#used to hear her voice for some ad and think luke was trying to sell me a bicycle or something

[basil-touche]

Question for Professor Layton fans!

I'm surprised I haven't come across a poll for this already (or perhaps I've just missed it), but since I have had polls for a while now I thought I'd throw one out there...

[peanutpinet]

Soft for You - Sylus x Fem Reader

Prompt: “Let me kiss it better”

A/N: yes, I’ve fallen into this rabbit hole and all because of Sylus. There’s just something about white haired men with red eyes that’s 190cm. Hates everyone but you T^T I’m such a sucker for these characters and it doesn’t help that I’m on my period so I decided to make a lil one shot of how Sylus would react if you’re on your period and wanting to cuddle but he was in an important meeting

Warning: None, just fluff (not proofread, sorry, was so into writing this)

Disclaimer: I do not own the images nor the characters or you (the MC). All images were taken from Pinterest.

“Miss, I don’t think it’s a good idea to disturb the boss right now” Luke mentioned, trying to stop you from walking further down the hall

“Yeah, he’s in a meeting right now. And the meeting, well, it’s not really going that well” Kieran added on. “Some of the low workers were trying to steal his weapons and sell them off to a higher bidding at Linkon because we heard that Linkon is currently trying to find ways to get more intel regarding the boss”

You knew that Linkon was constantly trying to uncover the mysterious Onychinus’ leader. Though they knew his name, they couldn’t find anything regarding what he looked like or any other information about him. That’s why Linkon is willing to pay a hefty amount to those who have been associated with him to gather any sort of intel. But you could care less about what political issue was going on between Linkon and Onychinus. What you cared about was that you were in pain because of your period and you wanted to cuddle with Sylus because somehow, he always helped ease your pain.

Not caring about the twins’ warning, you managed to drag yourself all the way in front of Sylus’ meeting room where you could clearly hear his deep voice echoing along with several other voices. It sounded like the meeting had just begun and you suddenly contemplated on going in and disturbing Sylus just to tend to your pain.

However, on the other side of the door, Sylus already knew that you were in front of the door along with Luke and Kieran since he could see through Mephisto’s eyes with his aether core. Though Sylus wouldn’t mind you coming in, he wanted you to come to him first instead of jumping to conclusion that you were actually looking for him.

He learnt that from past incidents where you were actually looking for Luke and Kieran but Sylus jumped into conclusions and thought you were looking for him.

Right as Sylus was about to start the meeting, he could hear both Luke and Kieran’s frantic voices calling out to you. Without uttering a word, Sylus got up but not before making sure the men in the room stay put in their designated chairs. “None of you get up from the chair or I’ll rip your legs apart from your whole body”

After his calm threat, Sylus went to the door and opened it to find you on the ground with both Luke and Kieran holding onto you. When the twins looked up at their boss, the colour from their faces were slowly drained. “B-boss” the twins managed to utter out as Sylus looked at your weak state, basically trying to hold yourself up with the help of the twins.

Without saying anything, Sylus crouched down and lifted you up in his arms and practically carried you into the meeting room where all the other men in the room were staring.

“U-uh boss? We can bring her back to her room and…” the twins didn’t get to finish their sentences as Sylus used his evol to close and lock the door

To say the men in the room were shock was an understatement because who would have thought that the Onychinus leader could be so gentle towards anyone yet here he was sitting in his chair, further away from the others with you on his lap.

“S-sylus?” you uttered, looking up to see your boyfriend looking at you with soft eyes

“You alright, sweetie? I heard you from in here. You looked like you were going to pass out in the twins’ arms. What happened, sweetie? Did someone hurt you?” Sylus asked, his eyes were searching through your entire body for any wounds but you shook your head and leaned on his chest, wrapping your small arms around his waist

“No. It’s that time of the month. It’s the first day and I don’t know why but it’s painful this time” you whined and Sylus couldn’t help but coo at your vulnerable state that he brought you closer to his chest (if that was even possible with how close the two of you were).

“Shhh, it’s alright sweetie. I’m here” Sylus kissed the top of your head as you hummed in satisfaction. “Sleep sweetie, I’ll be here when you wake up, hmm? I’ll try to keep the meeting short and quick for you” Sylus mentioned as he lulled you to sleep

As he stroked your head like a kitten, Sylus the softie was gone as his eyes looked through the entire room with a cold, sharp gaze that if looks could kill, everyone in the room would be dead by now. “Now, where were we? Ah, right. Where’s my share in the sales, gentlemen? Or did you think that you could fool me that easily by selling my weapons at a higher price by giving away some information about me?”

***

By the end of the meeting, there was practically no one in the room as Sylus dismissed them all into thin air since he needed to be quick.

Sylus almost cursed at himself for almost going too far with the lowlife men in the room until he remembered that you were practically sleeping in his arms.

Taking a deep breath, Sylus went back to look at your sleeping figure, stroking your head as he kissed your forehead before teleporting both you and him back to the master bedroom where Sylus laid you on the bed.

Leaving you to sleep, Sylus decided to shower and cook up something quick and easy for dinner which was steak and creamy mushroom soup to help ease your pain.

In the midst of finishing his cooking, he heard soft footsteps and a yawn slowly getting louder which he knew that it had to be you. Turning around, Sylus saw your now awaken figure sitting by the counter where Sylus was just behind of.

“Here you go, sweetie” Sylus mentioned, placing down a plate of steak with the mushroom soup he made in front of your sleeping figure

“Thank you, Sy. Am sorry I interrupted your meeting” you yawned, drinking some of the soup that he made while Sylus decided to eat across from you

“It was nothing, sweetie. I’ve mentioned it before. If you ever need me, just come to me. No matter where I am, who am I with, or what time of the day it is. I’ll always be here for you” Sylus mentioned, caressing your cheek whilst wiping the excess soup at the corner of your lips

“But what would those men do now they’ve seen your soft side?” you asked, holding his hand that was on your cheek

“They’re none of your concern. Besides, they won’t be able to spread anymore information anymore” Sylus smirked, making you roll your eyes. “You and your evol”

Chuckling at your behaviour, Sylus decided to feed you the dinner he made. “Are you still in pain?” he asked

Thinking about it for a second, you decided to tease him. “A bit. Mainly because you only kissed my head when the pain I’m feeling is at my stomach”

Shaking his head, Sylus went around the counter and cupped your jaw, making you look at his tall figure. “Is that so? Then let me kiss it better”

[justcallmefox89]

Truth or Dare Part 4

The birthday sleep over has completely fallen apart, Mammon and Levi are at each other’s throats, Arianthi backslides into old thoughts and dangerous habits, and Diavolo offers her comfort.  

Some good old fashioned angst and NSFW content:  Language, blowjob, penetrative sex, face riding, unprotected sex.  

Remember everyone, consent is key.  Being open and honest with your partner and making sure you’re both on the same page is the sexiest thing you can do for one another.  Also - practice safe sex mmmkay? :)

TW: body image and self esteem issues, eating disorders.

Written from the perspective of my female character Arianthi. 

I’m adding a different mood playlist to each installment of this series, just songs that I listened to while writing and feel embody each part of the story. 

Foxy Shazam - Count Me Out

Callum Scott - Dancing on My Own

Meg Myers - Desire

Hozier - Movement

Jess Benko - A Soulmate Who Wasn’t Meant to Be 

“Arianthi!  Arianthi!  Open the damn door!”  Mammon pounds on the door to Arianthi’s room, unable to open it.

“Screaming at her to open the door after you’ve just insulted her on her birthday probably isn’t the best way to get her to let you in Mammon,” Lucifer says coldly.

“I doubt she’d let you in anyway, scumbag,” Satan adds, an angry growl in his voice. 

Mammon opens his mouth to snap back, then closes it, unable to come up with a retort.

“Stupid Mammon can’t even defend himself this time,” Asmo mocks.  “You just blew whatever shot you had with Arianthi straight to hell.”

Mammon looks at the floor, ashamed.  “I didn’t mean it.  She’s got to know I didn’t mean it, I was just so.....”

“Jealous?  Stupid?  Idiotic?  Pick a description because they all fit.  Newsflash, even a shut in otaku like me knows like you can’t treat the girl you supposedly care about like shit and then expect her to still like you.”  Levi glares at Mammon and then tries the doorknob again, agitated.  

The door still doesn’t open and he can’t hear any movement inside her room.

Beel looks around worriedly.  “She never locks her door.  Ever.  She always leaves it open so I can go in and get the snacks she keeps for me.  And Luke said she might be sick.”

Belphie shares his concern.  “Do you think we should have Beel break the door in?  In case she’s too sick to answer and needs help?”

For the first time since Lilith, Lucifer looks to be at a loss.  Concern for Arianthi and the urge to comfort her battles with his desire to protect her privacy.

Diavolo steps forward to pass a hand over the door and sighs.  “It wouldn’t matter if he did.  She’s warded the door against us.”

The brothers share a look of surprise.

Mammon is the first to recover his voice.  “Where would she even learn ward magic?  And why would she start using it now?”

“I taught her.”  The demons turn to look at Solomon, who has walked up behind them.  “And as to why she’s using it, I’d venture to guess that Mammon’s little attempt to shatter her self-confidence worked, and she doesn’t want to see any of you right now.”

Mammon flushes with shame.  “I didn’t mean any of it,” he mutters.

“Then you shouldn’t have said it.”  For the first time a sharp tone enters Solomon’s voice. 

“Take down the ward,” Lucifer orders him.

Solomon moves to stand in front of Arianthi’s door.  “No.”

Lucifer’s eyes gleam red, anger rising.  “You may be a powerful sorcerer Solomon, but I am one of the seven lords of the Devildom and I will rip your heart out of your chest without hesitation.  Open.  The.  Door.”

“No.”

Lucifer lunges forward, already shifting to his demon form.  

Diavolo stops him with a strong hand on his shoulder.  “I know you’re all worried, but maybe Solomon is right.  Maybe we should respect her privacy.  She’s put up the wards for a reason.”

Levi pushes forward and knocks softly on the door.  “Arianthi?  It’s me.  Can I come in?”

Silence.

“Please Arianthi?”

The demons and Solomon all hear movement behind the closed door and Arianthi’s voice whispering.  There’s a soft click and the door opens.  Arianthi’s hair has been pulled back into a messy ponytail, her make up removed.  A t-shirt that is clearly Beel’s hangs to her knees, over it she wears one of Levi’s hoodies, and a pair of Belphie’s sweats peek out beneath the over sized shirts.  She’s obviously been crying.

Something sharp and painful twists in Mammon’s chest.  I did this.  I made my human cry.  I was stupid and jealous and I fucked up. I need to make this right.  He moves quickly towards the open door, attempting to push past Levi.

“Arianthi, I’m so sorry.  I didn’t mean -”

Arianthi holds up a hand to cut him off.  “Just Levi.”  Her voice is soft and hoarse.  

Levi slips past Mammon and into the room.  Arianthi shuts the door behind him and whispers the incantation to once again ward the door. 

------------------------------------------------------------

Levi follows me and we both take a seat on my bed, leaning up against the headboard, shoulders touching.

“Luke said he heard you being sick.”

I sigh heavily.  

I don’t want to talk about this now.  Never talking about it would be ideal.  Forgetting this whole shit show of a night would be fantastic.  

“I was sick.  Then I took a shower and brushed my teeth.  I’m fine now.

“Did you make yourself sick on purpose?”  Levi asks softly.

I turn to face him, getting my first proper look at his face and his emerging black eye.  

“Levi!  What happened to your face?”  I reach out to touch his cheek, worried.

He gently grabs my hand and pulls it down, folding it between his two large ones.  “Don’t change the subject.”

The urge to cry comes on again, hard and fast.  “I’m sorry Levi,” I whisper.

He sighs.  “I’m not mad at you.  I just........I wish you wouldn’t feel like that’s something you have to start doing again.”

“I’m sorry,” I say again.  “It just....it’s hard.  I haven’t felt that way in a long time but then......... I just felt this panic and I thought if I could get rid of the food then I would feel better.  And if I start doing it again then I can be more like what he wants.......I could be pretty.  I could be so much more than this. I could be good enough for him.”   I gesture at my body, the tears flowing freely now.

Levi thunks his head back against the headboard of the bed in frustration.  He turns me to face him, his thumbs brushing my tears from my cheeks.  

“Hey we’ve talked about this.  Remember what you told me when Mammon was selling that picture of me?  And I was so embarrassed because I didn’t want anyone seeing that much of my body?  You told me I was perfect how I was.  I didn’t have to look like Beel or Mammon to be attractive. Fuck everyone who thought differently.  You loved me.  My brothers loved me in their own weirdly deranged ways.  You said I didn’t have to change to be like anyone else to be worthy of love and the things that made me different from my brothers were what made me sexy. And then you got Mammon to delete the picture and give me all the Grimm he made from it.”

Levi grins at me. “I think you’re the only person who has ever been able to get Mammon to willingly hand over Grimm.”

I choke back a sob.  “I remember.”

“Ok, well I’m telling you the same thing now.  Don’t go back to that.  Don’t hate yourself, don’t make yourself sick to try to control things, to change things about yourself to make someone else care about you.”  Levi gives me a little shake.

“That’s easy for you to say.  I’m just a human.  Is there some stupid rule here that all demons must be skinny and mind blowingly attractive?”  

Levi looks at me for a moment then laughs.  I join in, giggling through my tears.

“I mean what I’m saying,” Levi says as he wipes away the rest of my tears.  “We all care about you, exactly how you are.  If you start to feel like you can’t handle this and need help we can talk to Diavolo.  He can send you back to the human realm to get help from the doctors there.  I’m sure he’d let you come back after.”

I bite my lip anxiously then nod.  “I’ll tell you if I can’t get a handle on it.  If I can’t, or you think I’m slipping you can tell Diavolo.”

“Pinky promise?”

I smile, linking my pinky with his.  “Pinky promise.”

Levi sighs in relief.  “Good.  Feel a little better?” 

“Yeah.  Yeah, I think so,” I answer, leaning my shoulder against his.  “Hey Levi?”

“Mmm?”

"Thank you.”

He smiles at me.  “Anything for my Henry.”   

“Could you do me a favor?  Could you tell Diavolo I want to talk to him real quick?  I want to apologize for everything that happened tonight.”

“Yeah, sure.”

I stand up and reach over to my nightstand.  I hand Levi a jumble of things; a toothbrush, a D.D.D. charger, some t-shirts, a pair of sunglasses, a white dress shirt. 

 “Can you give these back to Mammon when you go back out there?  Please?”

Levi nods and we walk to the door together.  I take down the ward and he slips through the open door.

------------------------------------------------------------

“She wants to talk to Diavolo,” Levi tells the crowd assembled outside Arianthi’s door.  “She’s upset but she’s not sick anymore.”

A wave of shock ripples through the rest of the brothers.  Diavolo nods and quickly enters the bedroom.

“She really doesn’t want to see any of us?”  Asmo asks, hurt.

Levi looks at the ground, trying to avoid the upset gazes of his brothers.  “It’s nothing personal Asmo.  She’s just got some stuff going on right now.  Really personal stuff.  She can’t talk about it with anyone else.  She might though.  Soon.  Just don’t be mad at her for it, please?”

Asmo nods, still obviously distressed.

“Well, now that I know she’s not sick I’m going to gather up Luke and Simeon and we’ll take our leave,” Solomon says, shooting Mammon one last dirty look before he turns and walks down the hall. 

The demons all give him a half-hearted wave goodbye. 

Levi remembers the things that Arianthi gave him and quickly shoves them into Mammon’s arms.  “Here’s all your stuff that was in Arianthi’s room.  She doesn’t want it in there anymore.”

Mammon looks down at this things in horror.  There’s a stinging sensation in his eyes, and he suddenly can’t breathe.  He bites down on his lip hard enough to draw blood, and quickly walks to his room without a word to his brothers.   

“This is really bad.”  Beel looks around at the remaining brothers.  “We have to fix this.”  

Satan sighs softly.  “This might be something we can’t fix Beel.”

“Satan’s right.  Ultimately this is going to be between Arianthi and Mammon,” Lucifer says. “The best thing we can do is to let Arianthi know we still care about her and want her in the House of Lamentation.”

He sighs. “Let’s all go to bed.  There’s nothing else to do here tonight.  I’m sure if Diavolo thinks anything is wrong he’ll let us know before he leaves.”

The brothers all exchange worried glances before they disperse to their bedrooms.

------------------------------------------------------------

“Hey.”  Diavolo gives me a small smile as he enters my room.

“Hey.”  I return the smile and pat my bed.  “You can come sit with me if you want.”

“Do you want to put the wards back up?”

I shake my head. “No, just close the door please.”

“Are you feeling better?”  The mattress dips under Diavolo’s weight, causing me to slide closer to him.

“Yeah, just a bad moment.”

“I’m sorry Mammon said those things about you.”  Diavolo reaches out to take my hand.  I involuntarily flinch at the touch of his fingers and he jerks his hand back.  “I’m sorry, I overstepped.”

I quickly grab his hand, lacing my fingers with his.  “It’s ok Diavolo.  I’m just feeling a little off right now.”

“Are you sure?”  He looks at me with concern.  “I don’t want to make your night worse with my attention if you don’t want it.”

I press a soft kiss to his knuckles.  “I’m sure.”

A faint blush stains Diavolo’s cheeks.  “And you promise you’re feeling better?”

I grin.  He’s absolutely adorable.  

“Promise.  I have some things I need to work on, but right now I am feeling better.” 

He squeezes my hand.  “Good.”  He pauses for a moment, looking as if he’s trying to gather his thoughts, before he turns and looks earnestly into my eyes.  

“Arianthi....... I want you to know that I don’t agree with any of the things Mammon said.  And I hope that you don’t let his outburst taint your opinions of other demons...... or of me.  I meant what I said earlier tonight, about wanting to get to know you more.  I don’t want to push you, because I know that you have feelings for Mammon, but I do hope you’re still open to giving me a chance.  And I think our encounter earlier this evening proved that I’m more than slightly attracted to you, just as you are.”

His last sentence comes out in a rushed whisper, and he’s blushing heavily.

“I wouldn’t let something like that change my opinion of you Diavolo,” I respond truthfully.  “There are some feelings regarding Mammon that I need to sort through.  I really don’t know how all those are going to shake out.  I do like you, I enjoy our time together, and I think I made it obvious earlier that I’m attracted to you too.  I meant what I said earlier about getting to know you.  I’m open to see what could happen between us.”

He smiles and places a soft kiss on the inside of my wrist.  “I’m a very patient demon.  I’ll follow your lead.  Whatever you want, no pressure at all.” 

He pushes himself up from my bed.  “I should be going.  You need your rest.”  He leans down and kisses my forehead.  “Good night Arianthi.”

I reach up and stroke his cheek.  “Diavolo?’

“Hmmm?”

“Stay with me tonight?”  This might be a bad idea, but I really just want him close to me right now.  Someone who’s open about how he feels me.  Someone strong and handsome who can distract me from this fucked up night.  

I just want some comfort.  Some cuddles.  There’s nothing wrong with that.  Right?

He hesitates a moment, shock and pleasure warring across his face.  “Are you sure?”

I bite my lip, hesitating a moment before holding my arms out to him.  “Cuddle me?”

“Your wish is my command, birthday girl.”  He grins at me, bending down to give a tight hug.

I stand up to feel more of him, nuzzling my head against his chest.  “Thank you.”

He rests his chin on my head.  “Anything for you,” he whispers.  

We stand that way for a minute, swaying slightly.  I feel safe in Diavolo’s arms, like nothing can ever hurt me.  

A demon, the Prince of the Devildom no less, is the one who makes me feel safer than I ever have before.  I internally roll my eyes and huff a small laugh against Diavolo’s chest. 

“Diavolo?”

“Mmm?”

“This is really nice, but can we get into bed?  I’m exhausted.”  I playfully slump against him to prove my point.

He effortlessly holds me up and chuckles.  “Yeah, we can do that.  Let me send a message to Barbatos really quickly to let him know he’s free to go home.” 

He reaches for his D.D.D. to tap out a quick message.

I pull away to shuck off my hoodie and sweats.  I look up to find Diavolo staring at me, eyes wide.  I look down at myself, wondering what the problem is. 

Beel’s t-shirt is all the way down to my knees, I’m wearing underwear.  I’m all covered up. What’s wrong?   Panic starts all over again. He hates what he sees. This is a mistake. He knows he made a mistake.

“Everything ok?”  I ask anxiously.

“Uh huh.  Yep.  All good here,” Diavolo says, swallowing nervously.

“Ok.”  I smile at him, and slide between the sheets, sinking into my mattress.  Diavolo moves to lay beside me, still fully clothed.  

I look up at him, confused.  “You’re not sleeping in your clothes are you?”

Diavolo’s ears turn red.  “I was considering it.”

I stare at him.  “Diavolo, we’re both adults here.  You can sleep in your boxers.  We’ll be ok.  If anything happens beyond cuddles it will only be because we both want it.  But neither one of us are going to sleep comfortably if you’re still wearing all your clothes.”

He lets out a nervous breath then grins down at me.  “You’re right, you’re right.”

He peels off his jacket and shirt, and I stare as his hands move to his belt buckle and he pushes down his pants.  

Holy. Fucking. Fuck.  Temptation has entered the chat.  

I thought Beel was a gorgeous specimen, but Diavolo surpasses even him.  Every inch is heavily muscled, perfectly defined. Smooth skin that I want to run my hands over. 

I want to climb this man like a tree and never come down.  Bad Arianthi.  Bad.  Quench your thirst. 

Diavolo slides under the sheets next to me and we roll onto our sides to face each other.  

He reaches out to hold one of my hands.  “I really am sorry your birthday ended on such a sour note.”

I squeeze his hand.  “It’s not your fault.  I’m sorry you had to see all that. Besides, it’s not all bad.  We’re here, getting to spend time together.”

He gives me a soft smile, and his hand moves up to gently stroke my arm.  “That’s true.”

I tense in automatic response to his touch.  He’s going to feel how fat my arms are.  He’s going to hate what he feels.

Diavolo’s hand stills immediately.  “Is this ok?”

I suck in a deep breath and nod, relaxing a little, waiting for the rational part of my brain to take over.  

He’s seen my arms before.  He already know what they look like.  He wouldn’t be here, touching me, spending time with me, if he didn’t want to.  

He resumes his gentle stroking, but remains silent.  He seems to be considering what he wants to say.

I place a hand on his bare chest and he shivers under my touch.  “Diavolo I can hear your wheels turning from here.  What’s on your mind?”

He smirks at me.  “I always forget how perceptive you are.”  He pauses for a minute, choosing his words carefully.  “I know that you have some issues with your body.”

I tense up again. 

His hand moves away from my arm, stroking the curve of my waist down to my hip.  Up and down.  His soft touch gradually helps me relax. 

 “I’m not going to push you to talk about it now.  But I hope someday you feel comfortable enough to talk to me about what you’re feeling.  Until then I have no problem telling you how gorgeous I find you.  How perfect your body is to me.  I’ll tell you every day.  Every hour.  Every minute, if that’s what it takes.”

I lay my head on his chest trying to hide my tears.  Happy tears this time.  After a couple minutes I regain my composure and look back up at him.  Warm golden eyes meet mine, and he smiles down at me.

I bite the inside of my cheek to hold back more tears and give him a small smile.  “Thanks.  You know, you’re going against every single demon stereotype right now.”

He pulls me to him, holding me tight.  He chuckles, and it rumbles deep in his chest.  “Maybe so.  But as long as I’m making you happy that’s all that matters.” 

He pulls back to stare down at me intently.  “I just ask that when you do struggle with things like that you talk to me.  I might not always be able to make things better, or even understand, but I want you to always be honest about your feelings with me.”

“I can do that.  But only if you promise to do the same thing.”  I press a soft kiss to his cheek.

“I promise.”  He moves to kiss my cheek in return, but I turn my head at the last minute, catching his lips with my own.

This kiss is soft, chaste, but he still gives a pleased gasp and tightens his grip on me.

