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beautifulterriblequeen · 4 years

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I’m really intrigued by Rayla’s moonshadow assassin peers. I especially am interested in Andromeda because I think she is the only other girl in the group? Do you have any headcanons in how these teen/young adult assassins interacted? Do you think Rayla isolated herself from them because she was always iffy about taking a life? Also TDP finally colored their map and I know you live maps, find any new cool stuff? I especially love how there’s a frozen sea north and a spinning sea south, imagine the powerful Magic’s that channeled to make them.

Okay, so I jumped straight to the map, did 80% of it, and wandered away for a few weeks. I apologize, anon. Let’s get this going again:

I’ve got a few headcanons on the Moonshadow assassins! It seems likely that they hang out mostly with each other, when they hang out, to reinforce their teambuilding and to give them some socialization, since assassins tend to keep others at arm’s length. So I kinda figure they tend to roam as a pack on their evenings out in the village, if they’re not married to a non-assassin like Runaan is.

I think that could be part of the reason that Rayla might not have hung out with the others as much, too: Runaan wanted to be either training or at home with Ethari, so Rayla probably spent a lot of time doing those things just because he did them. And when Runaan was doing more serious training or missions, that’s when Rayla had her free time to run around the forest and make adoraburr friends.

Runaan could’ve probably insisted that she do something more assassiny with her free time. Shadow an assassin, do more studying, practice certain prescribed skills on her own. But he didn’t. He let her play. Soft assassin is soft!

Listen, anon, I have a fun headcanon for you about Andromeda--and by fun, I mean it’s really angsty half a second after you start thinking about it. Ready?

What if: Andromeda is Runaan’s half-sister. If they’re both Lujanne’s children by different assassin dads who kept dying in battle, but a Moon mage needs an assassin leader partner to defend Xadia with, and Lujanne knew her son Runaan wasn’t old enough to lead yet, so she burned through three or more husbands protecting him until Runaan was well trained enough to lead the assassins himself and had fallen in love with a mage who adored him and would be his partner in her place.

Andromeda looks a fair bit like Lujanne, too:

Along with Runaan, they all have long hair, side tails bound in silver cuffs, and some form of braids. Andromeda’s hair is sectioned in front similarly to Runaan’s. Her accent sounds more British than Scottish, though she only has the one line: My eyes for truth. And Lujanne and Andromeda are the only two Moonshadow elves we’ve met who have medium blue horns, while Runaan’s are dark blue. Almost everyone else’s horns have purple or pink as their base color.

But then, see, Andromeda went on Runaan’s mission, and she died. Her spirit was the most aggressive in TTM, usually closest to Rayla with her sword out, as if she hated Rayla the most. If she had a vested family interest in Runaan’s mission succeeding, and then it went pear-shaped because of Rayla, that would make sense.

No matter if she’s related to Runaan or not, she’s wearing horn cuffs, so she was in a dedicated relationship of some kind, and that’s so sad. Someone’s missing her the way Ethari’s missing Runaan. :’((((

Anyway, it’s just a headcanon, but since you asked, there ya go.

Okay, on to my thoughts on the map, of which I have a normal and healthy amount:

The Map Border:

Everyone doodles in the borders. I love to see what they put there.

Starting in the upper left and going counter-clockwise, the five human crowns are cool

Cornucopia swirls center left look like an homage to Cabbage Man from ATLA

Bait is staring at Evenere. his home? Or maybe he just wants to eat the dragonfly on its logo

Human defender has a beard. Hairagorn. He's very heavily armored but has no helmet. Long hair is braided to rest on front of shoulder, like the blond elf in the painting at the Moon Nexus. Old timey hairstyle?

He’s defending Katolis Castle specifically. I wonder if the little white building is kinda random or if it’s supposed to represent the Banther Lodge. Nah, I have a better guess: that’s where Viren grew up

The crack in the map looks meta. It's been repaired somewhat. Makes me wonder if it's an in-world map, whose, who ripped it, and who fixed it. Sir Phineas Kurst seems like the kind of guy to almost shred his really cool map

The star behind Zym's egg has seven points

The two ships on the southern waters are western and eastern respectively. Tidebound elves from Singapore? Jack Sparrow would be proud

There is land just south of the Dragontail, wonder what’s there?

The leaves around the human figure are small and numerous while the Moonshadow elf has fewer but bigger leaves

The elf is standing in the way of one of the six leaves growing out of the rune rose and that leaf's curly tip seems to have been replaced with a curl of the elf's very long hair

The human pose is more offense and the elf pose is more defense. But the elf has two swords, and one has some wicked hooks in it.

Elf has 4 fingers instead of 3 so whether it’s in-universe or meta, they were drawn by a human :DDD

The elf's braid winds around their horn and I think that's clever

High collar shirt under protective layer, bracers and elbow gloves, bare biceps, complex shoulder getup, ornate hair that's butt long and partly braided, two long slightly curving swords... horn cuffs too. This is a Moonshadow assassin in the same gear Runaan's got, poised to defend the Xadian half of the map as the human is poised to defend his side

The rune rose isn't a compass. It has a two sided pointer and six primal runes. Just decorative I guess. ;)

More lettuces on right center.

Maybe a portaling caterpillar on the center knot? Little bug pal, I see you

“The Five Human Kingdoms” lettered in red, “Xadia” in blue. Giving me Stratego flashbacks. Even the flowers on their banners are color coded

Banners in the corners are similar but Xadia has more fluttery tips

Thunder drawn all attacky top center, does he have anything to do with the Frozen Sea being frozen?

Compass rose under Thunder’s wing

Dick island near the compass. Well, Duren is the breadbasket of the human lands. A most excellent cartography joke! 10/10 would chortle wholesomely again

The Human Kingdoms:

Neolandia

Capital Eboreus seems to be a lake city below a mountain and I'm here for all the Lake Town refs.

It's also the eye of the elephant shape

Not a lot of trees, mostly grasses or desert. Only borders Duren across a couple rivers/estuaries/sea channels

Heart shaped island next to elephant trunk

Land generally broken into several sections by sea/rivers

If it’s rivers, they seem to generate from the capital’s lake and flow in several directions. And they say there’s no magic left in the western lands! ;)

But if there was exactly one source of freshwater in a desert land, it makes sense that you’d find a way, magical or mechanical, to spread that lifegiving water in as many directions as possible so your people can thrive so kudos to Neolandia’s ancestors/Tidebound elves/whoever managed that, it’s brilliant

I can and will make up explanations for anything on a map. I adore worldbuilding

Del Bar

Two named locations. Since Del Bar’s national symbol is a serpent, I guess Serpentongue is the capital.

Hinterpeak is a sweet name. Looks like Helm's Deep with that retaining wall. What’s it for? Are there dwarves in this land? Is it an Earthblood stronghold? Maybe it’s like the Mines of Moria, and the Earthbloods were chased out and/or killed inside and now it’s full of nasty orcses but someone left a MacGuffin down there so *nudges hero* Off you pop.

Nice forests around the southern mountain range but northern DB is more arid or grassy lands like Neolandia.

Considering that crops grow well in Duren, which is farther north, I assume there is a massive meteorological gyre over the human lands, with a southern wind blowing down over the western realms and keeping them icy until the mountains of Hinterpeak block and divert them, protecting Evenere. The winds don't blow eastward without warming right up-- and causing thunderstorms in Katolis how about that-- because there is a warmer side to the gyre over Katolis and Duren, blowing tropical warmth and moisture north and providing rain for trees and crops alike. Most years, anyway.

How does the weather fail in Duren for seven years in a row, anyway? That seems like a Thunder issue. Unless it’s a Sunforge issue, which I’ll get to below.

Ahem.

Borders Neolandia, Duren, and Katolis across rivers, but most border is coastline.

Serpentongue probably got its name from the two river heads around it

Cluster of dead little cracks spawns a single river. Looks like someone cracked the tub and it drained away. I wonder how much of this landscape has been affected by the Mage Wars. Big watery basins have flooded and other spots seem dead. The lands may or may not actually touch depending on how deep some of these waterways are

Evenere

Looks like someone punched holes in the land with a giant pencil to make it a separate island. Broken outline with scattered islands

That Pawprint Isles has only four toes

Moon-shaped island is very crescenty indeed

Are these isles home to refugees or outcasts from Xadia? Listen, I want pirates and that sea looks pretty Caribbean to me

No capital city, hmmm what's that about? Is it underground, does it move? Maybe Fareeda’s capital is on the back of a world turtle and she’s constantly on tour around the island?

