the past while writing perfectly benevolent code. Riley certainly didn’t need anyone catching her working on something more nefarious. 

If she did this right, then she’d be able to just connect her phone to whatever Louvre computer that controlled security and be free to do whatever she wanted. 

If she didn’t...she’d need to brush up on her French. 

Nikki dozed in the seat beside her. She’d been bouncing off the walls all morning in anticipation of getting to see Fashion Week in person after Riley had promised to go with her to as many fashion shows as they could sneak into. Nikki’s excitement was infectious. While the priority was to see the runway show of the designer whose Louvre afterparty they were crashing, before they boarded the flight, Riley found herself sifting through fashion blogs to determine which other shows she wanted to see. All couture, of course. 

Across the aisle, Jill had her nose buried in an incredibly thick book Riley couldn’t see the cover of, and behind her, Cage and Desi curled together like a human pretzel as they watched a movie. They were disgustingly happy, and that made Riley happy too. 

When they were somewhere over the middle of the Atlantic, Nikki awoke, grumbling, “You’re going to ruin your eyes if you stare at that screen any longer.” She was right. Riley’s vision had started to blur at the edges hours ago, and she knew she’d have a hard time focusing on things in the distance when she finally looked up. Riley saved her work and shut her laptop. 

Nikki still hadn’t budged from her awkward curled position, but her eyes were open. Riley figured now was as good of a time as any to make Nikki answer her last lingering question. “So you still haven’t told me why you and your boyfriend broke up,” she probed. “You know, the one who hacks everything else.” 

Nikki sighed, rolling her head to glare at Riley. “Do I have to tell you?” 

“Yes.” 

“Fine.” Nikki sat up. “When we met, he told me he worked for a government think tank. Really nerdy stuff, does a lot of consulting. I figured he was smart but harmless.” 

“I remember.” 

“That was a lie. He’s a government agent, all right. But not the nerd kind. The double-O-seven kind.” 

Riley nearly choked. “A spy?” she hissed. “You dated a fucking spy?” 

“Surprise.” 

“How did you find out?” 

“The same way he found out about me. I originally told him I was a freelance art appraiser”—not far from the truth, actually— “and the IT job was to help make ends meet. We both bought each others’ lies at first, but over time we both struggled to keep our stories straight. And then one day it all just...fell into place, I guess. We had a massive fight, and by the time the dust settled, I think we both knew there was no going back to how things were before we knew the truth.” 

Riley laced her fingers through Nikki’s, conveying her empathy through touch rather than words. “What agency does he work for?” 

“The Phoenix Foundation.” 

“What the fuck is that?” 

“It’s DXS. The name changed while you were gone.” At least Nikki couldn’t still say the P-word either. But DXS...DXS could move Christmas. If Nikki’s boyfriend told anyone about her real job, they were all in trouble. Big trouble. 

“Think he’s going to come after you? Come after us?” 

“I don’t know.” 

Trying to lighten the mood, Riley said, “Ignoring the part where he knows you’re a criminal, it must’ve been pretty cool to date a real-life black-ops spy. I bet he knew all kinds of tricks.” The innuendo easily rolled off Riley’s tongue. 

Nikki smacked her shoulder. “We were having a nice moment and you had to go and ruin it by being gross. What the fuck, dude?” 

Riley rolled her eyes. “Love you too.” And she did. Despite the grudge she may or may not be holding, Riley loved her. She never stopped.

*****

They landed in Paris at night, and the Five Eyes crashed the moment they made it to their swanky, overpriced hotel room. The next day, they bounced around the city attending as many runway shows as traffic allowed. Riley didn’t understand the hubbub and overdone romanticism; Paris was just like any other major city—loud and overcrowded. And snobby. So very snobby. 

On their second day in Paris, the women chose to divide and conquer. Desi, Cage, and Jill teamed up to scope out the Louvre. Riley and Nikki attended the runway show of the designer whose masterpiece they intended to steal. 

As she and Nikki found their seats along the runway, Riley made a mental note of all the exits. Their seats were in the back, against a wall. Nikki hoped for a better view, but Riley liked it better this way. Sitting by a wall, she had something solid behind her and could see everyone come and go without having to turn around. Riley had always kept meticulous tabs on her surroundings—that’s what made her so good at her job—but the fear of not being able to see what’s coming was new. 

She didn’t tell Nikki about it. 

The blonde blended right in with the highly fashionable crowd, wearing a floor-length, gray plaid coat with hot pink lining. Nikki was completely in her element here, and sometimes Riley thought her friend would’ve been better off legitimately pursuing a career in fashion rather than letting Riley drag her into the world of shadows, secrets, and cons. 

While they waited, Riley fidgeted with a button on her black blazer. Her whole outfit was the same shade of her signature color—blouse, blazer, leather leggings. But her boots were the real showstopper—thigh-high black suede with intricate gold embroidery down the entire front. Riley saw them in a window yesterday and had immediately gone inside to purchase them. The boots were outrageously expensive, but it didn’t matter. Riley Davis was already a filthy rich woman, and after this job, she’d have more money than she would ever know what to do with. 

The house music quieted, and the designer—older man, favored his left leg, voice thin and raspy like a smoker—strutted down the runway, microphone in hand, welcoming the audience and beginning the show. He rambled on, ruminating over his inspiration for this collection. Nikki hung on every word. Riley tuned him out. 

So this was the man who was renting out the Louvre. Riley couldn’t even imagine the amount of money and favors it took to secure such an ostentatious party venue. 

What she could imagine, however, was that she’d surely be subjected to yet another one of these long-winded speeches at the afterparty tonight. On the bright side, that would buy her and her team extra time, making the job that much easier. 

The show began with a sweep of the lights as the music dropped to a low, pulsing beat Riley could feel just as much as she could hear. The crowd murmured respectfully as the first model appeared wearing a shiny black gown that looked like a trash bag had been melted to her body with the excess pooling on the floor. She told Nikki as much, earning an eye roll. 

The next gown was better—sheer fabric with countless thin, metallic gold vertical stripes. The skirt had pretty lines, giving the model the illusion of curves she didn’t have. After that was a strapless canary yellow ball gown with a full, pillowy train. 

“I don’t understand why designers keep making yellow clothes,” Riley hissed. “No one looks good in yellow.” 

“That model does.” 

“No one looks good in yellow.” 

Nikki twisted in her seat and glared, which Riley ignored. “Are you going to say anything nice?” 

“You’d miss my commentary if I stopped.” Riley’s snide comment earned her an elbow to the ribs, but she caught Nikki’s smile all the same. 

The next gown was cherry red satin, with huge ruffles on one shoulder and the opposite hip. The extra fabric was a lot, but there was something elegant about the gown nonetheless. 

Leanna would look good in that one, Riley stopped herself from saying aloud. Nikki—nor anyone else, for that matter—hadn’t said another word about Leanna since Riley first asked weeks ago. Suddenly their longtime friend was taboo, and Riley didn’t want to disrupt the tentative peace she had with Nikki just to push for answers she probably wouldn’t get. 

Another ugly gown, this one feathery pink with a sort of netting over top. 

But the last one...the last one caught the eye of every single person in the audience. 

Including Riley. 

The sheer dress was covered in intricate silver beading that accentuated its long sleeves and mermaid silhouette and left little to the imagination. It was the kind of show-stopping gown one wore when they wanted to be the center of attention. 

Despite the audience’s rising hum of approval, Riley still heard Nikki murmur, “That one is all you.” And it was. Riley would wear that gown in a heartbeat if she had the opportunity—too bad most jobs required her to blend in, not stand out. 

She was too busy lusting after the gown to respond. 

From her seat, Riley could just see into the wings, and she spotted who could only be the designer’s assistant, running the show behind the scenes. Even from a distance, Riley had a feeling the young woman’s hawk-like gaze missed absolutely nothing. The designer would be easy enough to bamboozle during the heist, but this woman could very likely become a problem. 

Riley committed the assistant’s appearance to memory and set the thought aside for later.

*****

Later that afternoon, the Five Eyes reconvened in their hotel suite. They still had a couple hours until they needed to get ready for the afterparty. Since only Cage and Nikki had been there before, Desi, Cage, and Jill had spent the day scouting the Louvre. It was good for Jill to work with Desi for a change; because of her military background, Desi’s way of thinking through a job diverged greatly from everyone else’s. 

Team meetings like this were one of Riley’s favorite parts of the job—swapping intel and strategizing the best way to pull off the job. Or the most fun way, which was usually also the riskiest. But tonight, the team was in unspoken agreement that they would play it safe, both because of Jill and the importance of this long-awaited job. 

Piled onto one plush, king-sized bed, the five women sat tangled together as they tore through the box of pastries Riley purchased on the way back to the hotel. For the first time in forever, Riley was hungry. She avoided dwelling on that fact as she licked her fingers and picked up stray crumbs that fell on the off-white comforter. 

“So, what did you learn?” Nikki quizzed Jill. 

Jill pushed up her glasses with her middle finger, speaking with her mouth full. “The room the party will be in is super fancy and at the far corner of the building.” She swallowed. “First floor.” 

“Good. What else?” Riley prompted. “How do Nikki or I get to security and the building’s system control?” 

“There’s an employee door in the hallway…” Jill trailed off. “Wait. This is a test, isn’t it? You already know.” 

Riley smirked. “I do.” 

Disbelief etched Jill’s face. “How? You told me yourself that you’ve never been there!” 

“I have my ways.” Riley would tell her eventually, but for now, it was more fun to lure trade secrets over Jill’s head. She reached for another buttery pastry, selecting one topped with slivered almonds.  

But before Riley could continue her taunting, Desi spoke up. “There’s something you should know.” The mood plummeted into seriousness. 

Riley and Nikki both raised their eyebrows. Go on. 

“Nikki’s ex was at the museum.” 

“Which one?” Nikki asked cautiously. Riley could hear the dread in her tone, the same dread that churned in her own stomach. 

“You know which one.” 

Riley swore. Nikki’s ex, the spy, was at the Louvre. “Did he see you?”

Cage answered, “We have to assume he did. And we also have to assume he recognized Desi and me as Nikki’s friends.” Riley set her pastry down, no longer hungry as the heist of her dreams started to crumble before her eyes. She refused to let that happen. 

“He was with a middle-aged man who definitely had a gun tucked into his belt,” Desi said. “Based on that and his haircut, I’d say he’s probably ex-military.” 

“Mac is too.” Tucking her knees to her chest, Nikki’s voice was uncharacteristically small as she spoke. Defeat wormed its way across her features. Nikki thought they couldn’t pull off the job now, Riley realized. 

No way. She wouldn’t let one stupid ex-boyfriend get in the way of her dream job. And her grossly large payday. 

“It’ll be fine,” Riley reassured. “He knows you’re into fashion, right?” Nikki nodded. “Then he has to assume you’re there for innocent, legitimate reasons. Innocent until proven guilty, remember? All we have to do is avoid looking suspicious, which we already do anyway. He won’t have any evidence to pin it on us besides a hunch, and even if he shares that hunch, he’ll get in trouble for not disclosing information about you and your relationship sooner.” 

Jill said, “That seems overly optimistic.” 

“Which one of us is the expert?” Riley snapped. Jill flinched, and the other three watched Riley warily. “Sorry,” she grumbled. 

The tension only somewhat dissipated. 

“Anyway,” Riley redirected. “We picked up the replicas.” She gestured to Nikki’s Balenciaga bag sitting open on a nearby chair. 

“Replicas?” Riley fought the urge to sigh at Jill and her constant questions. 

“What did you think we were going to do? Just take the jewelry and run like hell?” 

Jill’s silence was a resounding yes. 

“Pickpocketing 101. What did I tell you?” 

Understanding dawned in Jill’s wide, blue eyes. “When you steal something heavy, put something else in its place.” A pause. “We’re going to replace the jewelry with fakes so no one even realizes the real set is missing.” 

It was Cage’s turn to smirk. “She’s catching on.” The blonde leaned in. “So, can we see them?” 

Nikki was off the bed in an instant, retrieving a package wrapped in plain brown paper from her purse. She let Cage have the honor of unwrapping it and revealing the masterfully crafted jewels. 

The faux-sapphire and diamond necklace and earrings were stunning. And exact replicas of the real set. The only difference was a tiny, insignificant bump Nikki’s jeweler added to the back of each piece so they could quickly tell the difference between the replicas and the real deal. 

Desi whistled. “Damn. Those are stunning.” Beside her, Cage nodded appreciatively. “You would look so hot wearing those,” Desi murmured to her girlfriend. “Wearing only those.” 

Blushing furiously, Cage shoved her girlfriend off the bed. 

Riley knew that if she let them, her friends would spend hours examining the jewels. Clearing her throat to get everyone’s attention, she asked, “Everyone clear on the plan?” 

The four other women nodded in turn, first Desi, then Nikki, then Cage, and finally Jill. 

“Good.” 

“That’s it?” Jill questioned. “No team pep talk?” The other women chuckled, but Riley just rolled her eyes. 

“That one,” Desi pointed at Riley, “is the wrong person to ask for a pep talk.” 

Riley’s jaw dropped in mock outrage. “Hey! Speak for yourself.” Desi shrugged. Directing her attention back to Jill, “You really want a pep talk?” 

Jill blinked. 

“Don’t fuck this up.”

~ Tag List ~ Want to be added? Send me an ask. 

@macrileyedits​ / @hellishrose​ / @incorret-macgyver-quotes​ / @mylifequotesshowallofthem​ / @thecarrieonokay

[inigofication]

Soleil Masterpost, Sessions 17.5-24

An INCREDIBLY long and detailed catch-up post with how Soleil has been doing!

Session 17.5 (one shot with 2/3 party members)

In the midst of some chaos, Soleil is taking care of the group’s spaceship when a priestess of Erathis shows herself to Soleil, knocking her off her feet and tells her “Your brother still lives. Head to the Far Reaches.” Until now, Soleil thought her brother was dead- clings onto the idea that the Far Reaches is around Pluto (because of what she learned in school as a space pilot). Her and her gang are currently on Mars.

Soleil and fellow pc Hazel hang out at their ship together, Hazel accidentally sets off the hyperdrive and sends them to a magic school made at the beginning of time. Eventually discover that the place is being ran by someone named “The Master”, who is a passed out, scrawny, 19 year old kid that looks interestingly like one of our friend NPCS- possibly his son? Also, we accidentally take a cosmic being back to the present with us and we discover a message from the Master asking for Hazel’s dad.

Session 18

Soleil and Hazel use a scrying orb together to find out that Soleil’s uncle (who she recently learned is a alive) hired a succubus to find Soleil for him, and now said succubus is accompanied with a cultist and a vampire while they track us

Fellow pc Lorelle and Soleil have a shared gay moment over Hazel 👍

Session 19

Soleil discovers that she can’t use Message on her uncle because his appearance has changed so heavily from when she last saw him that it doesn’t work

Soleil tries contacting her brother for the first time. Hears back, “Move to the Eastern flank! All squadrons down! [+ continuous laser fire]” However, all she gets from him is that same message, looping over and over again until the spell ends. Weird, but not confusing; Soleil realizes they might be too far for their Message radio to properly reach him

Soleil full name reveal! A space station that they head for asks for her name, rank, and affiliation: Soleil Aimee Mercier, Rank Pathfinder, Project Neudon

After landing, the AI asks Soleil if she’s heard anything from the Far Reaches Movement; it’s purpose was to seek out exoplanets, train for eventual colonization, etc. The station was told to stay radio silent unless FRM reached out to them first- the AI sent us a distress call regardless because the station was losing power

The AI has Lucas’ (her brother’s) information in it’s database, but Soleil didn’t have high enough clearance to access it

We go to a city called Becon, meet Hazel’s father, and Soleil befriends one of his agents named Dahlia, a character I played in a one-shot previously! :)

Big combat time, the priestess of Erathis shows herself again, Soleil asks if she knows anything else about Lucas and the priestess states that she knows nothing else, only that Erathis herself asked for the message from prior to be passed on

Soleil and Lorelle later get the confirmation that their NPC friend Tomas is in fact a time traveler! Explains how his son(?) the Master may have been able to get to the start of time

Tomas reveals that he knows NOTHING about Soleil in his timeline, so he worries that he’s responsible for what happened to Soleil’s ship and for trapping her here in this timeline instead of hers.

Session 20

Hazel talks a plan with Soleil; instead of running from the succubus tracking them, we could let her find us because she would tell us where Soleil’s uncle is, and we could reunite with him

Soleil and Lorelle are roped into spying on a “not-date” that Hazel and Tomas go on, Lorelle interrogates Sol about maybe having a crush on Hazel

Since they’re at a tavern, Soleil spends the rest of that night drinking with Hazel’s dad’s agents (Dahlia & co). One of them, Eleven, propositions her and Soleil leaves in a very drunk and flustered state

Sol has never been to Becon and of course, in her drunken stupor, gets very lost in the city on her way to the spaceship. She wanders aimlessly before stopping on a bridge, and Sinnafex shows himself to Soleil to talk; he’s getting restless, wants to do some CRIME! Soleil blabbers on about how their relationship is a two-way street and she can’t do everything he says, and in her state, even goes to far as to call them friends (he begrudgingly agrees). He also agrees to be patient with her and Soleil sees something she hasn’t seen in awhile- the manifestations of butterflies that are on her arms.

She follows the trail of them to an alley way with a young lady crying at the end of it. Doesn’t get her name, but learns that she ran away from home, and didn’t like all the expectations put upon her, so Soleil saw herself in her. When the city guards showed up, Sol asks her if she still wants to leave- Sol’s identity gets obscured as Sinnafex covers her body in webs as she scoops up the woman to make a break for it

SOLEIL ACCIDENTALLY STOLE AWAY THE CROWN PRINCESS OF BECON (which Sol had no idea of until Hazel and Lorelle told her)

Session 21

Soleil has a dream, set in a dead world by every definition- broken skyscrapers, burnt fields, and everything is frozen in time as a cosmos storms above her, and eyes of radiant light shine down. They speak to her, calling her a Child of Tlachtli, and ask if she’s ready for the end. When Sol says no, they say to prepare for it or else she’ll end with it; this is the destiny of all living things. She is told she can only stop it by stopping the sun from rising; it’s impossible. She “cannot cheat destiny. [She] is not [her] mother.” Soleil wakes up after, taking it all in and wondering what her mom could have done

Surprise! The succubus and vampire get the jump on Lorelle and Soleil at the ship! Meanwhile, the cultist causes havoc at a temple of Pelor with Hazel

Soleil in her frustration accidentally kills the succubus, so resorts to keeping the vampire alive to get information from him instead

Session 22

Soleil realizes Lorelle left and meets both of them at the temple to be met with a horrible scene; Lorelle and Hazel’s families frozen in time by the now dead cultist. She comforts Lorelle while she cries.

A few days later, while Lorelle and Hazel are HEAVILY bickering, Soleil sees a sign of one of their acquaintances- a golden canary lands on her shoulder. She lets it guide her away from the other two until they reach the bottom of one of the city’s mountains, arrive at what looks like more of a fortress than a temple

More canaries appear and they let her into the space; it’s empty, full of blue fire torches and suits of armor. Soleil feels the thrumming presence of Sinnafex still in the Silken Spite. The canaries land on Sol’s head and shoulders, leading her to a room with a pool. The canaries leave and Soleil notices the design of a silver dragon carved into the pool, with a glowing orb in its mouth

(This was the Platinum Dragon, revealing she accidentally got into a temple; she didn’t know this because, as she’s from a different timeline, she doesn’t know a lot about the religion here.)

She wades into the pool, and the Silken Spite immediately reacts, moving up from her side to curl around her neck like a choker, away from the water. Soleil’s “demon arm” (the one she uses to wield Silken Spite) also burns when the water touches the spider marks on her arm. Soleil could use her non-dominant hand, but wouldn’t be as successful, so she throws a quick “SORRY!” to Sinnafex before diving her demon arm into the (definitely) holy water. ITS VERY VERY PAINFUL 😀

Soleil gets a vision; sees herself as a little girl in the Chun Dunes, a desert filled with huge rainbow crystalline chunks scattered across the area. A sword is stabbed into a red gemstone, its light bleeding, letting darkness fester. Soleil feels the need to help before the vision ends. She yanks her hand from the water; up to her elbow is completely burned and scarred. The butterfly mark on her palm is faded, can’t see the webs on her forearm. A woman from the temple finds Soleil, freaking out, and gets Soleil on bed rest despite Sol’s protests.

While sleeping, Soleil rolls over onto her scarred arm and is woken by the sound of the dead skin flaking off (GROSS). She goes to a basin of water to start to wash it all away… the spiderweb markings on her arm have completely disappeared, as well as the butterflies. Instead, they are now replaced with lineart of shimmering, silver scales, all the way up to her shoulder. The butterfly on her palm is now replaced with a silver dragon with butterfly wings.

While the butterflies are gone from Soleil’s arm, she can now summon them whenever she pleases, and make their colors whatever she’d like. She tries blue and pink, colors that remind her of her friends, and Sinnafex appears again to complain about the colors on the lining of his suit changing with it. He reveals that the spiders were less to do with him and more to do with the Spider Queen, and also that when Soleil goes to the dreamverse, her soul temporarily leaves her body for the duration- to him, she becomes an aurora of colors. He tells Soleil of an artifact of the Spider Queen they could retrieve for helping their situation.

When Sol is eventually back at the ship, the princess reveals that she practices conjuring magic, and that with her books, she could supposedly summon Soleil’s uncle, who is now more demon than person. Discuss plans.

Later, a black butterfly flies from Hazel to Soleil; a memory offering itself for her. Soleil looks- learns that both the Elven woman she saw in her dreams once and the princess are both tied to Hazel and her family.

Session 23

Fairly chill session, mostly just deciding plans for getting families back. Get invites to the Fall Festival, Soleil disguises herself to sneak into the princess’ chambers in the castle, retrieve her spell books and GET OUTTA THERE. Mostly an errands session.

Hazel calls Soleil “Soli” and she sufficiently has some gay panic 👍

Soleil talks to Lorelle to make sure she’s okay, talk about Soleil and Hazel maybe dating since Hazel keeps taking Soleil places in private?? Sol assures her nothing has happened with herself and Hazel

Soleil goes off on her own to buy potions and quickly realizes she’s being trailed by someone they saw months ago, someone who was aboard an imperial ship- somehow, they can see Sinnafex with Soleil, even when he doesn’t show himself on purpose

Soleil manages to hide from him for a bit, buys polymorph poison from the apothecary and arms herself- she’s immediately attacked when she leaves the room. She uses her hivemind to tell Hazel and Lorelle what’s happened. The man calls Soleil a heretic and tries to forcefully arrest her, leading to combat. Soleil eventually uses the poison and turns him into a rat, making a dead break for their ship to get away from public eyes and to trap him in one of their rooms.

Soleil gets to the ship before her friends in a frenzy, making a move for the captain’s quarters where Dalm (the vampire!) stays. She gives him her keen dagger, explaining that in 10 minutes the polymorph will wear off, and when it does, she needs his help holding the man here to tie him up.

Lots of talking with the man; he’s a Drow elf named Dimitri. As we tend to his wounds in the medbay, Soleil asks Sinnafex why Dimitri called her a heretic. Sinnafex shifts into a woman’s form and explains Dimitri’s history with the Drow empire. Dimitri says to be from the imperial guard, who have license to arrest anyone they deem is practicing witchcraft (which is why he went after Sol and Sinnafex).

In a moment of panic, Soleil CLOCKS Dimitri because she remembers she can go into his memories if he’s unconscious- plans to try and make him forget that their encounter ever happened. For the entire duration of the dreamscape, Sol’s body is externally covered in shimmering, purple electric static. In addition to checking on Dimitri, Sol also goes into her uncle’s memories. Her uncle is now a monster; a robotic centaur, twice his stature as before

(cw violence) Hazel, upon hearing about what Soleil’s uncle now looks like, has a horrible memory: one of Soleil’s uncle in that centaur form trying to OBLITERATE her family. He sends Hazel’s dad off the balcony and EXTREMELY harms the Elven woman from before. Soleil and Lorelle see the memory at the same time. Afterward, everyone takes a moment to process what they just saw. Hazel insists on leaving for the dinner she and Soleil have with her godfather, no matter how much we insist she needs bed rest.

Session 24 (this one was 12 hours long, BUCKLE UP)

Sol and Hazel go to the dinner with her godfather to get festival invites, he has a very nice mansion and lets them have their own rooms to stay the night.

Before the night is over, Hazel tells her godfather and Sol and Lorelle are interested in each other and wants them to spend more time together at the festival. Soleil FREAKS and finds out that Hazel is genuinely seriously about setting them up.

Soleil and Hazel have a spa day the next morning! Comfy beds, huge baths all to themselves in their rooms. The bath picks up on Soleil’s stress as she mulls over her probable feelings for Lorelle, and bath bombs are added to the bath, as well as the shower to mimic rain. First bath in who knows how long!! :) (also it casted Calm Emotions on her LOL)

Soleil and Hazel get tailored for festival dresses. We later meet Lorelle and the others back at the ship to explain why we were out all night. Whole gang spends hours talking about plans going forward. Afterward, Soleil seeks out Lorelle to check on her again

(tw abuse, scars) Lorelle opens up to Soleil about her abusive ex boyfriend who has been messaging her a lot as of late. Soleil makes sure Lorelle knows how toxic he was and how she didn’t do anything wrong, and herself and the others will always be there for her. She asks Lorelle if her burn scars are because of him, and it’s confirmed. Soleil holds her wrist, and the scale markings flash with the color of Lorelle’s skin. At one point, Dalm and Enu interrupt to ask if there’s “romance happening.” They shoo them off, Lorelle talks about Hazel liking Soleil, Soleil disagrees and tells Lorelle how much she cares about her, they talk about Soleil’s uncle, and she finally heads to her own room at around 4 am.

Upon leaving, Soleil see’s Hazel’s raven familiar in the hall and says goodnight to him- in response, she hears her dead father say goodnight back. She immediately freezes and crouches in front of the raven VERY confused, and gets her eyebrow pecked for it.

While Soleil sleeps in the morning, the Imperial Guard arrive to collect Dimitri (who was sedated and still passed out). It goes off without a hitch, but very quickly after he’s gone, the group needs to decide if they flee or stay, in case Dimitri turns them in when he inevitably wakes up. We get Dalm out and hide Princess Enu under the floor plating.

Guards arrive on the claim that we harbored a vampire, we let them search the ship thinking we’re fine, but they find evidence of things we forgot to clean up (whoops). While we’re manacled, Lorelle’s ex, Lindon, shows up with a group of cultists and start attacking the guards; he came here with the intent of saving Lorelle

SOLEIL GETS BADASS COMBAT TIME! Hazel goes down and Lorelle is on one hit point; Soleil scoops up Hazel and urges Lorelle onto the ship, still trying to keep her away from her Lindon. He insists he can take them to a hideout that’s away from imperial reach. Soleil is pissed and hates his guts, but doesn’t have time for bickering and wants to use him to keep the guards off of us for as long as possible. With Lorelle’s permission, he and his gang get on the ship with us as we leave.

Some party drama with Hazel, leaving Soleil to be incredibly pissed at her for quite awhile. Soleil sticks with Lorelle at all times so she can never be alone with Lindon. Soleil takes the ship to sub-orbital until they all decide what to do. She takes Lorelle to the medbay to help patch her up.

Sinnafex tells Soleil they could vent the cultists and Lindon from the ship if they really want to; Soleil considers it. Soleil leaves to go secretly move Enu back to her room without the new company seeing. She returns to the medbay while Hazel and Lorelle talk

Soleil gets the hideout from Lindon, and passes on the message that he wants to talk with Lorelle one on one. Soleil offers to go with and Lorelle accepts. The talk goes nowhere with Sol there; she argues with Lindon until Lorelle holds her wrist. Soleil squeezes her hand very hard. They leave, and Sol asks if she wants company for the night. Lorelle says yes

While Soleil gets things ready for bed, she realizes Lorelle has been gone for awhile and finds Lorelle and Hazel hugging, Hazel’s huge void of a scar transferred to Lorelle. Soleil waits a whole hour there for them before they leave the vision; they saw Lorelle’s mom (who we thought was dead) working with Soleil’s uncle

Hazel and Lorelle cry themselves to exhaustion, passing out, and Soleil hauls them to the bridge, asking Dalm if he can help grab pillows and blankets from everyone’s room for a huge comfy pile in the bridge where no one has to be alone. Since Dalm is a vampire, Soleil asks him if he could stay up the night while they sleep so that the cultists don’t do anything; he agrees

Dalm grabs Soleil’s hand and tells her that she’s doing a great job, and it’s okay if she needs to cry too; Soleil says “we’ll see.” He gives her a kiss on the forehead and brushes his hand through Soleil’s hair while she sleeps with the other two

LEVEL UP!!! Soleil multiclasses into Hexblade Warlock (5 rogue levels, 1 warlock level)! She takes Eldritch Blast, Sword Burst, Hellish Rebuke and Hex. Flavor text moment, Soleil learned all of her warlock abilities from Sinnafex

(cw light implied nsfw) The next morning, Soleil wakes up first and feels a weight lift off of her; Sinnafex was laying on top of her and he “wakes up”, claiming that “last night was so fun~” (even though nothing happened). Soleil tells him he’s very funny and sits there unamused while he moves to straddle her instead

He says Lorelle is cute, he doesn’t mind sharing. Since him and Soleil are the only ones up, he proposes that they could just go kill the cultists right now- throwing in a “You’re so pretty in the morning… can we go kill that guy now?” Soleil refuses, saying as much as she wants to, it’s not her decision alone. He dramatically falls back, exasperated, and calls Soleil boring

Lorelle wakes up next and tells Soleil about what her and Hazel saw. Hazel wakes up after, immediately leaving the pile.

The space station from before messages the ship again, offering a place to stay if our ship is currently too small.

Soleil goes to get breakfast from the kitchen, Dalm is there cooking, as well as Enu who excitedly tells Soleil that she found the CANNABIS OPTION ON THE FOOD REPLICATOR. Soleil and Enu have an interesting talk about how to limit those snacks as well as energy drinks

Soleil puts a hand on Dalm’s arm and thanks him sincerely for the night prior; he turns the move into a hug and says it’s okay. He asks Enu to go grab his dagger from his room since he forgot it. When she leaves, Dalm pulls away from the hug but still keeps close; “I don’t know what you’re doing to me. I was sent here to assassinate you and now I’m here cooking for you and- and I like it? Did you put a curse on me or something?”