He pulls away suddenly and looks down at me with concern.  “I want to kiss you. Really kiss you.”

“Then kiss me.”  I tilt my head up, ready for more.  

Diavolo frowns and bites his lip.  “You’ve had a rough night, and you’re upset.  I don’t want to take things further, if you’re not......”  He exhales sharply.  “I don’t want to take advantage of you if you’re not in a good head space right now.”

Mind.  Blown.  

Once again, a demon is being more considerate than the majority of humans I’ve dated.  He deserves to have the same consideration from me. 

“I promise you Diavolo, you won’t be taking advantage of me.  I want this.  I want you.  But if you don’t feel comfortable then I won’t push it and we’ll just cuddle and talk.  Or you can leave if you don’t feel ok about that anymore.  I won’t be mad.  I want you to be comfortable too.”

“I am more than comfortable with this as long as you are.”  Diavolo moves in to kiss me again but I press a finger to his lips, stopping him.  

“I just want to make sure that I’m being totally transparent with you.  I like you, and I do want you.  I still want to keep getting to know you.  But whatever happens between us tonight I can’t make you any promises that it will lead to anything permanent.  If you don’t feel ok doing anything more physical than kissing without a being in a relationship, then I totally understand.”  I hold my breath, waiting for his response.

He stays silent for a bit, mulling over what I’ve told him.  “I appreciate your honesty.  We’ve already decided that we want to keep learning about each other and spending more time together.  Sex won’t change what I want, and I won’t ever push you for more than you’re comfortable with.  Physically or emotionally.”

Whew.  “Same page then?”

“Same page.  Can I please kiss you now?” 

I giggle and nod, and he surges forward, pressing his lips against mine.  I sigh into the kiss, pleasure lighting up every nerve ending.  Diavolo licks along my lower lip.  

“Open your mouth,” he growls.

I instantly obey and brush my tongue against his.  He pulls me tight against him, his tongue soft against mine, expertly teasing me, gentle and exploring.  I wriggle against him, desperate for more contact.  He grips my hips and rolls onto his back, pulling me on top of him, his mouth never breaking contact with mine.

His hands tug at the hem of my shirt, asking permission.  I move up to my knees and pull it over my head, tossing it carelessly onto the floor.  

“Fuck.”  

Diavolo pulls me further up his body and turns his attention to my breasts.  He draws one nipple into his mouth, sucking hard and flicking it with his tongue.  His hand moves up to cup my other breast, gently stroking and squeezing, before his large fingers start pinching and tugging my nipple, bringing it to a stiff peak.  He cups me again, his large palm overstimulating my already sensitive breast.

I card my hands through his hair, tugging slightly and giving a small moan.  Diavolo releases my nipple from his mouth with a small pop! and gives me a wicked grin.  His hands stroke down my back and move to squeeze my ass.  He mouths my neck, teeth nipping against the tender skin.  

“Mmmmm.  So quiet.  Clearly I need to do better.  I need you moaning my name.  Telling me how good I make you feel.  Don’t hold back beautiful.  Let me hear you,” he murmurs.

He sucks hard on a particularly sensitive spot on my neck, then soothes it with a soft swipe of his tongue.

“Diavolo!”  I shudder against him and he takes the opportunity to lavish more attention on my breasts, kissing and licking, making me squirm above him.

“Mmmm, that’s more like it.”  His deep voice sends pleasant vibrations against my skin as he continues to use his mouth on me. 

I pull back and look down at him.  He’s flushed, breathing quickly, his eyes heavy lidded with desire.  “My turn.”

I lightly kiss his lips, moving down his neck slowly.  I press sensuous kisses to his chest, licking one of his nipples while I gently scrape the other with my fingernail.  

“Yes,” he hisses between clenched teeth, arching beneath me.

I grin against his chest, slowly moving down his body.  I scrape my teeth along his abs and give him a soft bite.  One large hand moves down to softly tangle in my hair.  I stop my kisses at the waistband of his boxers.  His erection strains against the fabric, but I’m not going any further without his express permission.

I look up at him through my lashes and give a small tug on his boxers.  “Are you ok with this?”

His hand tightens in my hair.  “Don’t you dare stop now.”

“Perfect.” 

I give his stomach one last kiss and palm him through thin fabric.  His hips arch up and he ruts against my hand, the front of his boxers already wet with pre-cum. 

I pull his boxers down, slowly freeing his erection.  He lifts his hips, speeding the process along.  I quickly toss away his discarded boxers, and reach out to stroke him.  

He’s huge.  

I suddenly have doubts about how he’s going to fit in my.......well anything really.  Then Diavolo moans my name and everything else disappears.

I continue to stroke him, relishing the velvet feel of his skin against my hand.  I lower my head to give him kitten licks, slowly swiping my tongue against the head of his cock and his slit, lapping up his pre-cum. 

“Fuck.”  Diavolo fists his hands into my hair.  “More.  Please.”

It’s a heady feeling, having the prince of the Devildom beneath me and begging for my mouth.  I wrap my lips around the head of his cock and begin sucking, continuing to stroke his shaft, my hand moving in rhythm with my mouth. 

Diavolo tries to keep his hips still, but he can’t help thrusting up into my mouth, greedy for more contact.  I gag, my eyes tearing up, but I continue on, his pleasure the only thing on my mind.  I eventually remove my hand, my mouth bobbing up and down on his cock.  It’s a messy, sloppy blow job, but from his groans of pleasure I don’t think he minds. 

“Don’t stop, don’t stop, don’t stop,” Diavolo breathes, those words somewhere between a plea and a prayer. 

I reach between his legs to cup his balls, my mouth still wrapped around his thick cock.  His hips buck, his back arching off the bed, and I can feel the muscles in his thighs tighten.  He tugs on my hair, pulling me off of him, and I release his cock reluctantly.

“Something wrong?” I ask with a grin, wiping the back of my hand across my mouth.

“If you keep doing that I’m going to cum.”  Diavolo’s chest is heaving and he grips my wrists tightly.

I arch an eyebrow at him.  “And that’s bad because.......?”

He growls and yanks me up his body.  “Because I need to taste you.  Now.  And when I cum I’m going to cum inside you.  I want to see your face when I mark you as mine for the first time.”

He keeps pulling me up until my thighs are resting on either side of his head.  He presses a kiss to my inner thigh.  “Hold on to the headboard.”

“Wha-? Oh god!”  I lose my train of thought as Diavolo gives a sharp bite to the inside of my thigh.  He turns his head and brushes kisses along the other.

He brings a finger up and slowly circles my clit.  

“So pretty,” he mumbles.  “And so wet.  Just for me.”  

He lazily swipes his finger through my folds, up and down, before returning to press on my clit.

I grip the headboard, panting.  “Diavolo..... no teasing.”

He presses one finger into me, stretching me. He strokes slowly, giving me time to adjust to his size.

I whimper and attempt to move my hips.  One large hand grabs my thigh, holding me still.  Diavolo adds a second finger, stroking in and out, working me into a frenzy.

My grip on the headboard tightens.  “Your mouth, use your mouth.  Please,” I beg.

Diavolo continues his maddeningly slow pace, pressing his thumb against my clit for further stimulation.  

“I can’t hear you princess.  Be a little louder for me.  Use your words.”  He blows a breath of cool air against my heated core and I shiver, tightening around his fingers.

“Diavolo please!  I need your mouth on me.  Please!”  I’m no longer worried about keeping quiet.  The whole House of Lamentation could hear me for all I care.  My one need is to feel Diavolo’s mouth on my pussy.  NOW.

He laughs and gives my thigh one last kiss.  “Good girl.”  He slowly and deliberately swipes his tongue against my clit. 

“Fuck!” 

He removes his fingers and presses an open mouth kiss against me, his tongue stroking through my folds.  “You taste even better than I imagined you would.

My hips buck.  “More,” I mewl helplessly.

Diavolo’s hands grab my hips roughly and he plunges his tongue inside me.  I scream, overwhelmed by the sensation.  He keeps a firm grip on me, never allowing me to move away.  He begins using his hands to guide my hips in an up and down rhythm, his tongue thrusting in and out.

He’s making me fuck his face.

Everything begins to fade around me.  Nothing matters but the sensation of Diavolo’s tongue between my thighs.

“Diavolo..........Diavolo I’m going to cum.  I’m going to cum.”  I’m a whimpering mess, unable to do anything but hold tight to the headboard and let pleasure sweep me away. 

He removes his mouth from me long enough to say, “Then cum for me Arianthi.  I need you on my tongue.”  

His presses a finger against my clit, circling it roughly while he resumes fucking me with his tongue.  Tension gathers in my core, tighter and tighter until it finally snaps.

“Diavolo!”  I scream, shuddering against him.  My vision flashes white as my orgasm takes over.  He continues to stroke and lick me through my release, lapping up everything I give him.

I’m trembling when he eases me off of him and lays me back on the mattress.  He rolls over on top of me, grinning and looking pleased with himself.

He brings his mouth to mine and gives me a deep kiss.  I can taste myself on his tongue, and I moan into the kiss, greedy for more of whatever he wants to give me.  

“Good?” he whispers against my lips.

“Try amazing,” I whisper back, lacing my hands behind his neck and bringing him down for another kiss. 

He breaks the kiss and laughs, moving to settle his hips between my thighs.  He reaches between us to stroke his cock a few times, using the head to tease my already overstimulated clit.

He looks up and meets my eyes.  “Is this ok?  Do you still want this?”

I nod and tilt my hips up to meet his.  “I want this.”

He slowly pushes the head of his cock into my pussy.  I tense slightly and he stops.

He’s so big.  How is he this big?  Are all demons this big?  Goddamn Diavolo you could split a girl in half.

Diavolo presses a soft kiss to my lips.  “Relax baby.  I won’t hurt you. I’ll be so gentle with you.”

My body melts into his, soothed by his sweet words.  He continues pressing into me, inch by excruciatingly pleasurable inch.

“You’re so beautiful Arianthi. And so wet for me.  Such a tight fit baby.  Like you were made just for me. Fuuuuuuuuck...... I love the way you feel.”  Diavolo murmurs against my neck, kissing and nuzzling me between endearments.  

He lets out a beautifully obscene moan once he’s fully sheathed, and gives me time to adjust to his size.  I’m panting, already overwhelmed by the feel of him.

“Are you ok if I move?”

“Fuck yes,” I whisper, rocking my hips against his.

He pulls out, only to thrust back in slowly, drawing out every ounce of pleasure he can.  I throw my head back against my pillows and close my eyes, reveling in sensations.  His cock inside me, his lips on my neck, the feel of his hair between my fingers, the weight of his body pressing me down into the mattress.

Diavolo continues to slowly thrust, building our mutual ecstasy. I feel his mouth against my ear.  

“Look at me,” he orders, nipping at my earlobe.

I gasp and focus my eyes on his face.

“I want your eyes on me princess.”  He snaps his hips against mine, increasing his pace.  “I want you looking at me when you cum, knowing it’s me that made you feel this way.  I don’t want you thinking about Mammon.  I want all your attention on me and how good I make you feel.”

“Yes,” I whimper, wrapping my legs around his waist.

“What’s that baby?”  Diavolo thrusts into me hard, leaving me gasping for breath.

“Only you Diavolo.  Only you,”  I cry out.

He gives me a feral grin.  “Good girl.”

He deepens his thrusts, grinding against me every time our hips meet.  He holds himself up on one forearm, bringing his other hand between us, fingers sliding down my stomach to rub against my clit.

I scream his name, fingertips digging into his shoulders.  I’m coming undone, quickly.  Diavolo feels me tensing beneath him and kisses me, tongue entering my mouth and mimicking the movements of his cock.

I break away, gasping for air.  “Diavolo I’m going to -”

“Me too.”  He’s breathless, chasing his own orgasm.  He rests his forehead against mine.  “Please look at me.  I need to see you.”

I open my eyes and he looks down at me, eyes glazed with lust.  His hips stutter and his thrusts become sloppy.  He pushes into me one last time, and I feel the warmth of his release as he cums, moaning my name.  The sensation of his cock twitching inside me sends me over the edge, and I bury my face into his neck as my pussy clenches around his cock. 

We’re both breathing hard when I pull back to look at him, and he leans down to repeatedly press soft kisses to my lips.  He stays inside me as we kiss and hold each other for a few minutes, reluctant to separate. 

“Are you ok?”  Diavolo whispers, nose nuzzling my cheek.

“That was ........ I can’t....wow....you’re amazing,” I answer, giggling as his nose tickles me.  “Are you ok?”

“I don’t know if I’ve ever felt this happy.”  He smiles down at me, giving me one last kiss before he pulls out and stretches out beside me. He curls into the position of big spoon and pulls me tight against his chest, one arm wrapping around me protectively.  

He kisses the back of my neck, and pulls the blankets over us.  “I think we’ve earned a little rest.”  

I nestle back into the warmth of his chest and relax, listening as Diavolo’s breathing becomes slow and even.  I close my eyes, settling into the comfort of his body against mine when a sudden noise makes my eyes fly open.

I scan my bedroom before my gaze settles on my door, cracked open, light from the hallway spilling into my room.  My eyes fly up and land on the pale face staring at me from the doorway.

Oh, fuck. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mammon wanders the hallways of the House of Lamentation, miserable over the way things had happened at Arianthi’s party.  He can’t sleep, sick to his stomach that he had let his jealousy and pride hurt the person that he cared about the most.

I gotta find a way to make this up to her, to show her I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean it.  It was so stupid.  All I need is a chance to apologize and I’ll promise to never do it again. I just need to get her to listen to me for five minutes so I can give her the birthday present I got her and tell her how I really feel.

A cry catches his attention and he follows the sound to investigate.  He ends up in front of Arianthi’s door.  It’s barely cracked open and he can hear whimpers coming from inside her room.  Worried that she may be sick again he softly pushes the door open a little wider.  What he sees makes vomit rise in his throat and tears spill down his cheeks. 

Diavolo is on top of Arianthi, thrusting his cock into her slowly and whispering things Mammon can’t hear.  What he can hear is Arianthi moaning in pleasure as she writhes beneath Diavolo, bucking her hips up to meet his every thrust.  He watches in horror as they cry out in pleasure together, then gently kiss and whisper to each other as they come down from their shared high. 

What did I do?  Did I fuck up this badly?  Or has this been going on right under my nose the whole time?  No, no, Arianthi’s not like that.  I did this.  I pushed her away every time she started to get close. This happened because I fucked up.  I didn’t treat her right, I didn’t let her know I cared.  This is on me.

Mammon roughly wipes the tears from his cheeks as he watches Diavolo wrap himself around Arianthi and they settle in to sleep.  He can hear Arianthi’s sigh of contentment as she cuddles back into Diavolo.

He stares at them a moment longer, something deep and ugly taking root in his chest.  Rage, jealousy, pain, love, and regret war inside him, each begging to be released.  

That should be me. She’s MY human. MY girl. I’m her FIRST man. That should be ME.

Mammon’s breath catches as Arianthi’s eyes snap open and focus on him.  He looks at the person he loves above all others, tears falling openly down his face, as she gazes back at him in shock from the comfort of another demon’s arms. 

[outer-bnks]

Two Burning Hearts Are Dared to Break (JJ x OC) Ch. 9

Chapters: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10

In which Elle and JJ fight over her budding relationship with Rafe, aka angst.

A/N: The Pogues don’t know that Rafe killed Sheriff Peterkin for the premise of this story so Elle and the others think he’s *innocent*.

This chapter ended up being really long so I split it into 2 parts and the 2nd part should be up in the next few days!

Word count: 1.7k

Arriving at the dump of a house that Barry called home, or as others liked to call it, the coke den, Elle took in a deep breath, holding it for a second or two before letting it out. Hopping out of the car, she stormed up the driveway past the overgrown lawn and random pieces of furniture stewed around the yard.

The door swung on its hinges and Elle entered, Barry rising to his feet as if he was used to this kind of entrance, “Yo, what’re you doing!”.

“Where’s JJ, Barry?”, she demanded, acting much tougher than she felt.

She watched his mouth turn up into a slimy smirk, “Oh here for Maybank. What a lucky guy, coming here to rescue him,”, he paused, dragging his eyes up her body, resting on her chest for a moment before continuing. “He must have your sweet body on demand any time he likes to repay you for all the times you save his ass, huh? Tell me I'm right.”

A chill ran down her back, disgusted by his demeanor. “You’re a pig.” she scoffed, looking around the house before finding the back door. She wasted no time in pushing past him, bumping his shoulder on the way out the door.

Like always, her eyes found him immediately, in the corner of the garden pulling out weeds. His grey shirt billowed out behind him in the wind, his hair held back by his blue hat as his dirt covered hands worked on manoeuvering the weed out of the ground. She made her way over to him, trying to keep her strong attitude in his presence, “Come on Jay, you don't need to be here anymore, let's go”.

His head shot up, recognising her voice before seeing her. Oh god what was she doing here. JJ’s seen the way people act around here, and even worse, how they get treated by Barry. Turning to look at her, he took in her crossed arms, and pursed lips. He always thought she looked adorable when she was trying to act tough but right now, he was too concerned about the fact that she was actually standing in front of him, in the coke den’s yard, with Barry watching her from the deck with narrowed eyes and a creepy grin. He stood to her height, wiping his hands on his soiled shorts and reaching out to her with his hand, “Elle, please leave, you shouldn't be here”.

Brushing off his hand, she let out a short chuckle, “Yeah and neither should you”.

For the first time in too long, JJ’s eyes connected with Elle’s, pleading her to leave. It usually didn’t take much for either of them to give in when looking into each other's eyes, but his cerulean eyes weren’t going to make her surrender this time.

“I’ve payed him back. Get your shit and let’s go.”

JJ did a double take, “You did what?”, he asked, taking a step closer to her, his face heating up, “I don't need you to pay off my debts Elle”, he said, placing emphasis on her name.

Elle rolled her eyes, she shouldn’t really be surprised though, after all, she knew how much he hated her fighting his battles for him.“You really think he's going to let you leave once you've paid him back JJ? I know you like to play dumb but come on, give yourself some credit”.

They held eye contact as her words sunk in. She was right. Of course she was. She was always right. And JJ hated that. He hated how she knew what to say and exactly when to say it, how she could calm him down just with a few words, and rile him up with even less. For pretty much any situation, she was right, unless it was about anything to do with cars or boats or fishing.

Barry broke up staring contest butting in, “Yo JJ, it’s alright, you can leave now. Your girl gave it all back”, holding up the bag of cash in one hand, “and then some”, he added, throwing in a slimy wink.

In a split second JJ was in his face, holding him with two hands by the fabric of his shirt. “Look at her like that ever again and I’ll make sure she’s the last thing you see with those eyes, you piece of shit!”, he spat, shoving Barry away from him. “And stop selling coke to my Dad, he’s reselling it for more than you’re charging”, he added, trying to rile him up. His Dad would never sell his coke, unless it was for a larger amount. But JJ knew the only way to get Barry to stop selling it was if he thought that Luke was profiting off it more than Barry was.

He felt Elle’s presence behind him, turning to her and signalling with a nod to follow him out. They thought they were in the clear as they made their way up the driveway to her car, until they heard him yell out with a teasing tone, “Hey, Rafe told me about your little rendez vous the other night Elle! If I were you, I’d be careful there sweetheart!”.

She flipped him off with both hands, feeling her stomach flip, god Rafe has a big mouth. JJ didn’t seem to react until they had both hopped into her car and began heading out of Barry’s, onto the road back to Figure Eight.

“You’ve been hanging out with Rafe?”, he asked incredulously, a slight tone of accusation slipping through.

She sighed, fed up with their constant back and forth arguing lately, “No, I haven’t”, she replied, hoping to cut this conversation topic short.

“Then what was he was talking about?”, he pressed, eager to know the truth.

Elle’s eyes remained on the roach but she could feel him staring at her side profile. “It’s nothing JJ! I bumped into him the other night and we had a conversation, that’s it”.

He let out a sarcastic chuckle, not believing her blatant lie, “Yeah that’s great Elle, fraternizing with the enemy”.

“He’s not the enemy JJ, he’s a fucked up kid who just lost his sister, one of our best friends might I add”, she responded quickly, the reality of the situation being apparently lost on him.

“Yeah who almost tried to kill us Elle!”, his voice raised, becoming more frustrated with what he was hearing, “Did you forget about that huh? When he had his hands wrapped around Kie’s throat, or when he pushed you into a wall and bruised your entire fucking body? Do you not remember that? Or do you just not care?”.

She tried to remain calm but her voice was rising too, “Of course I fucking remember it JJ!”

“Then why isn’t that enough!”, he exclaimed. “Why isn’t that enough to keep you away from him?!”.

Elle finally turned to look at him before turning her attention back to the road. Leveling out her voice, she calmly responded “Look, I found him drunk on the beach, the night of…”, she paused, unsure of how to address it, “the night of our fight. We had a conversation, I called Topper and he came and got him, nothing happened, end of story”.

Jj nodded his head, looking down at his lap. He wasn’t sure if he fully believed her, or if she was telling the truth or not, but JJ could count on one hand how many times they’d lied to each in the past. Sure they lied all the time to get themselves out of trouble or get some time to hang out away from the other Pogues when they’d missed each other. But it wasn’t something they did. They’d never had a reason to lie to each other, however, JJ couldn't help the niggling thought that maybe, after everything that's happened, and how much they'd been arguing recently, maybe that had changed.

They let silence fill the car. They needed to take a breather after the intensity of that emotional outburst. Elle debated in her head on what to say next, settling on “What do you care anyway”.

Emotions rised again once JJ let out another chuckle, bewildered at her question, “Really, Elle? Are you really asking me that?”.

Elle kept her hands on the wheel, glad that she had something to focus on right now so that she wouldn't have to see his real-time reactions. “Oh I’m sorry Jay, but the last time we talked you made it pretty apparent that you wanted nothing to do with me”, she quick fired back, sarcasm levels at an all time high.

“And yet, here you are”, he muttered, loud enough for her to hear.

She tried to contain the burst of anger that shot through her veins after hearing that. Instead deciding to change the topic, “Yeah because I have some information on the police investigation we’re involved in, just thought you might like to know about that”.

“What information?”, he calmly responded, the energy in the car changing drastically from sarcasm to curiosity.

“Shoupe is investigating you and Pope further because he doesn’t believe Kie and I, and he’s pulling up anything you can and will be charged for”.

Looking out the window, he removed his hat, playing with it in his hands, “For fuck’s sake”, he let out a sigh, placing the hat back on, “this isn’t going to end well is it?”.

“Pretty sure you can answer that question by looking at what’s already happened”.

Elle expected him to say something. Anything. To discuss the investigation further, and ask her everything she knew, or ask him what he should do to get out of this mess. She was secretly hoping he might ask her how she’s going, or bring up John B and how much he misses him, or that he can’t believe this has happened.

A ringing sound filled the car as Elle’s pocket vibrated, her phone connected to her cars bluetooth interrupting her train of thought. “Topper Thornton calling” displayed clearly on the screen.

“Topper? Why the fuck is Topper calling you?”.

-----

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[whatissleepeven]

I -

I can't stop thinking about it -

About what, you ask?

An Obey Me! and Fate/Grand Order crossover

(Warning: Long post ahead!)

Either the bois get summoned to Chaldea or they're able to summon Servants themselves

(...I'm leaning towards the first)

The tomfoolery! The shenanigans!

Imagine: Humanity's Last Master (aka you) ends up summoning them as they trek through Rome with Mash and the Servants they already summoned

They set up the summoning circle, but one minor mistake is made and the summoning glow looks a bit darker than usual and BOOM

"S-...Senpai...is this normal?"

You have no idea what's normal or not, I mean you're time travelling to save your people for fucks sake -

"Servant of the Rider Class. My True Name is Lucifer. Do not expect me to cater to your every whim."

...Wait he's a what now??