That arm of land ending in a peace sign, please can we get surfers

The hills emanating from that claw shaped headland look like something is sleeping under the island, hello yes I am here for giant immortal creatures please

Katolis

its capital is also called Katolis, the only human realm to use the same name twice

Weeping Bay could be a ref to the tears the humans shed after they reached the west. Or the Moonshadow elves as they left their forest for the east. Or both. Both, in this case, is bad but balanced

Boomerang island next to the Dragontail

The river the Dragaang rode on was going uphill

The watery slash in the land between Katolis and Del Bar is awfully straight. So is the one between Del Bar and Neolandia. I call magical warfare.

Katolis has a bunch of mountains in the east, part of an old natural border before the lava one appeared

Mt Kalik is probably volcanic. It's a standalone mountain and it's really tall. Rex Ignius maybe? Oh, probably not, I think I see him peeking on the other side of the map

The trees of Duren and Katolis are different then the western lands. Softer green, deciduous. And the land itself is yellower, warmer in tone

Forests centered on Mt Kalik

The Moon Nexus looks like an eye on a dragon head near the Dragontail, and Evenere looks like a severed wing (Yes I am still wondering where Luna Tenebris went, why do you ask)

Weeping Bay looks like the most natural body of water in the western lands

Three red little trees scattered around the Katolis map. Fruit trees? How very Moonshadow.

Duren

The only land border among all the human kingdoms is between Duren and Katolis. Maybe it used to be further south along the river?

Capital is Berylgarten, set on a lake. Beryl is a stone that’s usually green, blue, or yellow in color, very gardeny

Second smallest realm but the breadbasket of the human lands. Has several little forests and great tilled fields

Being a farmer in Duren is probably as awesome as being an assassin in the Moonshadow Forest; you do what you do for all your friendly kingdoms

Northernmost land is cold and craggy, named Skall's Hook along the sea

Third ship in the Frozen Sea is icebound and crushed. Looks western, indicating no possible passage

Lots of colored trees and shrubs as if fruitbearing, I keep comparing Duren to the Yakima Valley in Washington State

Where the lava reaches the Frozen Sea, it melts the ice next to Duren's mountains

Northern Xadia:

Lux Aurea

Most of the center lands of this map has warm tones for its ground. Maybe that’s because of the long reach of the warmth and light of Lux Aurea’s Sun Nexus, and only the lands that are just too far from it are truly cold and icy. It would explain why Duren is a breadbasket realm so far north--it’s just across the border from Lux Aurea.

If there’s anything to that, then I suddenly worry for the fate of all the human lands now that the Sunforge has gone dark. It’s early summer now in Xadia, and crops in Duren will be ripening soon... Unless the sun’s magic was helping them grow. This coming winter could be rough. Next winter, people will die. Unless they can purify the Sunforge again.

Also, I have to wonder if Duren’s seven years of famine had anything to do with Sunforge shenanigans. They’d have happened at Khessa’s command, and we know she despises humans. If she was responsible for all the struggles that humans had to go through without enough food for seven years, and then their desperate attempt to fix the problem by invading Xadia for a Magma Titan’s heart which extended and exacerbated the war, I can see why Aaravos might feel Queen Khessa deserved to die

The city’s shaped kinda like an Egyptian pectoral necklace on this map, and that’s super pretty and not at all ominous

Also that’s a lot of gold for a whole city and I wonder how they got it all

The Shiverglades and the Shards

These areas are north of Lux Aurea and seem cold but not very icy, even though the Frozen Sea is right there. More thoughtful glances at the Sunforge over this one. Is it warming the land, or not warming the sea? Both?

Shiverglades is a play on Everglades, so this is a cold swamp, which sounds super fun I’m sure. Permafrost, tundra maybe?

The Shards seem to be rock islands with ice mountains. Glaciers are cool.

I wonder if something broke those islands off on purpose. Have I mentioned how much I enjoy worldbuilding? Yeah, well, I like world-wrecking, too.

Storm Spire

Has a good view on everything that happens for miles, including Lux Aurea, the Midnight Desert, the Shiverglades, the Black Tundra, the Uncharted Forest, and Drakewood.

Defensible position, no other tall mountains nearby

Also able to alert others to danger, especially since Avizandum could teleport like lightning

The Midnight Desert

It’s pretty big! And it looks like it’s littered with ruins of columns and dead palm trees. Like something else used to be in that great space and then something Very Bad happened to it. Maybe there was one great city where all the elves could mix together, and then it got utterly obliterated and the elves all fled to their respective safe places around Xadia. A city of black stone, back when Aaravos wore a crown? Now pulverized to dust and surrounded by not one, not two, but three primal nexuses? Hmmm...

All the wisps could be heat from the sand, or spooky spirit hints, or just an ominous sign of danger from the snakes below, but the overall effect is that the land is unhealthy if not cursed

The oasis is marked, and it must contain a spring since it runs a river out to join the river that passes through the Moonshadow Forest

Also the actual oasis kinda resembles a blue lizard which is adorable and probably also terrifying

Moonshadow Forest

The Silvergrove is the only village marked in the forest, so in keeping with the other lands and general map legend rules, it’s likely the capital/central village for the Moonshadow elves

The village is marked by four round-roofed homes between two tall leafy trees that shelter and hide them. It’s a hybrid balance between the blocky manmade castles of the human lands and the actual forest around them, showing a blending with nature that even the Sunfire city of Lux Aurea did not embrace, with all its golden buildings

It’s a good-sized forest, and it kinda stretches thin to the east but there it tentatively connects to the Drakewood Forest

Moonstone Path to the west just chilling in the lava like a blank alignment chart. Moonstone Path is Chaotic Hot.

Southern Xadia:

Ruins of Elarion

Elarion is a city, and it’s been lost to the humans for a thousand years

The building outlines are squared-off towers like the more modern castles in the west, suggesting that humans in Xadia built for strength and defense as soon as they could. They felt vulnerable and created protections in their architecture. The three elven cities we see also play to their strengths, but those strengths include magic. Elarion’s humans had to find a different strength, and they went with craftsmanship and ingenuity

It seems to be the only human city from before the border was drawn

“Ruins” doesn’t necessarily mean no one lives there at all, but it’s been emptied of humans and no one else has maintained it since

It had a great position on a vast lake, with sheltering hills and easy sea access

Sea of the Castout

This inland sea has five inlets and outlets. It’s hard to be sure which is which with some of them, with the way the water is drawn on this map. But I’m kinda liking the idea that all the water swirlies are places where Tidebound magic has been placed over the millennia, so the water can do whatever it needs to do depending on circumstances. That goes for the human lands, too. Katolis backward river, you’re off the hook.

With a name like "Castout,” I wonder if it was some kind of universal toilet to flush away things you didn’t want--including humans--who might wash up near Elarion and start to build there. Yeesh.

The rivers that flow into this sea pass through or near the Moonshadow Forest, the Midnight Desert, the Storm Spire, Drakewood, and the Uncharted Forest. That’s a lot of drainage.

It’s pretty far from the Tidebound Archipelago, so maybe its name is referencing Tidebound elves who have left their home colony

Was this always a sea, or did something that Xadia wanted to forget get flooded and hidden in the depths?

The land around it seems open and hospitable. It could be a good place to build/rebuild in a time of peace.

The Far Reaches

Open grassland with low hills

Two of the hills look like giant boot prints

Several colorful trees which I hope are fruit trees

Bounded by two rivers from the Sea of the Castout

Looks homey tbh, great spot to retire to get away from everything if there were a war that really shook you up

Ocean Point

There’s a Star rune here, and it could mean many things

The closest other marked location is Elarion

If this was where Aaravos lived of his own free will, I can see why he’d take a shine to the humans. They were his neighbors.

If he is imprisoned here, it’s literally the furthest point in Xadia from the other elven realms, with the Moonshadow Forest being the closest one and Umber Tor not too much further but in a totally different direction. If they were trying to isolate him physically with a portable mirror to watch over him, that’s a good spot for it

Possible location that the cube is leading Callum toward? Portal to the Star Touch home plane? Aaravos’s seaside B&B? Trap street?

Eastern Xadia:

Drakewood

Umber Tor looks to be the tallest mountain in all of Xadia, save possibly for the Storm Spire. It’s more traditionally mountainy, with a nice snowcap. Since it’s labeled, I’m guessing it’s the Earth Nexus, under which an Earth Archdragon sleeps

Also there’s a giant yellowish-brown dragon chilling next to the Tor. Yeah, he seems nice. Rex Igneous, I presume?