Soleil laughs, telling him they’re all just becoming better friends, and maybe he likes some sort of domestic life more than he thought. She grabs breakfast for everyone and he gives her arm a squeeze as she leaves

Lorelle asks how Soleil slept, Sinnafex makes a comment to Sol about “sleeping between two beautiful women.” She wants to strangle him. She tells Lorelle and Hazel about her earlier visit from Sinnafex but nothing else

Hazel leaves to “give the lovebirds space,” Soleil and Lorelle talk and Sinnafex keeps butting in, telling Soleil to “cut the bedroom eyes.” He gradually makes more teasing and inappropriate comments and Soleil gets more and more flustered, busying herself with the controls on the board- Lorelle knows Soleil is talking to Sinnafex because Soleil stops to respond telepathically.

Lorelle asks Soleil to accompany her on trying to talk to Lindon again, Soleil agrees. Sol takes a moment at the bridge to mentally scream at Sinnafex while Lorelle grabs some things. Lindon agrees to only talk business while Soleil is present, no personal talks. We talk plans with Lindon and then talk about all of our options with everyone

Soleil accompanies Lorelle for her talk with Lindon one more time. Lorelle squeezes Soleil’s hand and says it’ll be okay if Soleil just waits in the doorway, per Lindon’s request. Soleil begrudgingly goes with it. She listens to them catch up and discuss their past, gradually getting more irritated but keeping to herself. Lindon eventually calls Soleil back in when they finish talking.

Soleil and Lorelle leave, talk about it a little before Dalm comes over with slices of cake. He advises Lorelle to go get some sleep, then waits until she’s left to ask Soleil if she listened in; “Of course I did.” “Of course you did. I’m almost disappointed in you.” Dalm says that some people need to figure things out on their own, without their friends with them. Soleil argues that Lorelle wanted her there and that Sol wanted to make sure Lorelle didn’t get hurt. Dalm asks if Soleil thinks she ever cares ä bit too much, Soleil says maybe, and Dalm makes an offhand comment about Soleil being in love with Lorelle- Soleil shuts it down very quickly, flustered; she says no, no, no, and Dalm asks if that means he has a chance. Soleil, assuming he’s joking around, gives him a laugh before parting

Sinnafex tells her “Oh my… this is going to get interesting.” Soleil asks what he means, but he refuses to tell her unless she lets him take control of her just once; Soleil quickly shoots it down

(META GAME MOMENT: WE HAVE CONFIRMED DALM DEFINITELY HAS A CRUSH ON SOLEIL)

The gang goes ahead and makes it to the space station. Dalm asks Soleil if he can go walk along the moon, she agrees to let him out and watch him from the airlock. Before they go, he says they need to have a talk about “romance”, not between Soleil and Lorelle but someone else… HEAVILY hints to Princess Enu having a crush on Soleil- she keeps her diary a secret around Dalm and he once saw her draw a heart with initials in it around some runes. Soleil is STUNNED and thinks he’s got it wrong

(tw nsfw implication, slight manipulation?) While Dalm is gone, Soleil asks Sinnafex if the reveal about Enu was his “surprise,” Sinnafex says OBVIOUSLY not and calls Soleil boring. He shows himself again, this time standing in front of her, hand against the wall behind her and leaning close. He suggests hooking up, Soleil declines while assuring him that she’s fine. He holds her chin getting closer, insisting that it would be good for Soleil to get some “practice” to no longer be a virgin. Soleil mentions being interested in someone else, and he bugs her about it until Soleil confirms that it’s Lorelle. He says again that he doesn’t mind sharing, and asks if he can at least get a kiss. Soleil huffs, frustrated, and only gives him a kiss on the cheek before focusing back on letting Dalm back into the station. Dalm says she should go out there with him sometime.

Next day, Soleil tries her hand at an old Ancient One RPG on a game console that’s aboard! swag

Third day, Sinnafex bugs Soleil while she tries to sleep; “I’m trying to fucking SLEEP!” “And I’m trying to FUCKING!” Soleil later accidentally walks in on Hazel letting Dalm have some of her blood while trying to find the bathroom because he had been growing weak.

Fourth day, Enu approaches Soleil and asks if she’ll go with her to see the station’s fire elemental; Enu wants to learn from it since it’s her specialty, and Soleil understands the whole conversation. It goes on for a few hours before Enu starts to get tired, yawning and exhausted. Soleil says they should get her to bed, and Enu asks “Would you carry me?” While Soleil’s caught off guard, Enu panics saying it was a dumb thing to ask, DEAD SPRINTS back to her room

Soleil and Lorelle meet up while Soleil is heading back from her time with Enu. Lorelle asks how Soleil is and talks about a random dating sim game that the AI recommended for her- Soleil finds it funny and admits to having played that game ages ago back in her timeline. They walk and talk about everything, ending up in a small lounge/sitting area.

Out of nowhere, Sinnafex takes control of Soleil (failed wisdom save), making her grab Lorelle’s hands and tell her how lonely they looked. Soleil gets control again and immediately panics. Sinnafex bugs her while Soleil becomes a bumbling mess of apologies for how sudden it was, getting more flustered by the second.

(cw nsfw implication, manipulation kinda from Sinnafex again) Lorelle tucks Soleil’s hair behind her ear, asking if she’s okay. Sinnafex keeps pushing her and Soleil finally says “This might be… very inappropriate of me to ask. But can I… kiss you…?” Lorelle says yes, and they kiss. Sinnafex takes control again, meaning more kisses, having Soleil put her hand on Lorelle’s thigh and asking if she wants to go further; Lorelle declines

Soleil gets control back and FREAKS out because that’s absolutely NOT WHAT SHE WANTED TO DO. Lorelle tucks Soleil’s hair again, gives her a kiss on the forehead, and tells Soleil she needs better control over Sinnafex; Soleil VERY MUCH agrees. Lorelle suggests getting food, Soleil says she’ll meet her at the cafeteria and goes to her room.

Soleil full on screams into her pillow for a good minute and yells at Sinnafex who shows himself again, with celebratory wine and his tie undone. Soleil argues with him incessantly, he makes fun of her for only just having her first kiss, and abruptly moves in front of Soleil to hold her chin again and kiss her this time, pulls back saying “That’s what a kiss should be.”

Soleil finally leaves, incredibly frustrated (more so when he slaps her ass on the way out JFC), and eventually meets back up with Lorelle. Soleil doesn’t know, but the kiss from Sinnafex created a charming effect on Lorelle, making her even more infatuated with Soleil. For the rest of the night, they get food, talk, and only share kisses before calling it a night at one of their rooms.

SOLEIL GOES TO THE DREAMVERSE! Sinnafex visits Lorelle’s mind while Soleil is gone, telling Lorelle about how Soleil’s soul just disappears sometimes. They talk, and when Lorelle asks Sinnafex to step off with the relationship stuff, Sinnafex explains that he is with Soleil for everything she does; their traits rub off on each other and some bit of him will always be present. He takes the form of a woman again and tries to seduce Lorelle but to no avail. Sinnafex also saves Lorelle from her own shadow demon.

DREAMVERSE TIME!! Soleil feels nostalgic with all the talk of families, so she visits her dad’s memories- but it’s more like visiting his own personal heaven since he’s dead. Soleil watches her dad push her and Lucas on swings at a park, Soleil was a toddler at the time while Lucas was slightly older. He pushes them high on the swings, saying he always knew Soleil and Lucas would fly high. Soleil sees her mom with her dad too.

As Sol leaves the space, she’s presented with the option to go deeper into it. She does, and this time she’s on the swing and not watching herself. Instead of flying off the swing into the air, Soleil lands with a thud into the sand, and her dad immediately becomes confused, thinking he somehow broke the space, saying this isn’t how the memory is supposed to happen. Soleil turns towards him; “…Dad?” “Soleil?” They both realize it’s real, they’re really together, and her dad scrambles over to bring her into a hug. Soleil immediately breaks down, and he tells her how much he’s missed her, how he doesn’t understand what’s happening, and doesn’t know if Soleil died or not. Soleil explains it’s just a thing she can do, and they move to the swings to talk. He asks her what it was like visiting a new galaxy, and reveals that while he’s here, he can view parts of Soleil’s life as they happen, but he’s behind and viewing them in random order. He asks if Soleil has gotten with Tomas yet, that’s what he was banking on, and Soleil admits to have kissing Lorelle that night. Soleil asks him if he knows where Lucas is, and he doesn’t, but he knows about what happened to Soleil’s uncle. While we talk, an older version of Hazel shows up, a version of her where she became a champion of the Raven Queen. She tells Soleil that she can’t be there, has to leave before the others find out. Soleil hugs her dad tight, tells him she loves him, and he loves her too, telling her that she’ll always fly so, so high. The space fades as the sand falls away.

Soleil tries checking on her mother next. Her father told her that she was currently doing something in the North Pole, but not sure what. Soleil tries to see, but not strong enough to get in.

Soleil tries checking on Lucas, hoping to pry her way in to figure out what happened to him. She’s not strong enough here, either, but instead gets tossed into someone else’s mind- her brother’s significant other. She’s with him on a beach, holding his hand, and she asks to hear about Soleil again. He replies “You mean that greedy, self important little trouble maker? … She did always have a sense of humor.” He starts to cry and she comforts him, telling him she understands.

Soleil gets pushed out of the memory, but once again gets the option to go deeper in. She follows the path, and ends up at not the beach but instead a firey battlefield, scattered with ships Soleil doesn’t recognize. Soleil stands on the bow of a starship with a sword pointed at her by the same person, demanding to know who Soleil is. Soleil is still crying from before, and desperately explains that she’s Lucas’ sister. The figure is confused at first but eventually comes around, asking Soleil what happened to the St. Marianne. Soleil explains that the ship was destroyed, and that she ended up here and was found. She starts to tell Soleil that the Order has invaded, they’re at the Gateway, and Soleil needs to bring reinforcements. She struggles to think of the word, then says in French, “the many is one” so that Soleil can understand. Soleil mentions having been in cryosleep for 3,000 years, so she doesn’t understand the war, and the figure is confused on how that can be because the battle has only gone on for 15 minutes. Before Soleil can say anything, the setting resets- the figure moves back to pointing the blade at Soleil, repeating herself in demanding to know who Soleil is. Soleil realizes that they’re stuck in a TIME LOOP.

The memory fades away, and instead, Soleil sees the universe in front of her like she has before, it speaks to her again; “This is what will happen if you free him. Your brother. Freeing him from the gateway will cause cataclysm. The Nine will stand. They will not fall to foreign invaders. Your destiny… the reason you were the one who survived the St. Marianne was to prevent ragnarok. You are a soldier. You are ours. Prepare yourself.”

Soleil suddenly wakes up, alone in her room, Lorelle missing from the bed- instead there is only a trail of black ichor leading out of the room. Soleil quickly gets up, following the trail all the way to the airlock- where she sees Lorelle passed out on the floor, surrounded by the ichor at the brink of life, and her shadow demon pinned to the wall by Sinnafex’s webs.

End of session! If anyone reads all this, I hope you enjoy this LENGTHY summary and feel free to hand over any questions about Soleil or the campaign :)

[ourloveisforthelovely]

Second Chance 6

Harry Potter AU 

Pairings: Sirius Black x Reader 

Link to Chapter 5

Rating: M

_____

After finally being able to break apart, you stood fixing your hair. The last thing that you wanted was for Sirius or yourself to go downstairs with “I just had sex” hair.

“I really would be interested in you getting more lingerie. That will be a nice thing to come home to after a job.”

Sirius said with a devious smile. When you blushed, he wanted to make a comment about his work being done.

“I’ll see what I can find. Now we better get downstairs for dinner before someone comes looking for us.”

You said before standing on your tiptoes to kiss his chin.

Walking into the dining room, you frowned realizing all sets of eyes were on Sirius and yourself. You sat down trying not to think anything of it until you noticed Matilda and Remus wearing matching scowls. Glancing over at Sirius, you noticed that he was clued in on the awkwardness in the room too.

“What?”

He finally asked. Matilda put her hands over her face and was briefly comforted by Tonks who was whispering something in her ear. Remus, meanwhile, shook his head.

“Silencing charms are a great thing, you know.”

The realization hit you like a bag of bricks to the stomach. Neither Sirius nor yourself had bothered with a silencing charm.

“Oh shit.”

Sirius muttered as your face went tomato red. Remus nodded. He was used to hearing the two of you having sex. Neither Sirius nor yourself knew how to be quiet when it came to making love.

“Yeah, we just got ringside seats for the event that no one wanted to go to.”

Tonks was silently giggling. She was making mental notes to ask questions later. Now definitely didn't seem like the time. Whatever you did she wanted to know what it was so she could try it on Remus.

Your attention went to Matilda who looked like she was ready to die.

“Tilley, honey, I am so sorry.”

Matilda held up a hand ignoring her clearly embarrassed parents.

“We DON’T have to talk about it. I get that you two have sex but that doesn’t mean that I want to witness your corny little sex jokes.”

Sirius crossed his arms over his chest.

“You kind of are our corny little sex joke. You’re the best thing that came out of that vacation.”

“DAD! I said we didn’t have to talk about it.”

Matilda snapped. Everyone was quiet for a few moments. Tonks finally leaned over to you.

“Hope it wasn’t a fertile day.”

The comment made all thoughts in your head freeze. Neither Sirius nor yourself had really talked about having a baby since he came back. That topic had been the furthest from your mind. Between doing jobs and working on getting your relationship back to the way it was getting pregnant again had totally never come upon the radar. In fact, neither Sirius nor yourself had even bothered with a contraceptive charm.

Oh, Merlin…

Would it be a bad thing though? The common-sense side of your brain said this was the worst time possible! Between the war at hand, Sirius still not being 100% in the clear from Azkaban, and your job, you didn’t really have the time for another child. Besides, Matilda was 13 years old. You would be starting all over again!

The “woman” inside of you, however, was swooning at the thought. Sirius had missed almost all of your pregnancy, Matilda’s birth, and almost all of her childhood. Having a child that he could be there for and help with was beyond swoon-worthy.

“I’m not worried about that, Tonks.”

You said, casually. Tonks grinned.

“With your luck, today is the day that you’ll get pregnant.”

Tonks was right. With the luck that you had, you would be pregnant and not even know about it.

“Don’t put that on me, Nymphadora.”

You said with a smirk. Tonks' mouth dropped. You were probably the only one that got away with calling her by her full name.

“Y/n, you can get pregnant anytime. Sitting down, standing up….”

“In a hotel hot tub.”

Sirius added with a grin not looking up from the newspaper that he was reading. You couldn’t help giggling at the grossed-out expression on Matilda’s face. This was obviously a horrible day for the girl. Now she just learned where she was officially “made.”

Sirius had been so focused on your conversation with Tonks that he forgot his daughter was still sitting there. It wasn’t until Matilda said “gross” did he lookup.

“Sorry that you had to find out this way, sugar.”

“God, do you two have to tell the whole world?”

She snapped before getting up and walking out.

The following weeks passed without much merritt. You had been on a few odd jobs keeping an eye on death eaters. Sirius and Remus were in quiet talks about how to get Peter away from Malfoy Manor. You still didn’t like the thought of Sirius sneaking out (no matter how good he was at it).

10:50...You looked down at your watch anxiously tapping your foot. Tonks was supposed to be there at 10:30 and she wasn’t.

It wasn’t until 11 am did Tonks come skidding into the house, tripping over Kreacher, and setting Walburga’s painting in a screaming fit. You shook your head as Remus got up to go silence the painting. No one wanted to listen to Walburga’s ranting; everyone but Matilda that was. Matilda was the only one that Walburga had anything nice to say about. The crazy old bat was constantly calling for Matilda to come to open the curtain so she could breathe.

“Precious, come save your poor grandmama. Your horrible father keeps me locked up behind this curtain….the scoundrel.”

You knew that you shouldn’t but you couldn't help but giggle at the frown that Matilda would give Sirius. She was almost pleading with her father not to make her talk to the painting and of course, Sirius wouldn’t make her.

“I’m just going to say no to that.”

She would say before scurrying out of the room to go join Harry in whatever he was doing.

Tonks took a deep breath, looking totally disheveled.

“Y/n! What in the name of Merlin is going on? I got six messages from you. I told you that I would be by after a meeting.”

You quickly grabbed her arm and tugged your soon to be sister-in-law into the kitchen.

“You jinxed me!”

Tonks frowned.

“What are you talking about?”

You threw your hands up.

“My period is late!”

Tonks' confused expression turned to a smirk as she poured herself a cup of tea.

“Sweetie, just because your period is late doesn’t mean that you are pregnant. Have you taken a test?”

You shook your head. No, you hadn’t taken a test. You had spent the past week waiting for your “visitor” to show up. It would come any day and you would be off the hook.

“No, I haven’t. I just knew it would come...and it hasn’t. Tonks, what if I am pregnant? This is the worst time to even think about having a baby. We still need to catch Peter, Sirius can’t be seen in public, and Voldemort is out there doing whatever he does. It's too dangerous.”

Tonks sat her teacup down and looked at you with her soothing calm expression.

“Y/n, Matilda was born during a huge time of uncertainty and you made it fine then. Maybe this is what Sirius and yourself need. He didn’t get to be a huge part of Matilda’s life due to no fault of his own. This could make up for lost time.”

Your heart swooned at the thought of Sirius actually getting to be a part of your child’s early life. That was something that you wanted from the beginning with Matilda. Your brain, however, was saying different things.

“Tonks, how am I going to explain who my baby’s father is if someone asks? There is no way that I can admit that. I would be putting Sirius and myself into Azkaban.”

Tonks crossed the room and wrapped her arms around you.

“Look at me. We are going to be putting Pettigrew into prison quickly. You’ll be able to say who the child’s father is with no problems. Neither Sirius nor yourself will be setting one foot back in that place. Now, how did you know that you were pregnant with Matilda.”

You calmed down enough to think back to that day…

Sirius and yourself had just returned from a trip to the Canary Islands. It was supposed to have been your honeymoon but the wedding had been pushed back. No one was really having any celebrations at this point. The two of you had only gone on vacations because if you didn’t go the money would have been lost.

“Pregnant.”

You read the pregnancy test over and over. Sirius came in the side door with James behind him. James was laughing hard about something.

“Good morning, love. Decide to wake up?”

Sirius asked before pulling you into a kiss. James rolled his eyes.

“Only the two of you go on a vacation then come back still all over each other.”

Sirius grinned and kissed your forehead.

“What do you have there?”

He asked, motioning to the object in your hand. You smiled before putting the test in his hand. Sirius was quiet for a moment before looking up with a huge smile.

“You’re pregnant? We’re going to have a baby?”

“Are you angry?”

You asked. Neither of you seemed to notice James who was almost eagerly jumping up and down. Sirius quickly pulled you into his arms.

“Are you kidding? I’m ecstatic! Love, I've never been happier.”

James finally couldn’t handle it.

“I have to go tell Lily! Our baby will have someone to play with!”

You were still in Sirius’ arms mid-kiss when James took off out the door like an overgrown child.

You pulled yourself from the memory and smiled.

“I just had a feeling...the same feeling that I have right now.”

Tonks smiled. She walked back into the hallway to fetch your raincoat before returning. She wrapped it around your shoulders before pressing a kiss to your cheek.

“Everything will be just fine. Now, I’m going to take you to the doctor and we are going to find out. We are going to find out.”

1 hour later…

“Pregnant! I knew it!”

Tonks squealed as the two of you walked back into Grimmauld Place. You hadn’t said much since the old witch said what your condition was. Stunned or scared was the best way to describe how you felt. You weren't sad or angry.

“I am telling you that you jinxed us.”

You said, forcing a smile. Tonks giggled.

“No, the two of you just can’t keep your paws off of each other. It's cute, though. Seeing the two of you happy. Since Sirius came back I have seen you happier than ever. It's nice. You’re my best friend, Y/n. I just want you to be happy.”

You felt better. Tonks always knew what to say to make you feel better.

When you walked into the kitchen, Sirius' eyes rolled up to yours.

“There you are, love. I was wondering where you went off to.”

You instantly froze. The last thing that you planned on was telling Sirius this quickly. You wanted to wait until he was in a really good mood. The expression on his face looked a bit off.

“I went out with Tonks for tea. Anything happen with Pettigrew?”

Sirius rolled his eyes and closed the newspaper in front of him.

“Bloody coward didn’t show. Remus and I sat there for four fucking hours for nothing. Waste of my time. I’m getting a bit frustrated. I was hoping to tear his leg off.”

He said, coldly. This definitely wasn’t a great time to be telling Sirius the “happy news.”

“I see. Well, I’ll leave you to it.”

Sirius raised an eyebrow. He knew that tone.

“What’s wrong?”

You turned, feeling the color fall from your face.

“Nothing. Everything is fine.”

Sirius sighed as Remus walked in. You internally groaned but it was probably best to tell them together. Maybe things would go better?

“Love, I have known your face since we were 11. What’s wrong?”

You pressed your lips together.

“I don’t want you to panic.”

Sirius leaned back in his chair crossing his arms over his chest. Remus had sat down beside his friend and was stirring a cup of tea.

“Conversations that start that way are concerning.”

You took a breath.

“Sirius…”

“Yeah, that’s my name. I would hope that you would know it.”

You held up a hand stopping his smirk. Sirius frowned. Whatever had you so worried was evidently not a laughing matter.

“Sweetheart?”

“I’m pregnant.”

Both Sirius and Remus froze. Remus knocked his teacup over and didn’t even seem to notice the liquid. You stood watching the two men that you loved more than any other.

“Sirius…”

“Are you sure?”

He asked. This was definitely news to him! The sane side of him was panicking! He was internally kicking his ass for not being more careful. Had he always been so desperate to get inside of you that he didn’t think of a simple charm to keep the two of you safe? Apparently so. Sirius had been behaving like an inexperienced teenager at the worst of times.

You, meanwhile, nodded.

“I know that it isn’t a good time but I am... I found out today.”

Sirius jumped up and pulled you into his arms. You pressed your face into his shoulder breathing in the scent of his cologne.

“Hush now. Everything is going to be fine. You know that I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Sirius said softly as he ran his fingers through your hair. Over your shoulder, he met Remus’ gaze. Without even speaking, Sirius knew that his friend was close to losing it too.

Sirius hadn’t even had a chance to tell you that Tonks was pregnant too. Remus had told him that morning during a full-fledged panic attack. Sirius had been relieved that it wasn’t him in that particular predicament.

I spoke too soon.

Sirius thought as he continued to comfort you.

“Everything will be alright.”

He said once more.

That night at dinner everyone was mostly quiet. You sat quietly at Sirius’ side looking up to meet Tonks gaze ever so often. She gave you a grin and went back to her dinner. You were still in slight shock over the fact that the two of you were pregnant at the same time.

Glancing at Sirius, you felt a bit guilty. You knew that he wasn’t thrilled with the news but he was too good of a man to say it. Maybe it wasn’t the fact that he wasn’t thrilled it was more the fact that he was worried about your safety. You were waiting for him to tell you that he wanted you to stop working as an auror. That would be coming soon.

“So, what’s going on?”

Matilda’s voice pulled you from your thoughts. You looked up to meet your daughter’s gaze. Both she and Harry sat looking around the room at each adult present.

Matilda had put together that something was going on from the moment that she sat down for dinner. Her mother and father were barely speaking to each other. The expressions on your face was nothing short of worry while Sirius looked almost blank. His eyes would periodically flicker to you before looking away.

You glanced over at Sirius. The two of you hadn’t even really discussed when to tell Matilda and Harry. They would definitely find out in time but telling them too early could make things more complicated. Sirius’ gave you a nod.

“Matilda, Harry...I’m pregnant. I just found out today.”

Harry instantly smiled.

“Congratulations!”

Matilda, meanwhile, sat looking between Sirius and yourself like both of you had gone crazy. Her dark eyes flickered between the two of you with nothing short of annoyance.

“Are you two barking mad? Having a baby right now? This is so insane!”

Matilda didn’t wait for Sirius nor yourself to say anything before storming out of the room. You stood to go after her but Sirius held his hand out.

“Let her go, love.”

______

@brokencasbutt67-writer

@authoressskr

@fandom-trash-worth-it

@hankypranky

@summer-novak

@tas898

@li0nh34rt

@untoldshortsofthefandoms

@shitfaceddaniel

@stuckinsaudi1

@marichromatic

@maggioli-m

@shadows-and-padlocked-hearts

@knight-of-gleefulness

@shaylybaby2032

@deanwherescas

@sprnaturallover

@mycuddlycorner

@shaylybaby2032

@emiwrites3reads

[pax-2735]

Got Fanfic: A Little Less Talking

Summary: With Jon's big night coming up, he needs some advice on how to get ex-girlfriend Dany off his back for good. He should have known that asking the Starks for help was not the way to go about it...

Notes: I have no excuses when I say I don't really know what this is. It started out as a drabble about Arya meddling her way into a fake relationship between Jon and Sansa and somehow I ended up with this *shrugs*

As always, I own nothing except the mistakes.

 A Little Less Talking

Jon leans forward in his chair, his elbows resting against his knees, fingers crossed together in front of his face as he lets his eyes wander over the Starks scattered around the massive living room. He wants to think he’s patiently waiting for their reaction but his jaw is clenched and his muscles are all bunched up and he can feel the beginnings of a pinching ache between his brows from where he’s been frowning for the past fifteen minutes so… yeah, maybe ‘patiently’ isn’t the right word.

But really, can he be blamed? When the awards show is coming up fast and Dany’s texts have steadily grown from playful hints to downright menacing as the time draws near and he really needs some help as to how to deal with the whole situation without having it all blowing up in his face. Which is why he’s here now, telling the Starks all about the whole sad affair and waiting for some reaction that includes more than just the incredulous stares he’s been getting since he stopped talking.

He’d met Dany just as the band had hit big and, at first, things had been great. It wasn’t exactly love at first sight – he’s man enough to admit the initial pull had more to do with the awe of having world famous actress and renowned beauty Daenerys Targaryen be interested in him than anything else – but they’d hit it off pretty well. But ten months and countless fights later he had finally had enough and he’d broken things off for good.

Or so he had thought. Apparently, he hadn’t gotten the memo where it was clearly stated no one left Daenerys.

“I’m sorry,” Robb’s voice cuts into his thoughts, “but I fail to see your problem.” There’s a skeptical look in Robb’s handsome features and Jon sighs, rubbing his hands over his face. Which doesn’t deter Robb, not in the slightest. “You have a beautiful woman –“

“One he dumped,” Arya quips and Jon raises his eyes to see Sansa giving Robb an incredulous look of her own.

“—who wants to get back into your pants and you want our help to do… what exactly? Give you pointers? Cause I could, you know. I definitely could,” he grins, and Jon feels somewhat validated when both girls let out a disgusted groan at their brother’s antics.

“I think you’ve been hanging around Theon for way too long.”

“Gross, Robbert. Just gross,” Arya tuts and Robb looks like he’s two seconds away from giving her the finger.

“What I want,” Jon intervenes, before this whole conversation goes careening off track into a hearty discussion about brothers, pigs and the ineptitude of men in general, “no, actually, what I need are ideas about how to deflect Dany’s advances and get her to back off without causing a major scene during what could potentially be one of the biggest nights of my life.” He shoots Robb a murderous look. “Ones that don’t include letting her back into my pants.”

“Well, those are some nice pants.” Jon’s head turns so fast he’s sure his neck is gonna be screaming about it later, just in time to see Sansa’s eyes finishing up her appraisal of said pants before giving him a wink, and he gulps.

Ok, so maybe the timing of his break up with Dany and the return of a certain red haired friend had been a bit more than a mere coincidence.

Arya is looking up at him with a serious expression, apparently pondering his current predicament, and he’s grateful that at least someone seems to be, before she snaps her fingers suddenly and points at him. “What you need is a new girlfriend.”

Jon looks at her as though she’s suddenly grown another head. “That’s the last thing I need.”

“I think ‘human shield’ is the expression you’re looking for,” a still smirking Robb adds.

Arya scowls and Jon is torn between smiling at her exasperation or frowning with his own but, after seeing the way Sansa is quirking a brow at her sister, the smile wins. At least he’s not alone in thinking this is a dumb ass idea.

“Shut up Robb,” she fires back without missing a beat, before she turns back to Jon. “Don’t be thick and just try to follow ok?” Arya jumps from the couch and begins pacing the den as though she’s a lion stalking her prey. Or a wolf. Something wild, definitely, judging by the look in her eyes. “Dany keeps trying to get back together because she thinks she still has a chance, which is entirely your fault because, let’s face it, your communication skills suck. But…” she turns abruptly, her arm stretched out with a finger pointing accusingly at Jon and he cringes, “… if you rub it in that there’s no chance in any of the seven hells, then maybe she’ll get the hint and leave you alone.” She stops pacing, her eyes darting around the room as though she’s expecting someone to applaud.

“I doubt it’ll work.” Robb’s voice is somber for once, his hand rubbing absently over his beard. “She’s much too tenacious for that,” he adds, and Arya snorts at his choice of words. Robb’s eyes are twinkling with amusement despite his serious look and Jon dreads to hear the rest of it. “It would be a riot to watch though.”

“I asked you guys for help.” He sighs in annoyance. “This isn’t helping.”

“Actually,” Sansa’s voice breaks through and Jon tries – and fails – to not perk up at the sound, “Arya might have a point there.”

Jon arches a brow at her, and does his best to ignore the longing he’s sure must be etched across his face as he twists in his seat to look at her. “Seriously?”

“Let’s think this through shall we?” She stares at him, her blue eyes locking him in place and he nods tersely. He doesn’t want to listen to this – any of this, really, since he remembers quite well the stunning outcome of some of what passes as a plan in Arya’s mind – but it can’t hurt to listen before he says no right? Just so he can make an informed decision.

Nothing to do with the sound of Sansa’s voice or the way her face lights up as she speaks or how she bites her lip as she’s thinking things through. Absolutely nothing to do with any of it.

Sansa nods, looking over to Robb, who is still looking far too amused by his predicament, before her eyes land on her sister. The two share a conspiratorial smile and Jon feels a shiver go up his spine, like a sacrificial lamb waiting his turn.

“Daenerys has built her whole career on her good girl image right? Girl next door, wide-eyed and innocent and all that crap.” Sansa turns her attention back to him and Jon nods. “So, I’ll be willing to bet money the last thing she wants is to destroy that wholesome image because of a man.” She cringes before giving him a small smile. “No offense.”

“None taken,” he quickly replies, although if he’s being honest, there might have been the slightest bit.

“Exactly. It’s not gonna look good on her if she’s seen trying to break up her ex and his newly found love-of-his-life. There’s no way she’ll take that big of a risk because of some random guy.” Arya is smiling like the proverbial cat that ate the canary and Jon cocks an eyebrow at her. “No offense.”

“I’m beginning to feel like taking offense,” Jon starts, but is quite rudely interrupted when Robb decides to pipe in.

“This is the lamest, most bullshit idea I’ve ever heard,” he says, and his face splits up into a grin as he rubs his hands together. “I can’t wait to see it.”