They were not supposed to have this whole "Class" thing designated to them (it's not how demonic summoning works he swears), and yet they do for some reason

(You can tell I had fun thinking of their Classes)

The introductions are...cold, to say the least

"Saber Class Servant, and none other than The Great Mammon, Avatar of Greed! I got better things to be doing, so don't go calling me whenever ya want, got it?!"

"Lancer Class...Leviathan. I have an mmorpg raid coming up, so I can't stick around."

"Berserker Class. My name is Satan. What? Are you surprised that I seem calm for a Berserker? It's quite alright; I get that reaction often enough. A word of advice: Be careful what you wish for."

"My name is Asmodeus, but you can call me Asmo darling! I'm a Caster, which is good. I can't mess up the work done on my nails and hair!"

"Hm...Oh? Sorry, I was thinking about lunch. Servant Class: Ruler. I'm Beelzebub, but most people call me Beel. Do you have any snacks on you?"

"Servant Class: Avenger. My name is Belphegor, but I doubt you'll be alive long enough to remember that. I won't do your dirty work for you, human."

You are just...done at that point. You are literally carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders and their attitudes are not helping

"Yeah, yeah, here's the gist: there's a war going on and we're trying to save the planet. The future's been incinerated, and it's our job to fix what went wrong. I don't have time for your uncooperation; get on board."

(Mash is worried for your mental health)

It takes some time, but they do manage to open up to you

The main catalyst for this is when they heard you talking to Robin Hood, who was summoned in France

"Say, Master...I gotta ask: Why are you doing this?"

You pause what you're doing, shooting him an incredulous look. "You mean saving the world?" You ask in return.

He shrugs, tilting his head forward in a slight nod. "Yeah. There's other people who could do this, aren't there?"

"There isn't." The brothers hear you say firmly. Beel almost went in because he wanted a snack, but the others held him back; the conversation had peaked their interest, and they wanted to hear what you had to say.

"Robin..." Your voice comes out strained, as if you were barely holding yourself together. "I watched innocent people die in front of me. Good people. The world outside is gone. I can't even go see my family, because they're dead. I'm not expecting you to understand, but it hurts so bad that somedays I don't feel like getting up. If I die, it's all over; humanity's done. I'll never be able to see my family's smiles again, I'll never be able to hear their laughter; I'll...I'll never be able to go back home.

"So, instead of asking why I'm doing this, you should be asking "How far are you willing to go?" instead."

Robin is silent for a while. Mammon shifts on his feet. The Green Archer finally speaks, somber but curious tone filling the air. "And? What's the verdict, Master?"

Your voice has a tone of finality to it that shoots them back to the past, back towards the Celestial War. It's final, but it's tired. "Whatever it takes."

(And, so, the brothers come to understand and even sympathize with your situation a little bit. You had to fight for the sake of others without rest, you were a leader, you were a savior, but most of all...you were alone. And something about that didn't sit right with them.)

They would fit in perfectly with Chaldea's dynamics, actually

Mammon has a gold sword he lovingly calls Goldie (yes it changes into his beloved credit card)

His Noble Phantasm is literally him raising his sword and mountains of Grimm burying his opponents from the sky as he cackles out:

"Don't worry, I'll take all that money off ya hands!"

Or, in a proud declaration:

"My sword is my love, and my love is my sin. I'll take all that you have on ya! STULTUS IN AVARITA!!"

(Translates (from Google) to "Greed of the Fool")

(It also gives you an increased drop rate in materials)

Leviathan's weapon is his trident

He's surprised that he wasn't summoned as a Rider, once he got used to the "Class" thing (which was fairly quick, he's seen an anime like this before). I mean, he has a giant snake named Henry 1.0 and Lothan that he would've loved to fight side by side with

He usually doesn't fight, but he proves to be invaluable in Okeanos since he has knowledge on war strategies at sea

His Noble Phantasm is a bit strange, but endearing (sad). He rushes forward with his trident glowing, saying either:

"I can't get the latest Ruri-chan merch because you blew up the world...I won't forgive you. I can't forgive you!"

Or, in a somber tone:

"Even though it's fun, a gamer's life becomes stifling if you keep playing by yourself. I hope you're watching, (Y/N)! EX SOLA INVIDIA!!"

(Translates (from Google) to "Envy of the Lonely")

(Chance of Death increases with Overcharge, and it hits a single enemy)

Satan? Even though he's a Berserker, he behaves more like a Caster (initially)

He's holding a book that shoots out beams of pure energy at his opponents

His Noble Phantasm is...more violent

"Ah, so you've decided to call upon my Noble Phantasm...don't blame me if it's too much for you."

Or, he begins in a deathly calm voice:

"I am me; that's all I need to be. I know this, so why...? Why does this happen? TELL ME! "

He discards his books altogether, grabbing a single enemy with his bare hands and ripping them to shreds.

Asmo’s skill is charming his enemy, which confuses most people since you’d think it’d be his Noble Phantasm

Instead, it boosts his allies’ attacks and NP by 30%

“Don’t get too hurt out there~!”

Beel’s Noble Phantasm heals all allies and increases their attack

“We can’t fight on an empty stomach.”

(Once he hits his last Ascension, your party gets the added bonus of him attacking a single enemy with a lance. All other Ascensions has him using his fists for attacks.)

Belphie’s Noble Phantasm is almost as violent as Satan’s, and yes...he chokes out a single enemy out (rip MC)

“HA! You think I’d work with the likes of you, a lowly human? Get out of my sight.”

It’s Instant Death, unless Evasion or Invincibility is activated

Lucifer’s pride is a bit wounded. He’s a Rider, of all things??

(...He eventually gets used to it though)

His Noble Phantasm is him literally mounting Cerberus and raising his spear towards the heavens, looking as radiant as the days before the Fall

“It seems drastic times call for drastic measures. Cerberus, I trust you to handle things here.”

And Cerberus runs forth, either chomping the enemy in two or breathing fire at them and turning them into ash. (It hits everyone)

Satan and Jekyll hang out a lot because, well...they’re a lot alike

Mammon can and will do stupid shit with the Cu Squad and you cannot change my mind

One time he teamed up with Cascu to steal the other Cu’s spears (Mammon wanted to sell them on Akuzon), and well...half of Chaldea is still in repair to this day

Merlin of all Servants is the one to look after Belphie and Beel

They usually hang out in the garden Robin tends to, Asterios occasionally joining them while bringing both food and Euryale

Asmo frequently visits Medea, dragging Medusa into their group

(Dantes grows fond of Beel overtime, I mean Beel is just so pure there’s no way you couldn’t like him)

Lucifer and EMIYA butt heads at first, but they end up becoming friends despite that

Lucifer admires EMIYA’s skill to keep up with Servants who have a black hole for a stomach, and EMIYA admires Lucifer’s skill to round up his brothers effortlessly when the need to arises (or so he thinks, because he does not know about the Hate Lucifer Club which is run by Satan and Belphie).

Levi and Fran have a pure kind of friendship that must be protected at all costs

He shows her new animes and games, and even though she’s confused most of the time she never fails to listen to his ramblings, nodding whenit was appropriate

BONUS: Undateables (+ Luke)!

Solomon’s situation is...peculiar.

He’s not a Servant, but he behaves like one??

(He’s actually a mage that helps you on your journey to save humanity)

Unlike Da Vinci, he’s able to accompany you to the Singularities (free of charge, too!)

Once he sees the other Solomon, all he says is “I see...interesting.”

(Ngl he probably figured out everything by the time you all went to Okeanos)

Asmo also drags him into his group (consisting of Medea and Medusa), offering to paint his nails as they talk about anything and everything

Simeon is a Lancer and you can’t change my mind

He’s more of a buffer for your team, like Asmo. His skills are primarily healing, and his NP saps the health of an opponent while healing someone other than himself with that health (he cannot heal himself)

He gets along great with Karna!! The two are so nice and kind that it hurts to look at them both for too long

Solomon tells him about the gossip Asmo has on the other Servants. He always listens with an amused look on his face.

Luke is a smol Caster, but he will not hesitate to break your kneecaps

He, too, is a buffer for your team

“I’ll defend you from those demons, (Y/N)!”

His Noble Phantasm heals all allies, restoring their health by 20%

He bakes with Fsn Cu at night, having Proto Cu and Robin Hood try out his sweets. Beel is there 10/10 times, eating any failures or rejects

Diavolo is Ruler Class because he is literally the Ruler of Hell

Surprisingly (to you, at first), he’s the one who always asks to accompany you. He’s very open and considerate, wanting to help wherever and whenever he can

“The Human Realm is essential if we are to establish harmony between the three Realms. Without it there...angels and demons would fight each other for eternity.”

He tells you about his ideas for an exchange program and you offer him input

His Noble Phantasm is applying Invincibility to two allies for 3 turns after dealing heavy damage to a single enemy (cannot apply Invincibility to himself)

He likes to talk with Caster Gil and Archer Gil about their past, going to Ko Gil on occasion. He helps look after the child Servants, and he can often be found reading bedtime stories to them

(Everyone was scared of him at first once they found out who he was, so he usually held off revealing his True Identity)

Barbatos, at first glance, seems like an Archer...but in reality is an Assassin

(HE CONTROLS TIME FOR F*S SAKE)

His Noble Phantasm, depending on the enemy selected, can revive a fallen ally and add them to the Sub Team

(This is only if the enemy that killed the ally is selected)

This stuns him for 3 turns no matter what

He likes to chat with the Tamamo that helps EMIYA in the kitchen. How the two are communicating without issues is up to anyone’s guess

[anime-alyssa]

eventually i will be able to remember to update frequently. support me on ko-fi if you liked this and enjoy! also on ao3. 

be’jetii masterlist

s i x.

It had been three months since you had last seen the Mandalorian. Han and Chewbacca helped you fix your ship up and you were back to living life on Tattooine as it had before, stealing things off of people and selling them for double the price. You still had your dreams, though, which were quite annoying. It was either the memory of your father passing, Luke leaving, or some positive memory with Luke. It was damn near painful sometimes but you sucked it up and got over it.

Your kyber crystal had been calling to more lately - which put you on edge. The more it called to you the more stressed you were - the Force was trying to tell you something but you couldn’t tell what it was. You even tried to meditate on it and you got nothing in response. Not a damn thing. You were frustrated - tired of all the clouded visions. All of this didn’t start happening until you met that damn Mandalorian and his foundling. Everything was perfectly fine up until then.

You had a sinking feeling in your stomach lately. Between the dreams and the feeling in your stomach along with your crystal calling to you, you were on edge 24/7. You didn’t want to bother Leia about it, as she could just tell you to go see her and figure it out. She was starting to get stressed too, no thanks to Han and Ben’s growing abilities. The last thing you wanted to do was to give her another problem to worry about, so you were on your own.

Your day started out like any other. You had taken your speeder to Mos Eisley to restock on some food that you had run out of and to see if any parts for your ship were on sale. You had that feeling in your stomach again but you had gotten used to ignoring it and moving on. The second you stepped into the marketplace though, something was off.

For starters, all eyes were on you. Which was strange because it wasn’t like you were an outsider. You frequented the market several times a week, everyone knew you and you knew them. Secondly, the Stormtroopers patrolling the area were a big red flag. You started to back up, which unfortunately backed you right up into one. You tried to scurry away but you were recognized.

“You there!” a Trooper in a Black uniform said. You froze as it walked up to you, starting to shake. “You were seen with a Mandalorian in these parts recently. You need to come with us.”

“Yeah I was seen with a Mandalorian who tried to take me in. I don’t know where he is.” you said defensively. You saw the Trooper look over at his partner quickly before he draw his blaster out and pointed it at you. "You're kidding me, right?" you groaned.

"You are coming with us." he threatened you. You rolled your eyes as you sprung into action, throwing a punch in between the legs - just as a blaster shot was fired in the distance at the Trooper. You didn't think twice as you pulled another punch at a Trooper and dashed off to your speeder. You were being shot at by other Troopers now, at double the shot.

"So they found out." you heard a familiar, modulated voice say from the side of you.

"How did I know this would be your fault?" you asked the Mandalorian as the two of you ran to your speeder, starting it up and high-tailing it away from the marketplace. There were still a few on your trail that he was shooting out, the sounds of your speeder, his shots, and the laughter of the kid echoing through your ears. At least someone was having a good time.

"Someone must have said something. We need to get off this planet - go left!" he said to you.

"What, to your ship?!" you asked bitterly. You wanted to get to your home, which was safe for you. To your ship where you could get the hell off the planet and hide.

"Do you want to lead them back to your home?" he snapped. Okay, so he had a point. You didn't want them going back to your home, even as remote and hidden as it was in the mountains. You veered your speeder left as he kept shooting, the kid toppling over in the process. "Watch it!" the Mandalorian shouted to you as the kid started to whimper.

"Strap him in or something!" you shouted back to him. You could see his ship coming up in the distance and in an effort to get there faster, started to kick up the auxiliary. "Hold on!" you told the Mandalorian as you punched forward, hearing him grunt in response. A shot nearly hit you but the Mandalorian acted quickly as you approached his ship in a matter of seconds, slamming on the breaks.

"Next time, I drive." he huffed as he grabbed the child and your arm and dragged you out of the speeder.

"Hey - my - "

"Shut up and get on the ship!" the Mandalorian said as he put the baby in the ship. You grunted as you listened, running onto his ship as you watched him board your speeder in the cargo hold. Well at least he did one nice thing for you. The Mandalorian closed the hangar door and jumped up to the cockpit, grabbing the baby as he climbed the ladder. You followed as you heard Troopers now beginning to fire on the ship.

"Where the hell are we going?" you asked him as you picked the child up from the co-pilots chair and sat yourself down in it.

"Far enough away that Moff Gideon and his army won't find us." Now that made your stomach lurch. Moff Gideon is someone who you know has been continuing the Empire on a low-key basis, thanks to Leia, somehow faking his death. She's been trying to catch him in the act for years but hasn't been able to find him or come close.

"Excuse me did you say - " The ship started to take off the ground in a hurry, you lurching forward in your seat and holding the baby tightly.

"Shut up now, ask questions later." the Mandalorian snapped. You glared at the back of his helmet as he piloted the ship out of the planet's atmosphere and then promptly, into hyperspace. You let out a breath that you didn't know you were holding and sunk back into the seat. The kid started to tap on your arms happily, excited to see you again clearly.

"So now will you tell me why Moff Gideon is after you?" you asked him. He turned to look at you and sighed.

"He was the one who put the bounty out on the kid last year. I thought I killed him last year but somehow, he's survived. He has the kid's tracking fob still active and can hunt us down anywhere." the bounty hunter explained to you.

"You've got to me kidding me." you said to him. "You're a bounty hunter how did you not kill him right the first time around?" you asked again, frustrated.

"I thought crashing his TIE fighter was enough. I thought wrong." he said, annoyance over his tone. You scoffed and rolled your eyes at him. "Look, I only found this out a couple of weeks ago when he tried to shoot me down in the Outer Rim. I didn't know he'd try to find you." he added semi-apologetically.

"Yeah well you better fucking hope he doesn't trace the kid and I back to Chandrilla or your ass is dead." you said, your mind flashing to Leia and Ben. He wouldn't try to go after them, right? Especially not since Leia is a senator, right? Who in their right mind would go after a senator?

"Relax. They're protected enough, he wouldn't dare. Too risky." the Mandalorian said to you. You sighed in relief as the kid babbled happily in your arms. A silence fell upon you, an uncomfortable one. You still had questions for him, but you knew he'd get annoyed the more questions you asked.

"Where are we going?" you figured that question was safe, you deserved to know where you were headed.

"Nevarro." he answered after a long pause, probably aware of what your reaction would be.

"Are you serious?" you asked him in disbelief. Leia had told you about a shoot-out on Nevarro from a year ago with a bunch of Imperials, you assumed now that was the instance in which he thought he killed Gideon. Why on earth he was bringing you there was beyond you.

"I need supplies and a job. It's a pitstop before we keep going." he added. You supposed he was right and that it was a good reason, but back to the planet were it all happened was a mistake to you.

"So what, we're going to just keep moving and hope he doesn't find us?" you asked him.

"Yup." the Mandalorian left it at that. You huffed in annoyance and aggravation that you were dragged into something that you didn't want to be apart of. That you had to leave behind your home, your life, because of this stupid bounty hunter. "If we keep moving, it’s easier to throw them off." he added to try to make the situation better, or to make you understand.

"Yeah, I know. I'm not an idiot. I was apart of the rebellion for a day." you said to him. That got him to turn his attention to you.

"A day?" he asked.

"Yeah and then my father got killed so I left. Anything else you want to know?" you asked him. That seemed to shut him up and he turned back to staring out the window of the ship in hyperspace. You let out a small sigh as you leaned back into your seat.

You had forgotten that you had the kid in your arms until he started to tap on your shoulder to get your attention. He stared up at you wide-eyed and a smile on his little face, making your heart melt. He started to do that thing like the last time - flashing images through your mind to communicate with you.

He showed images of what he and the Mandalorian have been up to the past few months - different hunts and things. The kid was particularly proud of a moment where he managed to make all the guns in the Mandalorian's armory float by using the Force. It made you laugh because of how stressed the Mandalorian was, but the little guy wanted you to be proud of him. He wanted you to be proud of him because he knew that you understood him.

And then he played a scene in your head that you weren't expecting to see.

——

Lightsaber in hand, you attacked. Or at least, you tried too. Your opponent was stronger than you and you were struggling to come up against them. The blade hummed as you retreated, panting for breath and sweat pouring down your body.

"Again." your father said to you, going back to his first position and watching you. You sighed and nodded, working to gather your composure.

You brought your saber up to your fighting position and went for it again. Naturally, Obi-Wan Kenobi was able to block your attacks with ease, every single damn one. It made you frustrated, angry - how were you supposed to learn to win if the only partner you have is/was a Jedi Master?

"Clear your head - don't let your thoughts take control." he lectured to you, striking back at one of your attacks. You groaned this time as you attempted to keep going.

"I'm trying but considering I can't get a single move in on you, yeah I'm a bit fed up!" you said to him in annoyance. You were starting to get angry - but you couldn't. Anger was for the Sith and you were not going to be a Sith. Hell, you didn't even think you should be a Jedi but here you were.

"Again. Let go of how you are feeling and try." your father certainly had a way with words. You took a deep breath in, for a moment to long it seemed, and your father went to strike you, but this time you were able to block him. "Better already." he commented.

With that bout of confidence you were able to gain a new sense of strength and battle with him. The sounds of your sabers clashing echoed off the mountains and were was sand in your shoes and you were tired and exhausted - but you finally had bested your father, the great Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"You can do whatever you want - so long as you try hard enough and put your mind to it. I know you can."

That was the last time you had ever fought with your father. The next day, Luke Skywalker came along looking for him with his two droids and everything changed.

——

You visibly jumped back and let out a gasp. How in the hell did the baby dig into your memory to uncover that? He was a baby - but he wasn't an ordinary baby. He was a powerful, force sensitive baby. But the fact that he chose that memory - a memory of you fighting back when you were a Jedi Knight. You knew what you had to do, as much as you didn't like it, it was the best option for him. And for you.

"What did he show you?" the Mandalorian asked. You shook your head quickly and turned to face the beskar. You couldn't truly tell him, of course. But if he was actually asking you, it meant that you looked just as shaken up as you felt.

"It's not what he showed me... it's what he pulled from my own memory." you said to him. The Mandalorian tilted his helmet to the side as the baby babbled to himself in your lap. You heard a sigh come through the modulator.

"He's... never done that before. To me. It's something new every day. First, it's saving me from the Mudhorn, then it's harming someone, floating things..." he said from next to you with a sigh. You nodded back, taking in a deep breath yourself. "He needs someone like him - who can help him. I can't help him, Kenobi. Do you know anything about that Jedi that can help us?" he asked.

You started to shake, and it must have been visible because the baby cooed at you and the Mandalorian got out of his chair, putting an arm on your shoulder. It was supposed to be a sign of comfort you thought, but it only made you more nervous. He was right - he needed someone who could help him. That wasn't going to be you, so your only option was -

"Luke Skywalker is his name. I can help you get to him."

@waiting-for-motivation @domino-oh-damn @theocatkov @killtherandomness @mrsparknuts @wolf-lover74 @the-sparkism @jedi-dreea @buckysalefty

[percyscourt]

Imagine Travis Stoll from Percy Jackson in Ferris Bueller's Day Off

travis stoll is a nyc high school senior. known and well-liked by everybody- except his principal and older sister- travis is funny, mischevious, and has a way of always getting what he wants.

it's towards the end of the year when travis decides to take one of his many "skip" days in order to skip a history test he has to do. the only problem? he's already used up all nine of his abscences for the year. this isn't going to stop him, though

when travis' parents comes to wake him up in the morning, he's already been up for an hour planning. the plan- to claim he's sick and get them to let him stay home. travis knows he can't just claim he was sick though, no, he has to prove it. using his top three tricks.

1. Fake A Stomach Cramp

2. Moan and Wail

3. Lick Palms

this morning, he used all three, with an added "I'm seeing spots" for good measure. just as he knew it would, his plan works. both his mom and dad agree to let him take a sick day, telling him to call them at work if anything comes up

as soon as they leave, travis throws his covers off himself and gets out of bed, getting ready for the day

meanwhile, his sister Annabeth is at school, and suspects knows that travis is faking. she's not the only one. besides Annabeth, the dean, Pr. D, also suspects travis of skipping school, and he commits to catching him himself

while his sister and principal both stress over how to catch him, travis gets to work perfecting his plan. after getting out of bed, he sets up a mannequin stunt-double in the bed to look as if he's there sleeping. and for icing on the cake, he plays a recording of himself snoring to make it more legitimate.

after this, it's time for travis to make some calls. the first one goes to luke, his best friend, who is currently at home and actually sick. luke answers, sounding like death, but travis doesn't really care. "We're going out today. See you soon." luke argues, of course, but travis knows he'll eventually give in

travis walks to luke's house and they make a call to the school- as the dad of Katie Gardner, Travis' girlfriend. despite his protests, luke ends up as the one making the phonecall.

"Well, I can't do it, Luke! You know you have the best adult voice!"

he tells the school to please excuse "his daughter" as there has been a death in the family, and they need to prepare for the funeral and mourn as a family

the dean, thinking it's travis, starts yelling and threatening luke to "expose" him- until travis calls him from the other line to let him know that he's sick, and that he really wishes he could be at school. embarassed, the dean immediately sends for katie to leave school early, no other questions asked

"I'll even walk her out, myself, sir, sorry again sir, I-" luke hangs up in the middle of the explanation, hands shaking and already regretting everything. travis, on the other hand, is just getting started for the day

while katie is getting her stuff together to leave, everybody is talking about travis and his "near-death" illness. a couple kids start gofundme pages, and several sell cookies and bracelets to raise awareness. annabeth hates it, and it takes all her power to not kill the freshmen girls that ask to come over after school to see him

the next step of travis' plan is convincing luke to take out his dad's car to go pick-up katie; as travis doesn't have a car of his own. mr. castellan's car is a vintage 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California that he personally restored to mint condition. luke has a mini-panic attack before again giving in to travis, and even agrees to let travis drive

before they leave, travis visits mr. castellan's closet for some inspiration. he grabs a top hat, sunglasses, and a buisness coat. he also pulls out a fake mustache from his pocket, and luke doesn't even bother to aks. in just the ten minute drive to he school, travis runs five red lights, luke almost pukes, travis almost hits somebody, and the car almost runs into a tree. somwhow, they both make it to the school in one piece

when they pull up, just as he said, the dean is waiting with katie, one hand on her shoulder in what travis assumes is an attempt at comfort. travis pushes luke's head down in the front seat and gets out of the car and stands in front of the driver's seat. when the dean starts walking towards him, travis shoos him away, saying they really need to get going. the dean stays at the door while katie runs to the car, and the whole time he's apologizing for his behavior over the phone.

travis dismisses him, and when katie gets to travis, he pulls her in for a long kiss. the dean looks on perplexed, then chalks it up to a simple "oh, they're that kind of family." travis and katie get in the car, and travis speeds off.

while the dean was outside, annabeth was in the hallway, watching the whole thing. annoyed, she decides that when she gets home she'll bust travis before he can get away with it

though luke begs travis not to, travis takes them and mr. castellan's car to downtown NY, blaring loud music and speeding the whole time. when they get to the city, travis decides they need to ditch the car and he leaves it with parking garage attendants. of course, as soon as they leave, the attendants decide to take the car for a joyride

after leaving the garage, travis leads them on a sight-seeing walk around downtown, looking at sights such as places in SoHo, the Hudson River Park, and even the one world observatory. the whole time the kids are trying not to run into Mr. Stoll, who's working downtown

the whole time, luke is obviously uninterested and nervous. travis looks for a way to cheer him up, then finds it. while luke and katie are watching fish swim in the river, travis disappears. just as they start to look for him, they find him. on a float. in the parade.