Or maybe not, since the neighboring forest is called Drakewood. Maybe this woods is just where a bunch of Earth dragons hang out? Ezran and Pyrrah flew off and returned with a crew of Sun dragons from somewhere, so dragons must have communities too

The mountains that edge the sea are shaped roughly like a stone dragon in flight

Drakewood seems to be the forest closest to Umber Tor, with both deciduous and evergreen trees, though there’s a huge swath of wooded land here, to the north and to the southwest. I wonder what the locals consider the border where the Drakewood becomes the Uncharted Forest and why. The way the evergreens are drawn almost looks like a border, a sort of kingswood set aside for a specific use. Rex Igneous’s best toothpicks?

Uncharted Forest

Okay this is a properly magical name, very mysterious. But uncharted by whom? People with charts? This might be a Sir Phineas Kurst name, which is outsidery, and it makes me wonder if the locals/neighbors have their own name for it, which the human explorer never learned, a la “Thunder” for Avizandum

Maybe “Uncharted Forest” just means no one ever turned those trees into charts though, old growth ftw

If no one lives here, will someone move here? If someone lives here, who are they? Earthblood elves? Moonshadow elves? Humans? This mystery, it calls to me

the trees are mostly deciduous and fill basically all of this whole section of land, up against the mountains and the rivers, so it seems very fertile land indeed

Earthblood elves could live here, but there is no city marked. Maybe because we haven’t gotten that far in the show, or maybe that’s the wrong sort of descriptor for how the Earthbloods live and organize. Maybe the whole forest is their city, like Pando, the interconnected quaking aspen clone forest

The northernmost part of this forest lies right between the Storm Spire and the Tidebound Archipelago, so it might get a regular flyover route for migration or messages

Yes, this forest is the most interesting place in Xadia to me, I desperately want to learn more about it

Black Tundra

Yeah this place isn’t ominous

Similar to the Shiverglades, but where that has shrubbery, the Black Tundra has single dead trees and creepy curving spikes. Scorched? Poisoned? De-magicked?

The water north of this area isn’t frozen, and with a lake to the south and a river and a moderate mountain range, the whole area looks like it would otherwise be decently habitable, but instead it’s cold and black

Is climate change a thing here, or will we get a nice horrible disaster instead?

Tidebound Archipelago

These islands have dotted lines around them, like they’re submerged at high tide, or maybe made of shifting sand that literally moves around like sand dunes across a desert, or perhaps they’re exactly at sea level with half their civilization in the air and half underwater or in cool bubbles, or maybe the islands actually float

Maybe the Tidebound elves even sank them on purpose for defensive purposes

The archipelago is about even latitudinally with the Storm Spire Lux Aurea, Berylgarten, and Eboreus so they probably get pretty nice weather

There’s no ice in sight here in any direction along Xadia’s east coast, so presumably the prevailing current is a warm one

do they have bridges connecting the islands? Ferries, animals who give them a lift across?

the islands have quite a bit of space on them. I wonder if there’s a big population, maybe a shifting population? Do Tidebound elves migrate up and down the coast like gray whales and return to the islands for certain holidays or social events?

This is probably the hub of the Tidebound elves’ culture, but the sea surrounds the whole land and infiltrates it with many rivers and lakes. The Spinning Sea and the Frozen Sea are pretty firm Do Not Enter signposts, but a determined Tidebound could get around either one if they wanted to

What I’m not seeing here is a city. Either it’s not been marked yet, or that’s not a thing that Tidebound elves have in their culture. If they don’t have a city, they’re possibly migratory in family groups, or maybe they stick to small villages like the Moonshadows do, but with even less central leadership

#asks #map of xadia #i love maps okay #xadia #andromeda #rayla #runaan #lujanne #moonshadow elves #moonshadow assassins #tdp angst #angst #through the moon spoilers

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lilteamushroom · 4 years

Text

Karasuno Team x reader pt 2

(I never expected so many people to like and want a part 2! It’s so long but it’s a good one!)

Part one:

Warnings: swearing??

The RV started up and began to move, you snickered as Ukai yelled at Tanaka and Hinata to sit their asses down. You sat on a small couch near a window next to kiyoko (Pfft let me get my gay ass outta here) Kiyoko, Suga and you talked about how long your family has had the beach house. “My family used to go to this beach house every summer when I was younger. But as I got older we stopped going as a family and now it sits with no one living in it.” You explained to them. “Though don’t worry about bugs and dust being in the house, my mom said she sent out some cleaners to make sure the house was clean and was stocked with food for us.” You told them. “I wish we could do something for your parents, for doing all of this for us.” Suga sighed. You smiled “Oh don’t worry, I think someone actually using the beach house makes her very happy.” you reassured Suga. “(Y/N), I heard you work at Ukai’s store.” Asahi chimed in. That caught you off guard. You knew they would find out and to be honest you were surprised they didn’t figure it out sooner. “Oh yeah! Its a lot of fun working there. And since the coach is my boss, it makes scheduling around practice and games much easier.” You stutter a bit. “Thats so cool! Do you get free stuff?” Nighinoya asked from across the table. “No- I wish I did. That would be so nice.” You say as you think of how awesome it would be to get free soda pop and sweets.

The rest of the ride there, wasn’t too bad. You put on a movie, which the guys voted on fucking The Spongebob movie. what. the. fuck. Not only that but they cheered and were so invested in the movie.

Crackheads. They are all crackheads.

The RV finally came to a stop, you looked out the window to see the old beach house from your childhood.

They all gasped, maybe a bit dramatically. “Are you sure we are at the right place?” Daichi asked. You nodded. “This is it my friends.” you say to them as you grab your bags from under the seat. Everyone nearly jumped off the bus, you swore you watched Tanaka jump out of the window of the RV. They all followed you to the front door. “Wow! Is that a boat?!” Hinata asked. You nodded your head. “We can take it out sometime this week, if you want.” you offered him, he nodded happily. You pulled out the small key that had a flower key chain on it. You unlocked the door and let them inside. They all looked around in amazement. “The main room is big enough for everyone to sleep in, besides the other rooms aren’t guest rooms, the last I checked they were remodeled into a gaming room, a movie room, and a lounge/hangout area.” “ (Y/N)!!! WHAT THE HELL.” Tanaka nearly screamed. “WHAT?!” You yelled at him, trying your best to match his vocal range to mock him. “THis is so CoOL!” he shouted. Ukai clapped his hands, “Set your bags down, and go get your swimsuits on.” Ukai instructed everyone. “Yes Sir!” Everyone yelled as their excitement filled the room. You went to the bathroom and changed into green plaid trunks and a yellow swim shirt. You went out to find you were one of the first people changed, which never happened. You were confused. Where was everyone else? You found them wandering the vacation house. Well you found them in pairs, first you found Hinata and Kageyama in the kitchen, then you found Tsukishima, Tadashi in the game room, Daichi, Suga and Asahi were in the lounge room, Kiyoko, Ukai an Takeda were on the back porch all sitting in on the lawn chairs put out there, Tanaka and Nishinoya were examining the boat under the deck.

Once they were all done exploring the house, everyone met up on the beach at the volleyball net. They underestimated how hard it actually is to play volleyball in sand. They kept slipping and falling, soon they caught on that you weren’t falling?? “ (Y/N)! How do you stay on your feet?” Hinata asked you. You smirked. “You gotta kinda, dig your feet in the sand, instead of being ontop of the sand-” You dug your foot into the sand, “-You’ll be more grounded.” You showed them. They caught on, not many falling anymore, though many still fell on their asses which was super funny to you. Nishinoya being the libero, kept face planting and getting a mouth full of sand. “Man! It sucks trying to catch the ball without getting sand in my mouth!” Noya complained. “Maybe its because you suck.” Tanaka snickered. “Shut up! You keep on not even hitting the ball!” Noya defended. “All right lets take a break!” Ukai yelled out. “Coach, can we go swimming?!” Hinata begged with Noya and Tanaka giving Ukai puppy eyes. Ukai sighed then smiled at them. “Yeah sure. We are here to take a break.” Ukai laughed. Hinata, Noya, Tanaka cheered as they sprinted to the shore. Asahi came up to you “Are you gonna get in the water?” He asked. You shrug “Maybe. I’m not a huge swimmer, though I love to collect sea shells.” You say to him. “That sounds fun! I’ll come with you to look for sea shells!” Suga offered “Me too.” Kiyoko chimed in. Many of the boys splashed each other and played chicken fight. You sat high above the others on Daichi’s shoulders while Hinata was sitting on Asahi’s shoulder. You held Hinata’s hands, trying to push the other off. In the end Hinata got the upper and and Y E E T E D you into the ocean. Everyone laughed and took turns playing chicken. Hinata and Asahi were the ones champions against everyone else.