“Even if that could work,” Jon begins, shooting Robb a dirty look for good measure, “and I seriously doubt it would, but even if. I don’t have one. And I’m not gonna pick up some random girl to try to get Dany off my back.” He gives Sansa what he hopes is a subtle look. He knows she’d never think that of him but hey, it can’t hurt to check.

“Well, obviously it can’t be just some random girl,” Arya shoots back, looking at him like he’s dense and Jon narrows his eyes at the implied insult, “the whole point is that it has to be believable.”

“It needs to be someone that knows the truth. We don’t wanna trick some poor girl into thinking this is something it isn’t,” Sansa adds with a concerned tone, and Jon smiles fondly at her. Even when plotting, she’s still sweet and concerned about others.

“And where are we going to find this magical, mythical creature? Schemers’r’us?”

Sansa lets out an exasperated sigh. “Robb, you’re not helping.”

Jon shakes his head at his best friend. “No man, you’re really not.”

Robb splutters. “Well excuse me for pointing out the very obvious flaws—“

“I know where. Sansa.” Three pairs of confused eyes turn to look at Arya, who is back to sitting on the arm of the couch looking pleased as punch.

“What did I do?”

Arya looks at her like a general imparting his orders. “It’s what you can do that matters now. You—“she points another dramatic finger at her sister and Sansa sits up straighter in her chair and narrows her eyes, “—can be Jon’s girlfriend.”

The silence that follows is so thick Jon can swear he hears the ticking of the clock hanging in the Starks’ kitchen three doors down. He’s dumbstruck and there’s a lump in his throat he knows he should be trying to swallow but his mouth feels drier than the desert right now and for once, even Robb doesn’t seem to know what to say.

But Sansa sure does. “Have you been drinking? Or are you just completely out of your fucking mind?” Her cheeks are flushed bright red and Jon can see her chest heaving as she takes a big deep breath. She looks like she’s about to continue her tirade and explain to the world (or the three of them, as it is) exactly why this idea in particular ranks number one in the history of dumb as fuck ideas, and Jon doesn’t really want to hear any of it. He knows why – at least he’s told himself that on plenty of different occasions, all the while trying to justify to himself why he never did anything about this attraction without having to admit to being a fucking coward – but he really doesn’t want to listen to her say it.

But it’s Arya to the rescue and it’s frankly quite possibly the first time he’s happy to hear her say anything since this whole conversation began.

“You’re perfect for it,” she says, sticking up her fingers to number her reasons and completely ignoring Sansa’s look of annoyance at being interrupted while at the same time throwing a pillow at Robb to wipe away his satisfied smirk, and Jon can’t help but be a little impressed at the way she multitasks. She ticks one finger, “You know the truth so there’s no risk of things getting confusing and downright messy,” ticks off another, “the two of you have known each other forever so there’s no possible reason why anyone would think this is a sudden thing and get suspicious,” one more finger, “you two are comfortable enough together to pull off the whole we’re-madly-in-love-and-definitely-sleeping-together vibe which, granted, could be awkward with someone whom you’ve just met.” She puts her hand down and shrugs casually. “Plus, Dany never liked you so it’s gonna make her extra pissed, which is always a bonus.”

“Dany doesn’t like me? I was always nice to her.”

Jon clears his throat uncomfortably, remembering the few occasions Sansa and Dany had met. There are a lot of words to describe those interactions but nice… doesn’t quite make it into the top hundred.

Sansa snaps her head to look at him with an indignant look. “I was!”

“Sure you were sweetie,” he answers while patting her knee reassuringly, and then grins when she huffs in annoyance.

“I can see where you’re going with this,” Robb adds while peeling the label off his beer bottle, “and I can see it working, sort of. But Sansa’s just been back from Essos for three months. How are you gonna work that into the story?”

“Easy.” Arya’s tone is nonchalant as she reaches for her previously discarded soda. “Sansa came back to Westeros roughly at the same time shit hit the fan with Jon and Dany. The two of them bonded over their miseries—“

“I’m sorry, our miseries?” Sansa interrupts but Arya doesn’t pay her any attention.

“—one thing lead to another until they eventually realized what was right in front of them and, bam! Feelings galore, with a whole lot of good sex thrown in for good measure.”

Jon chokes on his beer, his body lurching forward as he tries to cough out everything that just went down the wrong hole. He risks a glance at Sansa, who seems to be having a hard time deciding between looking rightfully indignant or simply murdering her little sister with the nearest pillow. Amidst her indecision, Jon thinks he really likes the shade of dark pink that seems to have permanently stained her skin, even if the opening and closing of her mouth like a fish might not be her absolute best look. She’s still lovely though, no mistake there.

He’s startled out of that particular train of thought when Sansa snaps her mouth shut with an audible clack before she turns icy blue eyes on him. “Don’t you have anything to say about this?”

“That’s… crazy?” he coughs when he realizes that came out sounding so much more like a question than he intended it to be before he tries again, with hopefully a bit more confidence. “Yeah, that’s crazy.” Sansa is still looking at him with a frown and he shrugs, not really knowing what else to say. It is crazy, sort of, but also… not, and he can’t really make up his mind at which is worse at the moment.

“I could buy that,” Robb quips, and Jon is torn between thanking him or beating the shit out of him. Probably a little bit of both. “As long as Sansa doesn’t mind being on the front cover of every magazine from here to kingdom come for the next few weeks. You know the press is gonna have a field day with this.”

Sansa shudders slightly but before Jon can think of anything to say she stands up. “I’m gonna have to think about this for a while.”

“You can’t take too long. That thing is only a couple of weeks away and you’re gonna need time to decide what to wear.”

Sansa extends a hand towards Jon and he takes it without thinking. “You mind giving me a lift home? We can talk about it some more on the way without any unwarranted opinions,” she says, narrowing her eyes at her sister.

“Hey, he came to me for help,” Arya shoots back just as Jon stands and starts following Sansa outside without a backwards glance.

***

Her fingers are spearing through his curls, tugging almost painfully as though she doesn’t know whether to pull him closer or push him away entirely. He continues relentlessly, the tip of his tongue tracing swirls against her clit as two of his fingers are pumping in and out of her, and her whole body shudders before she lets out a long, low moan of his name and breaks apart underneath him.

He doesn’t let out, still licking at her skin, drawing out every bit of pleasure until she sighs and tugs at his hair more forcefully. He knows the sign, knows that after two straight orgasms she needs a little bit of a cuddle and some time to recover. He kisses the inside of her thigh before he moves up, his lips tracing her hipbone before settling just above her navel. He knows there’s a smug grin across his face but he can’t help himself, not when she’s lying underneath him, happy and sated and completely boneless, with her eyes shining and a smile curving her lips.

If there’s one thing that he’s good at in his life, he’s glad it’s at making her this happy.

Her fingers lightly trace his jaw and he turns his head slightly to kiss the tips, nuzzling against her palm. Her smile blossoms as her other hand comes up to push back his dampened curls, her nails lightly scratching his scalp. “You think they know?”

He drops his chin back against her belly and smirks as she squirms slightly when his beard tickles her, before taking on a more serious expression. “How could they? We’ve been careful.”

She lets out a sigh before she answers him. “What Arya said… that was awfully close to the way things happened.”

“That was exactly the way things happened,” he replies, his breath spanning against her sensitive skin, his fingers leaving the softness of her thighs to trace gentle patterns against the goosebumps in front of him.

She gives his hair a gentle tug and his grey eyes look up to lock with hers. “My point exactly.”

His hands come up to her sides, pushing his weight against the bed as he lifts his head and lets his tongue start tracing his way up. She squirms again when he reaches her ribcage and rubs his beard against her skin, laughter bubbling from her kiss swollen lips and he looks up to give her a smile of his own. There’s nothing he loves more than the sound of her laughter.

His head nuzzles between her breasts before he moves it to the side, his teeth pulling her bra cup down to reveal a dusky nipple. He takes the pebbled bud between his teeth, his tongue licking over the tip before his lips close around it. She lets out a long moan that sounds suspiciously like his name and maybe he was wrong before. That is definitely the sound he loves more than anything else on this earth.

His mouth moves to her other breast and she arches her back, her hands tugging his curls to push him firmly against her chest, like she’s trying to prevent him from escaping. Like there’s anywhere else in the world he’d rather be, like he wouldn’t kill to stay here for the rest of his days.

He leaves her breast and she whines pitifully at the loss, but he’s too busy nipping and kissing across her collarbone and up to her neck to smirk at her. He’s still fully dressed when he settles firmly between her thighs, her hands dipping beneath his shirt to rake blunt nails against his back, her long creamy legs wrapping around his waist as she grinds against his jean clad cock, making him moan against her ear.

He can feel her smirk against his skin and he nips gently on her earlobe before sucking at the sensitive skin beneath it. It’s gonna leave a mark come morning, but right now he couldn’t care less and from the way she’s writhing beneath him he bets she doesn’t either.

“Would it be so bad? If they knew?” He pulls back to look into her eyes, smiling at the way her dilated pupils struggle to focus on him. Her breath is sweet as it ghosts across his lips, her pink tongue coming out to moisten her own and he growls, moving towards her.

She puts a finger against his mouth to stop him before he can even begin to kiss her. “Whose idea was it, to keep this between ourselves?” she asks, a raised brow to drive her point across.

He groans, dropping his forehead to rest against hers. “Not from your family. I meant from the rest of the world.”

“And how long do you think it’s gonna take for the rest of the world to catch on if we start making exceptions?”

“Well,” he starts, using his elbows to keep himself from crushing her so he can trace his fingertips over her face, “if you’re gonna be my fake girlfriend for the awards show, everyone’s gonna know anyway.” He shrugs casually, an impish grin settling over his face and she laughs at his boyish antics before giving him a playful shove.

“Fake girlfriend…” she mutters and he takes the opportunity to dip down and finally take her lips in a hungry kiss.

Kissing Sansa is like nothing he’s ever experienced before and even though they’ve only been doing this for barely three months he’s pretty sure he’s already addicted. She bites into his bottom lip and he opens his mouth to lick inside of hers, his tongue gliding against hers in an erotic dance.

Sansa pushes against him and he rolls over, his hands finding their way into her fiery tresses to keep her lips against his as he brings her on top of his body. When she pulls back they’re both panting, and she smiles before dipping her head down to rain tiny kisses and gentle bites all over his neck.

“Just so we’re clear,” she mumbles against his skin, “we didn’t commiserate over our miseries – that word is entirely unwarranted. You’re the one who’s miserable.” She pulls back slightly and Jon can feel her smiling. “It’s why you write all those sad, depressing songs.”

“I’m thinking my songs might be up for a change of pace,” he answers, and she laughs against his throat, a warm puff of breath igniting his skin, his hands skimming down her back to settle over her ass and pull her closer to where he’s rock hard for her.

Sansa moans and grinds down on him, moving back up to his lips and for a few moments their conversation is forgotten and they lose themselves in the feel of each other. When she pulls back from his mouth Jon whines, his head lifting from the pillow to try and chase them back and she smirks, keeping herself just out of reach, her lips hovering over his but never quite touching.

It’s maddening, really, and he retaliates by letting one of his hands slip further down, teasing her folds with a barely there touch. The smirk is gone in a second and he tastes her breathy Jon against his lips, sees her eyes darkening further as her body shudders and he’s struck again by how incredibly stunning she is.

“If we’re going to do this…” she whispers and he stops, waiting to hear what she has to say. Because Robb is right about one thing - this is a big deal, and it’s going to mess up her life and he wishes he could protect her from all of it, but he can’t, there’s nothing he can do about it and he needs to know that she’s sure, needs to know if this is really what she wants and whether or not she’s going to regret this down the line. Whether or not she’s going to regret them.

Because he can take everything else, but he’s not sure he can take that.

Sansa seems to sense that his mind is spiraling somehow and she kisses him again, a gentle, soft brushing of lips that quiets his mind and brings him back to her. When she pulls back to look at him her eyes are shinning and there’s a playful smile teasing her well kissed lips. “As I was saying…” she starts again and he smiles back, only because she makes him so fucking happy, “if we’re going to do this, there’s only one thing that we need to be concerned about right now and Arya was damn right about it, not that I’ll ever tell her that.” He quips a brow at her in question and she huffs back in mock annoyance. “I’m gonna need to figure out what to wear.”

He laughs, and after a second she breaks and laughs with him, her head dropping down to nestle sweetly against the crook of his neck, in the spot she claims belongs to her. And then he pulls her lips back to his for another melting kiss and that’s it.

It’s settled then.

***

Meanwhile, back at the wolf’s den…

Robb sprawls over the couch, legs splayed open, an arm thrown over the back of it, his other hand nursing a beer like he has no care in this world. Only his eyes give him away, shrewdly looking upon his sister who is looking far too pleased with herself.

“You’re looking very pleased with yourself.”

Arya grins at him as she takes a pull from the beer she’s switched to now that all the scheming seems to be over and done with. “That’s because I’m a fucking genius even if none of you recognizes my brilliancy.”

Robb raises an amused brow at her. “And so modest too. Can I ask, what’s your investment in this situation? What are you hoping to gain from all of this?”

“Bragging rights for eternity, for starters,” she quips immediately, still grinning like a madman and, if possible, Robb’s eyebrows shoot even higher.

“For getting Jon a fake girlfriend to help him get rid of his old one? Hardly seems worth it.”

“Oh please,” Arya scoffs, waving a hand carelessly around, “I couldn’t care less about that.” She leans forward casually, letting her arms rest against her knees. “See, I actually like Daenerys. I don’t think she’s necessarily right for Jon but… she’s really fun to be around and if he has a problem with her he can just sort it out himself like the big boy he’s supposed to be.”

“You’re losing me here.”

Arya rolls her eyes and lets out a sigh of irritation and Robb swears she couldn’t call him an idiot any more explicitly without using the actual words. “I may not think Daenerys is right for Jon but –“ she makes a dramatic pause to raise a finger in the air and it’s Robb’s turn to roll his eyes at her over the top ways – “I happen to know Sansa is just perfect. And,” she narrows her eyes as though daring him to disagree, “even more importantly, I know Jon would be perfect for Sansa.”

Robb lets the silence following her dramatic speech stretch for a few moments and keeps a serious face as though he’s giving this some serious thought. He takes a long pull from his beer and then frowns like he’s just come to a conclusion and it’s nothing like Arya’s. “So you think that getting them to pretend to be together will… give them a push in the right direction?”

“As if,” Arya snorts.

“Ok Alicia, mind dumbing it down for those of us in the audience who don’t share your amazing intelligence?”

Arya shoots him a dirty look, a clear sign her patience is wearing thin and Robb hides his smirk behind his beer. She lets out a frustrated grunt before shooting up from the couch to stand directly in front of him. “There’s no need to push for anything. For god’s sake, have you seen the way they look at each other when they think no one’s watching? I’m surprised no one gets pregnant from just being in the same room.”

Robb scowls when he sees the way she’s now grinning at him, clearly mocking his discomfort. “Course I’ve seen it. I’m not fucking blind,” he mumbles.

“So, since you’re not blind, you can obviously see my plan is perfect. I’m just steering them in the right direction and, in the process, ensuring them both eternal happiness and bliss, which means they’ll stop mopping around and the rest of us don’t have to deal with their pining and longing looks any longer. All with absolute minimal effort and under the guise of helping out a friend, which I’m totally doing as well, by the way, just not in the way he thinks. Flawless victory.” She bows down dramatically, like an artist at the end of a performance, and Robb gives her a one shoulder shrug.

“I’d applaud but my hands are busy,” he says casually, taking the beer bottle back to his lips.

“And mine should be as well ‘cause I need to write this shit down. It’s gonna make an amazing speech for their wedding.” She turns with finality, clearly done with the whole thing, and skips towards the stairs as Robb watches her go with mild interest.

Truth is, Jon and Sansa don’t really need any nudges or pushes or steering or anything in any direction whatsoever, Robb knows. He doesn’t quite understand what they’re doing exactly, why the secrecy and the sneaking around and why don’t they just admit that something is happening between them, but he knows that something is.

Because it’s hard to mistake what he saw in the driveway a few weeks back, when Jon had politely been helping Sansa out of her car before he very impolitely had pushed her against the door of said car and had proceed to kiss her in a way that would have made a lesser man turn tail to give them some privacy.

Robb had eventually done just that, but only after the image of Sansa’s hands making their way inside Jon’s back pockets to pull him closer and the way Jon’s hand had wound around her auburn tresses to deepen their kiss, the other having mysteriously disappeared behind Sansa’s back, had proven way, way too much for him. He really only has himself to blame, he knows, but… curiosity killed the cat and all that.

He wonders briefly if he should burst Arya’s bubble about this whole cock up of a plan of hers just yet and just let the two of them be but in the end decides against it. No harm will come of it and she’s right about one thing – it just might give them the nudge they need to come clean about what’s going on.

And in the end, this is gonna make an amazing speech for him to give at their wedding.

[alecmagnuslwb]

Year After Year

Read on AO3

1 Twenty

Zatanna stretches out along the couch her feet propped up on the coffee table a large magical tome in her lap. It’s nearing midnight and soon enough her birthday will be over and done with.

The morning had been so busy filled with her attempting to convince Nick that going out to search for a missing page from an ancient book that’s likely sitting in a dragon’s den was too dangerous. It wasn’t until Nick had stormed out ignoring her pleas, John kissing her on the head and following him out to ensure he didn’t get himself killed that she had even realized the date.

She’s never been big on birthdays; they’d been her thing with her mother and after her death she just stopped putting any sort of effort into them. This year was no different, she’s fairly certain she’s never told John when her birthday is and even if in his frequently spiraling state Nick does recall the date he’s likely not to acknowledge it at all.

Which works just fine for her.  

The door busts open Zatanna jumping up from the couch in defense mode immediately only to stand down upon seeing its only Nick. A single aged page in his hand, his jacket a little burnt around the edges.

“Got it,” he says roughly already heading for the stairs, likely to shut himself into his room conjuring and doing who the hell knows what until the wee hours of the morning. “Wasn’t dangerous, just like I said.”

“The fact you’ve been gone nearly 12 hours and look a little crispy says otherwise,” Zatanna shouts after him, Nick already halfway upstairs. “Where’s John?”

Nick waves a dismissive hand at the door he left wide open. “Stopped to run an errand.”

And then he’s disappearing around the corner his bedroom door slamming shut behind him. Zatanna flops down on the couch head in one hand and picking at her fishnets with the other. Her worry about John subsides while her worry about Nick increases. What a strange feeling it is to be falling in love while watching your closest friend/ex fall deeper into an obsessive magical hole that you can’t seem to stop him from falling into.

It’s another reason her birthday slipped her mind this year, she’s too busy losing Nick and holding onto John to focus on much else.

Zatanna runs a hand through her hair standing just as she hears footsteps nearing the brownstones door. John steps in a bouquet of flowers in his hands that he immediately attempts to hide behind his back when he spots her standing there.

“Hey, luv I wasn’t sure you’d still be up,” he says smile bright and feign confident, a classic John Constantine grin. She can’t help but smile back.

“You were gone nearly 12 hours after leaving to fight a dragon, of course I’m still up,” she says stepping closer and reaching up to run her fingers along the stubble on his jaw. “Are you hurt?”

“Nah,” he says shaking his head, a bit of ash falling from his hair. He reaches down tugging at his shirt. “Just a bit singed around the edges. Finding it took longer than fighting it.”

He sounds a little sad, the same sadness she carries about Nick’s behavior. They’ve talked about it before, what to do is still a question that hangs in the air and tonight it’s late, they’re both so tired and John is hiding a bouquet of flowers behind his back that she’s too curious about to broach the topic once again.

Zatanna places both hands on his chest, smoothing out his ruined shirt.

“So, what is that you’re hiding behind your back?” she asks tilting her head in a way she knows he finds adorable.

“Ah, that is a gift,” he says stepping back just enough so that her hands fall and the bouquet is held out between them. A gorgeous arrangement of lilacs and lavender, her favorites, just a little crushed at the top from where he’d briskly tucked them behind his back. “For you. Happy birthday luv,” he says urging her to take the flowers.

She does, smelling them and then cradling them in her arms.

“How did you know?”

John just shrugs a smirk tugging at the edge of his lips.

“I have my ways.”

Zatanna steps closer, bridging the small gap of space between them.

“Your ways, huh,” she says eyeing John suspiciously. “Your ways being you noticed my ID when I accidentally left it on your dresser the other night.”

John just chuckles reaching his hands out to pull her in by the hips, crushing the flowers between them.

“Maybe,” he says grin getting cheekier by the minute. “You look great in your photo by the way, clearly witchcraft considering your gorgeous but nobody looks that good on an ID.”

Zatanna snorts before whispering a quiet thank you.

“You don’t have to thank me, I just wanted you to have something, even if there is only about ten minutes left of the day and it’s not much. At the very least I’ll be making sure you get that much every year as long as you keep putting up with me. Promise.” he says rubbing circles into her hips with his thumbs. “Next year I’ll even bake you cake.”

2 Twenty-Three

“Thank you,” she says one last time bowing to the audience before her. She picks up a single rose at her feet smiling before heading back stage.

She passes by her crew a few high fives and congratulations on another successful show given as she goes. She hands the single rose to her favorite stagehand Mikey with a smile.

It’s another birthday in books, this one spent doing what she loves on the stage and hopefully ending in a warm bath with a large glass of wine.

“Ekat em emoh,” she whispers to herself once she’s closed the door to her dressing room and a swirling portal appears before her. She steps through already flinging her coat and top hat off as she enters the Zatara mansion.

She kicks off her clunky heels as she heads up the stairs passing by so many of her father’s left behind artifacts. She closes her eyes moving her neck back and forth to releases some tension, unlacing her corset as she steps into her bedroom.

“It’s your birthday and yet here I am the one getting a present,” a familiar sly voice startles her from the darkness.

“Jesus,” she says clutching a hand to her chest there’s only one person with the access to get past her wards but he surprises her all the same. She turns to see John leaned back in the chair by her vanity legs spread comfortably. A bouquet of lilacs and lavender rest in his lap, his grip on them loose.

“Well now I’m pretty sure that’d be taken as blasphemous if anyone upstairs heard you call me that,” John says that damn little smirk of his just visible in the moonlight.

“Sthgil,” she says waving a hand around the room. A swell of warm low-lit bulbs coming to life so she can see him more clearly. She goes back to unlacing her corset, it’s not like he hasn’t seen it all before. “You’re here.”

“Of course I’m here,” he says standing and getting a little closer as she slips on a Black Canary band t-shirt. “I haven’t missed your birthday yet, have I?”

He hasn’t, not since that first one. They’ve broken up since then, a mini reunion on her birthday last year mere weeks after he father’s death. John had shown up with a bouquet of flowers and a red velvet cake that tasted like beets and just held her all day. Blame and guilt flew out the window for that day, even if the cake tasted like shit.

They’ve been doing a lot of back and forth ever since then, but a few days ago Zatanna had heard whispers of John getting himself into some new spectacular shit and when he hadn’t called for help she assumed he’d be a no show today.

And yet here is, keeping his promise.

“Good point,” she says turning to face him. “Please tell me you didn’t bake a cake this year?”

John laughs, one of those big genuine laughs he so rarely does. All she can do is join along with him, the sound contagious.

“No, no cake,” he says handing her the flowers. “But just you wait I’ll be perfecting that one day, just need some more practice.”

She doesn’t think there’s a spell in this world that could make John Constantine a decent baker, but she appreciates the effort nonetheless. She sits the flowers down on the edge of her bed and folds her arms around his middle, he immediately holds her right back.

“How does a steaming hot bath and some wine sound to you?” she says voice slightly muffled from where she’s buried her face into his chest.

“Anything you want Zee,” he says rubbing his hands slowly up and down her back. “It’s your birthday.”

3 Twenty-Five

“Edolpxe!” she shouts pushing her hands out at the swath of demons before them. She regrets the choice immediately as a rain of demon guts and ichor spew back at her and her companions.

She shakes her hand out not that it does much good then attempts to wipe any goo from around her eyes and swallows once. And ugh, yup there’s some in her mouth. She spits out what she can in digust.

“Happy fucking birthday to me,” she grumbles under her breath.

“You okay Zatanna?” Andrew Bennet asks as he comes to stand beside her, covered head to toe in the same gunk she is. Boston, the lucky incorporeal bastard, floats up beside him a vision of cleanliness.

She nods, “Yeah, just in desperate need of seven or so showers and a giant bottle of mouthwash.”

Andrew huffs in agreement. Boston opens his mouth clearly about to say something that will no doubt drive Zatanna crazy about his clean state, but is cut off by a voice off to the side.

“So, I guess I’m late then?” John says, the purple bouquet of flowers she’s come to expect every year in one hand. “Or maybe judging from the look of you two, just in time.”

Zatanna rolls her eyes. They’ve been going strong for the last few months, had a dinner plan for her birthday tonight and everything. Just this once deciding to do a little more for the day outside of the walls of wherever she calls home, but of course he’d been running late for dinner and not answered his phone when a hoard of demons turned up in the alleyway behind the restaurant.

Luckily Boston and Andrew had answered her call.

“Naelc pu siht ssem,” she says the mess in front of and on them disappearing in a moment. Her mouth still feels gross, but she’s okay with that, kissing John with demon ichor mouth for not showing up on time seems like a good form of payback.

Andrew and Boston bid their goodbyes as she conjures up a portal for them then she walks over to where John stands leaning against the wall lighting a cigarette. He takes a long drag blowing the smoke out to the side before she gets within touching distance of him. She leans up immediately kissing him deeply.

“No offense luv, but you taste a bit like a demon’s asshole,” John says once she’s pulled back taking her birthday flowers from his arms. Well, she thinks, that’s what you get for being late.

She smiles sarcastically up at him. “And you taste like an ashtray,” she says plucking his cigarette from between his fingers and tossing it into a puddle by their feet stamping it out with the front of her tall steel toed heels for safe measure.

“You love it,” he says offendedly looking down at his lost cigarette.

“I love you,” she says pointedly, tangling their fingers together and tugging him along. “I tolerate that.” She flings her head back slightly to the puddle drenched cigarette. “Now come on let’s get dinner I need to get this taste out of my mouth.”

John chuckles as she pulls him along faster, “The ashtray flavor or the demon asshole taste?”

“Both.”

4 Twenty-Seven

“Got any big birthday plans?” Zachary asks as he packs up the last of his gear in a suitcase spelled to have no end.

Zatanna scoffs, “No, you know birthdays aren’t really my thing.”

“Except when Constantine’s here,” Zachary says, a hint of judgement in his voice. He’s not exactly John’s biggest fan, then again most people aren’t.

She ignores the remark patting Zachary on the shoulder as she passes by to grab something from the drink cart. Vegas is always a good time for shows, especially when she gets to see her cousin, but right about now she’s ready to grab a drink and then head home to San Francisco.

Just as she starts to pour whiskey into her glass a fiery portal comes to life next to the drink cart and Zachary jumps into defense mode, hands at the ready. Zatanna however just keeps pouring her drink. She recognizes that magic, feels the pull of it in the air and the scent of a specific brand of cigarettes lingering at the edges; this is no threat.

“Bollocks,” John says as he falls through the portal flat on his back, scrambling quickly to shut it. A decaying green and grey hand reaches out as he does, the portal severing it off as it closes. He falls back again spreading his legs so the hand doesn’t fall on him as it twitches on last time. He falls back to the floor in relief eyes shutting for a second before gazing up at Zatanna.

She takes a sip of her drink regarding him.

“John,” she says swirling the ice around in her glass.

He smiles up at her reaching into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulling out a severely crushed bouquet of lilacs and lavender.

“Zee, these are for you,” he says reaching them up to her. She takes them, their fingers brushing, lingering for a few moments more than necessary.

They haven’t seen each other much over the past year since their last split not long after her twenty-sixth birthday. She stopped calling what they did breaking up, was it really a broken thing if eventually it always came back around whole? It’s to date the longest they’ve gone without being a couple officially or at least sleeping together at some point or another. Overall it’s been an odd year for them to say the least.  

They’d saved the world from an apocalypse, but it had cost them a member of their so-called Justice League Dark. A loss that Constantine had taken full blame for, so much so that he went to hell to make it right without telling Zatanna he was even leaving.

She’d almost mourned him, but somewhere in her soul she just knew he wasn’t dead, could feel that he was still alive. Life still had to go on though and back to San Francisco she’d gone. She dated Hal, a nice enough entertainment agent for a bit, but then one day when he witnessed John literally crawling up out of the floor of her kitchen bloodied and more defeated than he had been when he’d left their relationship had effectively ended.

She healed John that night tending to his wounds and holding his hands as the burn of the hellfire still running through his veins subsided. She was still mad as hell at him for the leaving the way he had, but this was who they were, how they worked. They were always there for each other when they needed no matter their status.

He’d left after that, this time telling her where he was going. She dated Monica for a bit and then John turned up with a real bonafide boyfriend named Oliver, not the one you’re thinking. For a moment in time they’d both been happy with other people and for the first time since the day they met Zatanna thought maybe they’d actually well and truly reached their end. The cycle finally come to a close.

But then Monica had accused her of always relying on John and never on her when she was in trouble and even when she wasn’t; then shortly after Zatanna paid a visit to John for help his relationship with Oliver ended abruptly. They both acted like the breakups timing were simply coincidence.

John made a vague reasoning about fucking things up as he always did and Zatanna spouting something about wanting different things, but they both knew the truth. Whether the main reason or not, the fact they were still in love with each other despite all the anger and history was far too clear for their partners to deal with any longer.

Things had been almost awkward between them after that. For months it’d been like they were avoiding talking about anything at risk of admitting they still cared.

If there was ever a birthday she expected him to skip, it was this one.

“I know you aren’t the type to cheat, but the way you two are looking at each other I feel like I should remind you that you have a boyfriend,” Zachary says not so quietly, breaking their staring contest.

Right, she does have a boyfriend. Detective Dale Colton is sweet and caring and doesn’t have a clue it’s her birthday because she never felt the need to tell him. She’s never felt the need to tell him a lot of things. Which should probably be very telling for her, not that she has time right now to unpack all of that.

“No worries there Zachy,” John says shortening the name just to annoy Zachary as he hefts himself up from the ground. “I’m not here for that, just keeping a yearly promise.”

Zachary glares at Constantine before returning his attention to Zatanna. He opens his mouth no doubt about to invite himself to stay and have a few drinks, but she cuts him off.

“Don’t you have a date?”

Zachary holds her eyes for a moment before sighing grabbing his bag and tossing a wave and a birthday salutation over his shoulder before heading for the door.

“Drink?” Zatanna asks John already pouring a second glass, anticipating his answer. “You know,” she says looking at the flowers she’s sat on the drink cart. “These are by far your saddest looking bouquet yet.”

John laughs a small sad thing as he takes the offered drink from her hand fingertips brushing once again.