"TRAVIS! GET DOWN FROM THERE! YOUR DAD COULD SEE! THE DEAN COULD SEE, FOR PETE'S SAKE!" both luke and katie run alongside the float and try to get travis off. travis, in response, of course, performs a lip-sync cover of the Beatles' Twist and Shout.

mr. stoll hears the song from his office and even starts dancing along, though he doesn't see his son

while travis continues his performance, the dean goes to his house to investigate the credibility of travis' sick day. at the same time, a frustrated annabeth skips class to come home early and catch travis. when annabeth gets home, Pr. D has successfully broken into her house. not realizing who it is, Annabeth knocks him out with kick then runs upstairs, scared of retaliation. she tries to phone 911 in her room but the phone operator thinks she's prank calling her, and hangs up the phone

when the dean wakes up, he walks outside and sees that his car has been towed. he runs after the tow truck, and annabeth walks downstairs to find his wallet on the kitchen floor. recognizing him, she takes it and puts it in her pocket.

despite hanging up, the operator did send police to the house- to arrest annabeth for a false report. they arrest her and take her to the station, forcing her to call her mom for bail. when Mrs. Stoll gets there, she sees Annabeth kissing a delinquent named Percy, and she grounds Annabeth immediately, though annabeth is at the point past caring

looking again to travis, he's now done with his performance and tells katie and luke they should go to lunch. instead of going to their usual diner, travis picks a fancy restaurant where you can only get in by reservation. when they get to the front, travis uses his persuasion skills and gets a table, by saying he had reserved it as a "Hermes", a very famous buisnessman in NY. when they sit down, the friends notice that travis' dad is right outside, and they carefully evade him as they leave the restaurant

much to luke's liking, travis tells them they're done downtown and they go back to the garage to pick up the car. on the way home, they realize that hundreds of miles have been added to the odometer, and luke starts freaking out

after getting back to the castellan house, travis works on calming luke down, and comes up with a plan to run the car in reverse in place in luke's garage to reverse the odometer. when they realize this isn't working, luke goes crazy. ranting about his abusive, unloving father, luke starts kicking the front of the car. because of this, the cars becomes unstable on its stand, and when luke stops to rest on it, it rolls back into the garage's glass windows and lands in the ditch below

luke stares at the car for maybe five straight minutes before starting to laugh, unnerving travis. while he laughs, travis offers to take the blame, but luke tells him he'll own up to his actions and maybe finally stand up to his dad after taking the consequences

travis leaves luke and runs katie home. travis himself sprints home, cutting through the street to reach his house faster. he's runnin full speed when he's almost hit by a car- a car with his mom and sister inside. while his mom doesn't recognize him, annabeth does, and hits the gas pedal for her mom in order to beat travis home

when travis gets home, not only is the dean there but annabeth is also waiting for him. despite her attempts to catch him, annabeth wraps an arm around travis and starts scolding him- from walking home from the hospital when he was in such bad shape

when the dean starts protesting, annabeth hands him his wallet from earlier and thanks him for driving travis home

before his parents check on him, travis races to his room, and is comfortably in bed when they come to see him

AND FINALLY, TRAVIS LOOKING INTO THE DISTANCE LIKE JIM FROM THE OFFICE AND UTTERING THE WORDS

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

[ironwoman18]

The Worst Third Date Ever part 15

Chapter 15: We don't need a gun to kill someone.

"There are certain clues at a crime scene which by their very nature do not lend themselves to being collected or examined. How's one collect love, rage, hatred, fear...? These are things that we're trained to look for." James Reese

After they returned home from New York, Spencer and Max returned to their routine. She has to go to the school and the next week she will have a new presentation at the Smithsonian.

He, on the other hand, has a few small cases. The biggest of them was a man who wanted to find his perfect family and killed women and men.

So now that he is back home he wanted to spend time with her. He was so used to their dynamic of the past two week that he now missed it.

They planned to have dinner that night. He ordered thai food and when she arrived the food came shortly after.

They decided to not talk about work at dinner. So he told her about JJ thinking about leaving to New Orleans for a job there at the bureau, she would be chief there.

He was happy for her because she had been growing so much in all these years but he will miss her and his godsons.

She also told him about a teacher who may retire at the end of the school year. This teacher had been working for 35 years at the school and everybody loves her.

So she planned to give her a present made by the kids.

"That's really sweet of you Max, I'm sure she will love it" he smiled at her and after dinner they laid on the sofa and talked some more. Just be together made them happy.

"Have you ever invited your friends in?" She asked rubbing his arm around her "because you told me about Luke invited you all to his house to host Kristy's baby shower and Rossi who hosted every big party of the unit and even Penelope hosted some reunions but never heard of you doing it"

"It's because I never really invited someone else in here. I was germaphobic when I started to work in the BAU also I was nervous to get attached to those people, even though I ended up being attracted to them but truthfully I'm not sure if all of these apply as a reason"

"I understand and I think you should. As you follow your therapist about having a normal conversation, you should follow mine about invited them in. After all you share more time with them than anyone else"

He laughs softly and kissed her head "ok I will do it" she smiled and turned to face him and kissed him softly.

"Good boy" she laughed and hugged him tightly.

After that they share more time like that then she said she has to leave, it was getting late and she had to wake up earlier.

"I wish you didn't have to leave" he said as he walked her to her car, for protection.

"Me too but we aren't talking about moving in together. And I didnt want to mention it"

"Why?"

"Because it's what screw up everything with Mike" she looked at him "you meant so much to me to screw up"

He looked at her "you won't. You are amazing and when you are ready to take that step I will be right here. Ready for it"

She smiled "and this is why I love you you Doctor Reid"

He laughed and kisses her softly then she opened the door of the car and got in "see you and remember what your new therapist ordered you" she winked and he laughed and nodded.

"Yes ma'am" he smiles as she rolled her eyes and left. He looked until the car was out of his sight and returned home.

The next day he invited all the team to go to his apartment if they didn't have a case. Dave could not but the rest decided to go.

They talked while eating Chinese food then Penelope mentioned her thinking about a new job offer.

At first he was shocked because he was more used to think other members would leave first than her.

Luke was shocked too and he could see, even with their constant fights, that both care about the other.

Then JJ and Prentiss arrived and they did some games and had a good time.

Then they left and Spencer looked at them smiling. He called Max "hey Max"

"Oh hey Spence. What's up?"

"I did what you want me to" he smiled looking down.

"Really? That's awesome babe, you won a kiss" she smirked and he just laughed "I would like to heard all the details. Maybe tomorrow?"

"Sounds great" he smiled at that "see you tomorrow. Good night"

"Good night" they both hung up then he went to his bedroom, changed and went to sleep.

The next day, after his coffee with Max, Spencer decided to look for Rossi. So after he could not find him in his office or other places he would be. So his last option was the first office of the BAU.

There he was with all his evidence about Lynch on the wall "I don't know why it didn't occur to me yesterday that you'd come down here to recharge" Spencer checked the wall full of photos and details of Lynch "it's been a year since we first encountered Lynch"

"Yeah, I'll probably forget my wedding anniversary but I'll never forget that day" David's eyes focused on the room as his fingers played with his cup of coffee "and this is where the BAU began. It's the one place I can still hear Gideon's voice, prodding me to, um, 'think outside the box'" the last thing was an imitation of Gideon's voice.

That made Spencer laughs softly "something like, uh, 'I am the unsub'" said Spencer trying to make and imitation of the former member of the BAU.

"'Who's your daddy?'" That made the young doctor laughed "that's what we've been missing"

"Roberta gave us the name..."

"Roberta lied. She just wants to appear to be helpful to everyone. She's got her own agenda"

"What are you thinking... Get paroled, find her son and get revenge for the death of her granddaughter Grace?"

"The trifecta"

"Killing your own child is far more common than most people think and in filicide cases, mothers are just as likely as fathers to be killers"

"Which is why Roberta doesn't want us to get in the way of her taking care of family business "

"Still, filicide not only requires that she harbor deep resentment, but also that she disassociates from her relationship to her only child"

"Which she did when I showed her the photo of Grace's dead body"

"Were you gonna share all this with the rest of the team?"

"It's just theories"

"Dave, I completely understand your personal stake in this, but you and Gideon started something pretty good down here, and I think it's time that you let that legacy do what it's always done best... work together as a team" that made David to understand he was so focused on catching Lynch that he forgot the team. A team that he watched catching criminals over that past twelve years.

He nodded and both men went up to the office of the BAU to share this theory with them.

Penelope found out that Lynch was looking for a private detective to find his real father, the team speculated that maybe he was not a sociopath if killing his daughter triggered some memories of his father.

They decided to sent Spencer to observe JJ and Tara interrogate Roberta. Spencer could not see her really killing her son, she talked with hatred but he could not find a sign of filicide.

When they arrived back to the office the next day, Emily announced they will wheel up in 30 to Reno, Nevada, all the team but her and Tara. She will stay in DC and check the team.

"Fret not my intrepid crime fighters. You're no longer flying blind into the silver state. I have matched our mysterious searcher's I.P. address to business in Reno that touts itself as a 'private security firm' and it's christened Castle Security"

"Says here the company is owned and operated by Orlando Gaines" added Matt.

"What a piece of work. He's a former Concord Bay narcotics cop who spent five years in prison for selling police-confiscated drugs" commented Luke.

"It looks like either months ago, his company received a wire transfer for $25.000 from an offshore account connected to our old friend, Arthur Terrell" said Tara from the office.

"Terrell was still alive back then" said JJ.

"He was, but that account has since transferred into the hands of an Edward Myles, and Mr. Myles is turning out to be very elusive"

"Yeah, 'cause although that could be a very likely alias for Mr. Lynch, that name isn't popping up anywhere in Reno" added Penelope to Prentiss' information.

"JJ, Luke, Matt, check in with Reni PD, also our FBI field office" she ordered to those three, then added "Dave and Spence, see if you can get a sit-down with Orlando Gaines" Prentiss hung up after that last order then the team arrived to the city and they went separate ways to do what she ordered.

And in the meantime Roberta killed the father of Everett in the most salvaged way possible. After that David received a call from Lynch wanting to see him.

They had a discussion about what to do but at the end Emily left him go to meet Lynch, with JJ as a sniper for cover.

He and Lynch talked and David tried to convince him to surrender but the Chameleon showed his cards. Olivia has diabetes and they kill him they will not find her in time for her next shot so JJ took her finger away of the trigger.

After more research Penelope found the address were Lynch were living and sent it to JJ and Spencer.

Spencer could not see Roberta killing her child but the others doubted it. He knew she would not do it based on his quick profile at the interrogation they did to Lynch's mom.

They drove to the address and shortly after a SWAT team arrived there.

"Van to Montero. We need to surround and secure the perimeter" ordered JJ.

"Yes ma'am" said the captain of the SWAT team as they moved to the house door.

Spencer took his phone to contact Lynch and therefore Roberta.

After the phone rang five times or so Roberta answered it "is this Agent Rossi?"

"No, Roberta, my name is Doctor Spencer Reid, and it's important that you listen to me right now. Even though you have the gun, the moment your son realizes you're not gonna shoot him, he's gonna get the upper hand" JJ could not believe he still thinks she will not shot him.

"You're wrong... 'Cause my son is going to pay for what he did to Grace" said Roberta with tears in her eyes.

"Yes, but first you need to let Olivia walk out of there, ok?"

"Yeah" Roberta leaned to the young girl behind her "Olivia. Go, hurry, go"

"Now wait a second..." said Lynch trying to stop Olivia from escaping. Roberta did a warning shoot to the ground to stop him.

"Roberta?" Said Spencer at the other side of the line.

"Don't you worry. She's on her way out to you" after that a SWAT officer ran toward them with Olivia and JJ held her.

"Roberta, that warning shot is what's about to give you away, but we can help. Are you ready for us to come in? We can save you both"

"Ha!"

"You realize how this has to end right? Right?" She was having doubts. She wanted him to pay but her mother insists tell her she cannot kill her baby boy, even though he killed her beloved granddaughter.

"Roberta?" Spencer said.

"Yes... I'm ready"

"Captain Montero, breach" Spencer got out his gun and followed the captain of the SWAT team to walked in the house.

JJ was checking out Olivia with the paramedics when Rossi called her "Rossi?"

"JJ, Roberta isn't there to kill Lynch. She's there to die with him"

She just turned and saw Spencer walking there and she tried to run to him "Spence! Stop!" Suddenly the house exploded pushing the doctor to the ground. His head hit the ground and she cannot hear for several seconds. JJ tried to help him but he was confused "Spence, are you ok?" He looked the casualties of the team he was leading in and tried to stand up "No, no, no, no. Stay down, stay down" said JJ holding him for standing.

He felt sad because those men died because of his order. What happened? he could not understand.

The flight back was quiet and Spencer, stubbornly, denied to go to the ER to be checked. His brain was working on the plane.

He was reviewing everything from the beginning. He could not believe that Roberta was suicidal or wanted to die with her son. He held to his theory of her not being able to kill him so, why did she explode the house? Why did she let them walk in if she had that plan? She was not a mass killer.

The flight was in silence until they arrived and JJ walked to him "Spence... I think I should drive you home, just in case" he looked at her. He was tired "please?"

He sighed "ok JJ. I don't want an argument"

They both get out of the plane and headed to her car. As she drove she looked at him from the corner of her eyes "please don't blame yourself for making the call Spence. You did what you thought was correct"

He looked down "how couldn't I...? JJ six men lost their life... 6 families lost a father, a husband, a son, a nephew... because of me" he rubbed his forehead softly.

"Spencer..." she did not what to say "you once told me to stop blaming for Nadia and her daughter's murder. About that bomb that killed a bunch of marines... casualties are inevitable in this job and the people who joins in the bureau, the CIA, NSA, and more known very well they could die at any second. And so do their families"

He sighed more and looked down "I can't argue at the moment so I will just let it go for now"

She looked at him and took a deep breath "you don't look in good shape Spence. Please let me take you the hospital or at least call Max to come over" she handed her phone to him.

"I'm good JJ. Don't worry but if this makes you relaxed then I will go to the hospital if I'm still feeling bad" he said as she stopped by his apartment.

"Call Max or me if you need help. Please" he nodded and walked out. She looked at him and sighed. Then she decided to do it herself, knowing he will not do it.

Hey Max, is JJ. Spence had an accident in a mission. He hit his head pretty hard so please keep an eye on him. Bye.

Minutes later she got and answer from his best friend's girlfriend.

Ok JJ, thank you for the information. I'm at my dad's house but when I finished here I will go there. Good night.

Then she left to her house but the girls called to have a ladies night so she drove to Penelope's house.

Meanwhile Spencer was walking in his apartment still thinking about what happened. His mind traveled to a memory of him with Jason.

"Ok children. I'm the unsub. Why do you think I did this?" Asked Gideon to the class.

An Asian girl said "because you are suicidal?"

"No, I want to see my victims suffer. Why would I die before I complete my mission?"

"Someone else caused the explosion" said a much younger Reid.

"Correct! If you profiled that your killer isn't suicidal then something else happened and you need to check the crime scene" all the students nodded and take notes "Remember kids... your profile is everything, if you have it... you won't need a gun to kill your opponent. Just your knowledge of him"

-It doesn't make any sense to me. I don't understand how that kind of personality can choose to blow itself up-

"If Roberta gave in to him... and if he took the gun away... if he could get to a tunnel..." he was just thinking making hypothesis of what happened not really realizing his nose was bleeding "Lynch... he's still alive" and with that he passed out on his carpet.

OOooOOooOO

Ok so after this the episode 10 will be reworked a little bit.

I'm not sure if I should keep using the scenes of him into "The Light" or just show some parts of it. Like some parts of Maeve conversation, changing some verbs and adding Max to the things he love.

[picturetoburnnn]

What I Need / chapter 1 | Luke Hemmings x Reader

Word Count - 2k

Warning - slow burn ahead. i had a dream about this and therefore wrote about it. there will be multiple chapters yay

Taglist -  @songforhema @asht0ns-world @lukesflaredpants @sunflowerxcal @star-gazing-calum@cxddlyash @emomack @merryblueberry02 @kinglyhood @caswinchester2000 @babe-babylon @irwinkitten (dm me to be added. sorry if i tagged you and you didnt wanna be, just let me know)

“...Don't waste your time on me, you're already the voice inside my head.” I held the last note while strumming the guitar, ending with a subtle flair. The crowd inside the small coffee house broke into applause, bringing a grin to my face.

“Thank you guys,” I smiled into the microphone in front of me. “I'm gonna take a short break, be back in five.”

Setting the guitar down on its stand and switching off the mic, I hopped off my stool and headed straight for the restroom.

~~

Luke’s manager looked to him, wide eyed. Luke didn't take his eyes off the girl as he said “Set up a duet.”

His manager shot him a smile. “On it.”

~~

I wrung my hands out, trying to dry them off.

Why are there never any paper towels in the bathroom?

A throat cleared behind me. I spun on my heel, coming face to face with a very tall man. “John King,” he held out his hand.

“Y/N Y/L/N.” You shook his hand confusedly.

“I represent the band 5 Seconds of Summer, perhaps you've heard of them?”

My jaw dropped. Yes of course I’ve heard of them, they're my favorite band, I thought.

“Y-yes of course,” I stuttered.

“Well, the lead singer, Luke Hemmings, listened to your set just now. He was very impressed with your talent.”

My heart was beating out of my chest. The Luke Hemmings, frontman of my favorite band, listened to my set and liked it?

“He wants to know if you'd be interested in doing a duet performance with him?”

I could have fainted from disbelief. I racked my brain for a response. “Sir, I'd--”

“Y/N!” hissed the store owner. “I need you back up there.”

“Can we talk after you've finished your set? You can speak with Luke yourself,” John offered.

“Yes please,” you murmured.

“Good luck, Miss Y/L/N.”

I nodded in appreciation, then passed by him to hop back up on the raised platform serving as a stage.

Flipping the switch to the microphone back on, I grabbed my guitar and scooted back up onto the bar stool. “Alright, let's get back to it, shall we?”

A quiet fell over the cafe. I searched the crowd for a moment before I saw him. The blond man stared at me, shooting me a wink when he met my eyes. Heat rose to my cheeks.

I began to strum the opening notes to my next song, and I watched a smirk befall Luke's features.

“I drove by all the places we used to hang out getting wasted. I thought about our last kiss: how it felt, the way you tasted,” I began.

~~

“You guys are amazing,” I breathed after I finished my last song. The sound of applause filled the tiny cafe. “I’m here every Wednesday and Thursday, as you probably saw from the sign outside. Come and see me again.” Light laughter came from the crowd. “Thank you guys so much.”

I stood and bowed as the applause started up again. The owner of the cafe switched the radio on again; soft rock played gently through the speakers. Hopping down from the platform, I got down to put my guitar in its case. I was clicking the last latch into place when I heard a voice behind me.

“Fan of ours, are you?”

“Mr. Hemmings,” I breathed as I turned around. His tall frame towered over mine as I faced him. He smiled to me.

“Please, just call me Luke. I really liked your set.”

“Thanks!” I still couldn't believe that Luke Hemmings was in front of me.

“So I know John came up and talked to you earlier, but I wanted to ask you myself. Y/N, I think you're incredibly talented. You can do so much more than just coffee shop gigs. I propose that you and I meet up sometime and have a little jam session. Just you and me. My hope is that eventually, you'll feel comfortable enough to possibly do a duet performance.”

God. I would do a duet right here, right now, if he asked me to.

“That sounds incredible,” I managed. “Who do you think would be my performing partner?”

He flushed. “Well, I was-- I was hoping you'd do one with me. I've been writing a song lately that's begging for an accompaniment. Your voice sounds perfect for it.”

My mind was racing, my heart fluttering. “Y-yeah, that'd be an honor.”

He laughed. “It's my pleasure. How about I give you my number, then you can text me when you're available?”

I was only slightly internally freaking out.

MEETING LUKE HEMMINGS AND GETTING HIS NUMBER IN THE SAME DAY? OH MY GOD!

“Yeah, sounds good.” How on earth am I keeping my cool right now?

He grabbed a nearby pen and napkin. “This,” he mumbled as he wrote the numbers, “is my personal phone number. Let me know when you're free, I'll buy you a coffee and we can get to songwriting.”

“Thank you so much, Mr. Hemmings. I can't tell you--”

“I told you, just call me Luke.”

“Luke,” I tried, loving the way it rolled off the tongue. “I can't tell you what this means to me. I've been a fan of your band since I was a teenager. You all inspired me to try to pursue this.”

He smiled, truly grinning. “Look how it's paid off! Wish I could take credit for that, but that's all you.”

I flushed, looking down at my shoes and smiling bashfully for a moment before meeting his eyes again. “Thank you, Luke.”

“I've got to go,” he muttered after checking his phone. “Text me.”

“Yeah,” I smiled. He smiled back and my stomach did somersaults.

~~

“And then he was all ‘here's my number, text me when you can.’ He gave me his number! Britt, I have the number of Luke Hemmings!” I was all but screaming into the phone.

“Y/N that's incredible!” Britt exclaimed.

I stared at the ceiling, hair splayed out on my pillow. “I haven't texted him yet, I wanna be chill about it.”

“There's no way to be chill about texting a celebrity, Y/N. He gave you his number so you could text him. Why aren't you doing that?”

My dog jumped onto the bed next to me. I ran a hand through her fur as she settled next to my leg. “I don't know what to say, though,” I sighed.

I could hear Britt huff through the speakers. “Just say hey. Let him know it's you.”

“Okay fine, I can do that. I'm gonna hang up, I need to make myself some dinner.”

“Later girl. Let me know how it goes.”

“I will. Bye.”

I hung up on my best friend, looking down to my dog. “What should I do, Bean?”

Bean let out a whimper.

“Yeah, I agree,” I sighed. Grabbing my phone, I contemplated opening a new message. “Should I do it?”

Bean lifted her head, looking at me.

“Fine,” I groaned. “Why are you always right?”

I grabbed the carefully folded napkin from my pocket, entering the numbers in my phone.

Hi, its Y/N, from the cafe ??

I hit send before I could second guess myself.

~~

“Ash, I found the perfect person for the song.”

“Really?” Ashton's voice sounded tired over the phone. “That's good.”

“I was down at that coffee house on 27th for a meeting with John and she was the live music performer and she's got an amazing voice, and knows her way around a guitar.”

“Did you talk to her?”

“Yeah, I offered her the duet and she seemed excited to do it. I gave her my number but she hasn't texted yet.” Luke ran a hand through his hair as he paced the living room.

“Maybe you didn't sell it to her after all,” the drummer teased. “She took your number out of pity.”

“Shut up,” Luke groaned. “She's cute. Really cute.”

“Awh is little Lukey getting a crush?”

Luke stopped pacing. “No,” he huffed defensively. “Just stating an observation, that's all.”

“Whatever you say, pal,” Ashton giggled.

“Look, I gotta go. Petunia needs to be taken outside. We'll talk later.”

“Later.”

Luke hung up, tossing his phone back on the couch. He was about to step into the backyard after his dog when he heard the quiet ding! from his phone. His head snapped toward the cell, watching the screen light up. The singer all but dove onto the couch, grappling for his phone. His face lit up when he saw it was a text from a new number.