- - - - - - -

Soon the sun was setting and everyone was getting settled in for the night. The sea shells you got were set nicely on the window seal above the sink. The who team was sleeping in one big dog pile in the living room, in the kick ass fort they had built. You went to brush your teeth when Nishinoya caught up with you in the bathroom. “When do you plan on telling the others about... Your secret?” He asked. “I am tomorrow night when we sit around the fire for smores. I am nervous you know? Can you try to understand how I feel?” You asked him as you took his hand in yours. Noya felt his cheeks heat up from the contact of your hand in his. He nodded. “I’ll try my best (y/n)!” He smiled. You gave him a grin back as you let go of his hand and opened the door to the bathroom and locked it behind you.

Your reflection looked back at you. You took off your binder that had been on for 10+ hours. You read online that you should only have it on for 6-8 hours and you shouldn’t bind when working out... You were breaking many rules when it comes to binding but it was your only way to be on the team without anyone raising any eyebrows. You stretched your hands above your head letting your chest and ribs stretch and be free. You threw on a tank top, sweatpants and a big hoodie to hide your breast size. After getting ready for bed you went back to the living room to find the team chatting and nearly laying on top of each other. You smirked and jumped onto the pile of boys in front of you. “Woah! (y/n)!” Tadashi laughed. “You guys make a good pillow.” You chuckled as you laid your head on Suga’s leg. It was uncomfortable so you leaned up and wiggled your way to a small spot between Tanaka and Hinata. They all were shoulder to shoulder. Even though they are dorks, they are family. They make your life so much better. Were you ready to tell them about everything? Or at least your gender. Everyone kept talking til Ukai came in the room and inhaled. “GO TO BED.” He yelled then shuffled back to the room nearby. You couldn’t help but snicker before laying your head on Tanaka’s shoulder as a pillow. You starred at the ceiling before finally dozing off to sleep.

- - - - - - - -

In the morning, you woke up 2 hours before everyone else. You wanted to make bread from scratch for them. You remembered as a child you would wake up in the morning to the smell of freshly baked bread filling the house. You wanted to do the same for the boys who took you in and made you part of their family.

Noya shook Hinata.

“Bro bro. Do you smell that?” Noya asked. It took Hinata a minute to get himself out of his sleepy state. He sniffed the air.

“It smells like a Kneaders cafe. Like on Monday when all of the bread was just barely baked.” Hinata noted. Tanaka woke up and instantly smelled baked goods. He sprung out of bed and dashed to the kitchen.

You smiled at him when he came into the room.

“Good morning Tanaka. How are you doing?” You ask him.

“Good! What is the smell??” He asked quickly. The oven went off as you grabbed the oven mitts.

“Well everyone has been working hard so I decided to bake you guys fresh bread.” You smiled lightly as blush marks spread across your cheeks.

Tanaka grinned. “That sounds awesome!”

“I’m going to go get the rest of the team up.” You say to him “I’ll come with you!” He said as he grabbed your hand. You stood there in shook from the contact of his hand in yours. The blush on your face reddened.

“That looks pretty gay” tsukishima said from behind you coming into the room. You pulled away from Tanaka.

“Your gay four eyes!” You huff at him as you walk past him. Tanaka boomed in laughter behind you. “Dumbass. Shit like that can hive me away.” You mutter to him.

“What?! Your gonna tell the team tonight anyway.” He scoffs. You dart a glare at him as you both enter the main room where everyone was. You opened the blinds, and turned on the light.

“I made a surprise for you guys. I’m gonna make breakfast.” You inform them. Asashi groaned as he sat up. He raised his hand

“I’ll help you with breakfast (y/n).” He said as he yawned. You grinned at him. “That would be great! Thank you!” You beam at him. “The rest of you better be up in 15 minutes!” You almost hell at them. But you held back from yelling at them because you choose not to be a dick.

For now.

It had been 20 minutes and Daichi, Suga and Tadashi were still not awake. You smirked at Noya. “Wanna help me get the others up?” You asked him. “Always!” He grinned. “What you plan on doing?” Ukai asked. You looked at your cup on the counter. “I have an idea.”

You, nishinoya, and Hinata all held a cup of water as you and the rest of the team walked down the hall to the main room where you guys slept. You held your cup over Daichi’s head. You looked down on him like he was your victim. Nishinoya stood over Tadashi and Hinata over Suga. You counted down in a whisper.

Splash

The 3 of them yelled out from the sudden contact of water. The rest of you were laughing so hard that tears were forming in your eyes.

“Oi! What was that for?!” Daichi yelled.

“You weren’t up for breakfast.” You say to him almost coldly.

They apologized and got up for the day. They all changed into their swim suits when you said that it was time to take the boat out.

Noya was nearly bouncing off the walls when you got the keys out for the boat. Luckily you knew how to drive the boat. Everyone piled in as you started it up making sure it had enough gas. You drove it out fairly far the turned the key to turn it off.

“Alright guys! You can jump in and swim!” You say happily. Many of them jump in when a few stayed behind because they didn’t want to swim.

“Yo! (Y/N)!! Get in here!” Tanaka yelled waving at you from the water.

“Yeah (y/n)! Join us!” Hinata begged. You shrugged and got up from the drivers seat. You ran then jumped off the side of the boat your arms lifted in the air, your legs kicking off the deck to boost you into the air. It felt like time slowed down. Like when you go to hit the ball during a game. How you always were inspired by your teammates to do your best during a game.

You came back to reality when you hit the cold but refreshing water. The guys laughed as you reached the surface of the water. These guys were your best friends. You would do anything for them. Going through so many practice days and games. You get close to them after going through so much.

Once it got later into the day you drove the boat back and parked it. Though most of the team stayed at the beach and swam.

Soon they are going to find out your secret. Your stomach turned and did flips as you thought about tonight. When you would have to tell them who you really are. You were scared. What if they don’t accept you? What if they kick you off of the team. The only reason you go to karasuno high is for volleyball. If you got kicked off you would most likely move back into your parents house. Would they feel betrayed that you cheated the system and lied to them so you could be on a team? All these questions came to your head in waves. You forgot where you were for a while until Noya swam over to you then dunked you under water.

“(Y/n)!” He whined.

“Pay attention to me” he huffed. You stared to splash the salty water at him. “Is this the attention you wanted?” You laughed as you continued to pretend water bend at him. You swam away from him to get to shore so you could think more, of course Nishinoya followed you like a lost puppy would. You eyed Tanaka then he came over.

“Come with me for a walk.” You say to them. They nodded and followed you, walking along the shore, where the water would come up and tickle your feet every so often.

“What’s wrong (y/n)?” Nishinoya asked you. Your lip trembled. You tried to find the words.

“Well, I’m scared. I get this same feeling before a game.” You confess, your hands twiddling each other. “Scared? Of what?” Tanaka asked.

“Of tonight. I’m scared I’ll get kicked off the team. Or everyone will treat me different. I’m still the same (y/n). Or I dont know if they’ll be angry with me for lying to them for so long. Maybe they won’t want to be my friend. If that happens I will have to go back to having no friends and-“ you got cut off by Nishinoya putting a hand on your shoulder. He smiled.

“It’s okay (y/n)” he said gently. Which was weird to you because he was usually so loud. Your hand touched your cheek which was wet from tears you didn’t even know you were crying. They both brought you into a small group hug. “It’s all good (y/n)!” Tanaka laughed. “We still want you on the team. And if idiots like us still want you then I’m sure the rest of the team will too!” Tanaka encouraged. You nodded, whipping your tears away. “Thanks guys. I’m not as nervous for tonight. Still nervous but not as anxious.” You laughed. They nodded in excitement. “You got this (y/n)!” Noya cheered. You smiled from their enthusiasm.

“Thank you guys. I think I’m ready.” You say to them. They walk back to the beach house and saw the other boys some how managed to start a fire in the fire pit without setting everything on fire. “There are s’more things in the house and hot dogs of you guys are hungry.” You offer to them. They nodded and yelled at the same time as they rushed inside to grab the stuff. Ukai helped you move large logs around the fire for them to sit at.

“You ready for tonight kid?” He asked you. You didnt answer right away.

“If I’m being honest, I’m nervous. Beyond nervous. I’m scared the team won’t like me anymore.” You confess to him. He walked over to you and ruffled your hair.