“Well that’s the kind of year it’s been hasn’t it,” he says tossing back the whole drink.

She frowns reaching out to tug on his sleeve to get his attention.

“Maybe it’s due time we change that,” she says turning away and grabbing the whole bottle of whiskey and heading for the balcony. It’s her birthday dammit and all she wants is to be on real speaking terms with the man she often begrudgingly admits is probably her favorite person in the world.

They settle out under the warm Vegas night talking, really talking for the first time since he left for hell. As the night wanes on their laughter becomes a little less sad and everything around them starts to feel a little like forgiveness, like getting back on track. Damn near almost like friendship.

Not that they’d ever be friends. As Papa Midnite had once put it so bluntly after they’d said as such while bargaining with him, “You’ll never be friends. You’ll be in love till it kills you both. You’ll fight and you’ll fuck and you’ll hate each other till you quiver, but you’ll never be friends.”

They’d ignored him that night, but both were well aware they were kidding themselves if they tried to act like he was wrong.

“Happy birthday by the way,” John says after a while, mere seconds left till midnight. “I’m still working on mastering that cake.”

5 Twenty-Eight

Dinah waves and Ollie salutes as she heads for her room at the Justice League headquarters as fast as she can. She knows that Batman has detailed files about every member right down to what they sleep in every night most likely so no doubt birthdates were included. While she didn’t expect Bruce to be sentimental enough to try and throw a party or something, Dinah and Ollie had both seen a glimpse of her file and expressed an interest in celebrating the day.

She was fairly certain she’d talked them out of it, but she still wanted to get out of there before they changed their minds just to be safe.

She turns the corner to her room now, almost in the clear.

“You lot better be saving the world, if the League’s keeping you out this late.”

Zatanna flips on the lights revealing John lying in the center of the bed on his side like a fully dressed Playgirl model. The expected bouquet of flowers on the pillow near his bent arm.

“Supervillains don’t really stick to a 9 to 5.”

“That,” John says shifting to sit on the edge of the bed, “is why I like my demons, evil wizards and hell beasts they’re a late-night crowd. Interrupt your sleep, but never your dinner.”

Zatanna laughs sitting down beside him and picking up the flowers from the pillow.

“So that’s why you turned me down then? Dinner plans and time management?” she asks looking up from the fresh flowers and into John’s eyes. She’s been on the official roster of the Justice League for six months; she’d ask John to come with her and he’d refused. Convinced that his style would never be okay in the eyes of the capes and tights crowd.

They’re still dating despite his turn down, sort of. It’s complicated. Not the most complicated they’ve ever been by far, but still complicated.

He doesn’t say anything just smiles at her softly.

“So, I know you can get past my wards because I have you keyed into them, but how the hell did you get in here?” she says changing the subject.

John’s smile transforms into a classic Constantine smirk, winking as he pulls a card from his pocket handing it to her. Batman’s Justice League backup ID card.

Zatanna cackles, full out cackles.

“He’s going to kill you if he ever finds out you have this,” she says through gasping laughter.

John reaches out brushing the long dark hair that’s fallen into her face away, “Worth it.”

+1 Thirty

Zatanna pulls her hair up into a high ponytail stretching her neck out. After another great show and a successful mugging prevention she’s ready for a quiet rest of the night in her San Francisco apartment.

She’d moved late last year, tired of living in the Zatara estate all alone. Opting to keep it up and running for when she needs anything and as safe haven shelter to fellow magics in trouble whenever they might need it.

She’s comfortable in black leggings and a Nightwing crop top Dick had sent her as a joke that she wears to spite him constantly. She sits down in front of her vanity about to take her makeup off when someone knocks on the door.

She heads over pulling it open and there he is just like every year except early for once.

“John,” she says but he stops her lifting his hand to quiet her, index finger hovering over her lips.

“Wait just, three,” he looks down at the dented watch on his wrist. “two, one.”

“Happy birthday, luv,” he says looking back up just as it hits midnight the usual bouquet of flowers appearing magically in his hand.

She smiles, loving the consistency of this little ritual of theirs.

“Tup meht ni a esav,” she says waving her hand at the offered flowers. A clear, glass vase appears on the table beside her door the flowers delicately placing themselves inside floating up from John’s hand.

She reaches out pulls him in by his tie, leans up and kisses him hard. He responds immediately hands instinctively reaching under her thighs and lifting her up tight to his body. She wraps her legs around him kicking the door shut before he starts moving, carrying her into the bedroom.

He lies her on the bed removing his trench coat running his hands along every inch of her as he kisses her just right and just so slow. He pulls back something akin to worship and a look in his eyes that seems like he’s just made up his mind about something important. She doesn’t have time to think about it though because soon enough he’s moving down her body and she’s not thinking at all.

It’s hours before they finally leave the bedroom, somewhere in the middle of the night migrating out to the living room lounging on the couch. Zee’s propped up on pillows dressed in only John’s shirt that stops mid thighs with John lying between her legs in an old pair of sweatpants that she can’t be certain who they belong to, his back pressed to her chest.

A cheesy old sci-fi movie plays on the tv as John runs his fingers along her arms that encircle him. She watches as his black tipped nails play shapes of magical runes and charms along her skin.

She recognizes some of them, symbols of affection and protection. She thinks he might be getting openly sentimental the older they get.

It’s peaceful, content, it almost feels permanent. Thirty seems to be making her sentimental too, thinking about the future and all that.

“Shit,” John says lifting up suddenly. “I forgot!”

“Forgot what?” she says watching as he lifts up onto his knees, turns and scoots forward keeping his space between her legs.

“I’ve got another gift for ya,” he says bringing his hands together. “Learned a new trick just for you.”

He smiles saying a few phrases in Latin under his breath his hands slowly coming apart. Bright red magic swirls around them and slowly bit by bit a cupcake appears. It’s lush red velvet with a light cream cheese frosting and top hat shaped candle on top.

“I’m 98% certain this one won’t taste like beets.”

“98%?” Zatanna questions skeptically remembering the horrendous cake he handmade from many years ago.

“I’ve been practicing just like I told ya I would. Now, if you don’t mind,” he says gesturing to the candle.

Zatanna smirks. “Erif,” she says a small flame lighting up the tip of her index finger. She tilts it lighting the candle before holding it up to her lips and blowing it out, holding John’s eyes the entire time knowing exactly what this little trick does to him.

Lighting his cigarettes this way driving him wild has been a favorite past time of hers for a decade.

“Menace,” he grumbles before holding the cupcake closer to her. “Make a wish.”

She appeases him, closing her eyes and making it seem like she’s thinking up a good one, when all she’s thinking about is how good right now feels, before blowing out the little flame.

He pulls the candle from it offering it up to her and she takes a hesitant bite.

“It actually tastes like red velvet,” she says truly stunned, not caring that she’s talking with her mouth full.

“Told ya I’ve been practicing,” he says before taking a big bite of his own and flopping back down into his previous position pressed up against her.

“Only took you ten years,” she teases snatching the cupcake from him and taking another bite. He pinches her thigh lightly in retaliation making her giggle. They settle back in finishing the cupcake and making comments about the terrible movie onscreen.

“I’m gonna stay,” John says after a while. Zatanna hums, she’s starting to doze off the late hour and John warm against her leaving her just too comfortable to stay awake.

“For my birthday? I know. You always do.” She sleepily runs a hand through his sandy blonde hair twisting it when she reaches the ends.

“Well yeah, but not just for your birthday,” he clarifies. “I was meaning stay for a while. Here or in the House of Mystery until someone tries to steal it from me or the old Zatara mansion, lady’s choice really. I miss you Zee.”

Zatanna leans down pressing her face into John’s hair for a moment. “You mean that?”

He nods. “I can’t make any promises, fuck knows I’m shit at keeping them, but I want to stay. I want to do better by us. I want us to stay us. We’ve been at this for over a decade and it’s been made clear to me by just about everyone who’s ever met me that I need to get my shit together in at least one area of my life and I want it to be this one.”

Suddenly she remembers that look in his eyes before he’d cleared her mind entirely in the bedroom. The look that said he’d made up his mind about something. It was this. It was the decision to say all this out loud, to say what he wants and stay, really stay.

Zatanna nudges him to sit up, he gets the hint turning as much as he can to face her.

“I want you stay. I always want you to stay,” she says hand reaching out to rest her hand on a familiar tattoo on his chest, thumb brushing a scar she only just became acquainted with but knows she’ll end up memorizing the shape of. “And as for promises you’re better at keeping them than you think you are.”

She thinks of how he’s always a call away no matter what, how he’s never missed her birthday and how he even finally learned how to make an edible damn cake. He’s better than and at a lot of things than he thinks is.

He leans in kissing her soft and slow.

“I love you, Zee,” he says when he pulls back. “I don’t say it enough.”

“I know,” she says brushing a hand through his hair. “I love you too.”

He smirks leaning in for another quick kiss, just a press of lips.

“Say it backwards?” he says cheekily.

She rolls her eyes but does it anyway.

“I evol ouy.”

She kisses him again a quick hard press of lips sealing it like magic then leans over for the remote flipping off the tv. She maneuvers till she stands, holding out a hand.

“Let’s go to bed.” He takes her hand following her to the bedroom and in the morning she wakes with him wrapped around her. He makes a traditional English breakfast, vegetarian style just for her though it goes against every fiber of his English being and he stays.

Maybe she hadn’t made a real wish when she blew out that candle the night before, but it feels like something they’ve both been trying to get right for a decade came true anyways.

[bang-and-a-blintz]

Through the Darkness

CHAPTER SEVEN - RED AND BLUES

Fandom: Dracula (2020)  

Relationship: Dracula/Roxana(OFC)  

Rating: Mature  

Warnings: None  

Word Count: 3,708

In hindsight, Roxana probably shouldn't have had three strongly poured bloody marys. She should have switched to something less filling after a big meal; like a vodka soda, if she felt like keeping to the same liquor, or a gin and tonic to stir things up. Unfortunately, all the tomato juice and grits and bread and sausage and eggs did not mix well with the sight of someone's throat being literally torn open.

It was nasty, but at least now she could jot down 'successfully grossed out a five-hundred-something-year-old vampire' in her list of lifetime achievements.

"Well, that was…unexpected." Dracula said after a moment, his hands hung in the air like they were held up by marionette strings, "Revolting, yes, but I have to admit, this is a first."

"I…um, I would apologize, but -"

"Yes, you should be sorry! This is an Ermenegildo Zegna." He growled lowly and the Italian name slid off his tongue in such a way that it sent shivers down her spine. Not entirely unpleasant ones, she'd be loath to admit.

"Who cares about a suit? You just ended that man's life!" She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and took a few steps back to distance herself from the vampire. "Besides, you clearly can afford another one."

Dracula rolled his eyes and sighed, his hands now working on their own accord as he began to carefully peel the ruined jacket away from his body. "It's not about the money, Roxana, it's about the craftsmanship and quality of the items; think of the countless hours spent meticulously sewing and sizing each individual article of clothing. All of that dedication and hard work tossed away just because you can't stomach a little bit of blood."

"Unbelievable." She began to pace in a small circle, dragging her nails quite viciously and repeatedly through her unruly locks. "You care more about some bits of fabric than a human being's life."

After shaking off the chunks from the coat, he placed it sloppily over the corpse and started working on his vest. There was that ferocity that he recognized in her, it reminded him of Agatha, and it was that Van Helsing fire that was not so easily snubbed. "You will come to learn, my dear, that death is part of the journey. It is the finished masterpiece. Think of it as your magnum opus! It is the very thing that defines the meaning of every life and is nothing that you should be afraid of."

"You're missing my point completely and, for the record, I'm not scared of death."

Dracula was relieved to find the button-up shirt underneath his vest to be unscathed, but also a little more than slightly intrigued by her statement. He would, how they say, put a pin in it and return back to that later. "Then why are you so upset? It's not like you knew him."

She groaned and threw up her hands in exasperation. Roxana was not about to try and teach an old vampire new moral tricks, that was well above her pay grade.

Rolling up his sleeves, the Count set out to retrieve his belongings from the pockets of his jacket and then fitted the dirtied clothes onto the dead body. For the final touch, he slid his Ray Bans over the man's glassy eyes. "Ah, good enough, I suppose."

Dracula took a step back to view his handiwork while absentmindedly wiped the remaining blood from his face. Roxana stopped her pacing to stare dumbly at the sight before her. The mugger was propped up against the wall with his head drooped down to the side, covering the neck wound so it looked like someone who had little too much fun and passed out on the sidewalk. Not an entirely uncommon sight in this city.

"Please tell me you're not just going to leave him here."

He looked at her with raised brows, "And what would you have me do?"

"Clean up after yourself!" Roxana cried out. The adrenaline rush she got from witnessing a murder had not completely dissipated so now she was left grasping a bout of minor hysteria. "I would think that would be obvious!"

Dracula laughed, "That's rich coming from someone who just upchucked her dinner all over one of my finest suits!"

"Because you decided to floss your teeth with some dude's carotid artery."

"Why are you surprised? You know what I am!"

"Well, excuse me if I was a little caught off guard because it's a hell of a lot different seeing a vampire up close and in action as opposed to a tiny, shitty computer screen!" She was nearly shouting, oblivious to the desperation in her own voice as he drew closer. Her neck craned upwards to try and boldly keep eye contact while his grin grew to make him look like the cat who caught the canary. "Stop smiling like that!"

"Make me." His tone was teasingly low, those eyes wicked and sharp. She noticed how lively Dracula looked after he fed. It was unsettling.

WHOOP! WHOOP!

They jumped apart as sirens suddenly yipped at them and a bright flashlight waved back and forth between their faces. The dark street was instantly flooded by the red and blues spinning on top of the police car.

"Oh, fuck me." She murmured with wide eyes. Her hands instinctively started to raise a little before she forced them back down, reminding herself to act casual.

Dracula leaned over slightly, "Is that an invitation?"

"Please shut up." She hissed back, shooting him a glare. "And no, it's not."

He made a facial shrug and then smirked, tossing her a casual little wink just to rile her up. The short, frustrated huff he got in return was satisfying enough.

"Everything all right here?" The cop rolled down his window and peered out at them. "And how about your friend over there? He's not looking so great."

The light shined over the dead guy leaning against the wall and the pair froze, glancing at one another.

This was her moment, she could tell the officer about the murder and maybe he could protect her against…the vampire. Oh, who was she kidding? Dracula would quicker snap her neck and drain the officer before risking the chance of exposure like that.

Meanwhile, her inner moral soldiers battled fiercely inside her brain over whether or not she should even say something about the murder. On the one hand, the count was a vicious blood-sucker who killed a man in a blink of the eye without any remorse, but on the other hand, it was technically self-defense…on her behalf anyway.

Logic eventually won when she realized that even if she did rat him out, it was highly unlikely the cop would even believe the truth. She would sound like a crazy person. The mental image of Dracula laughing and waving while she, hands uncomfortably cuffed behind her back, watched on with teary eyes as he grew smaller and smaller in the distance because the cruiser she was detained in drove off to the nearest prison…or an insane asylum. Whichever was closest.

Be killed or incarcerated? Neither were ideal. So Roxana went for door number three instead.

Dracula saw the look on her face. The look of a scared little rabbit getting ready to bolt. He had already tensed in preparation for her to make a sudden move but, to his surprise, that peculiar look vanished and Roxana smiled.

"All good here, officer! And yes, unfortunately this drunk pleb is with us. We were just about to get a ride back to the airbnb, sir." She shrugged her shoulders with a laugh. "It was his first time on Bourbon Street."

"Yes, I do believe he had one too many bloodys," Dracula was pleasantly surprised by her change in demeanor and happily played along. "Poor man vomited all over himself before we could find him a bin. Such a lightweight."

The officer squinted a little and they waited with bated breaths as he took a moment, which really felt like ages, to decide whether or not he believed their story.

"Alright then," He said at length and pointed to Dracula, "You make sure they get home safe now, ya hear?"

Roxana's eyebrows rose in disbelief while the Count grinned toothily, stepping over to her. She felt his hand slide up her spine and rest in a light grip around the back of her neck. "Of course, officer. I'll take care of them."

With a nod, the cop turned off his lights and drove back down the street, making a left at the next corner. Roxana let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and dropped her shoulders.

That was a close call.

"My, my, your heart is racing, Roxana." Dracula murmured into the darkness that had enveloped them once more. His thumb brushed over her pulse point and he was thrilled when it spiked at the touch. She went to move away but halted her step when she felt his grip tighten, those claws threatening to make a cut. He turned her to face him and firmly, but gently tilted her head back to force her to meet his stare.

"That was your chance. Why didn't you say anything?"

"Please," She scoffed and jutted her chin out defiantly, "We both know it would've been pointless."

"Still," He spoke softly, his head angling back as he observed her, "You could have told the police officer the truth."

"And have you kill us both? I think not. Remember, the foundation showed me those videos and I know you're immune to bullets. So what good would that have done me?"

Dracula stared at her for a moment and then wetted his lips slowly before speaking, inching closer and closer towards her face. "For the last time, I'm not killing you yet because I wish to get to know you, but if you keep bringing it up, I might feel inclined to change that timeframe."

"Well are you going to be this intolerable all the time? Because if so, then just get on with it, I'm in no mood to play a long con here, big guy."

"No, I do believe the fun has just begun."

"Great. Just great." Roxana was truly done. She could still taste the bile on her tongue like acid, it made her feel disgusting, and she wanted nothing more than the day to end. "Now, if you'll let me go, I'm in desperate need of a shower, a toothbrush, and a bed. Maybe a nightcap too because the last twenty-four hours of my life have been absolutely fucked."

Acquiescing her request, Dracula released his grip and allowed her to distance herself from him once more. He watched as she dragged a hand down her face and heaved a sigh; her blue eyes almost shined in the darkness up at him as she gave him a tired half-assed glare. She then turned and started walking towards Canal Street.

"Where are you going?"

"Home." She called over her shoulder, her manners be damned. "Goodnight, Dracula."

The Count gawked when she didn't even give him a second glance and he did nothing but watch as she made her way to the end of the street and disappeared around the corner. He truly did not understand that woman. Perhaps it was ingrained in the Van Helsing blood to be habitually nonplussed by his vampiric prowess.

He pulled out his cell phone with a sigh as his thoughts drifted to the dead man wearing his now-ruined five-thousand-dollar suit and about a quart of said Van Helsing's DNA. Dracula needed to get rid of that evidence before it came back and bit him in the ass. No pun intended.

"Hello, my lord, how was your day today?" Renfield sounded chipper as ever.

"I need you to dispose of a body."

Dracula grinned from ear to ear as he listened delightfully to the unfiltered frustration in Frank Renfield's long-suffering sigh.

—

What a day, Roxana thought as she shuffled onto the streetcar and plopped down in one of the wooden seats. With a lurch, the machine squealed and rattled as it moved forward along the track. She winced; the benches on these particular modes of transportation were incredibly unforgiving on one's posterior.

Blankly, she stared into nothing, not paying attention as the buildings passed by. The events of the night played on repeat in her mind. A real vampire killed a real person right before her eyes. Was this really real life now? She was too exhausted to try and figure it out.

She felt like an outsider looking in on her body as it ran on autopilot. Her hand pulled the string to stop the car and somehow her feet managed to take her all the way to her front step without incident.

Fifolet meowed at her incessantly by the door but it sounded muted and far away as she unlocked it. Robotically, she made a beeline to the bathroom and shed her clothes along the way. Not even waiting for the water to warm up, Roxana stood unflinchingly under the cold spray and began to clean herself as the temperature increased to the cusp of scalding. She scrubbed and scrubbed until her skin was red and raw. When she was finished, she pressed her forehead against the tiled wall and closed her eyes, simply listening to the water roar around her.

Without thinking, she lifted her hand up to gently wrap her fingers around her neck and couldn't stop her mind from wandering…from remembering the distinct sensation of another hand. His hand. She could almost still feel the vast expanse of his palm grasping her jugular and those impossibly long fingers curling nearly all the way around. Or how he leaned so close until he was just a breath away and anytime she would inhale, those fingers would tighten ever-so-slightly against her flesh.

Roxana's eyes shot open and she dropped her hand like it was on fire. Goosebumps lit up her arms and legs, despite the scorching water. Slamming the nozzle off, she threw back the curtains and began to dry off with furious gusto.

He was a vile creature. A feral beast. Not even human. The mere memory of his hands on her should be enough to appall her entirely. It must be delirium, she thought stubbornly, shaking the abhorrently traitorous images from her mind. She wrapped the towel around her head and strode towards the bedroom.

"I just need to go the fuck to sleep." Roxana muttered to herself and swiped the half-empty bottle of bourbon from the counter on her way. She collapsed onto the bed once she reached it, but sleep did not find her. Instead, she laid awake through the early hours of the morning, watching the ceiling fan spin on and on and on. She steadily knocked back the remainder of the liquor until the corners of her visions blurred and her eyelids became too heavy to keep open.

By the time the sun had risen in the sky, the bottle had rolled underneath her bed, long since emptied, and her light snores could be heard along with the chirping birdsongs. Fifolet patted over and curled up next to the woman, resting her paw gently on her outstretched arm and knowing that her human would be needing comfort now more than ever before.

—

The rest of the week flew by without any sort of batty drama and Roxana was grateful for it. She had a light workload with only two dinners scheduled and each went off without a hitch. All felt to be back to normal within her world. The weather wasn't comfortable yet, unfortunately, so she spent most of her free time relaxing at home. Not that she was using the cold as an excuse to stay inside and away from a certain someone. Nope, not a chance.

After that night, she had woken up with a righteous hangover and truly believed she had made up everything that had occurred in those twenty-four hours, but the textual evidence on her phone proved otherwise. Dracula had messaged her just once, to make sure she had made it home after their encounter, which she had to begrudgingly admit was rather sweet. Other than that, she was surprised to hear nothing more from the Count.

Roxana was cherishing the peace and quiet while she could. She knew that this whole interaction with Dracula was almost one-hundred-percent going to end up with her premature death. It wasn't hard to understand that hanging out with vampires and certain mortal peril basically went hand in hand. Not to mention the pesky fact about her being directly tied to a bloodline of women who had quite a lot to do with this ancient warlord and, spoiler alert, both of those women were killed...by him. So she intended to enjoy the calm before the storm.

Her phone went off next to her as she was boiling a pot of water for her own dinner and she saw an unknown number flash up at her.

"Hello?"

"Ah Miss von Hels, this is Keres Grimaldi. How I appreciate you taking the time as I am sure you must be terribly busy." The cold, feminine voice on the other line was not who Roxana had expected.

She blinked and then glanced around. The only plans she had this evening were drinking a bottle or two of wine, eating pasta, and watching some mind-numbing sitcoms. Yes, she was terribly busy. "Oh, no, not a problem at all. What can I do for you, Miss Grimaldi?"

"I would like to go over some of the details for this upcoming dinner." Keres' tone was icy and authoritative, leaving no room for nonsense or frivolous chatter. Roxana had a hard time imagining this woman throwing any sort of convivial party. "First, I believe you are aware of the delicate situation I am in, as head of the council, and the reason I chose your restaurant as the location once more is that I know that you will handle these delicacies with the same discretion you do with all of your soirees. Your clientele is famous and you appear to have the subtlety to maintain secrecy."

Roxana could not tell if this woman was being deliberately facetious or if she just always had the demeanor of a robotic bitch. Realizing very quickly that she wasn't about to get many words in, the chef put the phone on speaker and began to record the conversation so she could go back over it later to write the details down in her schedule. Work smarter, not harder. With a smile, she continued stirring the sauce as Keres plowed onward with her demands.

"The dinner will take place on the last Friday of the month, just two weeks before Mardi Gras. We shall be seating ten and you will provide meals for only five. It will be just you there and no other employees during the dinner, absolutely no exceptions."

"Okay, I'll have them leave before the clients arrive. You understand that includes my valet, right?"

"Yes, the transportation will be taken care of, therefore parking will not be an issue."

Strange, Roxana thought to herself while pouring the pasta into the strainer. "That works. Anything else? Dietary restrictions?"

As the words left her mouth, she winced and silence filled the room. It was a perfectly normal question under any other circumstance, but perhaps not this one.

"I noticed the other night that you seemed to be familiar with Mr. Balaur."

"I…um," She wasn't sure how she should answer the woman, "It was the first time I had met him, but I guess you could say we have mutual acquaintances."

"Miss von Hels, you are aware of his vampiric nature, are you not?" Well, Keres was certainly not tiptoeing around the subject.

"…Yes."

"Good, that's one less tedious explanation. I will provide the necessary dietary requirements, so you need not worry yourself over that. As for the mayor and his partners, you will want to contact them and decide on a menu that will suit their needs."

"Easy." She poured another glass of wine and took a long drink. "Anything else?"

The line was quiet for a moment and she had to check to make sure the call hadn't ended before Keres spoke up, "No, that will be all for now, Miss von Hels. Thank you for your time."

"Thank you for calling, Miss Grimaldi, I hope you have a great rest of your evening." Roxana really appreciated clients who were straight to the point, for it was often a headache to deal with indecisive people.

"One more thing," Keres' voice made her hand stop midway from pressing the end button, "Watch yourself around him. I've spent some time with Mr. Balaur in the last few years and I have never seen him look the way he did at you and this concerns me, not for your wellbeing of course, but for the future of our council. I will not have him go feral again, not under my watch, so if you know what is best for yourself, I would advise you to attempt to maintain a distance and use the utmost caution."

This caught Roxana off guard and her brows furrowed, "Then why are you having the dinner at Sanguine, if you are so concerned about this?"

Keres let out a laugh and it was anything but joyful. It lasted a beat too long for something that couldn't even be considered humorous and continued to send chills fluttering down Roxana's neck with a foreboding sense of danger.

"Oh, I know better by now than to try and take his toys away."

Taglist:

@festering-queen​ @vissidarte213​ @moony691​ @allis143​ @torntaltos​ @apocalypsenowish​

[uas-fics]

Chapter 2 of The One That Almost Got Away--But Came Back

Chapter 1 -

~~~~

Mr. Garrison looked down at his clipboard then began calling out names. After each name came a ‘here’ before the teacher assigned every student a partner. Everyone chatted between themselves as the fourth graders prepared for a Box Top reward field trip to Stark’s Pond.

When it came to numbers, Tweek had been one of the higher contributors to their class Box Top total. Plenty of the boxes and mixes at the shop had Box Tops on them, and his parents agreed to let him cut the tops out if he also broke down the boxes for recycling.

Finally, Mr. Garrison clapped his hands and announced everyone had to hold their partner’s hand on the walk there.

“You’re responsible for your buddy. Don’t mess it up,” Mr. Garrison reminded.

Token bumped Tweek with his elbow then held out his hand. As they walked down the sidewalk, Token chatted with Craig and Clyde in front of him. Tweek nodded and added his two cents once or twice, but remained quiet otherwise. Waiting at the crosswalk, Tweek looked at Token while he chatted.

He’d never noticed before how nice Token’s profile was. No wonder all the girls fawned over him. He was rich, had nice features, good hair, shiny teeth, and his hand was so soft and—

Tweek nearly stumbled but caught himself before anyone took much notice.

Token was holding his hand, his sweaty, dirty hand.

When was the last time Tweek washed it? Before or after recess? Could Token feel all the callouses he had from sweeping and mopping the shop? Of course, he had to! Token’s hand was so soft!

“Tweek?” Craig said. “Tweek?” He repeated loud enough to jerk Tweek’s attention from Token and his hand to the pair in front of them.

Huh?” Tweek asked, a twitch coming over him.

“Dude, are you ok? You look really red,” Craig told him.

“I’m, I’m...” Tweek looked once at Token, who wore a concerned expression. “I’m not feeling well.” With that, he let go of Token’s hand, turned towards the road and vomited.

~~~~~~

The lights in the nurse’s office buzzed as Tweek laid on the hard cot. His embarrassment made him pull the thin blanket over his head and wish he was dead.

The moment Clyde shouted, “Mr. Garrison! Tweek puked!”, all eyes turned towards Tweek, on his hands and knees, a small pool of stomach acid and ground up carrot sticks in front of him. The attention made him throw up the rest of his lunch.

Now the whole class thought he was gross.

Not to mention his parents would give him a lecture for getting sick and making one of them leave the shop.

The door open, and Tweek snapped his eyes shut.

“Just take a seat, sweetie. I’ll be back in just a second.” The nurse said. Someone walked and took the seat across the room and the door closed.

Tweak heard sniffing and dared to peek open his eyes.

Karen McCormick had a large scrape along her forearm and a bruise on her cheek. She held an ice pack to her face. Tears ran down her face. She didn't look happy, but this wasn't how she normally looked.

Kenny probably wouldn’t be happy if Tweek told him that Karen looked fine enough. Clearly, Kenny cared about his sister a lot. He deserved to know how she really was.

“Karen?” Tweek whispered.

She jumped and looked at him. “Oh, you’re one of Kenny’s friends.” She chewed her lip. “Kyle?”

“I’m Tweek,” Tweek corrected. “What happened?” He nodded at the ice pack.

Karen sniffled. “I got hit with a tether ball and fell on the blacktop.”

“Wow, that must have hurt. I’m sorry, but the nurse will have you fixed up in a jiffy.”

“I know. What about you? Why are you here?”

Tweak didn't particularly want to explain why he vomited or that the whole class staring made him do it twice, so instead, he explained he didn't feel well.

“A bell ache.” Tweek lifted a shoulder in a shrug.

“I hope you feel better.” Karen grinned crookedly, showing all her front teeth, including the two missing ones.

“You and Kenny have the same smile, ” Tweek replied in awe. He blushed then stammered, “sh-shit! I am so sorry! I didn't mean to—”

Karen shook her head. She lowered her icepack, revealing a black eye. With her free hand, she wiped her eyes on her wrist.

“Mommy said that too.” Karen put the icepack on her cheek.

“You must miss him a lot, don't you?”

“Yeah, but it's ok. Daddy says Kenny's up in Heaven, and I'll get to see him again when I'm an old granny,” She reassured. “Until then, he would want me to work hard and be happy! That's what Mommy said, too.”

“Your mom is right. He does--would. He would if he were still around, I mean.” Tweek caught himself from spilling his secret.

Karen smiled wryly. “Do you think God would let Kenny come visit tomorrow? Mom is making his favorite type of cake for his birthday. It would make her really happy if he came to eat with us.”

Tweak blinked. Kenny's birthday was tomorrow? He hadn’t known. Kenny didn’t mention it.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sure God would be cool with that,” Tweek replied. “But I think angels are supposed to stay invisible on Earth, so you might not see him when he joins you.”

Karen’s eyes widen. They weren’t the same shade of blue as Kenny’s, but a warm brown. However, much like her smile, she shared the look in them with her brother. They held the same wonder that Kenny’s did. No doubt they were siblings.