It read: Hi, it’s Y/N, from the cafe ??

The man smiled, unlocking his phone. Play it cool, he told himself as he began typing.

Lol, was wondering when I’d get a text from you.

That’s not cool.

“Stupid, stupid, Luke. That’s dumb,” he audibly scolded himself as he deleted the message.

Good to hear from you

No, that sounds too formal.

He probably went through ten potential messages before he finally settled on one.

Hey Y/N

Yeah, that could work.

He hit send before any more doubt could change his mind.

~~

I timidly knocked on the front door of my favorite singer in the world. I felt so self-conscious driving into his neighborhood. Rolls Royces and Range Rovers and everything between were in every driveway and garage. My little thirteen year old Toyota Prius didn’t belong here, especially when it had been in a few fender-benders, with dents and scratches to prove it.

I was pretty sure his neighbor was giving dirty looks as I walked up the drive.

My hand fell from the door, nervously playing with the fabric of my shirt. I heard barking from the other side of the door, followed by what sounded like claws scratching the door. I giggled softly. The door opened to reveal a shirtless Luke. It took all of my self-control not to stare at his chest, and instead meet his eyes.

“Hey! You’re right on time.” He sounded impressed.

“Oh, sorry? I thought we agreed on eleven? I can come back later if you're preoccupied,” I insisted.

“No, no, no, no, you're good. Just, normally when I tell the guys eleven, they're not here till noon. You're a good change of pace,” he smiled. God, I swear his smile could light up the world.

I timidly returned the expression. “Um, my guitar's in the car, let me go grab that real quick. Don't know why I didn't get it before.” I spun on my heel, almost racing down the steps.

Stupid, stupid Y/N. Why didn't you grab the damn guitar before knocking on his door?

Opening the hatch, I was about to grab the case when someone beat me to it.

“Let me get it,” Luke's voice sounded from behind me.

“Are you always gonna come up behind me?” I turned and teased. “Both times you've come up to me, I've been turned the other way.”

“If that's the best way to get your attention, then maybe,” he smirked.

It wasn't until then that I noticed how close his body was to mine, that I was trapped between his and the cargo space of the car. I looked down at my feet, then back up.

“Perhaps you should find another way of getting my attention.”

“Normally being shirtless does the trick,” he winked.

I gave a look to his bare chest.

“Not bad.”

He groaned. “You are gonna be tough, aren't you?”

“Just tough to impress,” I smirked. “C'mon, we've got a song to write.”

[ancientbooshartifacts]

Vince & Dream

Author: FecklesslyFine

Year: 2010

Rating: G

Pairing: Vince/Sandman

Hearing the Nabootique's doorbell jingling was an exciting enough event in of itself, and one usually looking up from his copy of 'Cheekbone' for, but today, Vince Noir was even more rewarded than usual for his selfless act of raising his eyes from the hallowed glossy pages. There wasn't a teenage girl looking for Luke Kook standing before him, nor a jazzy freak only interested in flinty old elbow patches. There also, thankfully, wasn't a heroin-addicted turkey, a hentai tentacle rape monster, a Geordie nutjob, or even a Welsh person. Instead, there was what could only be described as... a god. Vince felt his eyes almost liquefying at the sight before him. Normally, this might be considered a bad thing by some, but to Vince, this was a compliment of the highest order. His eyeballs didn't melt for just anybody, thank you very much. The first thing he noticed was the contrast. Black and white. The man's skin was of such a pallor, he looked like a china plate, with blue ornate swirls beneath his skin pumping equally blue blood towards his heart. His eyes were dark and seemingly endless; with no discernible pupils, they seemed feral and distant. Two stones in a drift of fresh snow. Vince's eyes slid downward, his gaze moving slow as hand-pulled taffy. The customer's legs seemed to go on forever, encased in tight, high-waisted black jeans that were surely vintage 80s denim, because they didn't do such a perfectly subtle, acid-washed grain that way anymore. His blacker-than-Manic-Panic-Raven-Black hair put Robert Smith to shame-- made Siouxie Sioux look properly amateur. It seemed to defy gravity, just like his... cape. Or was it a trench? Hard to tell, with the way it was gently undulating in the still air of the shop. Also, it-- and the man-- didn't seem to have a shadow. Huh, Vince thought. That'll be well trendy in a few weeks, no doubt. Regardless of its apparent disregard for physics (which Vince was perfectly fine with, really-- sod all that multiplication stuff, or whatever), the cape's high, sharp collar complimented the man's high, sharp cheekbones perfectly. Vince swore to Bauhaus that he'd never again doubt that goth was in style. He had to actually put a hand to his chin and check his mouth wasn't open and drooling. "Alright?" He said, faintly at first, then overcompensating by blurting, "Welcome to Naboo's Nabootique where we sell lots of useless rubbish for ridiculous prices but would really appreciate you buyin' sommat anyway so I don't have to sell me favorite hairdryer to pay the rent because you really don't want to see what I look like without a proper diffuser. Ahem." He coughed delicately, finding his proper voice again. "Can I 'elp you, mate?" Eek, maybe that wasn't his proper voice at all. Sounded a bit too gravelly and Cockney. Bollocks. There was a moment in which the two men stood and regarded each other, though one maybe was a little more overzealous in his regarding than the other. "I'm looking for a... business associate of mine," the tall man said, a somewhat conspicuous pause between the first and second halves of his sentence. Vince bit his lower lip for a minute, pondering something. "Y'mean, Naboo?" The tall man looked relieved at this suggestion. "Yes. I am looking for Naboo. "Oh! Why didn't you say so? Naboo's out for the day," Vince said, thinking quickly. "He's, em, tending to his upside-down rutabaga patch. In Calcutta. Goes every Wednesday, takes him all day just to get there." It was a lie, of course.

Thing was, he'd skimped on the Root Boost today, trying to save the dolphins by using less aerosol, only to be later thwarted by Howard informing him that they no longer made aerosol cans with the bad gasses that hurt the Boyzone layer in the atmosphere, whatever that was, and anyway, that had absolutely nothing to do with dolphins. So, needless to say, his hair was lacking its usual height and circumference. He needed another chance to make a first impression on this tall, dark, handsome stranger. Naboo would probably be upstairs readying his afternoon hookah and Hula Hoops anyway, so no harm in making sure the man would be back again. He and his hair would be prepared, next time. "Ah," said the tall man, looking about the shop-- well, presumably he was looking about the shop, it was hard to tell with those eyes of his. Vince swore he saw stars twinkling in the lining of the man's cape-- genius application of glitter, that. "Well," the man continued, looking back at Vince, "Could you tell him that Morpheus would like to speak with him? I will call on him again tomorrow." Vince nodded somewhat vacantly. He was aware there was something of a dazed grin plastered across his face that didn't seem to have any intention of budging while the man was still in the room. "Morpheus. That's a well interesting name. Mine's Vince." He slid off his perch on the glass counter-top, holding out his hand to be shaken, or perhaps kissed. "Vince Noir. So's it just Morpheus, like Madonna?" Morpheus blinked slowly, as if he was trying to understand the question. "No," he said after a moment, porcelain brow marred by a furrow of restrained confusion. "The singer with the unusual metal apparatus on her busom? No, not like her..." He shook Vince's hand anyway, and his fingers were longer and cooler and thinner and paler than Vince's own stubby, pink hands, and Vince suddenly wondered if that's how Howard felt next to him-- oafish, ruddy, and clunky. "Riiight," he trailed off, wondering if this bloke wasn't just a bit off his nut. "So where'd you get that cape?" He tried again, taking a different tack. "I've been thinking of an anti-gravity pair of Chelsea boots for ages, but I reckon that's even more genius than anything I thought up."

Morpheus tilted his head a little, reminding Vince of a cat, then looked down at his garments. "What? This old thing?" He met Vince's gaze again-- well, presumably-- and Vince detected a hint of a grin at the corner of his mouth. First smile he'd given since he entered the shop, and though he clearly has been rocking the distant, brooding look since birth, Vince had to admit, amusement looked good on him. Knowing he wasn't going to get any more out of the man than that, Vince sighed, crossing his arms with a wry grin. "Alright, well I don't blame you for not telling, but I'll have you know, I'm friends with just about every reputable clothier and designer this side of St. Petersberg, and I will find out." He just hoped that St. Petersberg was enough far away to make that claim impressive. "I wish you luck," Morpheus inclined his head ever so slightly, before drawing himself up to his full height. "I must go now, but please do not forget to pass along my message. I will be back tomorrow." He paused, before adding, "It was a pleasure to meet you, Vince Noir. Do take care." Vince could only nod and smile as Morpheus turned to leave-- the man had put 'pleasure' and his name in the same sentence, after all. The clomping of Howard's sandals on the stairs reached his ears, and by the time Howard had reached the bottom, the jingling of the door was already fading. "Who was that berk?" Howard asked, after taking one look at Vince's dazed visage, then glaring out the window at the retreating back of the tall, dark man. Instantly, true to form, he was all puffed up and irritable like a nubby-legged, piebald pigeon. Normally, Vince would have outright laughed at him and made some only-half-teasing disparaging remark, but all he could do now was give a dreamy sigh, hopping back up onto the counter and swinging his crossed legs against the glass. "I dunno," He smiled blissfully, staring past Howard in a distinctly fashion-related reverie. "But wasn't his cape just fierce?" "Yeah," Howard said, flatly. "Just fierce."

[lokis-lady-death]

Return to Crimson Peak Pt 4

Return to Crimson Peak

Disclaimer: This story is written as a sequal to Crimson Peak. If you couldn’t handle the original story, please don’t read, because that would be dumb.

Sir Thomas Sharpe x Reader

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Mini Series Halloween

The slight creaking of floor panels, the sudden jolt of something running through the pipes in the walls, followed by eery, unnatural silence.

All the through the night, that’s all I heard. The constant sound of life flowing through a house that had known nothing but death.

I had stayed quiet, kept my eyes close, certain that if I ignored it, the nagging terror in the back of my mind would cease.

I just wanted to go to sleep.

But it was in that last moment of consciousness that I heard it. Faint but so distinctive I would know it anywhere.

My phone had just received a text.

Popping back to life, I scooped up my cell and praised to the Verizon Gods for bestowing me with enough signal to try and communicate with the outside world.

But when I opened the lock screen, I stopped.

The sender information read across the top: (028) **** - 6609, Belfast, Ireland.

I didn’t know anyone from Ireland.

I wrinkled my brow but clicked ‘open’, my blood turning to ice in my veins as I read, “Get. Out. Now.” down the message. No subtext. No name.

I jumped from my bed and ran out my bedroom door to Luke’s room. “Luke!” I begged, “Luke, open the door!” My fists pounded on the door in loud unison like a war drump. “Luke!”

In the corner of my eye, I caught movement. It caused me to freeze, my mind running rampant but my body unable to process a single thought. More movement, accompanied by a loud thump.

I moved, slowly, knowing that once I saw what was coming, I couldn’t deny it anymore. Any of it.

As my head rotated around, my heart began to speed up, When I finally saw the body, coated in some type of red gunk, I screamed. The body slowly came towards me, one forced step after another thump. “LUKE!”

I jiggled the knob, trying desperately to get in.

Thump.

Even if it was still in this horrific house, at least in his room I wouldn’t be alone. “Luke, please!”

Thump.

I could hear something on the other side of the door, but still no answer. “OPEN THE DOOR, LUKE!”

Thump.

I closed my eyes tight, whispering to myself, “It’s not real. They’re not real. They’re not real, they can’t hurt me.”

The door flew open and I pushed on through, slamming it closed behind me.   

I hadn’t realized how hard I was crying until Luke snapped me out of it with a firm shake. My palms had dug so hard into my eyes that my vision blurred a moment before straightening out.

“What the hell, y/n?”

“Someone text me, and then there was a body in the hall!”

His face contorted in confusion. “What?”

I held my phone up to his face, giving him the extra long minute to read so his slow processing mind could understand before pointing at the door. “And then while I was knocking on your door, something started walking down the hall, covered in red.”

“Like red clay?” Luke exclaimed, his unnerving excitement sending a shiver down my spine. “That’s how they used to dispose of the wives. The Sharpes? Remember? They would leave their bodies in the clay wells in the cellar!”

Luke pushed me to the side and flung the door open despite my protests. But there was no one there.

“Dammit, how come you’re the only one who keeps seeing the cool stuff?”

“Why are you acting like this is great? I’ve been laying in my bed freaking out hearing all kinds of spooky shit! If this house is really haunted like in the book, then it’s only a matter of time before something happens to us, we need to leave...”

“Why are you so scared, it’s obviously fake?”

I narrowed my eyes and set my hands on my hips. “You think what I’m seeing is fake?”

“Y/n. Seriously. Why would a ghost call you?” he reasoned. I bit my lip, knowing that it made absolutely no sense. “Come on, think about it. It’s a marketing scheme. Your number is in their system, they obviously text you that message to freak you out. They’re probably what caused all the weird shit you’ve been hearing. If we, the great great whatever grandkids of Edith Cushing have a crazy experience here, maybe write a book or a blog about it, surely they’ll pick up business, right?”

I couldn’t believe his reasoning was so clear. He had wanted to believe all this far more than I did, but as far as he was concerned, none of what I saw was real.

I stood there trying to sort through what to do next when he pulled me into an unexpected hug. “You wanna stay in my room tonight, scaredy cat?”