“Know thing these crazies, they will accept you. Your an amazing player, and a valued member of this team. For the past 7 months you have earned a special place on this team. No matter if you were a boy, girl, black white, tall, short, this team will love you for who you are.” He tapped your forehead when he said the last part. You held in tears, wanted to hug Ukai. He truely was the best coach. You nodded to him. “Thank you coach.” You say softly. The stamped of boys came back with the s’more things and hot dog stuff. You all ate food over the fire as the sun went down. Soon it was dark. Everyone was chatting then their conversations went quiet. You made eye contact with Noya and Tanaka. They nodded to you. You were ready. You stood up. “There is something I haven’t been totally honest with you guys.” You started out. “I love this team and everyone on it. But this might change how you see me and how you play volleyball with me.” They looked at you with curiosity and a bit of confusion. “I’m... I’m a girl. Biologically I was born a female.” You confessed to them. Some were confused, some were shocked, some didn’t change there expression. “I was planning on not saying anything, but two morons walked in on me changing.” You glared at Nishinoya and Tanaka. They gave you a dorky smile. You took a breath and continued.

“I’m worried that me being a female will change how you view me and how you play with me. Or treat me for that matter. I’m still the same (y/n). The same one who cried with you, played with you, won games with you. I’m sorry I never told you guys.” You said to them. You wanted to run and hide under the covers of your bed, expecting them to yell or be disappointed. But there was silence. The silence was almost as bad as yelling.

“It’s fine if your a girl (y/n). It’s not a bad thing but why didn’t you join the girls volleyball team with michimiya?” Daichi asked. You tugged at your shirt then let it go.

“That has a bit of a story behind it. Before I came to Karasuno I went to an academy for weathly kids. They had a volleyball team but all the girls on the team joined to show off the skin tight booty shorts and the small tank tops. I joined a team to play, to gain friends, to win and to learn. All I got there was girls in skimpy outfits. I could have tried the girls team here but I didn’t want to take the chance so a little arrangement with my mom, a haircut and a binder I was a different person at a new school where no one knew who I was.” You say to them. Asahi nodded. Some still looked confused.

“The only ones who knew were the coach, and until 2 weeks ago Nishinoya and Tanaka found out.” You say to them.

Tadashi raised his hand. “What’s a binder? Sorry I feel kinda dumb for asking.” He admitted. You put your hands up “it’s okay!” You say to him Tanaka jumped up.

“It’s a wrap that goes around her boobs!” He explained loudly. You karate chopped his head

“Sit down dummy.” You say almost harshly to him. “That’s the basics of it. I wrap it around my chest so then I am flatter. Then I wear a bigger jersey so then my chest doesn’t show.” You take a breath.

“I hid this because I was scared.” Tears were filling your eyes but you didn’t let them fall.

“I was scared you were going to see me different and kick me off the team.”

Don’t let the tears fall. Do not let the tears fall.

“I didn’t have many friends before coming to Karasuno. You all are my best friends. The best people I have ever met.”

Dammit. The tears streamed down your cheeks.

“Please still let me be part of the team.” You cried bending over and bowing to them. Daichi approached you. He put a hand on your shoulder and waited for you to look up at him. You looked up and met his eyes, who had tears swelling in them too.

“You will always be accepted on this team, (y/n).” He said to you pulling you into a hug. Tadashi came up and hugged the both of you. Then Tanaka and Nishinoya. Then Hinata and Kageyama. The others followed through.

“We don’t want you to leave the team (y/n)!” Hinata cried. “Yeah don’t leave us!” Kageyama snapped. “We want you to stay.” Suga softly said. They all chimed in on how they wanted you still on the team. You couldn’t hold it in anymore. You sobbed. Simple as that. All that emotion that you had been holding in? It was coming out right now. It was a good night. It ended well with your teammates accepting who you are. You were so happy.

Now the question is, who falls in love with you, or gets blushy when ever your around?

#karasuno x reader #hinata #tanaka #tadashi #nishinoya #haikyuu imagine #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu!!#haikyuu ukai #tsukishima #asahi #sugawara

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aweebwrites · 5 years

Text

A Mistake

“Why do I have to switch him out?” Griffin mumbled to himself as he waited impatiently for the big cat to fall asleep from the tranq he received.

“Because Karlof is out sick and Neuro told you to.” Tox reminded him, her tranquilizer gun at her side. “That and you’re the fastest one here. You can outrun him if he decides to take a bite out of you.” She grinned and Griffin looked at her insulted.

“Relax. This guy is pretty tame.” Tox says, seeing the snow leopard begin to waver on his feet. “Zane isn’t prone to violence. Now if it were Cole or heaven forbid Kai, then you’d have your work cut out for you. He’s down now. Just get in, put him on the moving crate, strap him down, get him to the other habitat so we can do maintenance on the air conditioning on his unit and bring him back after. That’s all.” She says, patting his shoulder before walking off.

“Not even a helping hand yo?” Griffin asked and Tox scoffed.

“I’m a doctor, not an animal mover.” Tox told him with a grin, chuckling as she went on her merry way.

“The abandonment yo.” Griffin says, placing his hand over his chest before peering into the freezing cold habitat.

There lay the disoriented snow leopard the Elemental Alliance Wildlife Rehabilitation Center was alarmed but thankful to receive and care for. Snow leopards were endangered after all but this kind of snow leopard was even more endangered. Almost nonexistent. Griffin sighed once he noticed the leopard’s eyes finally closed. He gave himself a light mental pep talk before opening the doors with the carrying crate, shivering immediately at just how cold this place was. He wheeled it over to the out cold creature then knelt to take a better look at him, despite his mind screaming this was a bad idea. He was one of a huge population of human beings to take on animal characteristics hundreds of years back after some phenomenon blah, blah, blah. When Neuro started getting into his science-y talk, he starts zoning out. He had a lot of human features though. White hair with sparse black spots to match his white and black spotted fur that covered most of his body, his ears that stuck out through his hair on the top of his head that were definitely leopard-like, his odd legs that were crossed between a human and a leopard’s that allowed him to walk on all fours and twos, his ridiculously long but quite fluffy tail, his white, retractable claws on his padded half human hands… Griffin was curious now. He hesitates, catching a glimpse of his fangs from his mostly closed mouth. He went for it, opening his human shaped mouth careful not to block his pink tipped nose as he looked inside. Wow teeth. Sharp, pointy teeth. Those canines are something else! These guys are actually pretty cool! He startles back, landing on his ass once Zane gave a sudden huff. Griffin looked at him with eyes wide and heart pounding before he relaxed, seeing that he hasn’t woken up.

Fuck that would have been bad. While Zane is pretty tame from what he’s seen in passing, he can still be riled up and he is fucking scary mad. He got to his feet again, deciding to stop messing around. Any more of this cold and he’ll start getting frostbite too. He slipped his arms under the limp body of the demi human then lifted, his eyes bulging on just how heavy this guy is. Well, considering that he is bigger than him, he shouldn’t be surprised. He hoisted him up with a grunt then crab walked over to the crate and carefully set him down, panting heavily once he did. Holy shit. Maybe they should cut him back on the mutton, yeah? He strapped him tightly but not enough to damage their most prized animal. Zane was a special case. He wasn’t a catch and release kind of patient.

He was a ‘keep away from the other demi human snow leopards because he hated socializing and will attack pushy females in heat’ kind of case. And given that there are only 2 entire wildlife preservation and rehabilitation centers for demi humans in the entire world, they got to keep him, what with their location in the temperate zone to the south where there was a major snow covered mountain range that ran into the Elemental Alliance’s Wildlife Preservation area as well. He was just being kept in the rehabilitation area to help him adjust to different plants and animals here. That and they aren’t sure on how well he’d survive out there on his own as the only one of his kind. They wanted him to make friends but they had no clue where to begin as they had no other demi human that are situated to cold temperatures like he is yet.

Griffin carried him out- then found himself at a loss. Where was he supposed to put him again?

“Fuck me.” Griffin groaned to the ceiling. “If I ask Neuro again, he’ll give me a lecture for sure yo.” He sighed, then considered the rehab center.

He was definitely sure that he was supposed to go into one of the habitats inside. But there were a fuck load of them on the inside.

“Griffin, my office.” Griffin jolted then, hearing Neuro over the intercom and he did not sound happy.

Griffin looked around quickly before perking up at the sight of spots through another viewing window in the large hall.

“They both have spots so they should get along, right?” Griffin reasoned then rushed over, beaming even more to see a dual way entry. He put in his code, going into the first set of doors then quickly unstrapping the snow leopard and opening the second door.

He heaved Zane in, leaving him to lay on the ground before the second door and quickly headed back out, hearing Neuro calling him again with even more impatience in his tone.

“Sit still for a while! I’ll be back! I promise!” Griffin told the unconscious demi human through the door then rushed off to Neuro’s office.