She opened her mouth to speak, but the nurse came in then. Her expression was tired. After quickly doctoring Karen's arm, she shooed her off back to class with a new ice pack.

As she dug through a tub of clothes in the corner, she said to Tweek, “Tweek, dear, your mother is nearly here, you can go sit in the office with your bag.”

Tweak did as he was told.

In the office, he found Kyle, Jason White, and Jimmy Valmer sitting in front of Principal Victoria.

Each of them was dirty and soaking wet. Jason and Kyle looked annoyed and cold. Jason’s nose bleed and Kyle had a black eye to rival Karen's blooming over his right eye. Jimmy looked like the cat that ate the canary, despite his busted lip. One of his crunches had a slight bend to it and the other was caked with mud.

“I can’t believe you three jumped in Stark’s Pond on a dare, then starting a fight! I expect better from you three.” Principal Victoria sounded exasperated.

Jason wrang out his shirt over the trash as Kyle dropped his wet hat to his lap with a plop. Jimmy just beamed.

“We didn't jump in! Jimmy pushed us off the dock on a dare then jumped in himself,” Jason corrected with a glare.

“Mr. Garrison never sa- never sai- s-s-s—didn’t tell us we couldn’t jump in the pond,” Jimmy remark coyly, as though he just found the perfect loophole.

“You all could have frozen,” Principal Victoria chided.

“It’s March,” Jimmy told her. “You can’t freeze in M-March.”

“Maybe not in your old school, but you can here,” she stated. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Principal Victoria ordered all three of them into her office to discuss the apparent fight.

As they ushered in, Jimmy caught sight of Tweek. He gave a friendly wave, that Tweek slowly returned.

“Feel better,” Jimmy mouthed to him.

Jimmy was so cool, Tweek thought. He was funny and smart, even if his lazy eye sometimes made Tweek feel like he was watching him when he wasn’t. The same wave of nausea that hit him when he was admiring Token came over him.as

Luckily this time, he was able to settle his stomach as he waited, head down, for his mom to come to take him home.

~~~~~

There was a funeral on Wednesday, so Tweek found Kenny just at the edge of his range, floating high up, trying to get a good view.

For whatever reason, Kenny could only go about ten feet in any direction from his grave before hitting a wall. The first time Kenny explained this in full, he demonstrated by pretending to be a mime stuck in a box. He even ‘picked’ an imaginary flower, smelled it, then offered it to Tweek.

As Tweek pretended to sniff the flower, Kenny impishly asked, “did you know flowers are a plant's junk?” causing Tweak to toss the flower to the ground with a blush.

Tweek watched Kenny for a moment from the tree. The funeral goers were slowly and tearfully clearing out back to their cars. It would be safe to venture over without anyone thinking too much of it.

Finally, Tweek cleared his throat.

Kenny twisted around.

“Dude, what are you doing here? You have work, right?” He asked, floating back to the ground.

Tweek beamed. “I barfed at school yesterday, and Dad won't make me work if I got sick the day before.”

He spun his backpack around to the front with an excited grin.

“Besides, I saw Karen in the nurse's office yesterday.”

Kenny came even closer, nearly invading his personal space. He bounced on his toes.

“How is she? Does she look ok?”

“She got hit with a tether ball and fell, but I think she is doing good otherwise. She misses you, and says your parents miss you, too, but she looked happy,” Tweek told him. He smiled sheepishly as he unzipped his bag. "She also told me today was your birthday."

Kenny blinked a few times then look to his feet with his brows furrowed. Muttering silently, he counted on his finger before his head shot up,

"Holy shit! Today's my birthday!" He exclaimed.

"Yeah! And I brought you a gift." Tweek's hands shook as he pulled out the brown paper Tweak Bro's bag with Kenny's gift.

Kenny's expression fell. He took a few steps back to sit on top of his grave.

"Tweek, I appreciate the thought, but I am not really..." he gestured down, "material enough for gifts anymore."

"This isn't material." Tweek set his bag aside then dropped down to his knees next to Kenny's grave. He patted the spot next to him.

With his eyebrows raised in curiosity, Kenny floated down, sitting cross-legged. If he had been alive, Tweek would have felt his body heat. Now he just felt cold.

"What'd ya get me?" Kenny asked.

Tweek unfolded the top of the bag. With an air of pride, he took out a thick magazine with a grey scale picture of a person with half their face covered by a purple crystal on the front.

"'The Free Artist'?" Kenny read the flowing script title. "Um, thanks. Fine art is really...cool."

"No, I mean, yeah, sometimes it is, but that's not what this is about." Tweek started to flip through the pages. "My dad got a subscription to this magazine so we could have it sitting around at Tweak Bros to make the place seem refined."

"Ok?" Kenny turned his head to the side.

"We keep this one issues at home because of this." Tweek turned the magazine towards Kenny.

Across the center page was a black and white photo of a woman, her leg bent forward, spine arched, and head thrown back. Her naked breasts pointed up as she held the only splash of color in the photo, a bright red apple, aloft.

"Wooow!" Kenny reached for the magazine only for his hands to phase through.

"I thought I could turn the pages while you looked. Almost the whole issue is dedicated to this photographer. It's full of pictures of naked people in different poses. I thought, knowing what I know about you, that you’d like it?"

He chewed his lip. A fancy-schmancy art magazine wasn’t the same as a naughty one, but Tweek couldn’t get his hands on any of those. This was the best he had, even if the photos were not meant to be sexual or erotic. 'A grand showing of the beauty of the human form' is what the photographer claimed in the short article, but Kenny didn't seem to care what the point of the art was.

“This is so cool, dude!” Kenny beamed. “You brought a whole magazine of elegant nudes, just for me? Finally, I can truly appreciate the human body like the true connoisseur I am, artfully and with highbrow intelligence.”

Chuckling that Kenny pronounced it ‘conn-o-sire’, Tweek flipped to the next page. This one had a man on his knees, bending forward so his shoulders nearly touched the floor. The color in this picture was a vase of flowers set by his hips. Tweek thought he looked nice, for a grown-up, and suddenly his stomach twisted.

He quickly turned the page. The new two pages were a spread of different gender models.

Tweek hoped Kenny hadn't noticed. but by the look he gave him, Tweek knew he had.

"Everything alright?" Kenny asked.

With a sigh, Tweek shut the magazine and slumped in in himself.

"Can you keep a secret? One you can't ever tell anyone, not even other ghosts." Tweek didn't look up at him.

"There is no one around for me to tell, Tweek," Kenny pointed out. When Tweek didn't respond, he went on, "Ok, ok, I promise. I won't tell a soul your secret." A pause then,"In fact, I will tell you one of my secrets in exchange. How's about that?"

Tweek chewed the inside of his cheek before nodding.

"Alright, deal," Tweek replied. He took a breath, held it, then let it out slowly. "My secret is I...I, um...I don't like girls."

Kenny blinked once. "Don't like girls? I always thought the girls and you got along well enou..Ooooooh." Kenny whistled a breath through the gap in his teeth. "You're gay, Tweek?"

Tweek flinched. He'd never described himself as that once, even if it was true.  It was a strange unspoken vow he'd made with himself. If he never said it out loud then he wasn't. There was still a chance he was straight.

But there it was, hanging in the air between the boys.

"Yeah, I guess," Tweek finally whispered. "Please don't make fun of me. I can’t help it."

"Why the hell would I make fun of you? Being gay is fine by me." Kenny crossed his arms, looking up at the clouds. "It doesn't matter if you like dick or pussy...or both."

His mouth twitched and his face contorted for a second into an expression that Tweek couldn't read.

Even if Tweek could have understand it, he wouldn't have dwelled. A weight he hadn't realized was on his shoulders lifted and he felt so much better. His stomach settled and some of his background anxiety quieted.

"You don't think it's weird?" Tweek wanted to confirm.

"Nah, it ain't weird." Kenny leaned back against his headstone. "But now I want to know if your crushing on anyone in our class. If I was to date a guy, I'd date Token. Not bad looking and rich as hell. A perfect boyfriend." Kenny jokingly snapped his fingers for emphasis, making Tweek snicker.

"Yes, definitely Token!" Tweek agreed.

They spent the rest of their time just chatting like normal, but now Tweek felt more comfortable than ever.

The conversation started to wind down after Tweek explained his list of boys he had something of a crush on, or, at least, wouldn’t be against asking if he knew they’d like him back.

Currently, Jimmy held top spot, because if they dated, no one would dare make fun of them. Jimmy was much too popular and well-liked to be made fun of by anyone in the class. Everyone else would turn on that person in an instant. Then Token, for much the same reason, along with how much Tweek liked his profile. Then at a distant third, Craig since Tweek like how much he spoke his mind.

"You know," Tweek flipped the magazine page for Kenny to admire the next picture, this one a woman curled up on herself and staring at the camera with determination as a fat, green, frog sat idly on her knee, "you never told me your secret."

"It's not nearly as good as yours," Kenny told him as he read the article that accompanied the photo.

"I still want to know. It's only fair."

Kenny opened his mouth to speak when a new voice cut him off.

"See? I told you! That chubby fourth-y is here! I saw him when I was at the funeral."

Tweek felt his heart fall dead out of his chest and land in his lap as three sixth graders came strutting up. Tweek didn't know them well enough to pull their names out from his memory, but he did know they were bullies who loved to pick on younger kids.

"Whatcha doing here, fourth-y? Reading like a nerd?" The biggest one sneered at the magazine.

The skinniest one raised an eyebrow and stepped closer to get a better look at the open pages.

"Hey! She's naked!" He pointed. "It’s a pornmag! Fourth-y’s got a pornmag!"

Tweek scooped up the magazine and held it to his chest, eyes wide. Kenny glared at the sixth graders and told them to fuck off, even though they couldn’t hear him.

"It's not porn. It's tasteful." Tweek dug his nails into the flesh of his other wrist, trying not to shake.

"It has naked ladies. It's porn." The middle one declared, reaching for it with grabby hands. "Let us have it. Your fourth-y brain isn’t mature enough to handle boobs."

"N-no! Urk! It's not yours. Leave me alone!" Tweek felt his flight or fight response start to pour adrenaline into his system. He probably couldn't fight three sixth graders, but he was sure he could outrun them.

Before he could make his grand escape, the biggest one dove forward for the magazine.

Tweek stumbled back as the issue was ripped from him. His heel hit the base of a nearby gravestone then he toppled over it. Mud and dirty snow covered his back and soaked straight through his shirt.

When his breath returned and he could finally push himself up, he saw the sixth graders gawking over the magazine. The cover was torn and barely held together by an inch of glossy, crumpled paper.

Then he tilted his head up and saw Kenny behind them.

Kenny’s teeth ground together. His hands clenched into fists. His nostrils flared. A low growl came from his throat. Tweek had never seen Kenny this upset, even in life. If he was tangible, Tweek thought Kenny would rip the sixth graders’ hearts out.

Something that Tweek couldn’t understand tore from Kenny’s throat as he reached forward with his arms out in front of him, as if he was going to push the middle sixth grader. The moment his hands phased through his chest, the sixth grader bolted up straight. His eyes were wide with terror.

His breath came out in a thick, shaking cloud, different from everyone else's, thicker and flecked with ice particles.

“Dude?” The biggest one asked, prodding his friend in the side.

His friend didn’t move, only whimpered, “I...I...I...”

Before the sixth graders could do anything more, a familiar voice boomed towards them.

“Hey! What are you kids doing over there?” Father Maxie shouted.

“Fuck! Run!” The skinny sixth-grader grabbed the middle one’s arm. The middle sixth-grader moved like a statue that had just come to life, stiffly and clumsily. After shoving the magazine into his jacket, the biggest one pushed the middle. All at once, the middle unfroze.

He sucked in a gasp as Father Maxie yelled again. It took a second for him to register where he was, but when he did, he darted faster than the rest out of the graveyard.

Tweek stared at Kenny with his mouth agape. Kenny looked down at his hands, brows furrowed and lips pressed together. He looked up at Tweek, confusion written across his face.

“I...guess that worked?” Kenny laughed nervously, shoving his hands in his parka pockets.

“What in the Great Heavens above is going on up here?” Father Maxie ran up with his lips set in a frown.

Tweek tried to sit up, only to bite back a yelp of pain. He pressed a hand to his lower back, whimpering.

Father Maxie instantly stooped down to look him over. He peeled the wet shirt away from Tweek’s chilled skin to reveal the starting of a bruise.

“Oh, dear!” Father Maxie shook his head. “Come along. Let’s get some ice on that and call your parents.”

As Tweek left, he looked over at Kenny, who waved at him with a faint smile on his transparent lips, and Tweek’s stomach did a now familiar twist.

~~~~~

Tweek held  a CapriSuns, both cold and fruit punch-flavored, in each of his hands. One he had tilted towards his face to sip and the other he carefully pressed against his back.

One of the nuns that Tweek recognized from Sunday school fretted over him, asking him over and over if he was really ok, if he knew who those boys that hurt him were, and if there was anything she could do to make him feel better.

Tweek repeatedly answered yes, he was ok and, no, he did not know those boys’ names, just that they were sixth graders.  For her last question, the first time she asked, he told her he would like another juice to drink, the second time he timidly asked, “Do you know if I’m going to be in--urk--trouble?”

The nun smiled softly and stroked his head. “No, I do not believe you will.”

Feeling a sense of mild relief, Tweek started to ask for another juice, when Father Maxie came into the sanctuary. With a nod to the nun, he dismissed her then took a seat next to Tweek on the pew.

He put a hand on Tweek’s shoulder. “Hello, my child, are you feeling better now?”

“I think so,” Tweek replied honestly.

“Good, good,” Father Maxie said. He paused a moment and look at Tweek in a way that made his anxiety spike. It was the same look Father Maxie wore when he was going to ask the congregation a tough question that would make all the adults turn their gazes away in shame.

“Tweek, I’ve seen you go to the graveyard to sit by yourself quite often lately,” Father Maxie continued. “Is everything alright, my child? Are you doing ok? I am always here if you need to talk. You know that The Lord has many, many great plans for you in your future, don’t you?”

He gave Tweek a look so sympathetic, it boarded on pity. Tweek didn’t like that. He didn’t need a priest of all people giving him pity for being a freak and a weirdo!

Tweek scooted away and fixed his gaze on the stain glass window over the pulpit.

“It’s quiet there, not like the coffee shop. I like things quiet to do my homework and think,” Tweek lied, somehow keeping his tone indifferent with only his usual quiver.

“Ah, I see.”

Tweek didn’t think Father Maxie saw anything, but Father Maxie let the conversation drop anyway and changed to asking Tweek about how school was and what they were teaching nowadays in fourth grade. Tweek replied with the bare minimum amount of words he could until his parents came to pick him up

Father Maxie took his parents aside to talk with them a moment, just out of Tweek’s earshot. Tweek could only assume Father Maxie knew the names of the sixth graders and was telling his parents so they could talk to their parents —- which would lead to Tweek having his head shoved in a urinal until the urinal cake went down his throat.

After thanking the priest and promising they would try to put a little more in the collection plate come Sunday--Tweek knew that was a lie--the Tweaks drove back home.

His mom heated up some leftover spaghetti from the night before and placed it and a big glass of milk in front of Tweek, patting between his shoulder blades. She pressed a kiss to his forehead.

“You’re my good boy, Tweek. I love you.” She whispered to him, before giving him a half hug around the shoulders. After that, his parents let him eat in silence. Maybe they were scared if they spoke too loudly, Tweek would vomit again.

As he ate, he thought about what happened with Kenny at the graveyard today. He didn’t know what ghostly powers Kenny used to fight back against the sixth graders, but that wasn’t important. What was important was that Kenny had used them for him. He cared about Tweek so much Kenny risked sixth graders to help him!

Ghost or not, Tweek thought Kenny was the coolest person ever.

Tweek swallowed the last fork full of noodles, then chugged the rest of his milk.  Before he could ask to be excused, his dad leaned across the table and set a large, warm hand over Tweek’s.

“Tweek, son, can we have a word?” He asked as if Tweek had a choice but to stay put.

“Um, yeah, Dad?” Now Tweek started to nervously fidget with his fork.

“Father Maxie told us you’ve been spending a lot of time at the graveyard recently,” his dad started. “Why is that? Are you feeling alright? No one is bullying you at school? Are you happy, son?”

Tweek’s head spun with explanations he could give that would convince his parents to drop the topic, or at least make sure they didn’t stop him from going anymore. He wasn’t hurting anyone, so there was no reason for them to stop him, but still, the tone in his dad’s voice was cautious and strained, though Tweek didn’t know why.

“I’m fine. No one is bullying me. I’m actually really happy.” Tweek replied, but his parents didn’t look convinced. What could Tweek possibly say to pacify them without explaining everything?

Think, Tweek! Think!

Then Tweek had a terrible idea that he just knew would work.

~~~~~~

“You told your parents what?!” Kenny doubled over, holding his stomach. He wiped away a tear that wasn’t there. “Ok, ok, ok, let me get this straight. You told your parents you’re gay, and you wanted to ask me out when I was alive, and now you come to my grave to pretend to talk to me because you regret missing your chance?”

Tweek blushed. “It worked, didn’t it? Ack! I said what I had to. Mom and Dad were worried about me.” While fiddling to fix his shirt buttons, Tweek went on, “Honestly, I’m glad I said it though, even if it was mostly a lie. It’s weird having my parents know I’m gay, but they took it well. I spend the rest of the evening listening to them make plans for a big Pride event at the shop when June rolls around.”

Tweek laughed at the memory, joining in with Kenny. His parents had all but forgotten about their own gay son as they starting trying to think of new Pride-themed items for the menu or how much banners and flags to hang outside the shop would cost.

The most acknowledgment Tweek got the rest of the evening was his dad giving him twenty dollars and saying he hoped Tweek would be confident enough to come out to the rest of the town soon--since that would be great for the business.

Tweek and Kenny finally sputtered out with Kenny shaking his head.

“You know Tweek, I’m flattered.” He gave a cheeky grin. “Flattered to be your first one that got away.” Kicking his legs out, Kenny nodded. “Actually, I think I’m regretful, too. If I knew you were this cool when I was alive, I don’t think I would have minded if you asked me on a date.”

Tweek snorted and rolled his eyes, but on the inside, his heart did a funny little skip. For a moment, he tried to chalk it up to his anxiety acting up, as it sometimes did, but he couldn't lie to himself for long.

In one fell swoop, Kenny had usurped Jimmy’s option at the top of Tweek’s list.  

“Yeah...thank you.” Tweek pretended to flip through his history book. “Oh, um, my parents also said I’ll have to start going back to my therapist, too. This morning, at breakfast, Mom told me she scheduled me an appointment.”

“Oh?” Kenny titled his head. “I’m...sorry? Is a therapist like going to a normal doctor? I hated going to normal doctors.” His face twisted in disgust.

“No, this is a good thing!” Tweek smiled. “I liked my therapist. He was nice and helped a lot, but I guess he helped too much. Since after six sessions, my parents thought I had to be ‘cured’ and made me stop going.” A sigh and he went on, “So it’s good to go back, but that means I won’t be able to come here as often.”

Kenny frowned for a fraction of a second before his cheery disposition returned.

“That’s ok!” he told him. “If this doctor is helping you feel better, I would be a very bad friend to make you skip appointments to hang out with me.”

Tweek buried his reddening face in his book. “Kenny, you’re really cool.”

Kenny blinked at the unexpected compliment then looked away. Was he embarrassed? Hadn’t anyone ever told Kenny he was cool?

Tweek refused to believe that, but lowered his book and repeated himself, “You are really cool. Way cooler than any of those jack asses you hung around with.”

Kenny fingered the drawstrings of his parka then tugged them slightly, closing the hood tighter around his face.

“Thanks, dude,” he replied in a quiet voice, not quite looking at Tweek, but just over his shoulder. Tweek was glad for that. If Kenny had met his eyes, he might have died.

~~~~~~

“You need to make some more friends who want to have you around and can appreciate you for you” is what his therapist told Tweek after the second session.

He suggested that Tweek join a sport or club, but Tweek didn’t feel like he could do that. Sports were a commitment and he had his job and chores to deal with. Clubs were too much pressure to deal with too! They had hierarchies where he would be at the very bottom!

When Tweek mentioned his fears to Kenny, Kenny tapped his lower lip with his finger for a moment, then suggested, “Print out a picture offline of something you really like, and tape it to your binder. Maybe someone else who likes it will try to talk to you.”

Tweek wasn't sure about that but decided to give it a try. He used a text document and made a collage of his favorite superhero, Sailor Moon, printed it, and put it in the plastic covering of his homework binder. While he walked in the halls, he made sure to have the binder facing out so other people could see it.

Unsurprisingly, Kenny’s idea worked.

At first, it was the girls who flocked around him. Some knew who Sailor Moon was, and some just thought she looked cool, but either way, Tweek happily accepted the invites to sit down with them and talk.

He even gathered the courage to ask some of them to come to watch some episodes using Tweak Bro’s wifi after school on days it was too rainy or cold to go see Kenny.

Then, about a week later, while Tweek was searching for one of his pencils in his messy locker, Craig tapped on his shoulder.

“Hey, Tweek.” He waved, then pointed to Tweek’s binder. “Do you like anime?”

Tweek looked down at the moon princess then nodded warily. Was Craig going to pick on him for it? Some sixth graders had teased him for liking a ‘weird, girly, Japanese cartoon’ before, luckily for Tweek, Bebe was there and politely told the sixth graders that Sailor Moon was the best and strongest hero ever, better than Superman even, and they should leave Tweek alone.

Of course, the sixth graders didn’t leave Tweek alone, but he still really appreciated that someone stuck up for him.

Craig hummed. “Just Sailor Moon? Or do you like others? Like Red Racer?”

This felt like a test.

“Um, I think so? I’ve only seen a few episodes, but I think it’s really cool! I like the tiny elephant sidekick,” Tweek replied honestly.

Craig regarded Tweek once more before he asked, “The new movie comes out on Saturday. Me and my friends are going to watch the newest season before we go. We’re starting after school tomorrow and having a sleepover on Friday. You can join us if you want.”

~~~~~

Tweek had never been so excited when he rushed to the graveyard to tell Kenny his news after school.

“You said yes, right?” Kenny bounced in shared excitement.

“Yeah! I mean, I need to ask my parents, but I don’t think they’ll say no.” Tweek chuckled to himself before spin round before falling back into the snow. He winced. His bruise had mostly healed, but the fall still hurt.

“So, I won’t see you until next week?” Kenny asked, poorly hiding the disappointment in his voice.

Tweek pushed himself up on his elbows. “I guess not. I’m sorry. Should I cancel one of the days?”

Shaking his head, Kenny declined, “No, don’t do that. Have fun and...” he flashed a wicked smile, “don’t puke lunch on Token’s expensive shoes or Jimmy’s crutches.”

Tweek wanted to tell Kenny that for the last month or so, he hadn’t felt sick around either Token or Jimmy since Kenny had taken over the top spots of his list.

Of course, he didn’t dare say a word of that.

~~~~

Red Racer was a pretty good anime. Tweek liked the races and the cool mech transformations. The plot was a little confusing since he started three seasons in, but Craig and his friends were happy to explain the parts that confused Tweek as they lounged around the Tucker’s living room.

By Friday, Tweek more or less understood the plot, the character’s motivations, and was excited about the movie.

Clyde picked up a popcorn kernel from the bottom of the now empty bowl and threw it at Token’s head. It ricocheted off his temple and landed square on Craig’s pizza slice. Craig reached over and push Clyde clean off the couch and right onto Tweek.

Tweek gasped and struggled to sit up, but Clyde was like a heavy, limp doll on his chest. Finally, Jimmy grabbed Clyde’s arm and hauled him off.

“S-shit, dude!” Tweek gasped, hand to his chest. “I thought I was going to die!”

“Nice going, Clyde.” Token took the throw pillow from his side and pushed it down on Clyde’s head. “Trying to kill Tweek. Are you scared we’ll kick you out for him?”

“No!” Clyde shoved the pillow away. “I’m way cooler than Tweek.”

Craig snorted. “Uh-huh. Sure. ‘Cooler’. I don’t think you can beat Tweek’s ‘hangs out in a graveyard’ level of cool.”

Tweek flinched back. Craig knew about that?

“Oh yeah! I head the s-s-s-sixth graders talking about that during recess,” Jimmy said around a bite of pizza. “Why do you do that, Tweek?”

“I, um, I, u-uh...” Tweek’s brain spun for a lie.

All of the boys' eyes were on him now. None of them looked malicious, but how did Tweek know they weren’t hiding it? How did he know that they weren’t doing this Red Racer marathon just to get dirt on him?

He swallowed. He couldn’t tell the others everything he told his parents, but he could strip it down a little.

“Do you guys remember Kenny McCormick?”

Craig nodded solemnly. “Yeah. He was a nice guy, even if he hung out with assholes.”

“Well, his grave is in there, and I feel bad that he died when he was so young. Urk! I guess I also regret that I didn’t know him all that well before he got sick. Especially since I replaced him with his own friends. Going there and sitting near by his grave, I feel connected to what could have been, if we were friends, you know?” Tweek chewed his lip.

Would they believe that? Would they call him a weirdo and make him walk home?

Jimmy reached over and set a greasy hand on Tweek’s shoulder with a nod. “I think we all miss him. I’m sure, up in H-Hea-Heaven, Kenny appreciates you coming to visit.”

Even without speaking to each other, the rest of the boys shared Jimmy’s sentiment. Tweek let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding when Token suddenly pointed at the TV.

“Hey! This is my favorite episode! This is the one with Purple Racer and the Power Stone! Everyone shut up!” He waved his hand at them all, leaning forward with his chin in his palm.

At that, the topic was dropped.

~~~~~~

On Saturday evening, Tweek was on cloud nine as he headed towards the graveyard.

The movie was so good! He had to tell Kenny all about it. Kenny wouldn’t mind spoilers, would he? Even if he did, Kenny had to hear about everything that happened with Craig and his friends.

Token had actually invited Tweek over to play basketball at his house with him and Clyde on Wednesday! Jimmy even wanted to try out some jokes on Tweek before his next show.

Kenny would be so proud that Tweek was making other friends; he was certain he would be!

As he neared, the sound of sobbing came to his ears.

Kenny sat on his headstone, knees pulled up to his chest, as he cried into his hands.

“Kenny?” Tweek raised his hand before dropping it. “What’s wrong?”

Kenny’s head shot up. His lips quivered as he stared at Tweek for an uncomfortably long time.

“What’s the matter?” Tweek tried again. “Are you alright?”

“No! I’m not alright,” Kenny wailed, hiding his face in his hands again. “It’s not fair! God’s being mean to me again!”

“What?”

Kenny slowly lowered himself off the headstone, rubbing his eye with the heel of his palm even though he didn’t have any tears. “Tweek, do you remember a month or two ago, when you told me you were gay? I never told you my secret.”

Tweek had completely forgotten about that. Kenny said it wasn’t as good as Tweek’s secret, but whatever it was, it was important enough to make him cry.

“What’s your secret?”

Kenny shuffled side to side a moment before sighing. He gestured to his headstone. “Read it and tell me what’s wrong with it.”

Tweek furrowed his brow as he realized he’d never once read Kenny’s headstone in full. At most, he had only read Kenny’s name when he bonked his head against it. Every other time, Kenny either sat right in front of his stone or let his legs cover it.

Stooping down, Tweek ran his fingers along the carved letters as he read.

“‘Kenneth ‘Kenny’ McCormick, rest well sweet angel in the arms of God, Free of pain and sickness. March twenty-second to J...’” Tweek trailed off. He looked up at Kenny with a frown. “‘June eight.’ Kenny, why does it say you died in June? And the year is from nearly seven years ago!”

“You think you're a weirdo and a freak, Tweek? You’re as average as white bread compared to me.” Kenny laughed, dry and bitterly. “That’s my secret, Tweek: I can’t stay dead. I don’t know why or how to stop it. I’ve never stayed dead, not any of the tens of times I’ve died before.”

A new batch of sobs escaped his throat. “I thought for sure it would stick this time, Tweek. It hurt so much more to die than ever before. It felt different. I wanted it to be different. I didn’t want to come back.”

Tweek scrambled to his feet. “That’s impossible. If you died before, I know I would remember it.”

“No, you wouldn’t. No one does. That’s what makes it so hard.” Kenny sniffled. “I die, I come back, and everyone acts as if I just ran away or was kicked out or whatever. I fucking hate it! I’m just the poor, dirty kid who can’t stay dead. I’m the freak, Tweek. I’m the weirdo. You’re just a kid with a tic. A normal kid.”

“Kenny...” Tweek wasn’t sure what to say.

“I’m going to come back to life soon. I can feel it. I’m going to come back and...and—and you won’t remember all the time we have together,” Kenny cried. “I want you to remember. It’s not fair I’m going to lose you like this! Not when I just...” His sobs overtook anything else he had to say.

Tweek took a step forward when he noticed that Kenny’s feet had disappeared. His legs were already fading away when Tweek stomped his foot to gain Kenny’s attention.

“I won’t forget! I promise I won’t!” Tweek announced. “We’ll hang out at Tweak Bros and go play basketball with Token and sing silly German songs and everything! I swear I won’t forget!”

“I’d like that, but,” Kenny’s stomach disappeared as Kenny forced a smile, “yes, you will. Everyone does.”

“I won’t,” Tweek repeated, his voice shaking with his own sobs. “I can’t forget everything you’ve done to help me. I’ll remember, Kenny. I will.”

Now his shoulders were gone.

Kenny chuckled with a shake of the head. “I really hope you do.”

“I won’t let you really be the one that got away! I won’t!” Tweek exclaimed, his vision blurred, but by the time he took a shaking step forward, the ghost of Kenny McCormick was gone.

~~~~~~

Kenny felt like shit. Normally he felt bad after coming back from the dead, all tired and cold with his limbs aching, but today was worse. Today he felt tired, cold, and achy along with a heavy dread that clung to his heart.

He didn’t want to get up. He didn’t want to go out and find his friends at the park or even pull the covers off of his living body. He wanted to stay and melt into the torn mattress and stop existing. The only reason he got up was when he heard a small gasp from the door and say Karen staring at him.

For a moment, he’d hoped that maybe she was surprised to see him alive and his curse was broken.

But instead the shock faded quickly from her eyes and she told Kenny it was time for breakfast.

His mom hugged him when he came into the living room. She squeezed him so tight, it hurt to breathe before placing a kiss on his forehead.

“Oh, Kenny, I love you so much. My precious, darlin’ little man.” His mom whispered into his hair. She still smelled like cigarettes and beer and the cheap perfume his dad bought for her on Mother’s Day every year.

Even in his bleak mindset, he had to admit he missed that smell.

“I, uh, I love you, too, Mom,” Kenny replied. It felt so strange to feel the vibration from his voice when he spoke.