I mumbled yes under my breath and we settled in for the night. I kept my phone in my hand all night, trying hard to feel as strongly resolved as Luke, but finding myself unable to shake the feeling that we shouldn’t be here.

~~~~~

I didn’t remember falling asleep but I woke up to a sharp pain my stomach. I grunted before finally coughing, hard. Luke was disturbed and sat up beside me, patting me on the back. “Are you okay?”

“I think my nerves got me sick,” I told him, feeling my face to check for a fever.

“You’re fine, just need something to eat. Let’s go check out the complementary open kitchen.”

One of the selling points of the Allerdale Hall was their meal plan: open kitchen. Some foods were supposed to be premade and stored there for the guests to enjoy for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For broke travelers, the price factored into their overnight stay was hard to argue.

Just like the rest of the house, the kitchen had its original gothic charm with some modern upgrades. I was just  grateful for the overflowing pantry and fridge.

“I’ll find you something,” Luke offered, “You sit down and take a break.”

I appreciated the sentiment since he wasn’t exactly comforting the night before.

The the rear entrance door flew open and in came the bouncing pink haired owner, Rain. “Good morning, my lovelies!” she sang to us as she passed by. “How was your first night?”

Luke glanced over at me before grinning. “Intense. But satisfactory.”

She gave us her toothless grin before saying, “Glad to hear it!”

I felt myself relax a bit, for what reason I don’t know. Maybe because she looked so untouched by the events I had endured, or because she just had that glow of life about her that I was excited to see.  “Yea, the dinner was a nice touch.”

“Oh? What did you guys do?”

Luke and I locked eyes. “The dress up dinner?” Luke pointed out.

Rain’s smile didn’t fade but her head tilted while she asked, “The what?”

He looked at me again but knew before I could speak a word what was going through my mind. “The dress up dinner. With the actors?”

Her smile faded. “Actors?”

“We got an invitation and clothes sent to our rooms?” I pressed, feeling a wave of nausea roll over me. “There were, like, 50 people  in the great room.  There were actors dressed up as the Sharpes. Are you saying you didn’t send it?”

“No,” she answered, “We don’t do dinners. Everything is ‘serve yourself’. And I certainly don't have the means to get actors to a hotel surrounded by 2 feet of snow.”

Luke laughed as he handed me a glass of orange juice, “Yeah, okay.” But you and Rain weren’t laughing. “So where were you at in this weather?”

“I was home?”

“You don’t live here?” Probably the first real hint of concern in Luke’s voice etched it’s way out this time, and that caught my attention.

“Of course not,” Rain scoffed with a half smile. As her eyes darted between the two of us, she added, “You really think I would buy and live in a haunted house? A ton of people died here, no I’m not doing that. That’s just asking for trouble. My husband and I stay in the trailer Outback.”

“Have you ever stayed the night here?” I asked quickly, needing to know if she had any idea what I could have been seeing the last 12 hours.

She paused. “Yes.”

“And?”

Her eyes went to the floor and she gave another pause, trying to find the words. “I run this house as a job. I like the macabre yea, and Victorian things, sure. But this house.” Her eyes ran around the kitchen, like she was expecting someone else to speak. “It's got a feeling with it. Like there's some dark force boiling thought with the clay…”

Silence. All three of us listening harder to see if anyone else was in the house.

But nothing.

“Can we go down to the cellar to see the clay wells?”

Rain smiled while I felt sicker at the thought. I stifled back a cough, but remember the odd taste of citrus and metal in my mouth.

“Sure ya can,” she encouraged to my dismay. “Let me show you how to go…”

“Absolutely not.” I was firm, and I wasn’t going to change my mind. “I’m not doing that.”

Luke didn’t care, he just shrugged. “I can go with her. You are more than welcome to wait in my room.” He grinned. “Alone.”

I bit my tongue and finished drinking my juice. “Fine.” Hopping from my seat I gave them both a final salute and marched up the stairs. I was not about to go into any cellar in a haunted house.

Absolutely not.

So alone I tracked to my room, sure that if I could just get to my phone and turn on some music to drown out the world around me, I might maintain my sanity.

I was halfway down the hall when I began hearing the strange rattling in the pipes again. I stopped immediately, my eyes following the movement of the rattle down the other hallway with the round mirror. And the room that emitted that strange light.

“Nope,” I thought. “Not today. I am done with this bullshit.”

But when I willed my feet to take me to my room, I couldn’t move. Instead, I started coughing.

Hard.

I leaned over, slightly retching on my own gags, when I felt a hand on my back trying tonsoothe me. Finally catching my breath I whipped my head around and see Sir Thomas Sharpe.

The actor?

Or something else entirely.

“You!” I snapped.

“Yes?” His brow quircked at my tone, his eyes focusing on mine.

“Who the hell are you?”

His tongue swept across his lips as he averted his eyes, trying to come up with a response.

“The owner said no one else was here last night. That she didn’t hire any actors for some dinner party.” I stepped up to him and narrowed my eyes. “So. Explain.” He didn’t answer, instead managing to look completely blank while my aggravation rose.  “She said no one is here but her, her husband, me and Luke. Does that mean you’re her husband? If that’s the case, who were the other people at that party?”

“I’m not her husband,”

His tone was so ice cold I shuttered before asking in a low voice, “Then who are you?” He only stared at me with those blue eyes, his nostrils flaring while he ignored my questions. “I know I didn’t imagine that party. I know I didn’t imagine all those people. Luke saw it all, too. So why, then? Why would she say that?”

He didn’t answer and I felt my anger subsiding for fear and confer. “Please just tell me your name. Your real name. Tell me who you really are and what you’re doing here. Because you’re not a hotel guest and you don’t work here.” The tears were heavy, stinging my eyes more and more with each blink.

The rattling in the pipes started agaij, this time further down the hall. I pushed passed Thomas to follow jt, ending up outside of the door i had come to the day before. Light came through the bottom and i could hear distinctive movements on the other side. “If you won't tell me what's going on, I'll find out for myself.”

I could feel him as he got beside me, stopping me just as my hand got to the doorknob.

“Don't.” and again my anger came out.

“What you people are doing isn’t scary. It’s fucked up! It’s not funny, it’s not amusing, its driving me insane and I want it to stop! My brother insists that despite what I’ve seen, this is all fake. He is determined we haven’t experienced anything real and that what I have seen has been a part of some scare tactic to build up business. If that’s true, you people have a lot of nerve pulling this shit…”

I inhaled sharply, the ferocity in my voice so sharp it cut with every word I lashed out. But in the end, I felt myself weaken. Thomas’s eyes were glaring at me now, and I became well aware of just how large a man he was. For all his well spoken, well mannered impression of Sir Thomas Sharpe, this actor had never broken away from character. Even when he scolded me and Luke for the seayonce. And now, staring me down with a clenched jaw, I couldn’t help but feel something inside me twist like what I was looking at was no longer human.

I could see something burning in his eyes and I was made both painfully and frighteningly aware that I could be dealing with something far darker.

He spoke, low and serious, “Do you think it is meant to be amusing, Ms. y/n?” He took a step towards me, his eyes staying focused on my own. “You believe ghosts are meant to bring you amusement? That you can pay a little money, see the oddity, and maybe have something interesting to tell your friends. That ghosts exist here, in the world of the living to souley bring a touch of magic into your otherwise gloomy existence?” I took a step back, so small that it shouldn’t have meant anything, but Thomas reached out and took hold of my wrist. His skin was cold it felt like he wrapped me in dry ice.

It burned.

“No, I’m not done yet! You living come to this home, this place where I was born. Where I lived. Where I died. And you make a mockery of my life, asking with your little rituals to see some glimpse of me, of my sister, only to taunt us.” His grip on my wrist tightened, making me wince. “And you.” He took pause, seeing the tears swelling in my eyes. He didn’t let me go, but I could see the regret. “You.” It was like he snapped out a dream, his eyes lowered and he finally released me. “You should never have come here.”

There was a loud, unmistakable pounding from the other side of the door behind me. My head whipped around to see while my heart raced in my chest. A strong wave of confusion and pain washed over me as I began to cough again, Thomas letting go of me long enough to cough into the back of my hand.

When I stopped, I realized the knocking had ceased and Thomas was gone.

I also noticed another tinge of red on my hand where I coughed.

“Is that blood?”

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[clairen45]

Digging into Rey and Kylo’s Spotify Playlists- part 1: episode 7 songs

The Shut Up and Dance with Me post really pushed me to go through the songs from the Spotify playlists and give you the lowdown, as I see it. That these lists even exist is beyond me! And, just to be clear, these lists have been released in 2015 pre-TFA. With no modification, even pre or post TLJ. No added material. If anything, they actually removed some songs from the lists: 2 for Kylo and 3 for Rey. I don’t think the changes necessarily meant that the songs were too revealing or, on the contrary, didn’t fit the characters anymore. It might just be copyright or legal issue or some artistic differences or god knows what. But again, the point of these lists were to get to know the characters a little better. Some characters we already knew of course, the big three ( Luke, Leia, Han Solo), but also Obi-Wan and Yoda, a list for Anakin and a list for Vader, Padmé, Mace Windu, Bobba Fett, Chewbacca... Lists for new characters: Finn, BB8... surprisingly no Poe Dameron. By the way, I think the Dark Side’ list is super interesting! And of course Rey and Kylo. Rey’s list is full of pop, girl empowerment anthem kind of songs, with a few romantic ballads, which already meant something. Kylo’s is of course full of angsty rock. I don’t want to comment on the genre. My mission was less on the musical genres than on the lyrics and how they can shed some light on the characters and their fates. Because, sure, a team chose these songs to let us know about the characters but, honestly, guys, I think somebody let them in on the rough draft of the whole ST. Because post TLJ it is obvious that a lot of songs apply to what happened as far as Rey and Kylo are concerned in this movie. And since we have our bunch of ep 7 songs, and a bunch of ep 8 songs, well, it appears a bunch of songs don’t fit either and could very well give us key information about ep 9. Before I get accused again of “reaching” (LOL), let us be honest: I think they put a lot of care into those playlists. So no, I don’t think coincidences are accidental. And yes, I think it’s fair to speculate about episode 9 looking at the songs. So let’s take the journey and crack these songs together.

There are 53 songs for Kylo (I am excluding the original soundtrack every time) and 54 for Rey. Rey’s playlist also has tunes in common with Padmé, Leia, and Luke. 4 songs in common with Padmé, quite a lot: Smoke and Fire, Rich Girl, Fighter, and Bulletproof. With Leia: Smoke and Fire, and the fact that they both have Love is a Battlefield, except that Leia is Pat Benatar’s song, and Rey’s is Jordin Spark’s song. Same title, different songs. This marks Rey as the “heiress” to these two heroines, which is not surprising. I think it is quite remarkable that she shares so many songs with Padmé, as regards the Anidala inversion we always talk about. Rich Girl, in particular, because Padmé was a Queen, so yes, the rich girl, whereas in Rey’s case the song is ironic. Rey also shares 2 song with Luke: Wild by Troye Sivan (I honestly don’t get what this song does on Luke’s playlist, so that must mean something potentially), and Adventure of a Lifetime. With Luke as a mentor to Rey in ep 8, that would kind of make sense that they would share something. I honestly merely skimmed through all the playlists, but Rey and Kylo seem to be the only one who share  songs with other characters (if I am wrong, please correct me). Kylo shares 3 songs, 1 with Anakin (and NOT Vader), Bored to Death, 1 with BB8, Destroy the Map, and one with Mace Windu on You want a Battle (Here’s War). Interesting also. I won’t necessarily comment on that today, because there is a lot to go through, but these are thoughts to save and process later maybe.

Some songs can also fit two, maybe the three, episodes. And also, I have noticed something very interesting in Rey’s playlist: a lot of songs that feature in her playlist seem to be more from Kylo’s POV (like Shut up and Dance). They should normally feature on his list but because they would break away from the others in terms of genre, it is probably how they ended on Rey’s list. I found on Kylo’s playlist 1 song that, to me, should rather feature on Rey’s list, but again, would seem odd in terms of genre.

1.KYLO’S LIST/ EPISODE 7

Kylo’s list also seems way more descriptive about his character, angst, inner conflict, feelings of pain and revenge, than Rey’s list. There is a lot of songs talking about past abuse and family conflict. Sweet Dreams by Marilyn Manson is a good example: “ Some of them want to use you/ Some of them want to get used by you/ Some of them want to abuse you/ Some of them want to be abused”. References to dreams and nightmares in Kylo’s playlist are also quite noteworthy because they tie in with Rey’s visions as described in TFA: she hears voices in her dreams, and when she first sees Kylo, she knows that she has seen him before “in a dream, in a nightmare”. We can also find some parallels with the plot in episode 7: the Jakku massacre, meeting Rey, killing Han... Recurring themes are, without surprise, fire, death, suffering, dreams and nightmares...

This Means War (Avenged Sevendold). That song is packed with so much about his feelings and his introduction in the ST. It goes on and on really. I could quote the whole thing. But here are the highlights :

Hide my face again, harbor in the shadows (duh!) Feel this weight of sin hammering away Die, with the guilt of a thousand AWOL soldiers (The pull to the light) Die, watch the scythe usher me astray (Lor San Tekka’s execution)

The ugly side of me is strong

Carry me to nowhere  (Jakku is nowhere!) Lie!Mask the pain Of a child who's forsaken Lie! To myself Praise the new regime (honestly, did they write the song for Kylo?)

I left me long ago Reasons you'll never know No one to miss me when I'm gone With no more words to say No argument to stay. Another post I don't belong (Lor San Tekka: The First Order rose from the dark side. You did not)

No home to call my own No finding someone new No one to break the fall No one to see me through No name to carry on No promise for today No one to hear the call (Oh hon, hang on, the girl is coming!) Buy into the fear (Rey: You are afraid!) My serpent blood can strike so cold (Murderous snake! again) Another thought I can't control (Force bond much?)

Elements of TFA Plot:

Legion of Evil (OFF): “Break down houses”, “ Mystery crews on a murderous spree” (the opening on Jakku, with his mysterious identity) but also “Retaliation against horrible gods/Treasonous snakes with gentlemen's lies/ Waving a false flag to sell the deception” which of course are reminiscent of his line to Rey about the Resistance: “ You mean the murderers traitors and thieves you call your friends ? “. But can also ironically evoke Snoke’s influence on him: he is the treasonous snake with gentlemen’s lies. Or even to him as seen from Rey’s POV in 7 and at the beginning of TLJ: “a treasonous snake”/ “murderous snake”/ “liar”...

The Red (Chevelle) and Evil Eye (Franz Ferdinand), both emphasize the color red, which is Kylo’s color theme.Thunder and Lightning (Motorhead”, “ Maybe you'll die, maybe you'll fly/ Fire in the sky, thunder and lightning”.  Heart of Fire (Black Veil Brides): “ I feel alive inside I won't be terrorized, I'll take all the blame/This heart of fire is burning proud/ I am every dream you lost and never found/ This heart of fire is stronger now”. Also the attack on Jakku.

The Map plot: R2 where are U (Flying Lotus): it takes both BB8 and R2 to find Luke’s hideout. This song is also on BB8′s list by the way. Destroy the Map  (36 Crazy Fists). Obviously the title is interesting because Kylo gives up on the map and gets Rey instead. The song presents some other interesting points: something that could evoke Starkiller base “ And the clouds don't break when the sun is on empty” , and also something that seems to fit straight into TLJ: “You couldn't hold your mouth to stop the sound/ With all these riches on the tip of your tongue/And I was trying to dampen it all out/You were talking louder than I should here/Producing nothing but all these mirrors”, “ Where the baptized drown/We used to breathe” (Rey in the cave) “This time, our time, we have, we'll last”. So gain some songs can actually fit more than 1 episode.

Failing on Starkiller: beaten up by Rey, never got the intel about Luke... At least I’m known for something (New Found Glory): “ I've figured out my situation/ I am an endless source of useless information/ Give me bad news could be something expecting/ I let my front down/ And I know I will regret it/ /But you don't know that and I'm the one to blame for it/'Cause I'm destined for failure“. More Starkiller: My own Summer (Deftones): “ Hey you, big star/ Tell me when it's over”.

Family and Han:

Refusing his legacy. War on the Palaces (Refused):

I carry history with me I carry hope   (I see you Ben You are My Only Hope Solo!!!!) All the nameless faces before us Let's carry them all

I wanna carry the dead (his attachment for Vader instead of the living members of his family) Wage war on the palaces

Bored to Death (Blink 182): “ And it's a long way back from seventeen/The whispers turn into a scream/And I'm, I'm not coming home/Save your breath, I'm nearly/ Bored to death”. Mene (Brand New): “ My father spoke of prophecy/ To think that I believed is self-centered of me/There was something I was trying to say/ But then I choked on it and now it's getting kind of late” (@madandmisquoted did a meta on how Kylo mumbles “I love you dad”+ “It is too late”). Indestructible (Rancid): “ It's so fake now, everything I see right through/I'm ashamed now to say I ever know you” evoke his scene with Han. I don’t wanna Hear It (Minor Threat): “ I don't want to hear it/ I'm sick and tired of all your lies/ I don't want to hear it/ When are you gonna realize.”. Family and mommy issues: Down With the Sickness (Disturbed): “ It seems what's left of my human side/ Is slowly changing in me”, “ It seems you're having some trouble/ In dealing with these changes/ Living with these changes / The world is a scary place/ Now that you've woken up the demon in me”, “ No mommy, don't do it again/Don't do it again/ I'll be a good boy/I'll be a good boy, I promise No mommy don't hit me/ Why did you have to hit me like that, mommy?”. 

Conflict

Got the Life (Korn): “Hate, something, someway, each day, dealing with no forgiveness/ Why? This shit inside/ Now everyone will follow/ So give me nothing just feel/ And now this shit will follow/ God begs me, the more I see the light, who wants to see?”. Strife (Trivium): “ I reach for calm/ I starve for a balance unknown/ This burden tortures me deep in my soul” ; “ Guilt buries me alive/ In a coffin criticized/ I shouldered the blame and dug this hole for me to lay in”. Duality (Slipknot). The title says it all, but it definitely applies to the scene with Han: “ You cannot kill what you did not create”;  “Pull me back together/ Or separate the skin from the bone/ Leave me all the pieces, and then you can leave me alone” (Can apply to “I’m feeling torn apart”, “I killed your son, he was foolish and weak” ).

The Girl

I know that’s what you’ve been waiting for. There are 2 major songs about Rey in that list and one them has been removed, A Cross and a Girl Named Bless (Evans Blue). That song presents some elements that stretch all the way to 9. I’m including it here, because of the obvious reference to the way they meet on Takodana:

She's holding out for weapons to kill the ghosts inside (She shoots at a ghostlike figure in the forest)

Or at least kill the thoughts she has of killing her mind (Get out of my head!)

She says "I love you" with her hands (TLJ: Smut Hut)

She says "I hate you" with her eyes (You have that look from the forest..)

There's a pretty girl somewhere with a pretty name (What girl?)

But I could never let you know how much this means I swear we'll end this war, because we both know

It wasn't worth fighting for  (Major episode IX spoiler)

She, she said to me I will be driving in the wrong direction Did you ever think that maybe your life

Is heading in the wrong direction, baby? (Throne Room Scene)

There's a cross up on the wall See from the corner of your eye When you're down on you knees...and she's begging please So go and lay back down tonight Because you won't know who you are

Until you're down on your knees...your begging please (End of TLJ, Crait)

The other big song is The Answer (Savages):

Wish me luck This was a hard year And I can't see No brighter future Wish me luck I saw the answer It was a girl (What girl?) Will you go ask her  (Interrogation scene, the girl is all we need) I saw the answer Will you go ask her Love is the answer

Evil (Interpol): “ Heaven restores you in life/ You're coming with me/ Through the aging, the fearing, the strife/ It's the smiling on the package/ It's the faces in the sand” (the abduction, Rey is literally a face in the sand, the smile...), “You're weightless, semi-erotic/ You need someone to take you there/Sandy, why can't we look the other way?/Why can't we just play the other game?” (he carries her in his arms like a feather, You need a teacher!).

There is also a song there that is all about Rey’s POV on Kylo in TFA. Headstrong (Trapt) screams Rey during the interrogation scene. But, again, they couldn’t have put it on her playlist so it features on his instead.

Circling your head contemplating everything you ever said (getting in HIS head) Now I see the truth I got a doubt  (You... are afraid you will never be as trong as Darth Vader!) A different motive in your eyes and now I'm out (escapes the interrogation room) See you later I see your fantasies You wanna make it a reality baby paved in gold See inside, inside of our heads yeah Well now that's over

Back off I'll take you on (Forest duel) Headstrong to take on anyone (Come on, that is SO Rey!) I know that you are wrong Headstrong we're Headstrong Back off I'll take you on Headstrong to take on anyone I know that you are wrong This is not where you belong (Trying to turn him in 8)

I can't give everything away (I won’t give you anything!) I won't give everything away

2.REY’S PLAYLIST/EPISODE 7

JAKKU

There are songs about Rey’s life conditions on Jakku. Poverty in Rich Girl (Gwen Stefani): “ If I was a rich girl/ See, I'd have all the money in the world, if I was a wealthy girl/ No man could test me, impress me, my cash flow would never ever end/ Cause I'd have all the money in the world, if I was a wealthy girl”. Of course the morale of the song is “All the riches in the world don’t mean anything without your love”. To remind us that if Rey has dreams it’s mostly about finding love and belonging. Interesting that she shares this song with Padmé who had the riches + the love and still didn’t get her happy ever after, but more on that later...

New Americana (Halsey) about survival of the fittest, the daily struggle of poverty, social divide. That one is also interesting because of its reference to James Dean: “ Young James Dean, some say/ He looks just like his father”. There is also the big reveal about Kylo being Han’s son.  I  think it’s probably how they first imagined Kylo, as a hypersensitive, rebellious, angsty youth, a character from East of Eden (another reference to Eden). The character played by James Dean, in Elia Kazan’s adaptation of Steinbeck’s famous novel, is Cal, a rebellious son who believes his father does not love him and sees him as evil incarnate. Kylo much?

Daylight (Matt and Kim) can also be about home and Jakku: “I miss yellow lines in my roads/ Some color on monochrone”, ‘Cause the daylight anywhere feels like home”. In TFA she wants to go back to Jakku. Rey is also used to having to fight for her survival: “ Murder lives forever/And so does war/ It's survival of the fittest/ Rich against the poor/ At the end of the day/ It's a human trait/ Hidden deep down inside of our DNA”.

Some songs talk about Rey’s dreams and her feelings of loneliness.Chandelier (Sia): “I'm gonna live like tomorrow doesn't exist/ Like it doesn't exist/ I'm gonna fly like a bird through the night,/ Feel my tears as they dry”. How she lives on a day to day basis and feels lonely all the time. Wake Me Up (Avicii):  

Feeling my way through the darkness Guided by a beating heart I can't tell where the journey will end But I know where to start They tell me I'm too young to understand They say I'm caught up in a dream Well life will pass me by if I don't open up my eyes Well that's fine by me (stuck waiting on Jakku)

So wake me up when it's all over When I'm wiser and I'm older All this time I was finding myself And I didn't know I was lost

I tried carrying the weight of the world (Literally her job as a scavenger) But I only have two hands I hope I get the chance to travel the world And I don't have any plans I wish that I could stay forever this young Not afraid to close my eyes Life's a game made for everyone And love is a prize

THE FIGHTER

Of course songs about Rey, the independent girl, the fighter... Fighter (Christina Aguilera): “ 'Cause it makes me that much stronger/ Makes me work a little bit harder/ It makes me that much wiser/ So thanks for making me a fighter/ Made me learn a little bit faster/ Made my skin a little bit thicker/ Makes me that much smarter/ So thanks for making me a fighter”. Another song shared with Padmé. I know the song is about a guy that cheated on the girl and lied to her, but rather than about Kylo, this song can apply to a lot of people in Rey’s life: her parents, Unkar Plutt, and all the people she’s had to deal with since childhood. There is Run the World (Beyoncé) that could also be foreshadowing for episode ix. Kelly Clarkson’s Miss Independent, with the perfect title for Rey’s episode 7, but the message about love in this song actually fits better episode 8. Roar (Katy Perry): empowerment anthem, plus Rey looks like a lioness at the end of TFA, baring her teeth and snarling at Kylo. Possibly Piece of Me (Britney Spears).

Confident (Demi Lovato) fits well with Roar. That one screams end of TFA with beating Kylo down.

It's time for me to take it I'm the boss right now Not gonna fake it Not when you go down 'Cause this is my game And you better come to play

I used to hold my freak back

Now I'm letting go

I make my own choice (accepting the saber)

Bitch, I run this show So leave the lights on No, you can't make me behave

So you say I'm complicated

That I must be outta my mind But you had me underrated Rated, rated

What's wrong with being, what's wrong with being

What's wrong with being confident?

 There is the teaser song about Rey’s origin. That’s Not my Name (The Ting Things). Well, in TFA everybody is asking about her identity, about “the girl”, wo that would make sense to have this song. Rey might not even be her name after all, though she is old enough when her parents sell her to remember it; Does it mean we will l get a new name in ix? Maybe. Or just Rey Solo. I think the song is really there for the fun about the possible identity of Rey...

THE ESCAPE

Songs about Rey leaving Jakku and becoming a pilot. Obviously: Starships (Nicki Minaj) because “starships are meant to fly”. Boom Boom Pow (The BEP): “ I'm on that supersonic boom/ Y'all hear the spaceship zoom”. Alive Tonight (Grace Potter), for these lines: “In the dark of the desert/  I saw a man with a sign, it said/ People get ready, 'cause it's all over/ It's all gonna end tonight, well” ( On Jakku, Lor San Tekka is the man with the intel about Luke promising that “this will begin to make things right”, and eventually this sign gets to Rey through BB8 at dusk in the desert). I also like these lines: “ You wanna get in on the action, you want/ Everyone to listen to you, oh/ You're just living in a prediction/ And that don't, that don't make it true, no” which fits the fact that things will not be as simple as Rey thinks. Also about the end of Rey’s time on Jakku, The Dog Days are Over (Florence+ the Machines): “The dog days are over/The dog days are done/ The horses are coming so you better run”.  These lines are great: “Leave all your love and your longing behind you/ Can't carry it with you if you want to survive”, about giving up on Jakku and close to Maz’s line about “the belonging you seek is not behind you”.

MEETING KYLO

Now, with songs that reflect on meeting Kylo... There is Gibberish (Max): “ But then I caught you creepin'/ Secrets that you were keepin”, which could fit the interrogation scene. Or the title could just refer to the fact that Rey seems to understand every language she meets (BB8, Chewie...). LOL. Obviously, the beautiful Yes Girl (Bea Miller):

I got you figured out, you need to have control You think that I don't know you, I know you, I know Trying to tell you now, I've been doing what you want But I won't be your yes girl, no, not anymore

And these even better lines: “ And now you're my favorite sin, oh/ Cause I'm either on your side or you're a mile away” (which fits TLJ better). There is Focus (Ariana Grande): “ I can tell you're curious/ It's written on your lips/ Ain't no need to hold it back/ Go ahead and talk your shit/ I know you're hoping that I'll react/ I know you're hoping I'm looking back/ But if my real ain't real enough/ Then I don't know what is” (again, mood for the interrogation scene). Also like that line: “ Let's find a light inside our universe now/ Where ain't nobody keep on holding us down”. 

That one seems really more to me from Kylo’s POV when Rey leaves for the MF at the end of TFA. We Come Running (Youngblood Hawke):

Headed for the open door Tell me what you're waiting for (Rey is coded as the waiting one) Look across the great divide   (the ground falling apart between them) Soon they're gonna hear The sound, the sound, the sound (Boom goes Starkiller) When we come running Never go where we belong (obviously, they parted ways when they should be together) Echoes in the dead of dawn  (Force bond foreshadowing echoes?) Soon they're gonna know The sound, the sound, the sound When we come running