Here’s to hoping he didn’t find out about him giving the avian type demi humans extra snacks…

Meanwhile, golden orange eyes glowed from the thick brush of plants in the habitat before the creature possessing them walked out, curious to what was left in his area. He could have used the human as a means to escape but then he caught a glimpse of what he was carrying… He was intrigued. The jaguar demi human with a fresh scar over his left eye approached the limp figure at the door, tilting his head to the side as he inspected them. He leaned his head down and sniffed at him- only for his pupils to blow wide as his whiskers tingled at the unknown but very pleasant smell that filled his nose, but they weren’t moving. They must have put them to sleep. He nudged them over on their back and his breath caught at their pale, pretty face. He was the prettiest male he’s come across. White fur too… His spots are different that his though. And his tail is really long. Cole hesitates then reached out to touch it. Soft! He kneaded at it, seating himself to do so with both paw like hands. He didn’t know how long he sat there, batting around and kneading at his tail before a low sound came from him.

Cole looked to his face then blinked to find the spots where he had no fur all shiny. Sweat, he remembers. He rarely does that but when he does, it’s because he’s really hot. Cole blinked at that. He’s really hot! That wasn’t good! He almost blacked out the last times he sweat like that! He scooped him in his arms before carefully standing on his back paws and looked around quickly. His eyes zoned in on his artificial pond before he quickly trots over, walking in with the odd creature and sunk him in. The water was colder than he was used to out in the jungle but it was perfect in this case. It wasn’t very deep, about thigh high in the middle. He sat in the pond, lowering him with him, holding his head up and the rest of him under so he doesn’t float. He sat there in the pool of water that now reached his upper shoulders, wondering when was he going to wake up. A long time was the answer. Cole had sat there in the shallow pond until he had even started to drift off, the only thing waking him was his body just starting to float when his arms went lax.

What felt like an eternity later, a low groan caught his ears. He looked down at him as he scrunched his face up, blinking his eyes open slowly. Cole openly stared, awed by the intense blue of his eyes. They were blue like the sky and beautiful. He focused a bit more and Cole blinked once he found his hand on his face. He gave a curious sound, struggling to focus and Cole only gave a low growl, urging him to rest more since he was clearly out of it. Zane was confused as to why he felt wet or who the person holding him was but he was too disoriented to ignore the lull of sleep to escape the fuzzy mess of his mind. Cole sat there still, looking at him still. He was like nothing he’s never seen before… He wanted to see more…

__________

Zane woke up with a languid stretch, turning over to knead his pawed hands into the snow- only for him to have a face full of water. He jolted back, landing on his hands and feet as he coughed and sneezed from the water that rushed up in his mouth and nose. He blinked once he heard laughter immediately follow then looked up to see an… He blinked at the odd leopard before him. He wasn’t white… He had golden brown skin and yellow brown fur with black spots. He was much bigger than he was too. He was… Different to say the least. Zane tilted his head to the side, the tip his long tail flicking back and forth with his peaked interest. He padded over as the strange leopard continued to laugh, pushing off his hands once the water got too deep. Cole’s laughter stopped abruptly once he came face to face with those pretty blue eyes that were filled with curiosity. Cole remained still once he leaned in and scented him, not wanting to chase the strange creature away. Zane took a quick sniff close to his neck- before his eyes blew wide at the scent that filled his nose. It was something he hadn’t smelled often, living where he had all his life.

It was earthy like soil when rain fell on it. He… He liked it. He placed both hands on his shoulders, sniffing at him more before rubbing his head against him with a purr, rubbing his scent on himself. Cole’s pupils blew wide as he did, curious at the strange rumbly sound he was making but gladly rubbing against him too, his hands coming to his waist where he was half in his lap. Cole slid his tongue out, licking at his ear and Zane gasped, a spine tingling shiver running through him, down to the very tip of his tail. He purrs louder, melting against him as the other Leopard licked at his ears with his rough tongue, hand firm around his waist, his thick claws pressing lightly into his fur. Zane licked at his neck distractedly, his tail curling around his leg as the air got hot and heady… Hot… Zane pulled back though reluctantly, panting from the heat. He looked around, blinking at the jungle themed enclosure, a sight he’s never seen before. How did he get here? He thought back for a bit. He was taken to a strange place three days ago and then he was hit with another one of their weapons… And now he was here. He gave a low moan of distress, feeling as if he was melting. Cole tensed at the distressed scent and sound the pretty creature made before shifting forward, urging him to sink deeper into the water. Blue eyes looked at him confused but he complied and sunk deeper until just his nose up was out of the water. It felt good against his fur so he was more than happy to stay there. Cole got out, knowing ponds were quick to heat up the more warm bodied animals inside it. He instead sat at the water’s banks, his tail flickering anxiously as he watched the beautiful creature to make sure he wasn’t getting worse.

Meanwhile, Neuro had chewed Griffin out to the bone three hours ago for feeding the avians corn on the cob and warned him if he messed up again, he’d fire him, boyfriend or not. Tox, Shade and Ash laughed at the glum Griffin at their place in the cafeteria eating lunch as he pouted, knowing he’ll be on the couch for a week for this.

“This is a new level of stupidity, even for you Griff.” Ash chuckled, wiping away tears from his eyes.

“Shut up.” Griffin huffed, shooting him a glare.

“But for real.” Shade says more serious now. “They might be part human and have the capacity to digest most foods we can, but they’ll eventually be released into the wild where they won’t get butter covered corn on the cob. If they get addicted to that kind of food, they’ll be in big trouble in the wild. You better watch yourself or else I’ll personally kick your ass too.” He threatened.

“Believe me yo, I’ve learned my lesson.” Griffin says, wincing as he remembered how much Neuro had yelled at him until he had a headache immediately. “This reserve stuff is harder than I thought yo.” He sighs, knowing he really has to watch what he does from now on.

“You only need common sense Griffin.” Tox says dryly and he shot her a glare.

“Griffin!” Said man lifted his head, looking to where Chamille was walking towards him, looking perplexed.

“Cham? What’s-”

“Where’s Zane? He’s not in the empty tiger demi-human habitat.” Chamille asked, cutting him off and Griffin went pale quick.

“... Griffin. Tell me you didn’t lose the ultra rare, ultra endangered snow leopard demi human.” Ash says serious now, ready to bodily slam him if he did.

“Uh. No. I know where he is.” Griffin says and they relaxed some. “The problem is… Where he is…” He adds and they tensed all over again.

“Griffin. Griffin where the fuck did you put him?!” Shade asked with a growl, reaching across to grab him by the front of his shirt.

“In uh…” Griffin gulped. “In… Cole’s… Habitat…” He says sheepishly and there was a moment of silence before Griffin was tossed aside in favor of them all rushing off to the habitat, praying to whoever’s out there that Zane hadn’t passed due to overheating or worse, Cole, the aggressive, ready to be released Jaguar male hadn’t mauled him.

Ash got there first, peering in through the observation window. Immediately, he spotted the Jaguar gnawing on a bone then paled as his stomach dropped.

“Oh no.” Tox says, seeing the same scene.

“He actually ate him? But… I don’t see any blood…” Shade says looking around for any signs of it.

“Oh he’s alive. Thank fuck.” Griffin panted as he looked in and they looked at him puzzled. “There he is.” He pointed out the head in the pond Cole was gnawing his bone next to.

True to his word, there Zane was, lapping at the water he was in, most likely to keep cool. The group gave a collective sigh of relief.

“Alright. He’s alive and ok. But how do we get him from out there? Cole is passive to him but not so much us.” Shade pointed out.

“Yeah? Well I think the one who got him in there should be the one to take him out.” Tox says, throwing a glare at Griffin before heading off for her tranq gun.

“Tox is right. We’ll take Cole out first then Zane. You have to go in there before the sedatives fully set in though. Zane’s in the water. He’ll drown if we don’t at least keep his head above the surface.” Chamille says and Griffin scrubbed his face with both hands.

Fuck all.