“What are you doin’, woman?” His dad asked from the table. “Let the boy go. He ain’t dyin'.”

She reluctantly released him but patted Kenny’s head before standing up.

“Mommy, can I have a hug, too, please?” Karen asked, tugging at her shirt hem.

“Well, of course, you can, sweet pea.” Their mom stooped down to hug her and Kenny made a beeline for the table before he could be pulled into another hug.

His dad turned the page in his newspaper. “Sleep well, Kenny? You seemed sick yesterday. That cough and all.”

Could he have trouble breathing, if he didn’t have breath?

Kenny shrugged. Before he could answer, Kevin walked in. To Kenny’s surprise, he looked presentable, dressed up and cleaned. He even had his hair slicked back.

“The fuck you look so fancy for?” Kenny asked as Kevin slid into a chair.

Kevin looked at him, furrowing his brow, a moment, as if he were trying to figure out just what was wrong with his little brother, before shaking it off.

“It’s Sunday? Church? Did you cough your brains out last night, dingus?” Kevin rolled his eyes.

Karen picked up her faded plush doll and headed towards the table. “Kevin’s trying to get that pretty girl to hold hands with him, remember, Kenny? The one with the blond curls,” Karen held up her doll, nodding at the doll’s faded yellow hair, “who made Kevin blush last weekend?”

“I didn’t blush!” Kevin snapped, face red. “I ain’t dressed up for her either. I just...wanna look nice for church.” He didn’t look at Kenny or Karen as he said that. With a smile, their mom patted Kevin’s back

“Well, even if you ain't, I’m sure that girl will like you anyway,” Their mom told him as she set a plate of flat pancakes in front of him before moving to deliver the rest of the family breakfast.

“And if she don’t, just lay on that Old McCormick Charm,” their dad shut the newspaper. “Works on the ladies every time.” He patted their mom’s hip as she passed, and she giggled, kissing his temple.

Karen picked up her pancake with her fingers and began to pull it apart. “Is that how come I was able to make so many girl friends?”

Kenny smiled to himself, pleased that Tweek hadn’t been pulling his chain when he said Karen was happy. Actually, all his family seemed to be happy. His parents were getting along. Kevin was trying to get himself a girl. Karen had a bunch of friends.

Kenny hoped it would last now that he was back.

After their dad quickly ended the conversation about the Old McCormick Charm, the family ate breakfast, normal as Kenny could remember. He was gone for nearly half a year and no one remembered.

His stomach churned. Kenny pushed away his half-finished plate.

“Can I skip church today?” He asked, faking a cough into his fist. “I still feel a little bit sick.”

Admittedly, he didn’t want to go anywhere near the church. Months in that blasted graveyard, listening to the distant sermons or watching tear filled funerals were Father Maxie said the same words over and over to grieving families had worn him out on going to church for a while.

His mom reached over and touched his forehead. “Ya don’t feel hot, but since you were sick yesterday, I guess that’ll be alright. I’ll wrap up your plate. You can eat the rest later.”

Kenny nodded and pushed himself away from the table. After wishing Kevin good luck in getting his girl, Kenny lumbered back to his bed and flopped down. He curled into a ball and forced himself to sleep.

When he woke up, the house was quiet. Kenny looked around his room. His stuff had been moved around and there were several boxes labeled ‘clothes’ and ‘toys’ stacked in the corner. He knew he should probably get to unpacking those and setting his life back up, but Kenny suddenly felt claustrophobic and trapped in his house, in a room that hadn’t been his in months.

Throwing off the covers, Kenny shoved his shoes on his feet and hurried out the door to let his feet take him wherever they wanted to go.

~~~~~~

After twenty minutes of wandering, Kenny found himself standing outside of Tweak Bro’s. His stomach churned. Should he go in and see if Tweek remembered him? Did he even want to know? Maybe he should put it off until school Monday and go find Stan, Kyle, and Cartman.

Kenny shook himself.

No. If he didn’t do this now, it would eat at him all day.

With a shaking hand, he reached out and gave the door a firm tug.

It was locked.

Of course, Tweak Bro’s wasn’t open on Sundays.

Shaking his head, Kenny sat on the bench out front. A cold wind bit his exposed face and Kenny nearly yelped. It had been so long since he had felt the physical cold like that.

Kenny readjusted his hood. He didn’t want to head home. He didn’t want to talk to his friends.

He didn’t know what he wanted, so he sat and brooded on the bench for half an hour.

Several people passed, each giving him that same look Kevin did, trying to figure out what was wrong with him and why he looked so out of place. Each time he noticed someone staring, Kenny flipped them off and glared.  He didn’t particularly want to be reminded of his status as a freak.

Finally, Kenny forced himself to his feet. His legs were asleep with pins and needles. The sensation was just as annoying as he remembered.

Telling himself to go home, Kenny shoved his hands deep in his parka and began towards his house. As he stopped at the crosswalk, the sound of hurried footsteps came from behind him. He turned around, ready to side step out of the way, just as someone tackled him to his bottom.

“Kenny! Kenny, you’re alive!” Tweek sobbed into Kenny’s shoulder. He squeezed him tighter. “I went to your grave after church and you weren’t there anymore! I thought I might have--errr!--dreamed the whole thing!”

Kenny blinked before turning his head to look at Tweek’s shock of blond hair.

“You remember? You remember me being a ghost?” Kenny whispered, afraid that if he spoke too loudly, this blessed illusion would break into a million pieces.

Tweek pulled back but kept his hands on Kenny’s shoulders. “Yes! I remember! I promised I wouldn’t forget, and I didn’t!” He grinned at him, and Kenny’s heart skipped a beat. A feeling that made his head rush from the experience of it.

Tears blurred Kenny’s vision. He couldn’t believe this. Someone remembered! Someone he really cared about remembered.

Kenny didn’t care how this happened: if this was God making up for the curse or Tweek hitting his head against his headstone did it. It didn’t matter. He’d never felt so elated in his life.

Kenny wrapped his arms around Tweek and hugged him so tightly, he was surprised he didn’t hear the cracking of bones.

Tweek remembered! Tweek, this boy who came and sat with him day after day for months just because Kenny asked him to; this sweet, kind-hearted boy that let Kenny help with his homework and shared the latest gossip and checked on Karen and brought him a present on his birthday; this boy that Kenny had slowly but surely developed quite the crush on, he remembered.

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!” Kenny swallowed down the lump forming in his throat. “I don’t know how I can ever make it up to you, Tweek.”

“Well, you can not freak out when I, um, say what I have to say.” Tweek gently pushed Kenny away. He took a breath and continued, “Kenny, I have a confession. I promised God if I ever saw you alive again, I’d say this. I hope this won’t make anything weird. I, argh, I like you--like a lot, a lot. More than a friend.”

Kenny blinked. For a moment, he thought he was going to die from happiness after less than a day back.

“I like you, too--like a lot, a lot,” Kenny replied instantly, nearly stumbling over his words in his rush to say them.

Tweek’s face went beet red. He scrambled to his feet, wiping the dirt from his jeans, then held out his hand to Kenny. Kenny let himself be hauled up, but he wasn’t going to let go of Tweek’s hand.

No matter what happened, he wasn’t going to let himself be the one that got away ever again.

~~~

AN: Thank you all for all the support. This pair is has a fun dynamic to play with x3c

[mimiplaysgames]

Strength to Protect the Things That Matter (Ch. 24)

Pairing: Terra/Aqua (eventually) Rating: T Word Count: 5,106

Summary: Terra has prayed for years for relief from having no one to talk to in the dark, except with the monster of a man who stole his life. One day, when two boys chase a lead, he gets his chance - less than a week - to set things right before he loses everything again.

AO3        FF.net

A/N: AHHHHHH I can’t believe I’m finally at this chapter. Every single little thing I have put down for Traverse Town was for this chapter. Everything. I had a vision when listening to this specific song as I was trying to fall asleep. And I’m so excited (and blown away) to finally share it. I’m sorry it’s taken me longer than the pace I was going. I’ve been fighting one of my usual episodes, but I’ve finally finished this. Everything about this experimental chapter was done to fit Ramin Djawadi’s masterpiece, “Light of the Seven,” from Game of Thrones Season Six.

Countdown

Terra gently knocks on her hotel door. It’s twenty past ten, and he’s nauseous. The hallway is warmly lit, the red carpet serene, and while it’s supposed to be relaxing it doesn’t relieve him of the tension in his shoulders. They just don’t have much time left.

It seems many clocks are running out of time – the one that harks Kefka’s return, the one that will end Rydia’s life, and his own, which will signal when it’s over for him as well. And with Kefka returning, he wonders if time will stop for others, too.

He hears Garnet giving him permission to enter. The princess sits on her loveseat, right in front of a coffee table. The walls of her room are painted a gentle beige, with brown furniture and curtains to match. A painting of a canary flying out of an open cage is situated on the wall right across her bed. The background is a baby blue hue. The cage is entwined in twisted, green vines, and a crow sits inside, looking out towards the canary in sorrow that it couldn’t join her.

Garnet is slowly brushing through her hair, as though she is making sure she is getting through every single strand. The files with the names and photos of all the former mages turned Heartless now sit on the coffee table in front of her, alongside a basket of at least forty small crystals tied to strings, and the two rare, bright purple potions that Xehanort has created. Some of the information on the files have been circled, and a graph has been drawn out by her, scrawled with incredibly hurried notes. Terra can’t help but wonder why she has been in a hurry to finish them.

But on she brushes, her gaze faraway beyond the wall she’s staring at. With the gentle, entranced way she is taking care of her appearance, she carries the persona of a former royal in preparation for her execution.

She smiles when he enters, but it’s so forced that it becomes a grimace. She proceeds to undo the knot on the necklace she wears, carrying the large crystal she has inherited from her mother, and carefully places it on top of the files. She smiles again, and out comes a slight scoff.

“In case of an… incident, I’ll leave this here. I can’t bear the thought of it being lost in the streets.”

It makes sense why she is scared, considering what they have to do. Terra has escorted a princess before. He has told that particular princess how the strength of her heart will carry her through the greatest of trials, and for a moment, he nearly says the same to Garnet.

But she is already brave enough as it is. Is it insensitive to say such a thing, now?

“Don’t worry,” he finally says to her. “I can take care of a bunch of Heartless.”

Her expression is slightly surprised. But grim nonetheless. She nods slowly, as if she can only half-believe him. “I suppose that would be your expertise.”

It isn’t particularly his place to tell a princess that she has hurt his feelings. Garnet has always been distant with her emotions, but Terra truly wishes he can read her mind in this very moment.

She bends over to hand him one of the potions, which are meant to numb their hearts. “I have read Xehanort’s notes carefully,” she says. “It will take several moments for this potion to activate, yet we will not have much time under its protection.”

The very last thing Terra wants to do is swallow whatever vile concoction that madman has created. “Why take it to begin with?”

“We haven’t the time to be fighting hordes of Heartless. The notes say it will make it much harder for them to detect us. It will last longer as long as we aren’t emotional... and it may make it hurt less…” Her voice trails off, her eyes drifting to the wall again.

“I’m not going to let you turn into Heartless.”

Garnet’s mouth quivers for a moment. It’s written all over her face. She doesn’t believe him.

“Nevertheless, drink it,” she says. She holds up one of them, as if to make a toast. “For Rydia.”

“For Rydia.”

Potions aren’t the best tasting liquids in the world, and Terra usually doesn’t pay attention to them at all. But none of them really compare to this. It’s acidic and hyper-sour, almost like rotten milk, and Terra drops the vial onto the floor. It shatters while he winces and swallows. Garnet has her hand to her mouth, whimpering from the flavor, but she wears a better face of valor than he does.

At first, Terra doesn’t feel any different.

She retrieves a duffel bag that hangs on the back of her pelvis, which is packed with things they may need for a short travel – some bombs, a compass, her shortstaff, clean water - and with the basket of crystals in her arms, off they exit from her room.

The first stop is Rydia’s hotel room. The only light shining is the lamp on her bedside table, illuminating just the mage, lying quietly on her bed. Garnet holds her hand, and they whisper a few things that Terra is unable to eavesdrop. Rydia glances at him, tears in her eyes, and briefly begs Garnet, Not to do this.

She then briskly turns away from the both of them when Garnet insists.

It is now that Terra starts to feel a tingling in his fingers, and suddenly he forgets what he’s worried about.

*****

*****

The preparation for Kefka is rushed, messy, tiresome, and reeks of anxiety. People are snapping at each other and running around to finish their assignments. But the worst is the fact that barely twenty volunteers have come to join the fight.

Riku isn’t happy about any of it, although there’s no use telling anyone this. For the moment, he is busy setting up electric bombs that line some of the upper walls of the residential homes in the third district. The cables on the bombs are color-coded, and he has to set them up in a specific order. And they’re all the same. So while it’s easy, and it’s annoying… he shouldn’t be wasting his time preparing for Kefka’s arrival when he should be instead protecting Terra from Xehanort.

He connects the final cable. Blue.

That’s the last bomb for tonight, and Riku glances up to the stars. Any moment now, Sora will finally fly in on his gummi ship. He has to. He needs him to.

Down at the block, Noctis is checking through his lists half-heartedly. The delivery of his commands border between barking and mumbling. Sometimes, Cloud will rub Noctis’ neck to keep him focused and will pat him on the back to keep him stable. If anything, Riku feels no envy for Noctis’ situation, considering all the friends he has lost. After the time that has passed and the grief he has overcome, the prince once again must be feeling very alone.

The clock continues to tick towards eleven, and Cloud is handing out magic-infused weapons to the volunteers. Something on Riku’s face must have given away his thoughts, because Cloud’s expression softens – not that Riku cares, being that he’s too tired right now to give a damn about anyone’s opinion.

“You know,” Cloud starts, “from the way Terra fights, I can tell that he really relies on someone else to watch over him.”

“Are you suggesting that Terra can’t take care of himself?” If it’s coming from Cloud, then it’s a serious accusation.

“Not really. It’s not that I think his fighting style or his form has some serious flaws. I’m just saying he’s a little loose like fire, and I think he’s used to having a partner keeping an eye on him. Someone he assumes is always there.”

That someone has to be Aqua. But before Riku says anything, Cloud continues, “And he’s quick to cover someone else’s back, too.” The soldier then smiles. “I don’t think you have to worry much. I wouldn’t trust anyone else more with taking care of his health than Garnet. And I think he will make a good guardian for her.”

Riku crosses his arms and stares at the slick, cement ground. The crate in front of Cloud is now empty, and Noctis walks over with some potions, huffing to himself.

Quite simply, Noctis is the worst at hiding what he is feeling. “I just had two people tell me we should hand Rydia over to Kefka to spare us the night,” he growls. His mouth contorts, like he has just eaten something disgusting. “I can’t believe these are the people I’m risking my life to protect.”

Cloud shakes his head, and the pit of Riku’s stomach does a gross somersault. It’s a wonder how some people don’t turn into Heartless in that instant from their willingness to backstab anyone – particularly a mage who has unconditionally supported and safeguarded them with her magic. Riku looks up to the sky. What is taking Sora so damn long?

“Just in time for evacuations,” Cloud says. “I don’t think any of these people can stay here longer.” He takes a long breath as Noctis hands him two potions to keep. “But I’m worried about something else. If it’s true that Kefka is coming… that really bothers me. Something isn’t right. What is that supposed to suggest? What exactly are we getting wrong about it?”

Noctis has a hard time swallowing before finally saying, “It’s just ten minutes, right?”

The prince and the soldier exchange some hard stares, and it scares Riku.

Terra and Garnet hurriedly jog over to the group. She calls out for the volunteers to pick up a protection crystal she has blessed for each person. Balthier takes two for himself, and Garnet assures him that Fran has one back at the hotel, who is stationed at the second floor with her bow. She personally hands one to Riku, and it glows when he wears it around his neck.

“It will not last long,” she says.

Riku nods, unable to find any words to say to her. Here is a woman who has shielded him from death with her healing powers. Who has tried (and failed) to teach Sora how to behave like a royal guest. Who has successfully kept Lea from lying about his past. Who has welcomed them all so warmly, each and every single time they come to visit every other night like they have been gone for months, that she might as well be a surrogate mother to them.

And then there is Terra, and Riku can barely manage to look him straight in the eye. He wants to shake his shoulders and tell him that there is no Kefka tonight, that they can face Xehanort together.

But it’s not only that – for once, Riku wants to yell straight into Terra’s face to just please be honest and tell him what he’s thinking about.

Terra stands there with a straight, relaxed face. And a faraway look. Is he cursing himself like Riku assumes he does all the time? Is he thinking about tactics and how to traverse the districts that are flooded with Heartless? Is he worried about Garnet’s safety? Is he remembering something about Aqua? About Ventus? Or Xehanort?

Terra is at times easy to read, and at times horrendously aggravating to attempt.

Sora usually says that Of course Terra will be honest, especially when it matters most. Terra will do anything to help protect his friends and help all of them with no questions asked. He’s the best companion and friend that anyone can ask for.

Basically, Terra is a lot like Sora and that’s worrisome.

Noctis takes a crystal from Garnet and barely holds her gaze. He squeezes his hand on Terra’s shoulder, and says, “Bring her back.”

Garnet places down her basket, which still has many shards of crystal on it, and holds her hands together. She addresses everyone, “I feel I should say this per the possibility of an incident in our endeavor. It has been an honor-”

“You’re coming back,” Noctis interrupts.

Garnet shakes a little bit and her eyes cast downward. She says nothing more as she frowns, only comforted when Terra holds her shoulder.

He says to Riku, “We’ll be back in time for the attack.”

Riku tries to will himself to say something nice in return, instead of the usual retort over how all of this is fishy to him.

“’As fast as you can’ would be better,” is what he says.

Terra smirks. “As fast as we can.”

He summons his Keyblade and with a flick of his wrist as he throws it, it changes into the glider that Riku and Sora have been begging Yen Sid to teach them how to create. An old, forgotten tradition, Yen Sid has said, which has died along with Eraqus. Buried along with the knowledge of the armor.

Which can’t be true because Terra is now with them, and they should all be able to learn the craft one day.

Terra saddles his glider and with an outstretched hand, helps Garnet to sit behind him. He tells her to hold on tightly to his waist, but that doesn’t prepare her for how quickly it can pick up speed. They leave, soaring up into the air and quickly disappearing.

And Sora still hasn’t appeared.

*****

*****

It’s very soon that they fly over a mass of buildings that all look as though the electricity has been cut for them. They are only illuminated by the light of the full moon, which is large and beautiful. But not comforting.

From the sky, Terra can see among the corners of blocks down below groups of small, bright, yellow eyes waddling around. Heartless, quiet in their movement.

But the most apparent thing is the stillness. The only sound to be heard is the loud hum of his glider, and Garnet quickly reminds him that they shouldn’t make much noise either.

“Terra,” she says as she points with her finger, “there is the hospital.”

It’s hard to miss because it’s a building that is several stories tall and is very wide. It has two sections to it, a northern and a southern one, like wings to a castle.

“Please lower us to the building opposite. But not the roof,” she says, careful not to yell it out over the loudness of his glider.

The building across the street is a simple, short office complex. Terra decides not to land directly on the sidewalk, and since she doesn’t want the roof, he hovers his glider right outside an open, yet shattered, window over the alleyway – directly in between this office building and the next one. The office is completely dark, and it’s hard to tell if there are Heartless inside. But they should be fine, he tells himself.

He takes note of how blasé his attitude is toward his decision, like they aren’t in much danger. Maybe it’s the potion. Maybe it’s the fact that most Heartless don’t intimidate him.

Terra hovers it close enough that it’s just a simple hop from it to the window. But Garnet shakes as she struggles to stand straight up on his glider, like it’s going to buckle from under her. He holds her hand tightly while she, ungracefully, throws herself into the dark office.

He soon follows suit, and helps her sit up. Her heart is to her chest as she makes an effort to steady her breathing.

“Stay quiet,” she says in a soft whisper, although she is the one breathing loud.

They stand in silence, listening. But there is nothing to hear.

Terra bends down to his knees her directly, and holds her forearms. “You’re fine,” he says in a low, soft voice. “You made the jump. You’re going to be okay.”

Garnet nods shakily, her brows furrowed. She begins to rummage through her duffel bag, pulling out a flashlight.

“Has any Heartless noticed this light?” she asks when she turns it on.

Terra takes a look around. Inside the office are rows of desks. Most of them are incredibly messy, but frightenly so. As if they have all been abandoned in the middle of an evacuation. As if those who used to sit behind them jumped out of their seats and ran them over. But their belongings stay. Name tags. Unfinished letters. Stacks of reports.

He looks out the back window that faces the opposite street, and jumps back into a crouch when he sees it. A Heartless stands up from its slumber. Its skin is completely black with large, yellow eyes. Its height is the same as the complex, and a plethora of withering tentacles wrap around its face. Simply, it’s massive. And there is another. And yet another farther away.

Garnet crawls over to him to take a look, and doesn’t utter a word as she quivers at the sight.

“Those are called Darksides,” she says in the softest whisper she can utter. She pulls on Terra’s elbow, and they crawl back to the front. She scurries over to a corner right by a window facing the hospital, and places a bomb onto the wall.

“What is that for?” Terra asks.

“It’s just two of us here, Terra, and I can barely manage a fight.” She stops for a moment, like she is about to say something, and takes a glance at the back window, where the Darksides wander. “Please don’t have any expectations that I can survive a fight with those demons.”

She hurries as she connects color-coded cables on the bomb, stopping a few times to whisper to herself instructions on how to set it up.

She says out loud that the final cable is green, and turns off her flashlight.

They keep crouched when she is done. It is unspoken between them, but both are in agreement. It’s too much of a risk to stand up when there are Darksides walking around behind the building.

She begins to waddle in her squatted position, and Terra follows the same. Slowly down the stairs, where they pass by empty rooms of more desks where Shadows and Darkballs hypnotically sway around by themselves. Sneaking through dark hallways where more of the monsters stand still. The potion is clearly working, since they don’t even suspect the presence of a beating heart of light near them.

They reach the bottom floor, and she begins her work on a second bomb in another corner. It is when she is done that they so very carefully open the front door to minimize the sound of creaking. Terra at first realizes how stuffy the office building is, considering how breezy the outside air welcomes him. They stand at the doorway, Garnet eyeing the front entrance to the hospital.

Terra, however, catches sight of something else entirely.

On the roof of the apartment building right next to the hospital, stands the young version of Xehanort, his black coat illuminated by the moon. He is still and patient in his erect posture, as though he is waiting for something to witness. As though there are no Heartless around.

If Riku can see this, it will be a long lecture with all the cuss words he can imagine. It’s a trap, and has been all along. And all it takes is one swing of a Keyblade towards Terra’s heart.

“Xehanort,” he hears Garnet say. Her tone is bland, as if she isn’t surprised. Or worried. Or maybe she is too numb and tired to address the danger appropriately.

Terra swallows a hard lump, his own heart pumping. “He’s a threat to me.”

She holds his forearm, but doesn’t separate her gaze from the man who destroyed her world. She steps forward, in a steady walk, toward the hospital doors, her gaze straight ahead and unwavering. Like she’s on a mission, regardless of everything she has just seen.

Terra follows, quickly exchanging his glance between her and Xehanort.

Strangely, Xehanort is just standing there. It is probably wise to see if Heartless are approaching their block – but some part of him feels safer not knowing. Or maybe Xehanort’s presence is proof that there are worst things.

Even stranger is the fact that Xehanort still doesn’t do anything when they reluctantly go through the hospital doors.

The front desk area is empty. The hallways, empty. Every operating room they pass by, save for slack chairs and equipment, are waiting to be occupied by a human being. Time is frozen in this building, but no one exists. The electricity is out, so the elevator doesn’t work. There are no lights. There is no humming of anything. They don’t say a word to each other, as if the sound of breath will alert something hiding in the darkest shadows.  It takes six flights of stairs and silence to make it to the storage room where the elixirs wait.

Which are kept in heavy containers with thick lids. The shelves are half-full of all types of potions that are completely necessary to have - if only they had more people with them to help carry them back.

Garnet breathes a sigh of relief when she spots beautifully shaped vials of green liquid. “They’re here,” she says, for the first time without a whisper.

She grabs a thickly padded duffel bag that is hanging on the wall and fills them up with elixirs. She can’t contain a smile to her face as she does so.

Terra also breathes, but only half-steady. Relieved they finally got what they came for. Worried over the fact that Xehanort is standing outside, still waiting for something. His heart starts pumping again, and it’s very uncomfortable. Like the potion is making it pump harder.

“I’m glad,” he finally says, trying to stay brave. He can’t lose to Xehanort now. Not until he finds Aqua. Not until she can breathe the same fresh air and see the moon herself. “We can finally get out of here.”

Garnet slumps over the bag, as if to stop herself from sobbing. She wipes her eyes, but refuses to look at Terra.

She attempts to pick up the bag, but it’s too heavy for her, so he is the one who slings it over his shoulder.

They hurry back down the stairs to the first floor, and quickly look out a window towards the clock tower. Just ten minutes until eleven. Terra talks about how they should immediately ride his glider back to the second district as soon as they step outside. Rydia is their first stop before reuniting with the others.

Garnet pauses right in front of the exit doors but doesn’t turn to face him. “Yes, you should be the one to take an elixir straight to Rydia.”

“I think you’re better than I am with the healing stuff,” he says, attempting to stay calm. Something is off. “Besides, I think I should drop you off and go help them with Kefka…” Is there even a Kefka anymore? Riku must be angry with all that worrying.

He sees Garnet slowly shake her head, and she turns to face him.

“Terra,” she starts. Her tone is off. It’s mellow and flat, as though she has been practicing this speech for some time. As though she’s in denial of any emotion she must be having, simply just to say this next sentence. “I’m afraid I do not have much time left.”

His breath is quickly cut off, the words barely registering. “What are you talking about?”

She holds her hands together. “You are to deliver the elixirs and leave me behind. For Rydia, remember?”

“No-” he starts, stumbling over his words. Why? Is she giving up? Is she deciding to end her life, to let herself turn into a Heartless? Is that easier for her or something?  “We got the elixirs. We’re done. I can fly us out of here. We can fly right over Xehanort and not worry about him-”

“I am bargaining for time,” she says, “for all of you.”

*****

*****

Balthier stands atop a balcony, directly behind Noctis, who is on the ground on the middle of the block, like he was just the night before. Cid is by the prince’s side, taking Garnet’s usual position. The pirate, situated high off the ground directly across from where they expect Kefka to appear, is tracing invisible lines in the air in front of him – symbols of the incredibly rare water magic he is preparing to call for.

The plan is to ambush the Heartless the moment it appears. To overwhelm it with the force of an ocean, while the two swordsmen attack it from above. Riku is right across the block from Cloud, the two heavy hitters crouched behind the railings of their own balconies, waiting.

Cloud already has his enormous blade drawn. Riku summons his Keyblade, and checks the clock tower. A minute until eleven. Sora still hasn’t come yet, but there is a minute left. Technically, there is still time.

When this is all over, Riku swears to himself that he will never hear the ring of a clock tower ever again.

The clock strikes eleven. Riku squeezes the handle of his Keyblade, and he still doesn’t see Sora around.

Nine, ten, eleven.

Silence. For one second. For two. Cloud holds a fist straight up into the air, his face so tense that he must be holding his breath. No one moves under his command. Then he slowly stands up, his eyes wide.

Noctis looks hard at Riku.

And Riku seriously needs to beat some sense into Terra. He slams his palm onto the railing and yells out, “It was a trap.”

“Maybe they already made their way into the hotel,” Cid calls out. “They’ll see Rydia first.”

Riku bolts out of the third district, Noctis the closest to follow. He speeds past all the confused faces, the angry voices, the lights of buildings illuminating his way back to the hotel. He ignores Fran’s call for an answer as he breaks open the doors to the hotel. The elevator is too slow so he goes right up the staircase.

He doesn’t bother to knock on Rydia’s door when he barges in, but there is the mage all by herself, lying on her side. She turns to look at him, her face still ghastly, and her eyes red from crying.

Riku chokes. “Terra.”

He can hear Noctis call out Garnet’s name, knocking on her door several times before entering when there is no answer. Riku hurries over to Garnet’s room.

“We need to get to them fast,” he says as Cloud finally approaches the room.

Noctis stands by the messy coffee table filled with a ridiculous amount of papers that she left behind. He picks up her mother’s crystal, and begins scanning through them for information.

“Noct,” Riku stresses, “I’ll leave without you.”

Cloud says, “I can drive us there pretty quick.”

But Noctis lets out a yell, and throws the coffee table over. “It wasn’t a trap. We were wrong,” he says, holding his hand to his mouth.

“It was a trap,” Riku says almost too quickly. And then he pauses. “What do you mean?”

Noctis fails to fight back some tears. “We were wrong. It was never after me. It wants the female mages. Everyone else is collateral and bonus points.”

The heat drains from Riku’s face. It’s only two of them. Terra and Garnet. Without saying anything, he turns away from the bedroom, and Cloud holds him steady.

“You said you could drive us there,” Riku says as he pushes Cloud’s grip away.

“They’re gone.”

A simple, blunt statement. The woman who once shook her finger at him when healing a cut on his arm, telling him that he overestimates himself while wearing a motherly, silly grin.

The Keyblade wielder who has given him purpose and has asked him to keep a silly secret about magic so many years ago.

Precious, but silly.

*****

*****

The clock reads two minutes until eleven when Garnet checks it again. Terra is silent, shell-shocked by the information she has been telling him.

“You barely have time, Terra,” she says as she briskly exits the hospital.

“Don’t,” he says as he follows her, the bag with the elixirs bouncing on his shoulder. They stand out by a lamp post, which is out of power.

Xehanort is still on the roof of the adjacent building, not doing anything.

“When you said that Kefka was coming back, I had reason to re-analyze the records I was updating. And I realized it was only Hope that was taken last night. A woman was made a Heartless in all the other attacks. I’m so sorry,” she says, her head hanging. “I would never choose to put you or Riku in such danger, and I didn’t want either of you with me tonight.”

“This is… so reckless,” Terra says. Even for my standards.

Garnet slaps her hands to her sides when she sees that Terra isn’t moving. “You must go, Terra. The clock will strike.”

Terra tries to maintain his composure. But the headache he is forming only adds to the stress.

“It’s not fair,” he says, slightly raising his voice.

Garnet stares at him, wide-eyed. ‘For Rydia‘ isn’t fair.

The clock strikes eleven. With every ding, Garnet shakes a little harder. With every dong, she brings her hands closer to her chin, like she’s praying, and by the middle of the cycle, she’s shaking so hard that she can barely stand straight.

“Garnet!” Terra calls out, stretching out his hand.