And also that one: Force of Nature (Bea Miller). That one really fits Kylo in TFA as he starts falling for Rey during their duel on Starkiller: I don't know why but my hands are shaking I can see you coming and I stand here waiting (Didn’t put up much of a fight, honestly) Yeah I get tongue tied in the conversation (Lost the interrogation scene fight) It's an F'd up, bad, sick situationI tried to tie my heart down, board up all the windows Oh but it's too late now (Too late is classic Kylo) I let you get too close (like inside my head) I know I should take cover, hide inside these four walls But baby I surrender, it all'Cause you're a force of nature (Marry Me Face) Look at what you've done I can taste the danger but I don't wanna run So pull me to the ground and I won't put up a fight (End of the fight) I'm a caution taker, but baby you're a force of nature Baby you're a force of natureI feel your lips move in and they take me under (The Force? Mesmerized in looking at her) You know just what to do, how to make me want you And I know I'll be broken when it's over Oh but I can't help but pull you closerI'll be here 'till we collide I don't care if I survive So crash into me one more time

Say what you want, but this beautiful ballad is all about Kylo’s feelings for Rey!

BONUS: THE INVERSE ANIDALA SONG?

There’s an intriguing tune in Kylo’s playlist. Incorporeal (Tiger Army).

I’m gone I died long ago but my spirit still roams (Incorporeal) Unwanted in heaven, forgotten in hell as on earth (Incorporeal) I don't want to stay here, it seems that I'll never be free Oh can you hear me? (no) And so It has come to be that I must wander forever (Incorporeal) Many things I have seen, empires that rise and then fall (Incorporeal) A life you live long is simply a moment to me A tiny drop of water in the sea of eternity There's no place for me everywhere that I go Only seems to bring upset and harm There's one thing that I want and one thing only Release into the great beyond Don't want to remember when I was alive When I held my true love in my arms For like you I once was, and like me you shall be When you Feel a chill in the night perhaps it's me saying hello (Incorporeal) You're so much like my love though she lived in a long ago time (Incorporeal) I long to see her, the day when my soul's laid to rest The peace that I can not find in life, I can find in death

Honestly, this song makes me want to scream!!! Heavy reincarnation theme. Especially when you cross that with Rey sharing 4 songs with Padmé. And with the fact that Anakin (not Vader) and Kylo share a song. And the song  I mentioned, Rich Girl. Rey is the inverse Padmé already, right? She’s the younger one in the couple, and she is poor with a low status. Again, Padmé has everything (the riches and the guy) and didn’t end up happy. By sharing songs, it might be another hint that Rey will succeed where Padmé didn’t.

This is it for 7, guys. It is quite a beast. 34 songs left to go through in Rey’s playlist, 25 for Kylo.

[dimensionslip]

Tales of the Stage - Those Who Inherit The Power of Lorelei - EMOTIONAL ACT (August 23, 2018)

What a long day it was!

In a nutshell, today's stage play was a lot more serious as promised (in contrast to how crazy the Yokohama stage　play was). It definitely felt more like Asch's story this time around, and anyone who adores him is very much in for a treat. There were also a lot more scenes with the Six God-Generals and Noir, with the Abyss party members taking more of a backseat this time around. I think this might be the closest we'll ever get to an Asch side for Tales of the Abyss. Aschtalia shippers will also love it a lot.

After the stage play, there was a talk show with Chihiro Suzuki (Luke's voice actor), Kazuki Yao (Dist's voice actor), Yuya Arai (Asch's stage actor), Orito Kasahara (Dist's stage actor), and Shunichi Takahashi (Jade's stage actor). Which, you can probably guess, is the reason why I picked this day to go, besides my already planned Saturday and Sunday viewings.

Anyway, without further ado, here's my personal experience for today, as well as a plot and talk show summary I've drawn up to the best of my abilities and memory!

Before the Stage Play

After hearing that Jade sold out pretty quickly yesterday, I took no chances for the merch line and arrived two hours early before they started selling stuff. It was a long wait under the sun as they had us line up outside the venue before letting us in 30 minutes before 4pm (the start of sales).

As I was the second in line, I managed to get everything I wanted! I lined up again a little later because I was curious about the items that sold out. The Dist bromide (Yokohama Arena version) and acrylic was the first to run out in about 20 minutes. Legretta's bromide (Yokohama Arena version) also sold out at around the same time. Not too long after, Jade's acrylic keychain also sold out. I'm so glad I came in early to get them, but man, they didn't really seem to stock too much of everything except Boy Asch, Luke, and Asch.

The wait for the theater opening itself (6pm) was made bearable by the fact that I managed to make a friend (aka the person who was as early as I was in lining up). Both of us are Jade and Dist fans (with matching Jade dolls too and what not), and it seems we both took the bait regarding the varied talk shows per day (today was Jade and Dist's turn).

Once the theater gates opened, we got the postcard (today was Jade and Dist) that changes for each showing. There were also a good bit of flowers. Jade, Dist, Tear, and Asch have the most.

Stage Play Summary

Note: Apparently some of these scenes were different from Day 1's show. As I have not gone to the said show, I do not know which is different or the same, so I'll be updating this on Saturday again to report on which scenes were unique to Day 2.

Before the stage play, Noir and her lackey Dino (if I'm getting the name right) fooled around a bit onstage. Noir's bromide sold out and Dino was talking excitedly about it. He also opened a blind box can badge in front of Noir, hoping he'd get Noir. He got Ion instead, which Noir pinned to her uhh... chest wrap, or whatever it is you call her clothes. Dino started taking a lot of pictures of her and kind of got skeevy a little later and got bonked by Noir as a result.

Kazuki Yao (as Dist) narrated the story introduction, complete with Dist's trademark laugh. He made it a point to emphasize that Jade was his rival.

The story opens with boy Asch escaping, and Dist running after him. Dist got a clunked on the head for his trouble, Van reassured him that it's not a problem that Asch escaped. Asch got stopped at the gates and was laughed at, and everything more or less proceeds as the Abyss plot did.

The boy Asch actor didn't join in the Karma dance, but he did appear in several of Asch's dream/nightmare sequences/flashbacks. It was sprinkled throughout the play and was a nice touch, and definitely added to the overall Asch-feel of the stage play.

As with the Yokohama stageplay, the Karma dance was montage-y at some parts for the God-Generals. Also since I pay extra attention to Jade, he somersaults into the stage, sights Dist, then walks away when the latter tries to chase him.

They had some pre-game scenes here that were never in the game or anime, aka an opportunity to showcase how stuff in Daath went. Like, Anise being busy with Ion. Dist presenting Tokunaga to her was also included here, as well as a bit of showcasing of how their awkward friendship works. I love it so much. There was also Arietta having some trouble with paperwork and trying to get Sync to help her. Legretta eventually ends up aiding her instead, and she kinda felt motherly here. Van also had a fatherly moment when the God-Generals met up with him and Arietta presented her paperwork to him proudly, but it did come off as a little creepy given what we know of Van.

But yeah, during that meeting, Van also poked fun at Asch's dislike of octopus as a joke. Basically it all felt like they were the dysfunctional family that the anime or game semi-implied but did not quite emphasize.

Luke and Tear end up in what I suspect to be Cheagle Woods, but the area wasn't named. The main party also had their entrances at around this point (including Guy and Natalia, who aren't slated to join until way later, game-wise). Guy's introduction ("Enter the amazing Guy") kept on getting interrupted by Natalia, which was hilarious.

Later on, we get to see a similar scene as the Yokohama Arena showing, where Asch visits Nam Cobanda Isle to make a deal with Noir. Noir's backstory also comes out here. A random kid gives Asch his most treasured possession, which is a doll.

I think this was around this time that Asch had another one of his dreams about the past again. As I've mentioned earlier, this is a recurring thing throughout the stage play. They also got the Natalia actor (I think) to dress up as child Natalia for these flashbacks.

There was a huge skip to what I assume to be Deo Pass (prior to Akzeriuth), where the party battles it out with the Six God-Generals. Natalia sees Asch's face and they end up having a long moment staring at each other, and she seems to realize something, but does not have much time to dwell on it. Guy and Sync get some curse slot action going here as well.

Akzeriuth more or less proceeds as it does, including the Abyss classic "ore wa warukunee". However, at Ortion Cavern, there was an added scene where Jade talks about his past with Dist, and there's an enacted flashback for it. For this adaptation, younger Jade and Dist (in lab coats) were in Hod when it was collapsing, and that's how Jade came to know about Van's real name. Note that in the game, Jade had never actually stepped a foot inside Hod. Even if this wasn't canon compliant, it was still interesting to see because, yay, more Jade and Dist scenes. Action scenes, that is. Though Dist (Saphir then), wasn't really any good with them battles and just kept on trying to dodge things.

It was around this time (or a little earlier), that Mohs was talking to Largo about something interesting that he heard (aka the circumstances of Natalia's birth), and was heavily hinting that he knew something about Largo too. Largo just brushes it off.

Speaking of Largo, earlier he also had a moment with Asch, something like acknowledging that they have the same feelings regarding a certain issue. I think it was Natalia-related, but my memory is a little fuzzy at this point in time.

There was a part where Asch was more apparently in pain, and Dist, like in the Yokohama Arena showing, ends up mocking-slash-word-vomiting at Asch regarding his state (the Big Bang). While Dist was going on his spiel, Noir and Dino were nearby, poorly hiding as they overheard everything. Once Asch chases off Dist, Noir voices some concern over his well-being, but also ends up reporting that Natalia is in trouble (Mohs was going up with his reveal regarding Meryl and Natalia being a "fake" princess). Asch ignores his extreme pain and runs off.

As with the Yokohama Arena show, we got to do the Natalia chant with the penlights along with Noir and the Dark Wings.

Asch and Van also have their battle here, which Asch has the upper hand in until he gets a seizure, which Van takes advantage of by stabbing his arm and literally twisting a knife (err, sword) into it. Same as the Yokohama Arena show, and just as "oww" to watch.

Absorption Gate was also another opportunity to showcase some of the party's talents. I was only expecting somersaults and stunts from Jade (who delivered!), but Tear also had her own cartwheels and it was pretty impressive. Van still had his dance numbers but they were very much shortened. Also Jade featured quite prominently in the Absorption Gate battles, I feel. And there even was a part where he seemed to be dancing it off with Van.

Sync was in the Absorption Gate battle and once his mask broke and he got on this diatribe, he committed suicide with a sword. Later on, he gets revived along with Van.

Luke and Asch receive their parts of the Key of Lorelei. Asch has a scene with Noir at around this time too, where he asks Noir to return the doll he received from the child earlier on in the stage play. But something happened to the doll's face, I think? Dino said something but I wasn't able to catch all of it.

Then there's a huge skip to Eldrant, where the party have their final showdown with the Six God-Generals. Natalia and Asch have a moment too over here. So we have the following:

 Anise vs Arietta: Poor Arietta, she had that scene where she hallucinates her mother and Ion before she dies.

Jade vs Dist: Jade makes quick work of Dist's robots after going "Sayonara, Saphir". Which did not feel as heartfelt as the game or anime, but I'm glad they included that. The battle ends when Jade steals Dist's flowery wheels and Dist chases after him.

Tear vs Legretta: Legretta has more or less the same death scene lines, with Tear being equally devastated.

Natalia vs Largo: Quite similar to the game as well, with Largo being proud of his daughter before dying, and Natalia calling him father

Guy (and later on Anise) vs Sync: Similar to the anime, and Sync has a moment where he impersonates Ion in the heat of battle, which throws off Anise

Luke vs Asch: Similar to how it goes in the game, with a few twists. Luke sees Asch getting turned into a pincushion and was definitely very hesitant to leave him like that.

All of the God-Generals except Dist dies. There is a scene after Asch dies where the Natalia in his dream finally finds him (prior to that, it was always him just chasing after Dream!Natalia), and gets the flower crown, plus a realization of the place he belongs in. We also get to see (briefly) the God-Generals that have died in the said sequence. A good number of people were in tears at this point.

In the final battle against Van, Asch from the beyond gives Luke a pep talk. After which, Luke uses Lost Fon Drive to defeat Van. And I guess it's time for a small random note--everyone in the party (plus Asch) got to use their Mystic Artes throughout the stage play, except for Jade. But that aside, the post-Eldrant scene was cut a little short, with only Tear saying her piece about wanting Luke to come back. But Luke and Jade do share a nod before it cuts to Luke fulfilling his promise to Lorelei.

They tried to recreate the whole Luke-falling-to-the-core scene as faithfully as they can. I think that they could not have the Luke stage actor carry Asch the whole time, so they substituted for a projection. Still was nice.

"The Look of that Day" starts playing, and we get the epilogue scene, which proceeds more or less as it did in the game and the previous stage plays (with the Luke stage actor in the Mr. Ending costume), BUT. Besides using a more Lorelei-ish voice for him (it's the Mr. Ending voice, overlapped with some other voice), we get a silhouette of Asch too (in a similar costume, iirc) after Mr. Ending exits the stage.

When I looked around and the lights went on, it seemed that more people were in tears by the time the after talk show was to start.

After Talk Show Summary

Kazuki Yao was dressed up in a flowery print Hawaiian shirt and shorts combo, with a t-shirt that had a glittery skull on it. It was a highly unexpected turn of events and earned many laughs.

Chi-chan made sure to emphasize we're getting Double Dist today. And kept calling Jade's corkscrew a dragon screw.

Some of the questions and answers I can remember (paraphrased):

(1) What thing did you have to be careful about when portraying your character? Yao: Apparently he thought Dist was an "okama" (roughly "drag queen"), but in the middle of recording, he was told that Dist is not an okama and it was difficult to adjust. Kasahara: He did a lot of research, and tried his best to imitate Yao's voice for Dist. (he's playing through Abyss and I think got Shiro no Ashita and Tsuioku no Jade manga) Takahashi: Jade's spectacularly long hair. (which I imagine got in the way in a lot of stunts... he needed to keep flipping it away lol)

I can't remember what Arai said for Asch, unfortunately.

(2) Since we have Double Dist today, name something good about Dist. Suzuki: Very forward-looking and positive. Arai: He has a beautiful color. (said after facing Dist and looking at him for a long time) Takahashi: Let me just describe what happened when it was the Jade stage actor's turn. > Dist and Jade face each other and are sitting way close. > Jade: (after a long stare) Nothing. > Dist: (looking affronted) Ehh??! There must be something!!

If I recall correctly, Jade reaffirms the no, but definitely, shortly after this, Dist starts playfully grabbing Jade's knees and goes all "JEIDOOOO". Kasahara-san and Takahashi-san were so cute together...

Anyway, the winners for the picture-taking lottery were announced at the end of the talk show. Didn't win, but I did have a lot of nice memories to take home, which I feel was very much precious in itself.

Personal Thoughts

As with the previous stage plays, I feel it's best to watch this while being well aware of TOA's story. They skip around a lot and omit a lot of things, and I feel it's easier to appreciate the additions with that said background in hand.

I really loved the stage play as an Asch side type of deal. It's a refreshing way of looking at the story, and as I've mentioned, they really made good in making this feel like it's Asch's story. The party members taking the sidelines (including Luke) was a consequence of this, but it all felt natural. I liked seeing more of the Six God-Generals too.

Accounting for my Jade bias, I'm satisfied with regard to his level of presence in an Asch-centric story. I think he had even more stunts here than the last one he was in, but that could be my wishful imagination at work. I also feel his character was a lot more interesting with Dist around, rather than a standalone.

Asch was definitely the star of the show, but I still love Kasahara's Dist. He's such a great Dist and I'm glad they got him on board. His research certainly looks like it paid off--he looks the part and acts the part. I think a lot of people are charmed by his performance too, which also may factor in to Dist running out today (besides today being Jade and Dist talk show day), and during the last TalesFes. I also noticed that people in the trade search on Twitter have been searching for his karaoke trading card too (Jade, of course, is still the crowning king of rare).

I still feel that Reo Kawamura's Guy is a bit lacking, but he had a lot more to do this stage play, so it wasn't as bad as the previous stage play in Yokohama Arena. As far as successors to Kou Hosokawa's Guy was, I think he's fine--it's just that Hosokawa's performance feels difficult to top, in my opinion.

I cannot tell which among the stage play scenes were different or added for the day, so I guess I'll discover on Saturday what may have changed. I definitely look forward to that and the talk show, in any case. Will post again on Saturday and Sunday with the said differences, but until then, I hope you enjoyed this report! If you have any questions that I have not addressed, please feel free to drop by my ask box!

[anghraine]

“per ardua ad astra” - chapter twenty

I swear, I didn’t mean to switch to a two-month schedule. Uni and the queer AU called. (>_<) Aaaalso, as ever, Jyn and Cassian’s perceptions are not objective truth, but their own ways of seeing things.

Last chapter:

“Do you think they’ll find the body?” she asked, staring straight ahead. “I suppose it depends on how often they check the compactors. And how recognizable it would be after compaction.”

He drew a deep breath. “Jyn—”

“I don’t imagine the stink will give it away. The trash smelled worse, and that disappeared when it closed back up. Maybe it’ll just decompose down there.”

“Jyn,” said Cassian, his hand grasping her shoulder, “don’t.”

This chapter:

“You’re with the Rebellion?” she demanded. “You can get us out of here?”

“Yes!” said the blond one. “I’m Luke Sk—”

“No,” the other burst out. “We’re definitely not.”

Luke glared at him. So did the Wookiee.

“I didn’t sign up for another rescue!”

chapters: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen

Leia looked blank. “You’re who?”

Of course, they hadn’t told her Jyn’s name. The agent who’d received the plans, her father’s plans, carried them and protected them, didn’t know who she was. Jyn exhaled through her teeth.

“Jyn Erso,” she said impatiently. “I’m here with Cassian Andor.”

“Cassian Andor?” Leia’s large eyes went enormous. “That’s impossible!”

The princess sprang up. She was tiny: thin and easily three or four inches shorter than Jyn. It didn’t keep her from launching herself forward before Jyn could respond.

Only for a moment, though. Jyn had scarcely turned on her heel when they heard a blaster shot, then something crashing—no, shattering—in the detention security area.

Cassian!

Raw instinct sent Jyn hurtling forward, panic and height carrying her right past Leia. She didn’t hear any clamour beyond the whatever-it-was breaking. Cassian would have said something if he were in danger, to warn her and another spy away. But—but—what could even shatter, anyway, except …

Cameras, Jyn thought, desperately praying: and sure enough, Cassian stood upright at the station, one hand in the air to silence others, and a distinct note of irritation in his voice.

“—these shoddy contraptions—”

“Yes, captain,” someone said through the intercom. “We understand completely. No idea how it could have happened.”

“You’d better get an idea,” said Cassian. Sure enough, the cameras hung brokenly from the walls, part melted, with only a few jagged edges where their lenses had been. Jyn breathed properly again.

“Yes, sir. We’ll investigate the matter.”

“Good,” he snarled, and switched off the intercom, just as Leia caught up with Jyn, nearly slamming into her back. In fairness, she straightened right away and moved to the side.

“Andor?” she said incredulously.

Cassian turned towards them, even more unreadable than usual. He inclined his head to the princess.

“Açatal,” he said.

Leia, lips tight, responded,

“Tanain.”

A full three seconds passed, the shards of plastiglass forming some sort of counterpoint in Jyn’s head. She didn’t know if she ached for the Alderaanians, or for Cassian in particular, or herself (Papa), or some uncertain proportion of them all, but it froze her in place, froze her throat to her lungs.

“Maybe someone could mention how we’re going to get out of here? Not in code?” demanded the larger not-stormtrooper, distracting her just enough that Jyn bothered to look their way.

Both men had blasters out—they, or more probably the Wookiee, had apparently understood Cassian’s hints—and seemed to have only just removed their helmets. Both were pleasant-looking enough, the one taller than Cassian and attractive in an even, strong-featured way, the other a blond, blue-eyed boy only a few inches taller than Jyn, his face as soft as his companion’s was sharp. Boy might be a bit much, but he couldn’t be more than twenty.

“That gives us a few minutes,” said Cassian.

Jyn ignored that to focus on the maybe-Rebels. “You’re with the Rebellion?” she demanded. “You can get us out of here?”

“Yes!” said the blond one. “I’m Luke Sk—”

“No,” the other burst out. “We’re definitely not.”

Luke glared at him. So did the Wookiee.

“I didn’t sign up for another rescue!”

“Shut up, Han,” Luke hissed.

Han, if that was his real name, turned to them. “Listen. We’re here to rescue the princess, not …” He eyed them. “Whatever you are.”

Leia looked him up and down. With considerably more contempt than she’d directed at Jyn, she said, “You didn’t even plan an escape route? Some rescue!”

Jyn, giving them up as hopeless, made her way over to Cassian. “You got any ideas?”

“Maybe you’d like it better in your cell, Highness,” Han snapped.

“Walk out the way they came in,” Cassian murmured to Jyn. “But it’d be suspicious. And they’re not exactly convincing.”

Jyn glanced over. Luke, clearly the brains of the operation, stood a little aside, trying to contact someone on his comlink. Han was still sputtering at Leia while she furiously shot back. Meanwhile, the Wookiee peered at the ceiling, managing to infuse the gesture with immense long-suffering.

“Look,” Luke told the princess, giving up on his ally (Jyn assumed) on the comlink. “We’ve got your Artoo unit. I’m here with Ben Kenobi. We just—”

“Ben Kenobi?” Leia exclaimed. “Where?”

The name meant nothing to Jyn, but Cassian’s eyes went wide.

“You’ve got to be joking.”

Luke shook his head. “He’s training me in the ways of the Jedi,” he said proudly. “Well, right now he’s disabling the tractor beam. But he’s my teacher.”

By raw exertion of will, Jyn and Cassian managed not to ask any more questions about that. Cassian already had the local schematic open on the terminal, and they ran through its lines and curves, trying to find a solution where she knew pretty well they wouldn’t. They’d already had to make someone disappear, and—

Leia deserted her squabble to march over to them, peering down at the terminal. “What about that compartment right there?” She pointed at the rectangle that made up the trash compactor. “It doesn’t look occupied.”

Jyn choked. “Er, no, but—ah—”

“It’s for trash,” said Cassian. “Definitely a last resort.”

“We don’t have time for anything else,” Leia said impatiently, and reached past to activate it.

“Uh—”

“Come on!” she called out to the others. Luke came running right away, but Han hesitated, exuding skepticism.

Leia had plainly never hesitated in her life. She rushed over to the compartment doors, Luke towed by her sheer force of personality. Han, grumbling inaudibly, followed his Wookiee friend towards her.

Beyond them, the doors scraped open, the compactor’s stench filling the air. Trash-stench, thankfully, and not dead body-stench—though the first would probably cover the latter, and—

Han, in a tone of utter conviction, said, “I am not going down there.”

“If you want to die, I won’t stop you,” retorted Leia.

Jyn’s patience frayed. Under her breath, she said to Cassian, “We have to go with them, don’t we?”

“With Leia,” he murmured back. “And they’ve got a ship.”

That sealed it. With one shallow inhalation of the repugnant air, Jyn extracted Kay’s datachip, dropping it into her jacket’s inside pocket.

“Do you have one of your knives on you?” asked Cassian.

She had all of them, and three blasters. Neither understanding nor hesitating, Jyn passed a knife over, and watched as he cut a tear in his sleeve and then a long, shallow cut on the skin beneath it, squeezing the top of his arm to splatter blood on the terminal. A cover story, she realized. Of course. Cowardice in the face of a Rebel attack wouldn’t look nearly as bad as open betrayal, if they could sell it. If they had to sell it.

That’s the man I know and love, she almost said wryly, then remembered and bit it back. She didn’t know when the thought of love had first come to her, by its proper name. Everything felt so simple and natural that, now and then, she almost forgot they hadn’t talked about it.

Han said, “I don’t want to—look, it’s going to take more than—”

“Then into the chute, flyboy!”

Suiting actions to words, Leia jumped down, Luke in faithful pursuit. Han heaved what might have been the galaxy’s most dramatic sigh, and followed them. His leap into the trash compactor was immediately followed by the sound of blaster bolts rocketing around the armoured walls of the compactor.

“We’re going to die,” muttered Jyn.

“Maybe,” Cassian said, not at all reassuringly. He triggered the command to shut the compactor doors, and they raced around just in time to throw themselves through the closing gates. Jyn could only hope that it wasn’t the compaction hour.

Inside, she grimaced from the fall and the memory of the last time she’d launched something in here. No point thinking about it, unless … no. Dread still climbed over her, though, diminished by Cassian landing behind her with only a quick exhalation, and not at all diminished by the smell or the trash-ridden water. Trash and—no.

She focused on the others. Han looked disgusted, while Luke and Leia were screaming at him in such perfect synchrony that Jyn could hardly tell their voices apart.

“Will you forget it?”

“Put that thing away!”

Han bristled. “Absolutely, Your Worship. Look, I had everything under control until you led us down here.”

The hell he did. Behind her, Cassian scoffed under his breath.

“It could be worse!” Leia said.

And something groaned.

Maybe the compactor was changing levels, Jyn told herself, even if it sounded more like an unearthly moan than anything else. She might believe in the Force, but she wasn’t superstitious; she drew her blaster, at the same time as Han and Luke.

The Wookiee howled.

“It’s worse,” said Han.

Luke gave an odd sort of jump. “There’s something alive in here!”

No. Not alive.

“That’s your imagination,” Jyn and Han said, in near as exact unison as Luke and Leia.

Han twitched, undoubtedly out of the same irritation that Jyn herself felt. A bit more than irritation, fine.

Cassian sloshed forward to stand at her side, broadcasting allegiance. A small relief trickled through her at that, and perhaps him. At any rate, they stayed together in their patch of filth, while Han didn’t seem to have anyone but the Wookiee. Maybe Luke, but she didn’t get the sense that they knew each other well.

Luke screamed, “Something just moved past my leg!”

“It’s probably just an arm,” she said without thinking.

Han froze in place, no longer even trying to move through the churning waters, and slowly turned to stare at them.

“Just a what?”

Even Luke glanced up, eyes wide.

Jyn shrugged. “It’s not as bad as it sounds.”

“Not quite,” Cassian said.

She glowered up at him.

“Traitor,” she muttered, and even she could hear the total lack of conviction behind it. Jyn rolled her eyes.

“Who are you people?” demanded Han.

Leia, for her part, seemed to be preoccupied with navigating her own area of water, entirely unconcerned with all of this. She’d probably disposed of a few corpses in her time, too. The Wookiee, meanwhile, was busy howling at the walls. And before Jyn or Cassian could manufacture a response to Han, Luke yelled again.

“Look! Did you see that?”

Han turned back around. “What?”

With a choked shriek, Luke crashed underwater, seized by—something. Something with tentacles, and a single staring eye rising up like a periscope, and … Force, that thing had probably eaten Zekheret. She’d seen plenty of bizarre Imperial procedures at this point, but what the hell? Who kept a tentacle monster in a trash container? Was this her father’s idea, or some other … innovation?

She struggled through the water to help, while Han and, surprisingly, Leia screamed after Luke. He surfaced once, a tentacle around his neck, yelling something about blasting it. But Jyn didn’t know how they could hit it without being as likely to blast Luke as the thing; Han tried, but concern kept his aim low. Cassian, predictably less concerned with the lives of strangers, did shoot at the tentacle around Luke’s neck and hit it, but the shots seemed only to irritate it. The whatever-it-was dragged Luke underwater again.

The walls shuddered, and Jyn stiffened. She and Cassian shared a horrified look, but before they could think of anything else, the water bubbled where Luke had been, and he burst upwards, inhaling great heaving breaths.

“What happened?” said Leia.

“I don’t know,” Luke gasped. “It just let go of me and disappeared.”

Bad, Jyn thought. Very, very bad.

If Cassian had not imagined being killed because of his cover rather than in discovery of it, he certainly had never imagined being killed by trash compaction. After everything he and Jyn had survived, they were going to get smashed to death? Really?