Cole watched the other creature as he lapped at the water he was in, looking bored as he crouched there. He idly gnawed at the bone from his breakfast, feeling as bored as he looked. If he didn’t need to stay in the water, he would gladly groom is pretty fur and mark him all over with his scent so everyone knew he claimed him as his. He was also curious at what other new sounds he could get out of him. He tensed once a familiar sound caught his ear, just as a dart lodged into his thigh. He was immediately on all fours, looking towards the high platform where the green haired human had shot him from. He growled, thick fangs on display as he rushed over to where she was but she had already closed the reinforced window out of his reach. Zane watched him curiously as he showed aggression for the first time. He looked more primal, more terrifying. Here was a male in his prime, snarling defensively at where the human once was. It was…

A low purr had the water around him rippling steadily. Attractive. But he understood the humans were encroaching again and rose up out of the water the heat that hit him, especially with the sun reaching him through the trees of the outside enclosure, was almost too much. Cole’s huff has him focusing on him and he mewed, gesturing with his head for him to get back in. Zane frowned but does so, his tail swishing underwater anxiously. Cole walked around the pond, pacing the length of the bank between Zane and the humans watching them through the strange cave he would have long dug out if there wasn’t super strong shiny vines keeping him just out of its reach. He paced, throwing them an occasional snarl once they moved unexpectedly. He had a feeling in his gut that they wanted his creature but he had already claimed the beauty as his own and he wasn't going to give it up, their sleeping spell or not. He could feel the concoction trying to pull him under but he declined to go down. He won’t. He refused.

“He’s not going down.” Tox says with a frown, watching him as he kept stalking back and forth.

“Give him another shot.” Shade told her.

“His dosage was already high. I don’t want to overdose him.” Tox pointed out and Shade frowned as he considered this.

“We’ll need to get him down to get Zane out of there. Give him another half dosage.” He told her and she looked him over before nodding then heading towards the platform.

“What if he doesn’t go down?”Griffin asked them.

“Then Zane would eventually succumb to overheating. That pond isn’t enough to keep him cool for long.” Shade says with a frown.

Cole snarled as he saw her again up there again, getting on his hind legs so he could swipe deadly claws in her direction. She retaliated by hitting him with another dart, the small needle sticking in his arm. He swatted it away but it had already done its part. Moments later, Cole was stumbling, the world spinning around him. Zane gave a yowl of of distressing concern and Cole turned to him, only to immediately collapse just before the water, barely able to keep his eyes opened. He saw the moment Zane was also shot in his neck now exposed from where he was raising up out of the water. He weakly reached out to where the white blur of Zane was, seeing him moving through the water before him. Zane ignored the heat of being outside the pond and nuzzled the other leopard, giving a low mew of concern as he did, looking around warily. He then licked at Cole’s face and ears as he struggled not to drift off, surprising the team watching them.

“No way…” Ash says in awe, watching the two interact. “Do you think then… That he might have made friends with Zane?” He asked Chamille who was the specialist in demi human behaviors.

“It looks like it.” She says in awe. “That’s a feat on its own. Neither of them are social creatures. This proves that they both have the capacity to socialize.” Chamille says then smirked as she crossed her arms.

“They’re just fucking picky.” She huffed.

“Then do we have to send him back?” Ash asked, disappointed.

“Not without seeing how he interacts with others of his kind which isn’t going to happen soon and they’ve already scrubbed their hands of him.” Chamille says as Zane also began to stumble before laying down next to Cole, panting heavily as his eyes began to fall shut.

Zane gave a soft, pitiful mew, his paw on Cole’s who was losing the struggle to stay awake. Cole only managed a comforting grunt, watching as his beautiful creature’s eyes slowly shut. He heard as the door opened, heard the crate being rolled over. He managed a growl at the human with strange red eye coverings and he tensed but realised that he couldn’t move. Griffin looked down at them, at Zane’s hand on Cole’s, at how close they seemed in these past few hours. Friends, huh… He lifted Zane up, lifting him over to the crate and set him down heavily before strapping him in. With that, he gave Cole one more look, his heart clenching at the almost heart broken look he gave Zane before he succumbed to the trans shots. He feels as if he's committing a crime.

"Hurry up Griffin! He'll overheat!" Shade yelled and Griffin only nods, pushing Zane put and away from Cole.

Chamille on the other hand took the time to draw a blood sample, curious as to how he managed to hold up from that much tranq dosage for as long as he has.

_____

"Griffin." Neuro sighed as he rubbed his aching temple.

"Look, I really am sorry Oreo. I'm trying my best, honest I am." Griffin says, reaching across the desk to take his free hand. "I know I messed up- again but I'll do better. I’ll do things right. I swear!" He promises and Neuro looked at him with unimpressed gray eyes before he sighed again.

"The only reason you haven't been fired just now is because of the information we've gotten off of the incident. The hormone levels Cole had then was impressive. Chamille is still running tests.” Neuro says, interested on the results himself before fixing a glare at Griffin again. “Karlof will be back tomorrow and you’ll take on sanitary duties until further notice.” He says and Griffin bit back a protest to nod.

He rather scoop poop than be jobless and boyfriendless.

__________

The day that followed was met with a lot of commotion.

Cole wanted his creature back, roaring up a storm and scratching at the door, looking for any way out to get to him, wherever he was. It was making feeding him very difficult. They had no choice but to throw the slabs of meat over the top of his enclosure but he didn’t so much as sniff in the direction of where the bloody slabs lay. Usually, he’d tear right into his meals but he has more important things to tend to. Zane had woken up without the other leopard in sight. It almost seemed like a dream if it hadn’t been for his scent clinging to him still. Now, he could hear Cole clearly not that far away and paced the length of his icy enclosure for some way out to get to him. Unlike most of his kind, he was far more clever, having a father like he had. The only way in and out was through the door on the far right. He walked over, inspecting the odd construct then at the small hole in the door.

He’ll have to keep an eye to see just what that is for. He blinked once the scent of raw meat wafted through. Looks like he doesn’t have to wait for long. He sat patiently, hearing a jingle then blinked once the door pushed open, seeing the source of the jingle there.

“Hey bud. You won’t eat me today either, right?” A pale man with strange eye covers asked him and Zane just sat there before he began grooming the fur on the back of his pawed hand. “Good.” He sighed in relief then headed over to the built in bowl in the ground, knowing Zane wasn’t the type to lick the blood off the ground like the others.

It made cleaning way easier. Zane took his chance while his back was turned, padding over to the door left open. He flexed his paw before carefully wrapping it around the hanging set of keys to silence the noise it was sure to make then- with a bit of difficulty- tugged it out. He padded over to where the human had just turned around after carefully emptying the contents of raw meat, watching as he jolted in alarm at his proximity before mumbling about ‘too close’. He crouched before his meal instead, sniffing at it as he listened to the human make a sound of confusion at his missing tool.

“Where is it? I could have sworn-” He gave a sigh of relief as he pulled out his keys from his pocket then locked the door on the way out. “But where did I put Gravis’ keys?...” He asked himself as he moved on to another habitat.

Zane turned his paw over, looking at the set of tools in his hand, seeing the specific one used for his area and purred low, his tail flicking back and forth. He’ll go to him soon. When the humans are inactive at night… He turned away from his meal, too anxious for the long wait for nightfall to pass to end to stomach anything. He gave a low call to Cole, hoping he could hear it and understand. Soon. Cole on the other hand did catch the sound, knowing immediately that it was his pretty creature but not understanding what it meant. It only made him more anxious. Where was he? Where did they take him? How could he get to him? Cole gave a low sound of desperation as his tail and posture drooped.

… Will he ever see him again?

______

“Neither of them have even touched their food. And it’s not the meat. I always make sure the both of them specifically have the highest grade of deer and sheep, freshly killed each day.” Shade told Neuro and Chamille as they, Tox and Ash had a short meeting about Zane and Cole’s behavior.

“I’m surprised. It looks like they’ve really kicked it off in that past hour or two they were stuck together.” Chamille says lightly, fiddling with the end of her purple hair as she thought.

“... I’m curious to see how they’ll interact together.” Neuro says, lacing his fingers before his mouth. “It could help open up the mystery behind Cole’s sudden hormone spike and identify these new ones we’ve never seen before. We could see how it affects Zane too. I doubt Cole is the only one displaying strange blood results.” He says and Chamille nodded at that, wishing she had enough foresight back then to draw a sample from Zane too.

“So? How do we do this?” Tox asked him. “Cole’s habitat is too hot for Zane to go back to and Zane’s might be too cold for him.” She pointed out.

“Not necessarily.” Ash says as he sat back in his chair, crossing his arms. “Cole’s fur is on the thicker end of the Jaguar’s cold scale and we did rescue him after Pororoca when he was all the way on the lower ranges of the Andes. It’s significantly cooler up there than on the Amazon Basin and the terrain is much rougher. I think he can handle it, just like I think Zane can handle a slightly warmer habitat.” He says and Neuro nodded his agreement.

“Then tomorrow, we take Cole to Zane’s habitat and document what we find.” Neuro declared and they agreed, taking their leave to prepare for then.