She eyes him. She grabs him and he pulls her to his side. He summons Ends of the Earth in his right hand. Garnet is whispering words with her shortstaff ready, and crystalline shields spin around the both of them before disappearing. He can see a shimmer by Xehanort, who too has summoned a Keyblade of bright teal light – one Terra has never seen before.

I need power.

He calls forth the old man’s ornate silver Keyblade into his left hand.

The clock tower finishes. A large bubble forms, and out comes Kefka. The ground shakes when it lands. Its shrieking laugh hurts, and Terra and Garnet both yell when it does so.

He hates it all. Kefka. Xehanort. Heartless. This unnamed Keyblade. Darkness.

But damned if he isn’t going to boil over and use it to destroy this monster.

[that-fandom-sucks-tho]

Circuits of the Heart

Title: Chapter 5: The Blue One

Warnings: Slight swearing, innuendo cause had to, and slight violence by sparing.

A/N: Hi so as you've probably seen I update at super weird and random times. That is because with school I have to stay up late editing and writing. That means this back to back thing might not always happen. Also my main computer is my school one which blocks Tumblr. When I get access to my mom's laptop I'll add links to the chapters and masterlist. Until then look in the tags or search it!

Chapter 1  Chapter 2  Chapter 3  Chapter 4  Chapter 6  Chapter 7 Chapter 8

With the announcement of the mission I started to train with Black Canary one on one. The gala only a few days away meant I needed practice with my new weapon. Wayne Tech had created a weapon special for my powers. When inactivated it just looked like a small baton, the kind someone would use in a race, but when I touched it the nanotech inside reformed to be whatever I wanted. The two main weapons they had me train with was a bo staff and a katana. I was told the katana was for more serious battle and was prohibited against regular humans; lethal wounds was not our style.

“Alright, try that move again but with putting more weight on your right leg. I know it hurts but babying it won’t help it get better” Black Canary coached as I ran through the drills she had created. While my training was supposed to be one on one, I had gained an audience. Everyone had showed up to see how I was doing and what I could do.

“Woo go Circuit kick that air’s butt!” Cheered Wally but was immediately shushed by everyone surrounding him “I was just cheering her on.”

“When you’re done you should download those moves and commands to help create a place for your training to go.” Black Canary still coached from the sidelines.

“While I find this helpful, I now know how to properly use and control my weapon, would it not be more beneficial to fight someone. The best computer cannot predict the unpredictable patterns of a human.” I asked still moving my bo staff through the air, twirling and striking my imaginary opponent.

“We don’t expect you to be in a fight while at the gala, this is just more precautionary.” At that I gave her a look. “But it can’t hurt to get real world experience. Nightwing you use escrima sticks which can be used in a similar way to her bo staff. Circuit we’ll start with you facing someone who fights like you.”

I looked over at Nightwing and noticed the dark look he was sporting. After I had yelled at him our interactions have not been the same. After the first day of his ignoring me I went and talked about it with Zatanna. I had asked her if he would hate me forever or if I again had stepped too far over the line during the argument. Anger was new and strange but the feeling caused by him ignoring me was worse, it felt cold and it felt empty.

She laughed. “Hun, I told you he doesn’t hate you, in fact I think he was impressed when you stood up to him. He’s just worried and reacting very badly to it.” She started to walk away but after a few steps she turned around, “The ignoring part might be more from what you said during your rant than the actual anger; you basically said you liked him. That shook him, he doesn’t know what to do with that.” She left me in shock and a sharp heat filling my cheeks.

My thoughts returned to the situation at hand. This would be the first time during the three days since I woke up that he would be forced to be near me. Even though he would be trying to hit me, it still warmed my heart at the thought.

“Quit dragging your feet Nightwing, get over yourself and step up here.” Canary yelled.

He just grumbled and walked over quicker. He got into his stance, this time holding the sticks her regularly used in battle. I could feel their electricity from here.

“Okay, no electric shocks Nightwing, and Circuit no katana. Begin.”

We circled each other assessing the weaknesses and strengths that would help us win the fight. If Nightwing was smart he’d go hard at my right side due to the weakened state it is in. He also still had the strength, weight and height over me, but with his main weapon being imbued with tech meant a simple touch would make them mine.

I attacked first this time, I lifted my leg as had been instructed and pushed all of my weight forward, my leg planting back down, striking in a downward slash at Nightwing’s shoulder. His escrima stick came up and blocked the blow and pushed the staff away leaving my right side open. His hit landed on my ribs and made me stumble back, continuing with his assault he made a jab for my throat with the butt of his weapon. I twirled the staff to knock the attacks momentum away from me. I turned my body and kicked him in the stomach. He retreated a few steps and started again. As he made his strike on my I decided to block it with my forearm, when it landed I wrapped my hand around it.

Though the escrima stick had little in ways of advanced technology, it had metal and wiring I could take advantage of. I asked the wires and motherboard to short circuit for me and when his stick started smoking I knew they had listened.

With Nightwing distracted by his smoldering escrima stick I sweeped out his legs and put the butt of my bo staff at his throat. I had won this round.

“Very good Circuit you used his weapons against him, smart” Black Canary praised me with a smile.

My chest was heaving and I had sweat running down my back. The fight had taken considerable effort on my part and from the way Nightwing was laying on the ground it had for him as well. I leaned over him and offered my hand.

“Do you still believe that I cannot do well in this mission?” I asked.

He stood up and dusted himself off, not looking me in the eyes. “You seem to be able to handle yourself well.” His voice was gruff and after a quick glance at me he stomped off.

“Don’t worry about him I think you just bruised his ego, men like to win.” Artemis came up and patted me on the back as she commented on Nightwings aggravating behavior.

“Being a dude is definitely the reason he stomped off but for a completely different reason.” Wally came up beside me as well. A smirk making his eyes twinkle with mischief.

“Wally what are you going on about?” Artemis glared at him.

“Circuit just kicked his ass and even from the sidelines that was hot; I can only imagine how he feels.”  His eyebrows wiggled up and down in a way that was quite suggestive.

“I do not think his temperature would be a reason to exit in the manner he did.” I stated because Wally was being ridiculous, again.

“How can I put this in a way you’ll understand? You have done something very attractive and Nightwing wishes he could ‘mate’ with you, but since he can’t he went to fix it himself.” Artemis slapped his shoulder in disgust.  I felt a heat rush to every part of me and my stomach did a flip.

“Gross Wally, keep walking and keep your thoughts to yourself.” Artemis dragged me away but I was not really paying attention. All my processor could focus on was the fact that maybe I would not have minded partaking in some mating rituals if Nightwing had asked.

“Hold still. I still need to pin this part.” Megan mumbled with a mouth full of bobby pins.

The gala is tonight and I am told that it is a black tie affair. I had not known that meant sitting in a chair for two hours as Megan and Zatanna poked and prodded me. They slathered makeup on my face that distinctly smelled like orchids. When I saw Megan pull out a metal rod that, even from a foot away I could feel heat coming off of it, I begged to be released. I started to stand but Zatanna roughly shoved me back into my seat. There was no getting out of this.

By the end my hair was curled into waves before it was pinned up behind my head in an elegant updo. Delicate tendrils came down and framed my face.  I had a natural dewy look, though it was a big lie as I had over 15 different products on my face alone.

Next I had to choose a dress. The girls had laid out the few options Mount Justice offered. There was one option that had a dark scarlet bodice of crushed velvet and a full skirt of tulle. The next was a black dress. It had see through lace shoulders and silk that hugged the curves before it gently sloped outwards. The last dress was a dark blue two piece. The top was covered in lace with a solid blue underneath. After an inch gap came the skirt; the same lace covered the top layer and tulle filled out the rest of the full skirt.

“My personal favorite is the red dress” Artemis pitched in.

“Stop fantasizing about Wally and really focus. I think we all know the best dress she should wear” Zatanna responded with a sly look in our direction.

“The blue one.” We all said in unison.

I walked into the hangar prepared to leave in the jet that would take us to gotham. The teamed had gathered to see me and Wally off. Apparently Artemis, Zatanna, Megan and I were to make a grand entrance because we were the last to enter. The murmurs of conversation that had been happening ceased when we entered the room. All of the heads in the room turned our direction.  

“What is wrong? Did I put the dress on incorrectly?” I looked down at the dress smoothing the invisible wrinkles. I looked over at Nightwing to see his reaction. His mouth hung open slightly as he looked me up and down. I brushed a piece of hair behind my ear suddenly bashful.

Wally cleared his throat. “Um, no. You-you look amazing.”

Zatanna walked over and elbowed Nightwing in the gut causing him to grunt and turn to face her. “Yeah Nighty what do you think? Doesn’t that color just look great on her?” Nightwing shuffled his feet and rubbed the back of his neck. After his first look he refuses to glance in my direction.

“Yeah, she looks breathtaking. Circuit can I, um, talk to you for a second?” He made a jerking motion with his head. I quickly followed him to the secluded corner he wished to take me.

“Hey don’t go making out now! She’s my date tonight.” A muffled ow could be heard right after Wally’s comment. I could only assume someone gave physical retribution to his crudeness.

“If you are going to try and stop me from proceeding I will exit immediately.” I whispered with a glare. I could not understand why he is so adamant that I did not go on this mission. For most this would be pretty simple, but he seemed to think I was walking into a lion’s den.

“No, no I’ve learned that I can’t stop you. You’re strong and capable but it’s still dangerous and you getting hurt it...You just can’t, okay? Promise me you’ll be careful” He whispered urgently his eyes full of concern. My anger sizzled out as his soft and panicked voice washed over me.

“While it is entirely possible that I will be injured, I will try to avoid that.” I smiled at my answer hoping it eased his worries. He sighed and shook his head.

“I guess for you that’s as close to a promise I’ll get.” With that he gathered me into a hug and pressed his face into my neck. This was unlike the hug Megan had given me; her’s was full of friendship and joy. This one felt like a whispered pledge that I didn’t know the words to yet.

“Hey, let go of my date we’ve got places to be and you’re holding us up.” Again Wally’s yelling cut in during our moment. I would need to have a talking to him about that. Nightwing and I slowly parted and his eyes said he wasn’t ready to let go but knew he had to.

“I’ll be in your comms the whole time. Just call if you need anything.”

Wally and I landed at the airstrip and made our departure in a fancy limousine. The inside held seats for twenty with still enough room for a mini bar. Our driver asked for directions and then pulled out never looking back at us.

The ride was short and uninteresting. We went over the plans again making sure we had everything in place. Nightwing had been right he was in our ears adding notes to our plan as if we did not already know them. After twenty minutes we arrived at our destination.

I stared in awe at the giant mansion; it had every light on and it shone as bright as a star. Guests were arriving in the hundreds. The women's jewelry and clothing looked expensive enough that I’m sure the whole of Mount Justice did not cost as much. The men held their chins high so all they could do was look down their noses at others; practice makes perfect I guess.

I held my arm out for Wally to take and then nodded in the direction of the house.

“Into the lion’s den then?”

@lilylovelyxo @jadedhillon @gingerrosecosplay

[lore-a-lie]

Chapter 2: I Spit on Your Grave Expectations

Daily Life

Kaede wasn’t sure what to expect after that argument, but when she got to the dining hall the next day after washing the crust from her face and the redness from her eyes it was clear things had only gotten worse. Kaito was yelling at Angie about something and their group of friends was visibly split in two, the sets standing on opposite sides of the hall, but that wasn’t what concerned her the most. Kibo was.

He was pink now. Every bit of his previous gentle cyan lighting was gone, leaving only the nearly toxic looking magenta glow in its place. Even the glare he gave her was an intense pink rather than his previous desaturated blue, which shook her for reasons she couldn’t explain beyond feeling “wrong”.

And as around his neck, catching the light despite the shadows there, was Miu’s layered necklace he salvaged the night before, clean and repaired, she didn’t need to wonder why he did. That was a fair enough warning for what this was about.

Kaede wasn’t a good enough leader for them so Angie wanted to take over her responsibilities.

And had Miu not asked this of me I might have been fine with going along with that. But she did, as our friend, so I can’t give up quite yet. Right? Or did Miu just make another mistake putting her faith in me?

The way the room was divided the two new “groups” was pretty clear. Those in support of Angie’s new leadership were Kibo, Tenko, Tsumugi, Kirumi, and Gonta. Her friends that wanted to keep supporting Kaede’s own attempts to protect them were Kokichi, Kiyo, and Kaito’s trio of him, Ryoma, and Maki. (Little wonder this would happen the day I was the last to arrive huh? Not that I’d blame anyone here.)

“Kaito, please calm down! Let’s just try to talk about this okay? “This” is about how I’ve been leading everyone so far right? Just tell me what’s going on.”

“Atua doesn’t believe you’ve been doing a good job at keeping everyone safe. You are good at bringing us together, but only in ways that have better enabled us to turn on each other. He doesn’t feel only Monokuma’s motives are at fault for that, as you haven’t tried limiting the means for our betrayals. And so He told me Angie should be the one to lead us now, and to make rules to help protect everyone here! We can’t keep hoping for your dangerous dream of going back outside Kaede, we’ve lost enough of us.”

“And that’s why I’m calling bullshit! How long do you honestly think we could stay here?! Have you seen where our food’s been coming from? Any medical facilities, or even a goddamn nurse’s office?! We can’t trust anything here to keep us alive in the long term you idiot!” Kaito was still furious, for good reason.

He should know more about the dangers of being stuck somewhere without any means of protecting or repairing the resources everyone will be relying on than anyone else here, given his talent and experience. And yet Angie and her supporters kept completely ignoring his warnings and concerns.

“But Atua says it’s safe here, and it’s not like we have any better options. Without a safer alternative it’s plain to see this is the best course of action we can be taking, isn’t it?” (No it isn’t. I need to step in.)

“Tsumugi weren’t you the one to warn me to be wary of cults and con artists? Because it’s sounding like you should be taking your own advice right now you know, you can’t just pretend Kaito’s wrong here.”

“How could she? She and Angie were both Con Artists already aren’t they?” Kokichi mocked, looking for all to see like a cat playing with a canary as both girls glared at him for the pun. (But he’s not really okay with what’s happening here is he? This is too dangerous to allow things to keep going on for long, right?)

“Who are you calling a cult?! We are-” Tenko’s yelling was cut off by a familiar chorus of “Rise and Shine, Ursine”, minus the loudest and deepest voice in their tune. The set of three cubs and their father stood in the middle of the room.

“Hello~ my children! My, my, aren’t you all just chomping at the bit today? At least you’ve got a lot of energy for your exploring later, haven’t you?” The three little cubs kept looking between themselves as their father talked, as if communicating amongst each other while he was distracted talking to the class. “And boy do I have some presents for you~ A wonderful set of rewards for you all surviving so far, won’t that be fun? Come on kids, show them their fantabulous new prizes!”

“No.” The monotone syllable got everyone’s attention, all eyes on the half green bear and his siblings.

“... What? Sorry, must have some stuffing in my belly button, it sounded like you said-”

“Not happening pops. Why should we be listenin’ to ya anymore huh?”

“What do you think you’re playing at kiddo?” Monokuma wasn’t amused by his tiger-striped son’s reply.

“W-we talked about things after the last trial! W-we keep dying and no one cares at all but us! S-so… So we won’t do this anymore! We have the Exisals, so we’ll just do things our way from now on daddy!”

“Though this all bein’ said we prolly should hand out these little doohickies shouldn’t we? But let’s try ta change things up! No more o’ this givin’ you the things and then sit back while you bumbling bastards try to sort their puzzles out business! Each o’ us will keep the keys we got as youse guys figure out where to you’ll need to take us. Will we be helpful? Annoying? Try to lead you astray? Who fuckin’ gives a damn!”

“... This is fine. I mean it’s good you kids are taking some initiative right? This is a good thing for a father to witness, this isn’t a cute lil’ coup d'etat by my Ultimate Lil’ Monokubs or anything, nope not at all.”  

Despite saying that Monokuma was somewhat dazed as he mumbled something about going back home to his cubs who do still like him, sounding somewhat delusional given they’re all here. As he wandered off the pink cub- Monophanie, took out three items to pass out to her remaining brothers. She kept the literal pixelated key for herself, Monosuke was given the ninja scroll, leaving Monodam with the golden hammer. But after doing this the cubs looked at a loss over what they were meant to do next.

“So… Now, what Monosuke? Do we just split up?”

“Uhh… Yeah, sure why not? I don’t wanna to spend any more time with a certain murderer I could mention anyways.” Monosuke gave Monodam a pointed glare at that, but Monophanie’s flailing about trying to deny what he did was more of a response than Monodam’s own stoic stare.

“Then-Let’s-All-Get-Along-With-The-Bastards! Let’s-All-Be-Friends-Now, No-Need-For-Killing-Games!”

“WHAT?! Not a fuckin’ chance, the Killing Game’s the most fun we’ve had! Why should we give it up?”

“I don’t know, making friends could be nice, and no more gross gory bodies to deal with. Let’s give it a try at least, we can always change our minds later right?”

“Fuck that! You two can go play house, or class, or whateva the fuck this shit is but I’m out. If any of yous guys want to use my item I’ll be outside to see if ya can get me ta put it where it needs to go, capisce?” And with that, the bespectacled bear squeakily stormed out the door to the porch as the humans watching things unfold remained speechless. (I mean this is too stupid for words right now isn’t it???)

Angie was the first to break the silence as Monophanie and Monodam kept looking between themselves, their items, and everyone else. “Well we already made ourselves into two groups so this works out well, doesn’t it? Praise be to Atua and his foresight of your own changes of heart!”

“What’s an Atua?” (An excellent question, but not one you should ever ask bear. You’ll see.)

“A term stemming from Polynesian cultures that can mean “power” in a more supernatural sense, like “mana” which is quite different from the apparently common video game concept of the same name. However this typically refers to gods or spirits, in this case specifically for a presumably monotheistic entity that-”

“Atua is Atua silly! He’s all knowing and carefully watches over everyone, like a loving father!” Kiyo did not appreciate being cut off mid-lecture by Angie’s attempt to recruit another member to her cause, but he did at least capture Monodam’s attention.

“Apparently common”? Has he not played any games with it before? That’s weird. I wonder if this means Himiko told him about that before she… When they talked before the show. She knew a lot about that sort of thing, so it might have been what helped her and Angie bond too.

“Angie told Gonta Atua was like Grandma, Atua change?”

“Yup-yup! Atua changes to whatever He feels will help those He cares for best after all!”

“That-Sounds-Rather-Unreliable. And-Convenient-If-You-Are-Making-Him-Up, To-Claim-He-Is-Where Ever-You-Say-He-Is. How-”

“It’s is not the place of mortals to question Him or His divine grace you know?” (And so hails the return of Angie’s scary face, oh joy. If there is a God why do I need to be the one to put up with this right now?)

“No-I-Did-Not. But-Father-Claimed-He-Was-Our-God-Too-And-Look-At-Him-Now. We-Don’t-Need-Yours, Right-Monophanie?”

“Hmm, but Daddy was lying about that wasn’t he? Maybe this “God” is different. Why not give it a try?”

“I-Do-Not-Want-To. It-Doesn’t-Seem-To-Be-Helping-Others-To-Get-Along, Just-Making-Them-Fight.”

“Religion has been known to do both, faith can be quite the terrifying thing when taken to extremes. Particularly those that leave no room for compromise or allow themselves to mix with their neighbors. Among many pantheons, it’s common to find deities that in fact originated somewhere else and became incorporated over time to help pacify and better unite with other cultures.” (Nice trivia Kiyo, but no one cares.)

“Why not you come with us then Monodam, while Monophanie can go with Angie’s? Are you going to tell us where your item belongs? I don’t think I’ve seen anything for it before.”

“I-Don’t-Think-”

“I like that plan! Let’s go!”

Monophanie was quick to leave with Angie’s cult, which upset the remaining bear. If his goal was staying as a group he was proving pretty bad at it with how eager his siblings were to avoid him, given his involvement with Monokid’s death and their own personalities. But seeing Kaede’s expectant face he lit back up again, seeing them as other people he could try to “get along with” instead of his siblings.

“That’s-Because-You-Haven’t-Yet! It-Is-Up-Stairs-With-The-New-Labs, I-Will-Show-You!”

Alas, he forgot the stairs he was thinking of were still locked behind the supposed mural of the pixelated door that required Monophanie’s key to open, so Kaede had to hurry after Angie to see about that first.

After some negotiations between the two it was agreed that since the Magic Key had the most obvious use and Monodam’s item would be used in the area it unlocked Angie’s group would be headed outside to solve Monosuke’s Ninja Scroll puzzle instead.

Monophanie was rather relieved this would mean she wouldn’t need to go to the fourth floor yet and instead would get her more time alone with Monosuke, which in hindsight should have been a warning.

Following Monodam soon proved to be a mistake. Not an avoidable one, and not one that was his fault in particular, but it felt like a mistake nonetheless. The fourth floor lived up to the creepier associations with a number a bit too well in Kaede’s opinion. And that’s only speaking from the top of the stairs, they hadn’t even been to any rooms yet. (AND I DON’T WANT TO. AT ALL. WHY IS IT SO SPOOKY?! ... Kiyo’s lab is here isn’t it? It’s gotta be here with this atmosphere and everything, it suits him way too well. Welp.)

Kiyo apparently assumed the same thing as he gravitated to a set of traditional shoji style doors, unlike all the others in the school. Kokichi quickly followed after him while Kaito stayed where he was, sweating and trying not to look at anything around him.

Ryoma was rather amused by this as he tried leading his friend down the halls but given the scream that could not have been from Maki and Kaito dashing back and practically flying back down the stairs that was clearly a lost cause. It didn’t stop an annoyed Maki from following after him to literally drag him back by the arm though, as if in payback for all the times he practically did the same thing for her.

“C’mon Maki Roll, we don’t need this many people here right?! I can go see about the Ninja Scroll or something-” Kaito tried to argue, but she was still having none of his excuses.

“Not a chance. I thought a “manly” guy like you is supposed to be brave, aren’t you?”

“W-well… I mean… T-that’s why it’s good for you and Ryoma to do this alone! It’s-”

“Better for you to face your cowardice here then. You are the only one with a problem, idiot.” Maki challenged with an air of finality that seemed to shut Kaito up for the most part. Minus some nervous keening noises Kaede could hear as he was being pulled away.

Kaede chose not to draw attention to herself and how she proved he really wasn’t the "only one with a problem" and instead made her way with Monodam down the hall to a set of three doors.

She opened the first to see what was in it, only to let out a shriek of her own and slam it shut again upon seeing what she would swear was a familiar looking bear-shaped ghost floating inside. As Monodam grabbed her hand and made a dash back to the anthropology lab she wasn't the only one.

Had she not been so frazzled by everything Kaede probably would have found the confused looks on Kokichi and Kiyo’s faces hilarious, at least before Kokichi started to laugh at her own expression instead.

“... Might I inquire to what exactly that was about? If you’ll pardon my use of the phrase, you look like you’ve seen a gho-” Kiyo tried to ask, choosing to have marginally more tact than the local liar. If only his choice of words had been better.

“Don’t. Say it. Something was in one of those side rooms, honest!” Kaede tried to explain as convincingly as she could, but with everything going on and only the furiously nodding Monodam in her defense that wasn't saying much.

“Indeed, It-Was-Monotaro! But-Different-Than-He-Used-To-Be!”

“ Please tell me- you’re trying to say- you think you say some ghost- of a robotic teddy bear , Kaede. Because this is fucking priceless, you should see your face right now!” Kokichi was barely able to pause his laughter enough to speak, despite the scolding side look Kiyo was giving him for his teasing. (Don’t you fucking pretend I don’t see you smirking under that mask Kiyo! You’re enjoying this too aren’t you?!)

“S-shut up! You can go look for yourself then if you don’t believe me.”

“And leave you and Kiyo in his spooooky lab alone together? Ooookie-dokie! You two have fun~” (... Well fuck. Why couldn’t it be a normal museum? I can handle those! Everything here feels wrong. How many stories does this lab even have?!... Is this just for a visual pun?)

“I hardly see what you’re talking about, the setup they have here is magnificent. I haven’t the foggiest idea where on earth they could have found some of these works, I never expected I’d be able to so much as see them much less be in their presence during my lifetime.” (THAT PROVES IT’S CREEPY DAMNIT!)

As Kokichi stepped out to investigate Kaede’s “ghost bear” it was almost funny to see Kiyo flit about the room like he was a kid in a candy store. Almost. Though hearing him ramble about how there was a book with “spells” written by the sole survivor of a village, fueled by the fury behind the girl’s pen as she wrote, the incredibly heavy dog statue and cage meant for a séance from it, and a genuine katana did nothing to ease Kaede’s nerves at all. Not that he noticed in his sheer delight at everything around him.

Kokichi really should have expected to find her curled up into a ball like this, sitting on one of the seats near the bookshelves with her head on her knees, when he got back.

“Uhh, Kiyo I think you broke her. Great, now who’s gonna save us from Angie’s crazy cultists?! They even have Kirumi, we can’t compete with that! All we have is an idiot and scary people! WE’RE DOOOOMED!” Kokichi faux-sobbed with his crocodile tears again as Kiyo sighed.

“Technically we do also have one of the less incompetent and supposedly benevolent of Monokuma’s progeny, but you make a fair assessment. They also have Gonta and Tenko among them, which is also concerning as both are as strong as they are gullible I fear. Unless Kaede is back with us now of course?”

“Darn you all to heck, you horrible, horrible people” Came Kaede’s deadpanned reply, muffled by her body.

“Nope! Still broken, she can’t even curse now.”

“... Hmm, I see. Very well then, speaking of curses-” Kiyo’s words certainly got Kaede back on her feet.

“NO! NO MORE CURSES. I HEARD ENOUGH TODAY.” Too bad Kaede’s pointer finger in his face didn’t have its intended effect, as he was still more amused than anything else. She chalked it up to the height thing.

“There, that appears to have done the trick. My apologies for not seeing sooner how distressed you were becoming, I got rather overzealous you could say.” (Or you could say you were a dick, you jerk!)

“That-Is-Good-” Monodam caught the enraged glare Kaede gave him and backpedaled. “I-Mean-Not-Being-Insensitive-To-Your-Friends, That-Is-Bad. But-That-Enjoying-Your-Lab-Is-Good! Each-Was-Tailor-Made-For-You-Bastards-After-All.”

“Is that more or less creepy to hear than everything else here?” (LESS . INFINITELY LESS. Er-waitaminute.)

That did explain the selection of music in her own lab, any songs she saw that Kaede didn’t immediately recognize she still had a vague knowledge of. Like she heard of it and just hadn’t listened to them yet.

And it did indicate they were all in this place for a specific reason, to be singled out like this. But not why or what the reasoning behind this could be for. (I mean even if it looks like a prison school only maybe a handful of us seem like we’d actually belong in one, and if Kirumi’s the prime minister in all but title she shouldn’t fit. Unless she was used as a scapegoat for something? Would she remember that?)

“If such efforts were made to study and accommodate us why were we made to kill each other then? This is rather extreme for a mere social experiment, wouldn’t you say?” Kiyo asked, looking over some of his displays as he did.

“I-Can’t-Tell-You-That. Sorry. I-Could-Tell-You-Other-Things-But-Only-For-The-Killing-Game-Itself, Not Where-You-Bastards-Are. And-As-The-Killings-Should-End-Now-That-Doesn’t-Matter-Anymore.”

“I dunno~ If you have a motive for us later it could make you Monokuma wannabes at least a little useful. Might make us like you a little bit. So spill it, any other “special rules” we didn’t know about?” Kokichi said, putting the bear in something between a hold and a hug.

“Umm… There-Is-The-Tiebreaker-Rule? If-Multiple-People-Tie-For-Having-The-Most-Votes-And-The- Blackened-Is-One-Of-Them-Then-It-Counts-And-The-Spotless-Would-Be-Safe-From-Execution. It-Even- Works-With-Everyone-Only-Having-One-Vote, So-If-You-All-Agreed-To-Vote-For-Yourselves-You’d-Win!”

“I hardly believe the blackened would ever allow things to turn out in such a way. They’d simply need to lie and vote for anyone else to ensure their own survival would be guaranteed, yes?”

Monodam began bashfully poking his paws together at Kiyo's point, almost like he thought his way would have really worked. He also got a bit nervous when Kokichi brought up another motive appearing, so even without their father’s “game” apparently his cubs have something in store for them all later anyway.

When Kaede was feeling marginally better she made another attempt at looking for where Monodam’s hammer was meant to be used. Kokichi confirmed the three side doors were empty, denying seeing any ghosts or ghouls with a snicker, as he and Kiyo chose to keep her company. (To see me cry again?! Jerks.)

Monodam was trying to not so subtly lead them back towards the three doors, but instead the group went to see about Kaito’s group in the last room. Well, Kiyo and Kokichi did, as Kaede turned around and ran right back to Monodam upon seeing the blood-red hallway, much to Kokichi’s annoyance.

“Seriously Kaede?! Come on you scaredy cat get back here, we have work to do!” Kokichi called after her.

“We hardly need her for this. As Monodam is indicating this isn’t where his item needs to go why don’t we leave that to her for now? I strongly doubt this will be getting any easier on her mind quite yet.”

“It’s the principle of it! Why should we go somewhere when our “leader” won’t?! Kaede come baaack~”

Kiyo ignored Kokichi’s attempt to drag Kaede back and briefly continued along the hallway that supposedly Kaito was capable of going through, before walking back looking like he found something particularly amusing in the hallway ahead. Kaede didn’t have too long to wonder what sort of horrible thing this was foreshadowing as Kokichi pushed her onwards like she was stubborn packhorse stuck by a river.

The series of Jizo statues, decapitated and otherwise, certainly explained what Kiyo thought was so damn funny, but Kokichi and Kaede were less appreciative of the “joke” as the push shifted into more of a cling. As she tried going back again, Kokichi spun on his heel with the force behind her, but shifted their momentum to shoving her forwards instead. While the two made their mad sprint past the 8 figures Kiyo calmy trailed behind them, pausing to examine the statues and the Torii sitting across the way.

Kaede nearly ran into Kaito in her run to get anywhere but the eerie rotting red hallways around her, who she could not be more grateful to see. Since she was still soon followed by Kokichi Kaito wouldn’t be able to say the same, but since he finally got the hug he asked for before he was certainly not complaining.

“Hey there, you okay?” (NO. I have never been good at test of courage type stuff! I never want to come here again. EVER. At least the hallway here looks normal again? Is that another lab? Are we done yet?!)

As that isn’t best to admit Kaede tried salvaging what she could of this situation. “Y-yeah, it’s just a bit too… Spooky for me, you know? With… The gross wallpaper, and stuff on the ceiling, and the lighting-”

“And Kiyo with his sadistic horror fetish!” Kokichi’s voice chimed in behind her.

“And Kiyo with his- Hey wait no, you stay out of this! You made me go through there!”