He and Jyn desperately tried to help Luke prop up a long beam between the walls, as if that could stop it. Slow it, maybe, if Luke’s droid friend got around to checking his comlink in the next minute and a half, and had the tools to hack into the Death Star’s computer system. At least it was impractically unified, care of Galen Erso, and—

Cassian knew his mind was spinning, a foolish rush from one thing to another, with Jyn right here and death closing in on them again.

“One thing’s for sure. We’re all going to be a lot thinner!” said Han.

At least he wasn’t as much of a fool as that one.

The walls kept closing in, the beams making only the weakest of obstacles. Irresistibly, the water rose higher up their legs. Far higher on Leia, and even Jyn. They weren’t going to die by crushing, of course. It’d be drowning. It couldn’t be punishment for Zekheret, the galaxy didn’t work like that, but …

“Jyn,” he said, and jerked his head at the nearest pile of trash. “You need to get up there. I can help, just—”

She scowled. “No, I’m not—” Then she broke off, her eyes flying wide open. Without another word of protest, she turned to grasp at the pile of trash, clambering out of the water. Cassian instantly whipped about to support her as she scrambled up, keeping her from sliding back whenever a chunk of wet trash slipped under her feet.

Luke was shrieking at the unresponsive droid through his comlink, Han and Leia shouting at each other, but Cassian ignored these beyond registering their existence in the back of his mind. He could only think of Jyn. She came first, always, and must live the longest, able to seize any last chance that might somehow arrive. Only when she managed relative stability high up the pile did he bother paying attention to the others.

“I’m trying!” Leia struggled up much more slowly than Jyn, weighed down by her robes. Han, at least, was trying to help her while the beam bent further. But the next few moments only brought the water higher, the walls nearer, and this was officially the worst idea that Leia had ever come up with—

From Luke’s comlink, a prim robotic voice called out,

“Are you there, sir?”

“Threepio!” he screamed, while the others sucked in their breaths.

“We’ve had some problems,” said the droid, his tone distinctly petulant.

“Will you shut up and listen to me?” Luke shouted. “Shut down all garbage mashers on the detention level, will you? Do you copy? Shut down all the garbage mashers on the detention level!”

The walls ground closer. Perhaps the last seconds of Cassian’s life ticked on—his hand somehow found its way around Jyn’s ankle—

And the compaction stopped.

Leia and her would-be rescuers shouted in relief and victory. Cassian couldn’t; he barely raised his voice unless a role called for it. But he was smiling as he turned back to Jyn.

“Can you help?” she said.

All processes scraped to an absolute halt. Jyn, who almost never asked for assistance of any kind, was reaching out to him—reaching out because she had only the one hand to do it with. The other was clenched above her head, her fingers closed about a large datachip.

Kay’s datachip.

Kay.

In that moment, Cassian loved her.

Not that moment alone, of course. Loving her wasn’t a revelation. It wasn’t even the first time he’d thought it; he didn’t know when that had been. But his mind spun a tight orbit about it, unable to track any other data. I love her. Jyn. Jyn, I love you, I—

As inexorably as the water had risen, his whole body leaned towards her, like some withered thing towards the sun. And Jyn tilted her face down, just as she’d lifted it up in the hangar on Yavin. Inverted, but mostly the same, her eyes as soft and wondering as his must be. He couldn’t identify her expression beyond that, beyond good, because nobody—nobody except Jyn, rather—had ever looked at him that way in his life. Like he was the star and not her.

This time, though, her smile didn’t tremble on her lips the way it had before, uncertain of itself. She grinned down at him, bright and triumphant.

Nothing could have prevented him from smiling back, feeling it invade his entire face. “Jyn—”

This was why Jyn had offered so little protest, he understood now. She must have remembered that she took the datachip before Cassian could do it. She’d put it in her pocket, and she was so much smaller that the water might easily have swamped the little datachip. This miserable place might have killed Kay more thoroughly than any stormtrooper, and Jyn had thought of it, before herself.

“Jyn,” he murmured, so little between them that she must feel her name on her own mouth, “Jyn, I—”

Neither looked away. They stood here, trapped with four other people, surrounded by stinking trash and quite possibly the rotting corpse of a man they’d murdered, and he couldn’t think of anything but looking at her and kissing her.

“Cassian,” she breathed, and he did feel it—his name, his name on both their mouths as they leaned that fractional distance closer. The others were still shouting and laughing in relief, maybe seeing them and maybe not, and who cared—

“Listen to them,” wailed the droid. “They’re dying, Artoo! Curse my metal body! I wasn’t fast enough!”

Inevitably, Jyn and Cassian opened their eyes, pulling back enough to meet each other’s glances. She looked exactly how he felt: annoyed, amused, and awkward, all at once. With equally resigned sighs, they stepped apart.

The droid, Threepio, was still in vapours.

“It’s all my fault! My poor master!”

Luke, to his credit, rushed to reassure the panicked droid that they’d made it. What sort of bastard could have programmed that one? Droids developed personalities through their lives, like everyone else, but almost never fear. He’d only seen it at the hands of careless or malicious programmers. Or amateur ones, simply re-imagining the traits they saw around them, without regard for convenience or utility.

“You did great,” Luke told Threepio, with every appearance of earnestness. Cassian’s evaluation of him ticked up. “Hey … hey, open the pressure maintenance hatch on unit number … where are we?”

Han disentangled himself and checked the panel. “Three-two-six-eight-two-seven.”

With that, Threepio—or more likely, the R2 unit who seemed to be accompanying him—managed to deposit them in an unused hallway. It wasn’t one that Cassian found particularly distinguishable from any other ones, but at least didn’t seem that far off from the section they did know.  

All six of them emerged from the compactor like a herd of swamp creatures. Han and Luke did little to dispel the impression, shrugging off their armour like shells, while the other four did their best to wring the water out of their clothes. Jyn and Cassian had both lost their caps, though Jyn’s hair was at least still pinned back, while Leia adjusted her coils.

“If we can just ignore any more female advice,” said Han, “we ought to be able to get out of here.”

Cassian glanced up, genuinely startled. He’d thought the man an ass, but not that much of one. Dismissing him after one narrow-eyed look, he turned back to Jyn. She’d gone motionless at his side, jaw tight and face blank. Cassian, who knew perfectly well that she could and would maul a man over less, kept his hand on her arm.

“Can I have the datachip back?”

Jyn scowled, but her focus on Han broke. She pressed the chip into his hand.

“Thank you,” he said quietly.

She nodded, with a solemn glance that seemed to comprehend all it meant. Beyond them all, Leia turned her back on Han, trying to look haughty, and about halfway succeeding.

“Well,” said Luke, “let’s get moving.”

[cherrywineandmagic]

In The Morning - Ch. 2

Luke stared in wonder as Y/N fell into her natural rhythm. She walked swiftly, stopping every now and then to snap a picture of the fields. Her all black outfit was a stark contrast the the vivid reds and oranges around her, giving the afternoon a surreal sense for him. The image was breathtaking to the point he almost felt like he was dreaming. 

"So this is what your work looks like," he commented as he followed behind her, his feet following the same steps she had taken. He was careful to not block the natural light as he towered over her. She nodded, her face full of concentration as she snapped another picture. "This is a fairly easy piece. Photograph the poppy fields. It's actually pretty relaxing." "Yeah, it is," he agreed as he shoved his hands into his pockets. The day was cool, with just enough sunlight to provide the warmth they needed. Roxy was bouncing ahead of them, excited to be in such a large playing field. Her happy barks filled the air as she chased birds and butterflies. Y/N turned her head and lowered her camera for a moment, a small smile gracing her lips. "I've missed you. My last visit wasn't nearly long enough." "Two days a year ago? Definitely not long enough," he chuckled. She had crashed on his sofa for two nights, refusing to take his bed and instead opting for the pull out couch. It was only two days but she had brought a sense of joy back to him that he had missed while out in the field, and it had left just as quickly as she had. He took a step forward and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, bringing her into him protectively. The hint of coconut from her hair wafted up to him and he smiled at the fact she continued to use the same shampoo since high school. He kissed the top of her head in a loving manner, lingering just a second too long. "You're still the big softy I know and love, aren't you?" Y/N asked with an amused grin. She pulled away and his body almost immediately reached out to pull her back in before showing some restraint. "Guess even the FBI can't change that." He laughed, his eyes nearly disappearing at the smile on his face. She had expressed her concerns when he had told her about the BAU, claiming that every FBI agent she'd ever met felt cold. He'd simply laughed and commented on the fact she'd only ever met two agents and they were both known to not be the kindest of people. Suddenly he was very aware of the fact she stood in front of him and so his body moved naturally, his arms reaching out to caress her hair before stopping at her neck, his thumbs slowly rubbing against the skin of her jaw. "I'll always be soft when it comes to you." The honesty in his words surprised them both. They stared at each other for a moment, emotions swimming behind both of their eyes before Y/N cleared her throat and took a step back, leaving his hands yearning to touch her again. Roxy appeared at the very moment, her head reaching the fill the emptiness of his hands. He sighed internally, slightly comforted by Roxy's loving gesture. "Come on. Let's finish this so we can go grab something to eat," Y/N said as she took off into the field again. Roxy took off running again and Luke watched as Y/N snapped some photographs of his dog in all her joy. 

Spencer stood in line at the local Costco Wholesale with a half empty cart. He was a little zoned out as the large line in front of him barely moved until a voice interrupted his thoughts. "Spencer?" He turned, surprised to hear his name in the middle of his shopping trip. He grinned when he caught sight of who had called out to him. "Y/N. Hey! How are you?" he asked brightly. He took a moment to take her in again and was slightly surprised to find she was just as beautiful as he remembered. He had gone home the other night sure that he had exaggerated her beauty, convincing himself that it was just the fact she was a new face. And yet now she stood in front of him proving his theory wrong. "I'm good! I came to pick up some photos," she said as she held up a fairly thick package. "I see you came for necessities." Spencer chuckled as he looked at his cart. There was literally nothing besides cans of coffee and two new pillows after he had decided the ones he was currently using had begun to hurt his neck. "Yes, necessities. But I've been standing in line for so long I'm thinking about coming back another time for them," he replied honestly. He had been in line for at least fifteen minutes now and had only moved a few feet. "Do you want me to keep you company while you wait?" she asked as she surveyed the line. The cashier appeared to be discussing something with a customer, undoubtedly doing his best to please whatever concern they had. "Oh," he said, flustered by her proposal, "I don't want to keep you here any longer than you need to be." "Don't worry. I've got nothing else to do. I'd rather stay and talk with you than go to an empty apartment," she replied with sincerity. He nodded, fighting the small blush that wanted to make its way to his cheeks. "So, are those for work?" Spencer asked as he gestured to the pack of photos she held. Immediately he regretted the question. Of course they were, she was a photographer for god's sake. "Yep," she answered with a grin, "do you want to see?" He nodded eagerly and so she tore open the package and pulled some photos out. Spencer was enticed by the vivid colors she had managed to capture, and the way the flowers seemed to be flowing in the wind despite the fact they were obviously still. "These are amazing," he complimented. Her lips pulled into a small smile at his words and at the way he observed he photos so intently. "Thanks. They're not my best work but they'll be enough." "Who are you selling these to?" he asked with curiosity. "National Geographic," she replied with a wave of her hand as if it was nothing unusual to have work featured in such a large magazine. "They'll take anything." "I highly doubt that," Spencer chuckled, amused at the fact she was trying to make her work seem like no big deal. "Don't sell yourself short." She smiled at the fact he repeated the same words she had told him the day they met. "So, coffee and pillows. Am I sensing an all nighter happening soon?" she asked, her voice teasing yet genuinely questioning. "I drink more coffee than I should so this is just the tip of the iceberg," he admitted as he gestured towards his cart. "And I don't sleep that well so all nighters are common for me nowadays. Might as well have comfortable pillows to lay on." "Smart man," she beamed. "Oh, we're up next." They had advanced a great deal in line while they talked and Spencer was surprised to see he was next. While time had felt to drag on when he was alone, it had gone by in a blink of an eye due to his new company. Y/N stood silently beside him as he paid for his belongings. "Well, thanks for the talk," Y/N said as they walked out of the store. "My car is that way." She pointed to the opposite direction of his own car and he felt a sudden disappointment at the fact they would part ways. "Would you like to hang out with me? Maybe have a cup of coffee?" Spencer asked, deciding he had nothing to lose in doing so. Her head tilted as she looked at him and for a moment he felt foolish as she contemplated his offer. "I'd love to." He grinned, feeling relief wash over him at the fact he hadn't had to deal with rejection that night. "Um, follow me home then? Or I can just give you my address?" "Send It to me," she replied with a smile. Her hand extended out and he looked at her open palm in question. "Give me your phone, silly." "Oh. Right." He scrambled for his phone before passing it to her fully unlocked. He watched as she typed away, the brightness of the screen illuminating her facial features in a new light before handing it back to him. "Just type in your address and hit send. I'll see you soon!" Spencer grinned as she walked away, a bounce in her step that charmed his heart. He was quick to put his things into the trunk of his car before slipping into the driver's seat. He clicked on her contact, his face flushing as he saw she had added a winky face next to her name, and typed in his address and hit send. He stared at his screen for a second before his fingers moved again, typing out a second message. Can't wait to see you again so soon! He cringed as soon as he sit send. God, that sounded so weird, so desperate. He had literally just seen her. And the exclamation point, what was he, 8? "God, Spencer. Why do you do these things," he groaned as he started his engine and pulled out of the parking lot. 

"You beat me here," Spencer said in surprise as he made his way to the door, pillows and coffee cans in hand. Y/N was standing outside of her car, parked on the street of his apartment. "You must be a slow driver. What's wrong, grandpa? You can chase killers but can't push that accelerator?" she joked, a mischievous grin present on her lips. "Nah, I'm joking. I drive too fast. It scares the shit out of Luke." Spencer laughed at the thought of someone as brave as Luke being terrified of getting into a car with her. "Remind me to never get in a car with you then," he laughed, motioning for her to follow him. She chuckled as she fell into step behind him. "It's good to have a little fun," she replied. "But you're right. I'll make you drive on all of our dates." "Dates?" Spencer froze, his cheeks threatening to burn from the heat that was slowly rising in them. He watched as she sprinted up the stairs ahead of him, her laugh trickling down. "I'm joking! Come on, Spencie. We haven't got all night." "Spencie?" he muttered under his breath, his eyebrows furrowing at the name. He hadn't been called that since he was a child. He shook his head, confused at what was happening and followed her up the stairs. "You lead. I don't know where I'm going," she laughed as she waited for him. He grinned and nodded towards the hallway, letting her know they were already on his floor. "Oh thank god. I hate stairs." "There's an elevator here too," Spencer commented as he struggled to take his keys from his pocket. Y/N quickly grabbed the pillows from under him so he could grab them. He hesitated for a moment before turning the knob, his mind racing to recall how messy he had left his place. It was too late now, she was going to see it whether it was clean or not. "Remind me to take it next time," she replied as she followed him inside. She wasn't surprised at what his place looked like. It was covered from wall to wall in books and she could see at least 3 different mugs scattered around where he had left coffee. "You can make yourself comfortable. I'll start on the coffee," Spencer said. And so she did. She threw herself down on his couch as if she lived there and picked up the nearest book, curious to see what kind of literature he kept around. She tried her best to piece together who he was based on the artwork he had hung up and the pictures he had framed. He seemed like someone who truly loved their friends and family as his frames were dusted off in comparison to the stacks of books they sat next to. His taste in books was diverse as she found things from comics to scientific journals. All around he was very much someone she would find comfort in as his home exuded a certain warmth that very few others did.

“Sorry about the mess,” Spencer apologized as he returned with two mugs in hand. He had left mugs and sweaters lying around, not one to really ever expect much company.

“Are you kidding? This feels like home.”

She took the coffee he offered and sat up, motioning for him to join her on the couch. He took a seat a few feet away, thinking about how most people wanted their own space upon hanging out with new people. Y/N noticed the distance but made no comment.

“So, Spencer Reid. Tell me a story.”

He was thrown off by the conversation starter. Most people would simply ask how someone was doing or how their day went. Never before had he been asked for a story.

“A story?” he asked, his mind suddenly blanking.

“The best way to get to know someone is by knowing where they came from, what they’ve done, what’s happened to them. So tell me a story,” she replied with an encouraging smile. “Here, I’ll start.”

Spencer found himself more entertained than ever before as she told him about her trip to Africa to photograph wildlife only to be chased by a pair of lions. She spoke animatedly, with true love of her work and an appreciation of nature that he found inspiring. And so they traded stories. He even surprised himself as he told her about his childhood, about his mother, about adventures with Henry. She shared her own childhood, the two being refreshingly honest with each other. They were caught up in yet another one of her stories, laughter filling the air between them when her phone began to ring. "Hey Luke, what's up?" she said into the phone. Spencer sat silently, looking away as if trying to give her privacy. "I can't. I'm busy right now." Spencer grinned as she shot him a wink. Her smile was bright, the obvious happiness of the night showing as Luke spoke to her on the phone. "I'm at Spencer's." She paused. "Your Spencer. Spencer Reid, the genius mind who makes delicious coffee." He watched as her eyebrows furrowed. "Because, Luke. He's my friend now too." Spencer frowned as she stood, her body language changing abruptly from happy to noticeably upset. "Sorry, do you mind if I take this outside?" He shook his head and allowed her to step out, wondering what Luke could’ve said to change her mood. His mug sat empty in his hands and so he decided to fill it up once more, stopping for a second to grab Y/N’s empty mug as well.

The day had turned into one he didn’t expect. After a long day at work he had made the decision to stop and grab a few things at the store before heading home, a decision he was now more than happy he had made. Instead of returning to his home with only items, he had returned with company and a new friend. Lord knew he needed new friends.

“Sorry about that,” Y/N apologized as she stepped into his kitchen. She looked towards the time on his clock. “It’s getting late. I should go. You probably have an early morning.”

“I don’t,” Spencer lied. A brief silence passed between them as they stared at each other, the look in both their eyes unreadable. Finally he cleared his throat and spoke. “More coffee?”

She glanced at the coffee he had just poured and nodded. A small smile graced her face that seemed to restore them back to their previous friendliness.

“You better make another pot. I have more stories to tell.”

Ch.1

[maealbert]

All You Have To Do Is Believe.

AU Characters: Team x Reader Requested: NOPE! (Going to be part of my Christmas Spree!)

A/N: Technically this isn’t the first Christmas fic I’ve written so I’m adding my previous fictions, Never Be Alone On Christmas and Home This Christmas. Let the Christmas Spree begin!

Summary:

Team is at the airport ready to get home for Christmas when all flights in and out of Maine are cancelled until morning.

Master List Holiday List

You rush into the airport ahead of the others and stomp your boots on the rug to get the snow off. You were ready to get back home. All you really wanted to do was sleep after only getting twenty hours max of sleep over the course of a week. “So close..” Emily says as she drags you along behind her to the TSA. “Almost there..” She says once they reach the gates. Suddenly she comes to an abrupt halt as you barrel right into her back.

“What the hell?”

“What the hell is right...” She says. You look around her to see the lady closing the gates.

“Sorry Agents...” The lady says shrugging her shoulders. “But all flights are cancelled until the morning.”

“Well shit...” You say turning around.

“Can we go back to the hotel?” Spencer asks.

“In this weather?” Luke says.

“I’d rather sleep here overnight before I go back out there...” You say walking over to the seats. “Better make yourselves comfortable.” You add pulling out your pillow from your suitcase.

“But what about Christmas?” JJ says. “I promised the boys I’d be home to see them when they wake up.”

“We leave in the morning and it’s only a couple hour flight from here.” Emily says. “Everyone should call their families and explain the dilemma.”

Closing your book you set in on the floor beside your pillow and look over at JJ. She was wrapping gifts. She catches you looking at her. “Well I have to do something so I’m not bored. Plus the airport sells wrapping paper.”

“Want some help?” You ask.

“No, because I’m wrapping yours.” JJ says as she turns her body so she was blocking the gift from your sight. Shaking your head you look around at the rest of the team. Emily was sitting on the floor with files sprawled out around her and her laptop open and on as she typed something up. Rossi was still reading, Luke and Matt were asleep with their headphones on. Their music audible. Tara was watch a movie on her laptop and Spencer was just like Emily. Sitting on the floor with papers sprawled all around him with a few books open too. Crawling over you sit down next to him and pick up one of the papers.

“I’m not finished yet..” He says taking the paper from you.

“Is it for one of your seminars?” You ask.

“Yeah, I figured since we’re stuck here in the airport, I might as well get a head start and try to do as much as I can so I don’t have much to do after break.”

“Ahhh..” You say nodding your head. “Smart choice.” You say. “What’s this one on now?”

“Well I’ve already spoke on how a serial killer is born. Now I’m studying an old case of ours to talk about it. Maybe see if the class can identify the motive, connection between the victims, and see if they figure out if the killer is male, female and if there are one or more killers.” He looks at you. Your one eyebrow raised. “It’s just like what we do, but just the basics. It’ll be easy for them because I’ll be giving them as much as I can without giving anything away.”

“Well good luck with that.” You say patting his back. “Let me know if you need help at the seminar. I’ll be more than willing to help out.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He says giving you a side smile. Leaving Spencer you crawl over to Emily peering over her shoulder.

“You spelt ‘incompetent’ wrong.” You point out. “There’s two e’s, no a’s.”

“You know I hate it when people read over my shoulder.”

“Sorry..” You mutter.

“And I hate it when you correct my spelling too...”

“Sorry.. Again..” You say plopping down beside her. “Is this from the case we just finished?”

“Yup..” Emily says not tearing her eyes away from the laptop screen. Slowly she turns her head to look at you. “Do you mind giving me some space?” She asks.

“Oh! Yeah, of course! I’m just gonna go get something to eat. Do you want anything?”

“I’m good.” She says waving you off. Sighing you grab your wallet from your jacket and trudge off to the Starbucks that’s inside the Portland International JetPort. Stepping inside you instantly smell the coffee. “Good afternoon ma’am!” One of the cashiers called to you. “What can I get for you?” She asks once you get up to the counter. “Can I just get a Venti sized mocha cappuccino please?”

“Of course. Anything to eat?”

“A Chicken BTL Salad Sandwich as well.”

“Coming right up.” She says as you hand her your debit card.

Once you got your food and drink you headed back to the team. While walking down the terminal you collide with someone. Your coffee spills all on them. “Oh my gosh!” You exclaim. “I’m so sorry!” Looking up at the person you really began to think that your eyes were playing a trick on you. His smile spread wide underneath his white beard and his laughter emits from between his lips.

“Oh dear, sometimes I don’t pay attention to where I’m going.” He laughs again. “Mrs. Claus is always telling me to pay attention.”

“There’s no way..” You say.

“No way what? That I’m Santa Claus.”

“Okay no.. You’re just an airport worker taking this job way too seriously.” You say walking around him.

“Oh but Agent (Y/L/N), I’m not just some airport worker.” You stop in your tracks and slowly turn around to face him. He winks at you as another smile spread across his face. “Now, (Y/N), tell me. When did you stop believing in me?”

“You’re really creeping me out. How do you know my name?”

“Well I know everyone’s name. Especially Jennifer’s two sons, Henry and Michael. They have been very good boys this year. Plus they leave the best cookies. Chocolate chip cookies with cinnamon.” Your eyes widened. “Oh and you’ve been good too this year.. Although I’d advise you to tone it down on the curse words.. And your brother, Matt, boy has he been naughty this year.” You roll your eyes.

“Yeah, well, nothing you can do about that.” You say.

“Come here.” “Santa” says directing you over to a bench. He sits down and pats the empty space beside him. Cautiously walking over you take a seat next to him placing your sandwich box on your lap. “I know this year has been rough on you and your brother. You two have different ways of coping with tough situations..” You look down at your lap. “I remember when you were a little girl and you were so full of love and happiness. When Christmas rolled around you made sure to be good. I also remember coming to your house on Christmas Eve and seeing you and your brother asleep by the fire. You did it every year until you both got older and stopped believing.”

“Times changed..” You mutter. “When my parents divorced they kind of ruined the holidays for us. So we stopped believing in you because we started to think that it wasn’t important anymore. If our parents didn’t celebrate it with so much love and fun, than why should we?” You sigh. “And tonight we’re stuck here at the airport when we should be home already. JJ has to get home to her kids, Spencer’s mom is worried that he won’t make it home safely, and I promised my brother that I would be home to celebrate with him. Sure he hasn’t been the best but.. He’s trying.”

“Just believe and you never know.. Good things might just happen.”

“(Y/N)?” You look over to see Rossi walking down the terminal. “Who are you talking to?”

“I was talking to..” You voice trails off once you see that Santa was no longer there. “No one...” You stand up and walk over to Rossi. “I need sleep.”

“Right...” Rossi says as he chuckles wrapping his arm around your shoulders.

“Hey guys!” Luke shouts as he runs up to you guys. “JJ and I have been looking for you two!”

“Calm down, Luke.” You say resting your hand his shoulder. “What’s going on?”

“The snow’s cleared up! They’re letting flights go!”

“But it’s was a fucking blizzard out there.” You say not believing him.

“I’m not kidding, (Y/N)! We get to go home!”

“Guys!” Emily shouts. “Hello! We have to go! Get your things and get on the jet!”

Running back with Luke and Rossi, you gather your things before rushing off to the jet. Getting inside you collapse into one of the window seats. Reaching into your pocket to grab your phone, you instead pull out a folded piece of paper. Unfolding it you see fancy cursive written on it.

All you have to do is believe. Merry Christmas (Y/N).

- SC

You smile before folding it back up and looking out the window. You can hear bells jingling. Everyone else’s heads lift up with confused looks. “Please tell me that I’m hearing things.” Rossi says. “I know I’m considered a senior citizen but I can’t be the only hearing bells.”

“I hear them too.” Emily says. You look back out the window just as you see a flying object beside the plane. Looking closer your can start to see the red of his sleigh.

“Ho ho ho!” He exclaims. “Merry Christmas!”

“Yeah I don’t think Rossi’s hearing things.” JJ says.

“Must just be the pilot having a little fun.” Emily dismisses.

“What are you looking at out there?” Tara asks you.

“Ohhh nothing..” You sigh relaxing back into your seat. Your smile still plastered on your face.

“How much coffee did you drink?” Spencer asks.

“None actually.. Just happy to be able to be home for Christmas.” You reply before looking back out the window just as twinkle shines in the sky here he disappears.

OK, I will admit that I still sorta believe in Santa Claus. I had to write this one. Still young at heart.

If you liked this one, than be sure leave some love!

Thank you! :)