“Right into Kaito’s waiting arms! You better not let Maki catch the two of you like this~”

“That could prove most troublesome, "Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned". And who knows what a slighted assassin may do should her fickle feelings sour.” (Do you really have to say stuff like that here Kiyo?!... Of course you do, stupid question. Please don’t kill me Maki.)

“That’s not funny you two, knock it off!” Kaito scolded, giving both of the boys a firm look as if they all didn’t know that push come to shove either could leave him a terrified mess. “You’re here for Angie’s lab right? It’s open and everything so get move on with it. Though unlike the others this one does have locks, which might cause issues later. No idea where the keys for it are yet since we couldn’t find any inside.”

The high ceilings were weird to see be continued from the hallways around it, but the contrasting tone of the normal white fluorescent lighting was a welcome relief. At least Angie wouldn’t need to worry about art supplies or areas for her work to dry anymore, she could even probably hang stuff from the exposed beams if she had to free up floor space.

Having two different types of doors was another odd detail, considering both in Kiyo’s lab matched. But not all of the light fixtures matched either so maybe this was a preference of Angie’s, as she wasn’t here to give them any input beyond what could be seen. No Flashback Lights were in here at least, just Maki and Ryoma looking around the large workspace.

… Which meant it was likely for the best to leave and go see what Monodam was so intent on. Oh, joy.

Kaede managed to get through the disturbing trek faster this time, at a brisk walk while trying not to look around herself too much, but she had stubbed her foot on one of the Jizo heads lying on the floor in her hurry. (And now we know those things are heavy, even though they’re round it barely budged. OWWW!)

Kaito at least was with her this time, which made for much more pleasant company as he wasn’t faring much better than she was as far as nerves were concerned in these hopefully not-so-haunted hallways. She thought it for the best to not point out other rooms on this floor might not be able to have the title. It was getting easier to get used to this now at least, which was little comfort but a comfort nonetheless.

Monodam was sitting on the floor pulling at his feet with his paws until he saw them return, quick to get to his feet and pull them towards the painted glass at the end of the hallway. He nearly threw his hammer at them trying to “hint” to them how exactly they were meant to solve this “riddle”.

Pushy little brat isn’t he? Cuter than the yellow one at least, since he is trying to make himself useful. Sibling murder notwithstanding of course.

Kaito did what he wanted though, and through the shattered glass another hallway could be seen. Still a creepy hallway in its own way, but this one looked more high tech. Tubes and exposed stainless steel floors almost feeling like they’d be better suited to a spaceship than a school.

The door they found at the end had a light with the words “Computer Room” above it, and when they approached the unusual locks sprang to life to open for them. (Must be motion activated or something then, weird to see here.)

This room was massive, nearly if not as big as the labs on this floor were already, and had it not been called the “Computer Room” already Kaede wouldn’t have known what to make of the large cube in the center of the space, surrounded by monitors. (Right, technically computers are those tower things, not the screens aren’t they? But I’ve never seen one this big! I didn’t even know cables came in that size.)

Kaito let out a low whistle as he took everything in and Monodam explained this was for the latest incarnation of the “Neo-World Program”, a simulated world people could enter if they wanted to. (Miu probably would have had a field day with this thing if she were here… But then that could have just lead to her trying to kill someone anyway, couldn’t it? In a world where she’d know the rules better than us.)

But of more of their direct concern was the treasure chest to the left of it. One that looked just like the one with the previous Flashback Light the time before. Kaede made a beeline for it and took the precious clue to what was going on with her and her friends, putting it in her backpack for safe keeping.

She told Kaito to gather everyone on this floor and meet up later as she headed to find Angie’s group.

Best to have everyone regroup in the Dining Hall to see what we’ll be doing with this. It’s as good a time as any to see what they’ve found so far too.

First Chapter     Previous Chapter     Index     AO3 Version     Next Chapter

[the-stories-in-my-head-95]

Love at First Punch- Part 3

Damian Wayne x Reader

Summary- Reader is the daughter of green arrow and black canary and first meets Damian a couple weeks after he starts to live with Bruce. He says something rude and you punches him in the face and it’s been happily ever after ever since. When you are 18 you, Damian and Bart Allen get sucked into another universe. One where Thomas Wayne, your grandfather and Nora Allen are all alive and they are founding members of their justice league. In an attempt to get back to your universe Bart accidentally brings you to another universe where you are ambushed and taken into custody by none other than the Avengers. Will the three of you make it back home?

Message- Here’s part 3, sorry it took so long to write it! This part has the Avengers. Sorry if it sucks!

Background  Part 1  Part 2

Word Count- 1405

The three of you end up being trapped in this alternate dimension for 3 months. It’s weird getting to know a man that has been dead your whole life, the man that drove your Dad to become the man he was. You can tell that Damian and Bart feel similarly about their grandparents.

“We figured it out, we can leave today.” Bart says. You and Damian just nod your heads silently. You get up and go to find your Grandfather.

“Bart and Nora figured a way to get us home.” You whisper.

“Yeah, Nora told me. I-I’ll miss you.” Your grandfather says. “I-I wrote a letter, I was wondering if you could give it to Ollie.”

“Of course. I’ll miss you too.” You say as you pull him into a hug. Then you take the letter and the two of you walk to the lab.

“This should open a portal to your world, it should open somewhere near the club was.” Nora says.

“Thank you, all of you.” You murmur. You all say your final goodbyes, before the three of you step into the portal. Then you’re falling, it feels like forever and then you land, hard. But not hard enough to cause any damage.

“Oww.” Bart whines.

“I agree.” Damian says. The three of you get up slowly and you all stretch. You pick your bow up off of the ground. The three of you are looking around.

“We’ll this definitely isn’t anywhere near the-“ You start.

“Weapons down, hands up.” You hear from behind you.

“Bart.” You hiss and he nods slightly. So you drop your bow, all three of you turn around slowly and you see 7 people, all dressed in different super suits and they all have weapons pointed at you. “Now.”

Then Bart zooms away, but first he puts your bow back into your hand, you load it with an arrow and shoot at the purple man flying in the sky. It should have hit him in the chest, but it goes right through him.

“Martian?” You murmur.

“Perhaps, Beloved.” Damian murmurs as he uses several batarangs to try to hinder their attacks. Then an arrow zooms between the two of you. You pull an arrow out of your quiver and shoot at the archer. You’re equally matched, your arrows continue to hit his. You look around and noticed both Bart and Damian are being overpowered as well. You become more desperate and start to shoot arrows at not only the archer.

“Canary.” Damian yells, so you look over at him. You see that he’s putting earplugs in. “Cry!” You nod your head and you wait for Bart to notice what was about to happen, you see him scoop up Damian and run behind you. Then you scream, as load as you can, the ones who are attacking you start to fall to their knees, but the purple one is only slightly hindered by your sonic attack. So you try to scream loader, but eventually your lungs are screaming for air. Your vision starts to go fuzzy from lack of oxygen, eventually the world goes black.

***

(Avengers pov)

“They’re kids.” Tony murmurs as he looks into the cells where the three trespassers.

“I was a kid. When I was recruited.” Nat whispers.

“Still, maybe we can help them. Deprogram them, show them the light and what not.” Tony says.

“I want to talk to her, when she wakes up.” Clint murmurs.

“What, do archers stick together?” Sam jokes.

“You saw how good she is, that kind of skill takes decades of training, and she’s what 18?”  Clint says.

“Fine, we’ll talk to her first. Then the boys.” Steve says. The two boys wake up first, but eventually you wake up.

“Let’s go.” Steve says to Clint. The two men walk towards the cells. They move to unlock yours but the two boys are making a big stink.

“If you so much as touch her, I will rip you to shreds. I am the heir to the demon! You will listen to me!” The one with black hair screams. The one that is fast is banging his fists against the wall.

(Back to Readers POV)

“Robin, Impulse, stop. I can take care of myself.  It’s going to be okay.” You murmur.

“I will kill them, if they hurt you, beloved.” Damian screams.

“It’s okay.” You murmur as you let one of the men lead you down the hall. They lead you into an interrogation room and push you into a seat.

“What’s your name kid?” The archer asks. You stay silent, just staring at him.

“How old are you?” The one that had been dressed like the American flag asks. You continue to sit in silence. “Who sent you?” They both ask numerous question, but you continue to sit in silence.

“They’re going to come for us, you know.” You eventually murmur.

“Who?” The archer asks.

“The league? You guys made a real dumb decision when you decided to attack the three of us.” You growl.

“What’s the league?” The other man asks.

“Please, really, that’s what you’re going with? The Justice League? You know Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and Green Arrow? They’re going to get us and then you are all going to rot in prison. What kind of villain dresses in red, white and blue anyway?”

“We’re not villains, we’re the Avengers. The earth’s mightiest heroes? My name is Steve and this is Clint.” Steve says.

“We’ve never heard of the Justice league. You trespassed on our compound. We’re did you learn to shoot like that kid?” Clint ask.

“My Dad.” You murmur. “Y-You’re sure that you’re not bad guys?”

“Pretty sure, kid.” Steve murmurs.

“Fuck!” You shout as you slam your cuffed hands against the table. “It didn’t work.”

“Hey calm down, kid. What didn’t work?” Clint asks.

“W-We’re heroes, sidekicks actually. Our parents are heroes.” Then you explain everything that had happened in the last several months.

“Look, kid, we want to believe you, but that’s a pretty crazy story.” Steve says.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t believe it either. Do you have a lord of order on this world?” You ask.

“Lord of order?” Clint asks.

“A sorcerer?” You ask.

“Strange.” Clint says before walking out of the room. He comes back in with a man who is wearing a red cape. “This is Doctor Strange.”

“Hello.” You murmur. “Look into my head, they need know that I’m telling the truth. But, be warned if you look at anything I don’t want you to, I know a few tricks.”  Strange nods and puts his hands one your forehead. You show him everything that has happened, how Klarion had sent you to a different dimension and how you ended up hear in an attempt to get home.

“She is telling the truth.” Strange says. “I will try to find you home dimension.” He says before leaving the room.

“Uncuff, me please.” You say. Steve uses a key and lets you go.  “Thank you.”

“Let’s go let your friends out.” Clint says and you nod. You were a couple steps behind Clint.

“Where is Canary? If you have hurt her, I will kill you. Throw you in the pit and then kill you again!” Damian growls.

“Dam, relax. They’re the good guys. This just isn’t our dimension.” You say as you waltz into the room. “Get them out please.”  Then Clint lets Damian out of his cell, he runs to you and looks you over before he pulled you into a passionate kiss.

“Ugh, again, really.” Bart murmurs. “Are you going to do that every time we get out of a situation like this?”

“Yes.” Damian growls before pulling you into another kiss.

“Ah new love. I guess gross in every dimension.” Tony says as he walks into the room.

“That isn’t new love. They’ve been together since they were like seven.” Bart snorts. “That’s just how they are.”

“Please, the second we get home you’re going to be just as bad with Jamie.” You say.

“I plead the 5th.” Bart murmurs as he rolls his eyes.

“Why didn’t the portal work?” Damian asks.

“I don’t know. It could have been a thousand different things.” Bart murmurs.

“Well, we’re going to help you get home.” Steve says.

“Thank you.” You murmur as Damian wraps an arm around your shoulder.

“Anything we can do for some fellow heroes.” Clint says.

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[becausethornbushes-haverose-blog]

Since I’ve missed a few days, I’ll just make a post about everything. It’s super long, so if you don’t read it, that’s ok. 

Fuzzy stuff 

Shameless plug: Red Canary Tattoo in Thurmont, MD is doing a fundraiser for Cuddles Cat Rescue where you pay either $20 or $60 for a tattoo (it depends on what you pick)  and they’ll donate the money to the car rescue. My mom and I are totally going and I think other people should go to. You can get more than one tattoo. I plan on getting two!

For the girls

This week, I’m thankful for Mariah and Emily. 

Mariah and I have been friends since our freshmen year of college. We lived on the same floor in freshmen housing and had the same FYS. We became friends because us and like two other people were actually the only theatre people in a theatre FYS so of course we bonded. Then, we lived together over that summer to help Ira and Robert (RIP) build the set for Pygmalion which required a 40ft turntable. Building that was a lot of fun, plus the adventures we had in our house were weird and insane as well. There was one time when I was home alone, Mariah had gone to work at FiveBelow, and I was in our room with the door closed and I kept hearing weird noises from downstairs. I was NOT about to walk down there, but I just stayed completely still in my bed and turned off my music so that I could listen. Here’s the really scary part, after about 5 minutes of complete silence, I decided that I heard nothing so I turned my music back on and went back to doing what I was doing. WELL, as I calmed down I heard a noise again and noticed that it sounded like a doorknob being jingled, like someone was trying to open the front door or break in or something. I thought that it was coming from downstairs so I get up and went to open my door. It was my doorknob that was twisting. Someone was trying come into MY room. I backed up and looked under the door and no one was there, but that doorknob was CLEARLY shaking. I told whatever the thing was to go away because I wasn’t going to let it in because it seemed angry. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve had something following me around. I used to feed it candy when I was little and my mom would be creeped out by it. Usually it’s super nice, so I knew it wasn’t my little friend. The doorknob continuously moved for 30 minutes. I called Mariah in a panic and told her to come home because I was terrified. Luckily she was coming home anyway and we walked around the house to see if anything was weird and nothing was. THAT NIGHT, both of us woke up at that same time not knowing and saw a huge black figure standing in the middle of our room. Mariah thought she dreamed it. I couldn’t stop staring at it and couldn’t go back to sleep so I knew it was real. It’s still something that I can’t explain. I have no idea what it was or why it wanted to come into my room so badly. Anyway, after that she went away for a year to study in Germany (like how cool is that?!) and she bought me a mug from pretty much every place she visited. I collect mugs so I was completely excited and grateful for them. Then, we actually lived together our senior year and continued to have adventures. The thing about Mariah that I admire is that she’s incredibly dedicated to whatever she sets her mind to. Her friends, her career, everything. It’s crazy. I don’t even know how she does it. Well, I kind of do because I did live with her twice, but still. She told me that wherever she goes, she will buy me mug and she’s kept that promise so far. I actually just got a mug from her from Ramallah, Palestine and it’s beautiful. Our friendship is something that I’ll always value and cherish.

And then there’s Emily. Emily is my sister in Alpha Psi. We were taken by our big at different times, which makes us sisters, not twins. I met her my freshmen year, she was a sophomore. She was the stage manager for Hairspray, I was the light board op, so we had to share the booth together. I am SO glad for that because we bonded so quickly. We both ended up getting sick during the show, so we a bucket of cough drops between us that we shared. We also totally danced during that whole show and swooned over Daniel playing Link because that boy can sing. Emily really wanted to take me as her little, but she planned to study abroad in the spring that year so she couldn’t take me. Steve got me, Emily’s big, and just solidified our bond. We spent our next two years together just gross sisters and hanging out and growing together as people together. We took a drama therapy class together and it sent us down a dark hole of feelings. After the class we did our self revs in, which we decided to do on the same day so we could be in crappy moods together, we went to Taco Bell and ate our feelings in the greenroom. We had so many girls’ dressing room talks where we talked the things that were bothering us. She asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding (which I didn’t end up actually being because of life), but I remember that on spring fling my junior year, we skipped all of the festivities and went to pick up her wedding dress. A bee flew in the window of her truck and landed on her leg. Emily is allergic to bees everyone… She was on the verge of a panic attack with this thing on her leg, so she pulled off into a gas station and handed me a lid to a Pringles can and told me to scoop the bee off of her leg. She jumped out of the truck and was yelling at me to get it off of her. People were staring at us while this was happening. I did scoop it off and it flew away, and we both just started laughing hysterically. We got her wedding dress and then went back to McDaniel. We spent the rest of the day laying outside on a blanket drinking peach iced tea and eating chicken Caesar salads because it was beautiful out and we wanted to enjoy it. When it was time for little picking that year, we each brought blankets and pillows and cuddled on the floor. When we each got our littles, we screamed because it was an exciting time, and then immediately planned out our clues and how we were going to confuse our new littles. I love this woman. Emily is one of the strongest women I know. She’s been through so much and I love how much of a fighter she is. She inspires me to kept fighting. I wish we were able to hang out more, but sadly, she lived in Ohio with her amazing husband and little boy. I’ll make it there one day.

I love these women with all of me. I can’t help it. They’re both so strong and inspiring. I wish I had their drive and courage. They influence me to be better. I can’t imagine my college life without them. So much would be different. I’m glad that I’ve been able to get to know them and share a huge part of my life with them. They will forever hold a special place in my heart.

[zaritarazi]

Time Canary Week | Day 1: Roommates AU 💿 : You Told the Drunks I Knew Karate • Essentially Rip is living in an absolutely unbearable living situation and is desperate to find a new apartment, and like Sara is literally the most normal-seeming person he finds so he’s like sure, fine. I’ll live here • In his defense, he may have noticed a few red flags but was so immediately attracted to sara that he was like no i’m sure it’s nothing • In her defense, when he asked what happened to her last roommate, she jokingly said that she’d died, and rip just went along with it like that was fine • rip moves in his bed and 1 plant and keeps to himself because no sara’s definitely not normal, she’s a slob and she’s always loudly talking to her sister on the phone and she sings in the shower and singing, really, is a loose term for it, but rip can come and go as she likes and she NEVER eats his food so it seems to be going well! • until one morning sara finally storms in and is like what is your PROBLEM with me? you IGNORE ME, you put all this GROSS FOOD in the fridge, you passive aggressively do the dishes, like do you really find me that horrible or what • rip, just trying to drink a cup of tea at the table: um........ oh. i- what? • like rip upon meeting sara, whoops flashback, had been like well this is a beautiful, funny, charming person with an exciting life and i’m in her living space so i’ll just stay out of her way and meanwhile sara is like, this guy seems pretty cool but the less he talked to her because he’s trying to be as small as possible, the more she thinks he hates her • rip has to explain in the most uncomfortable situation he’s ever been in that he had just been trying to be nice and not get in her way because she’s always so busy and also, there’s nothing gross about mushy peas. that one was a little too far over the line honestly • sara standing in the kitchen like oh wow i feel like the biggest jerk ever uh- do you uh- do you want to use my bong? roomie??? best friend??? buddy??? pal???  • rip is both the most awkward he’s ever been but as an englishman and as a stoner he can’t turn down something that’s offered to him politely especially not weed • she takes him out to the fire escape which is attached to her bedroom window, and also her room is a HELL PIT and he’s going to end up doing her laundry, and it’s a little too early to be smoking weed but whatever honestly, it’s like the more he thinks about the few interactions he’s had with sara before this the more he realizes that she’s absolutely the best person he knows and that’s uh- that’s kind of sad • also sara, because she is sara, kind of starts clinging to him because he gives her that good good constant attention and she’s also very aware that he’s in love with her and she thinks it’s kind of cute. rip looks sort of nice when he takes a hit from sir bongington. like objectively speaking • they sort of become this inseparable duo like once rip is like i’m sorry i’ll be more visible in the apartment they go from strangers to like old marrieds in the span of 2 weeks • it’s great because they actually would never want anyone else as a roommate, but they literally argue over e v e r y t h i n g • if they’re not arguing they’re either asleep or laying in sara’s bed having just made use of sir bongington and their fingers are too close and at some point they’re gonna have sex but neither of one of them will admit it

[minthepin]

Full disclosure: I am both overly relaxed, and overly caffeinated and crashing as I write this.

Every day I think I’m learning something new, challenging my ideas, self and assumed knowledge. It’s a pretty cool thing to realize at the end of the day as I’m looking at the stars. In this house, on this farm and in the whole valley, there is a sense of peace and belonging. There is a certain tranquility and calm. Now, some days I am all for this, practicing some yoga, journaling, working, but other days I want to shoot myself in the foot. However, every night I am grateful for the sunset, for the rooftop bedroom and meeting some really truly wonderful people.

The engineer, Hadi, is a really cool dude. We have been working on building the gray water treatment system for the farm. It has been a really interesting experience, seeing as I studied this for the past four years. They have a whole idea to turn this farm into a self-sustaining eco-park/resort. A lot will change going forward, and I’m glad I have been able to be part of this creation. Obviously not physically, because I can barely lift an olive, but I’m here for moral support!

Hadi has been super nice to us too (and I’m not just saying that because he told me to). First off, he drives the cutest little red BMW convertible. Secondly, he is a WRC racer (maybe, still not sure about that…). But he drives on all the tracks, and he took us there. Like holy shit, that is fun. I nearly cried a few times from taking the turns too sharply, but ya girl survived, and the car did not flip over as expected. We went in a pickup truck for this one.

It was really dope going offroad on the tracks. The views were also spectacular. 360 degrees of pure desert canyons, with a little stream cutting through it. The track goes over the stream, I think it’s called a “splash zone.” But some dumbass truck decided he wanted to go through the course as well. So at the stream, the 18 wheeler was stuck, with the cargo fallen off into the stream. Sometimes, you just have to wonder, what the cracker is going on with some people. Like bro. Wut.

The overall view, we went through it

This road doe

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Who gave this person a license?

I can’t believe he did that! Anyway, Hadi has been cooking for us. The first night he made Makroba (upside down rice). It was so good too! And simple to make. I hope I can make it at home. He’s also made us stuffed grape leaves, and stuffed eggplant and a whole bunch of other things. We’ve since spent many late nights on the balcony drinking coffee and talking about things – Islam, female empowerment, love, life choices, and so much more. He has really educated me on the Koran and current global situations. It’s been really nice talking to him about all this stuff, and it’s interesting to see how his idea of certain things (like oppression) varies so much from mine, which varies from Miras. Each place, each view, all having to work to reach equality. But anyway, he is a fun time and takes us on cool adventures and we get to see some really incredible things.

I’ve been to Amman a number of times since. Taking the bus, although it has no schedule and only leaves when it’s full, is pretty simple and super cheap. It’s less than 1 JD for an hour and some ride… But it’s interesting to see that the women will not sit with strange men, and men would not sit with me. Just something I noticed. But some really cool lady sat next to me, and we chatted a bit and she was my age and so sweet.

So, the first time Hussein (Muhammad’s nephew) invited the three of us to go to a family dinner at his place. We rode on the bus, got there and helped cook. Their family is huge, and it’s super sweet because they all live in one building with separate apartments. So each family cooked a dish and brought it upstairs. Then once the signal to eat was heard, shit went a little intense. Everyone grabbing food, and eating. I met his niece, Farah who is in uni in Madaba. She’s really sweet and it was nice to talk to her. She was one of the few who spoke English there.Like seeing their family interact makes me miss mine so much more. Special shout out to the Hardisons. Y’all need to up your cooking game. Hussein then took us downtown Amman, for the night tour. We walked for about 2 hours seeing all the special ins and outs. Since it was past iftar, the place was lit. There were people everywhere, drinking coffee or tea, smoking shisha, talking. It was so nice to see the city come alive. There is such an alternative, underground culture in Amman. There is some incredible street art, little used bookshops and some really fascinating coffee shops. I really liked it there, and people stay up till 5-6 am and then go to bed. Because it is Ramadan I think they prefer sleeping during the fasting hours.

View of Amman

Cute little use bookshops everywhere

Master chef

Roman Theater

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Amman

The second time was during the day and everything was closed because of Ramadan. Then we went a few more times and just wandered around. It’s such a pretty city, but honestly, the only place you will find people during the day is in a coffee shop. So far my favorite is this one called “Books @ Cafe” (also one of the only queer friendly places in Amman). It’s filled with this youthful crowd, and honestly, it’s pretty modern. There are a ton of these coffee shops, especially on Rainbow Street (super cute name!).

Books@cafe

They have a ton of little markets everywhere. There is one that is just for buying canaries. Like what is this place. There is a whole sewing/mending district. It was cool to see, especially because most of the people sewing were men. I went up into a warehouse (Hussein brought me), and it was a graduation cap workshop. It was cool to see everyone work, and how it was placed. Although, to be fair it was kinda gross – the floors were littered with bottles and cigarette butts. But they were just tutting along, making grad caps. We then went to the big mosque. I wanted to see prayer situation at 1 pm – it is their version of Sunday prayers. All the people couldn’t fit in the mosque, so they had to close down the main road for people to pray. There were people in alleyways, in stores, everywhere trying to pray. We got this amazing dish (below) called Fatteh. Its like a hummus mixture, with dough at the bottom and it has so many delicious things. I want to eat it all day long, every day. So, now I’m leaving the farm. It’s time to really explore Jordan. Also, there was a scorpion at the farm, and if that isn’t a sign to leave, I don’t know what is! I was up in Amman for a bit, and now time to start my journey down south. I hope things work out for me. Everyone has been so nice, just one bad incident. But ya know what. I survived and I’m not going to let one fucking asshole spoil my trip, or make me fearful of everyone.

I’m hella strong and I need to have more confidence in myself. I need to start trusting my gut and be smart. People suck, but not everyone. I learned a lot at the farm and from people I’ve met there. But I think now it’s time to start learning from myself, and trusting myself more than other people and giving myself grace for when I mess up.

No.

Kitty

Shooting Stars in the Valley of Peace Full disclosure: I am both overly relaxed, and overly caffeinated and crashing as I write this.

[rantceratops]

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God this episode starts out so delightfully awkward, LMAO. At least Ollie gets a kick out of it. 

And, man, Greg, could you possibly broadcast it any louder that Conner and Megan obviously have the most kinky relationship out of any of the couples in the show? I mean god, sometimes I’m kind of surprised they even got away with this scene, given all the uh, adult situations it kind of entails these two participate in their bedroom. (I love the adult jokes and topics YJ was able to get away with, tbh, and I hope that kind of thing increases in s3 with it not being held back by CN)

HELLO, MEGAN!

Man, I love Mama Canary! It’s a good thing she’s around or these kids would have been beyond repair after Failsafe, especially considering how Bats expected them to just be okay a week after that happened. Yeah, okay, Bats; did you get over your parents in a week? NO.

Also, I like seeing the character’s rooms and stuff! I wish it was actually canon that all the Team members had rooms at the Cave for late missions and stuff, but I’m not so sure they do. Oh, well, that’s what fanfiction is for, and I don’t see why they can’t at least have lots of extra rooms for the Team to stay in if they need to, at the very least. (the idea of the Cave being a home away from home for them all is quite appealing)

“Suuuure, any friend of Bruce Wayne’s!” Goddamnit, Wally!

Wait wait wait. Why does Conner say “Tt, not a fan.” when Batman brings up Queen Bee? Did Conner have some kind of run-in with her prior to this episode? I’ve read all the tie-in comics and I know the actual s1 episodes like the back of my hand and I’m pretty sure Conner never had a run-in with Queen Bee before this. ????

“Dude, you totally left me hangin’!” Dick, you can’t just leave a bro hanging like that, not even for your internal crisis!

But in all seriousness though, this is the first time Robin has been put in charge of a mission since the failsafe exercise... it’s no wonder he looks completely unhappy about it, considering all the things he said to Black Canary in that therapy session; he’s not ready to put himself in that kind of position of power again, not with what happened, not with the way he sacrificed his friends for the sake of the mission, as he put it. Ugh, poor child... and it becomes even worse when you realize just how much he still behaves like Batman in s2, but that’s another rant for another season. 

It’s also just nice to see a hint that the kids definitely still aren’t quite healed from Failsafe (probably never really did fully heal, tbh, I’m sure that stuck with them all for the rest of their lives).

“A border the Bialyans are in the process of ignoring.” (I just think Wally looks cute here :3)

STAMPEEEEEDE, STAMPEDE IN THE GORGE! (sorry, I couldn’t help myself)

Wally’s goggles are seriously so cool and one of my favorite things about him as a speedster, like he’s got cool high tech goggles that not even Barry or Bart or Jay have, but the sad thing is that he rarely utilizes them within the show. The only other times I can think of off the top of my head that involved Wally using the techy functions on his goggles were in Dropzone, this episode, the first part of the Museum Heist tie-in comic issue when he was with Barry, and the Gorilla Warfare tie-in comic issue.

Lol, poor naive Robin, thinking the Team can do stealth mode. 

Conner vs. wildebeest. Conner wins. Wildebeest needs a chiropractor.

“Mom, mom, mom! We were just saved by Robin and Kid Flash!” What a little fanboy omg.

“--admired your stance on animal rights for years!” “You’ve only been on Earth six months!”

Oh Megan.

Oh my god it’s like they were meant to be siblings, they’re both losers! <3

You ever get second-hand embarrassment for characters? Because I totally get that for poor Megs when she’s gushing about Hello Megan to Marie. :( It always makes me cringe a little.

“Woah, you still have VHS. Where’s your 8-track?” LMAO oh my god, Wally, so offended by their lack of up-to-date technology. XD

Jesus christ, Gar, how the shit did you get from the main house over to the barn that quick without anyone seeing you? Do you secretly already have animal powers or are you just a fast little shit?

“I told you there’d be consequences!” “Always.” :((((((

Holy shit, I NEVER noticed that there were droplets of blood spattered across the floor leading to Garfield’s bedroom! Like obviously he has blood on his face when they show him a moment later but I somehow never picked up on the fact that there was actually a freakin’ trail of it leading to his room. That’s pretty intense, wow. Poor kid.

Oh my god, so we all know about the Aqualad poster that Gar has hanging over his bed right? Well I just noticed that he also has a Robin poster that you can see beside Robin when Marie is asking if any of them are O-.

I like the animation on Robin’s hair here, not to mention the whole gesture he makes here is just very natural.

I like how they made the animation for Hello! Megan look kind of grainy compared to the show, to give it a little bit of that old video tape look.

“Oh yeah, pure coincidence.”

Glad to know at least Wally seems to find the situation rather amusing, look at those facial expressions, LMAO.

“Ugh, I still remember the headache from the last time he brain blasted us!” Come on, Wally, quit pretending like the only thing you REALLY remember isn’t all that quality time you spent with the beautiful blonde you found unconscious in the desert. You know, girl that goes by the name of Artemis that you have a huge gross crush on but are too afraid to admit because you’re scared of your own feelings for her? THAT girl? (I had to slip some Spitfire in here, leave me alone)

I honestly think Megs looks pretty badass, and I like that they keep the little red criss cross going across her chest just to further identify her in this particular form. 

Aww, poor boys. That was rude Megs T_T

A+ voice acting from Megan’s VA when she says “No, please, stop...”. Also for the “You don’t know me at all!” Yesss, that fierceness!

And thus Psimon is the first victim of M’gann’s later delve into the dark waters in s2. >.<

“Gee, Bruce Wayne sure got here fast, almost like he kne--” “Don’t you have a souvenir to collect or something?” LOL

“Something you’d like to tell us?” Wally quit being so sassy.

“Blad M’gann. Still hot.” I... really don’t know whether to say that’s sweet or not, Wally. LMAO (what a horndog)

Aaaand, blackmail. :(