Neuro looked at the door as it closed then looked at a picture of he and Griffin together on his desk. Looks like that massive mistake is leading to an even more massive discovery. He could feel it just around the corner…

___________________

Zane laid curled up on his favorite slab of artificial rock, looking to be asleep from the outside eye but that wasn’t the case at all. The lights had gone out some time ago and he was waiting still, just in case a human was around before making his move. After another few minutes, he got up reflective blue eyes darting around the area before he padded over to the floor, getting up on his hind legs so he could use his pawed hands. He struggled for a bit, the keys jingling lightly as he adjusted and readjusted his hold, until he had gotten muscle memory back into his thumb. He slid the key in and turned, hearing the door click before coming loose. The sight of another door irritated him since he didn’t know which of these would open that one but if he was anything, it was determined.

Cole on the other hand laid by the pond, his gold reflective eyes staring sadly at the water’s surface, remembering his beautiful creature. He never even got his name… Did he even have one? Not all of their kind could speak like humans, and even less had names. He reached a paw out, dipping it in the water and watching it ripple. His ear twitched however once he heard a door open from somewhere but he dismissed it, too put out to work himself up. He wonders if he was alright… His head lifted however once he heard jingling really close by. Right at his door actually. He got to all fours warily. He wasn’t normally fed or visited this late before. Humans sleep in the night after all. He tensed once he heard that door swing open before the jingling continued. He flicked his tail anxiously, his body coiled tight and ready to pounce- But then, a scent caught his nose. His pupils blew wide at the familiar scent of his creature before he was rushing over to the door, pawed hands holding onto the bars on it before he gasped softly at the familiar blue eyes looking up at him.

He gripped the bars tighter, a low, desperate sound escaping him as he pressed himself closer against the door. Zane leaned up against the door, a low purr slipping out as he rubbed against the door but frowning. It wasn’t the same. He returned back to his struggle against keys and tried more of them as Cole scratched at the door with his claws. Finally, finally the door clicked and Zane pushed it open, not at all bothered when he was enveloped in a tight embrace, earth surrounding him as happy mews filled his ears. Zane purred, pressing himself closer to Cole, rubbing against him eagerly as Cole reciprocated. Cole butted his forehead against Zane’s lightly, his tail flicking back and forth happily as he closed his eyes and took him all in. Zane relished in his affection, ready to roll over and show him his belly at any second.

Zane could spend forever here in this moment- Actually, no. He couldn’t. Even though the night was significantly cooler than the day, he was getting uncomfortably hot. He pulled back and Cole let him go, though reluctantly. Zane took him by the hand and tugged him in the narrow walkway between the doors and he follows, letting him lead him into the long hallway Cole’s never seen before.

“Come.” Zane told him, pulling him along to where his habitat was while Cole tried to process that his pretty creature just spoke and his voice sounded amazing.

“Where?” Cole asked and Zane gasped softly, looking back at him with wide blue eyes.

He then smiled, pulling Cole along still.

“Here.” Zane says, leading him inside his opened area, the cool air hitting him like a breath of fresh air.

Cole understood then. Zane’s area was cooler because he couldn’t stay in the heat, like before. It was colder than he was used to but he was sure he could handle it. He let his pretty creature tug him over to a flat slab of rock and Cole pulled him down into his arms as he sat, content to wrap around him like this and never let go.

“Do you... Have a name?” Cole asked Zane, finding speaking strange and a little hard to remember after not doing so in so long.

He should have listened to his mother when she warned him to keep practice speaking. It was a critical skill passed down from those first turned.

“Yes. Zane.” He answers and Cole pondered on the name before giving it a try.

“Zane…” He says then smiled. “I’m Cole.” He murmured, nuzzling into his hair.

“Cole…” Zane says softly then shivered as he licked at his ear. “Cole…” He said again, just because he could as his tail coiled around the larger male, wrapping around his broad back, leaving the tip of it to flick against his shoulder.

“Mine.” Cole rumbled low in his ear and Zane blinked then turned around so he could look at him directly, now straddling his lap.

“Yours?” He asked, with a curious tilt of his head, knowing what the term meant.

Cole wanted to possess him as one would possess territory. The idea… Was appealing. Very appealing. But he wanted to make sure Cole himself knew what it meant.

Cole looked him over, at his vivid blue eyes framed by white lashes, at his pink tipped nose and soft pink lips, both framed by long white whiskers and spotted fur at the far corners of his face. He… Zane… Was really beautiful.

“Yeah…” He told Zane quietly, cupping his cheek with a rough, padded hand, brushing his thumb against his cheek. “Mine.” He sealed his declaration with a gentle nudge of his forehead against Zane’s.

“Then…” Zane says, just as quiet. “You’re mine too.” He purred quietly with a soft smile Cole returned.

He flicked his tongue out, licking the tip of his black tipped nose and Cole huffed out a chuckle, pulling him closer by the waist as the tip of his tail tapped at Zane’s arm from where it had coiled around him on its own. This place isn’t so bad now. As long as he got to stay by Zane’s side then he’ll make due.

_____________________

“You lot sure are early.” Neuro says as he arrived to the main building for the rehab from the onsite apartment complex.

Their team was too small with too many demi humans to risk traveling hours away to the nearest town after all.

“You’re one to talk.” Chamille says with a smirk as she glanced up at the sky where the sun wouldn’t rise for another two hours.

“Oh? You too Griffin? Did Neuro drag you out of bed?” Ash asked, tucking his hands into his pockets.

“Not at all, yo.” Griffin says around a yawn. “I wanna see em together, you know? They got a kind of vibe that reminds me of when Oreo and I got together, yo.” He explained.

“... Well, the notion isn’t all that impossible. Look at Kai and Jay. They might not understand the concept but they’re as gay as gay gets.” Shade says with a shrug as Neuro opened the rehab doors.

“I told you not to call me that at work though. I am your boss.” Neuro huffed at Griffin, holding the door open so the others could walk in.

“Chill out Oreo. We’re used to you two.” Tox says lightly and Neuro’s cheeks coloured.

“Do you sleep with that?” Chamille asked, gesturing to the tranq gun Tox held, sure that it was locked and loaded.

“And what if I do?” Tox shot back at the purplenette.

“I’ll check to see if they’ve eaten.” Shade says as he turned off down their hall- only to freeze mid step. “U-uh.” He stuttered, catching Ash’s attention.

“What’s so shocking to have you-” Ash stopped mid sentence, the same shock and fear filling him at what laid ahead. “U-uh… Did… Did someone… Leave their doors open?” He asked the others as they walked over.

They all stood stock still, staring down the halls at the opened habitats. Neuro shot Griffin a glare but he immediately held his hands up.

“Wasn’t me Oreo! You took my keys, remember?” He defended and Neuro deflates, knowing that was true.

He then took a breath.

“Shut it Oreo.” Tox says before he could speak. “I’m the one with the gun here. And there’s only one of them we really have to worry about anyway.” She says, holding it defensively before starting ahead into the still dark hall.

“Shouldn’t we set off the alarm yo?” Griffin asked as he looked around carefully.

“No. An alarm is too loud and might spook them, make them feel cornered. That’s the last thing we want.” Neuro told him as they watched Tox’s back.

She came to Zane’s habitat- then deflated with a huff. They looked at each other confused but walked over carefully when she motioned them to come. They all blinked at the sight before them, surprised- even though they shouldn’t be. There, both big cats lay, pressed closely together, holding onto each other tight. Zane was fast asleep against Cole’s chest from what they could tell from Cole’s position with his back to them, his pawed hand thrown over the Jaguar’s waist. It was… A sweet sight to see. But the question remained… How did Cole get out and who opened their habitats opened? A low, irritated growl escaped the larger cat, his tail flicking irritably as he glared at them over his shoulder, his reflective gold eyes very effectively sending chills down their spines. Neuro quickly reached out and pulled the second door shut, using his keys to lock it tightly before they all managed to relax.

“Alright. Let’s lock up and find out what the fuck happened here.” Neuro announced and they were quick to agree.

“Hey, yo… Aren’t these Gravis’ keys?” Griffin asked, pulling them out of the now empty habitat.

“Yeah. I overheard them asking Paleman for them yesterday but he seemed to have lost them…” Shade says, looking at them in Griffin’s hand.

“I’ll check the security feed and get to the bottom of this.” Neuro says as they locked up Cole’s former habitat, the group of them following him to his office where he got to work accessing the security feed. “Well I’ll be damned.” He huffed as he looked at the screen, the others gathering around him.

“What?! Zane let them out?!” Ash yelled, shocked.

“But… How?!” Shade asked, baffled and Neuro chuckled.

“Demi humans are more human than we think, that’s how.” He told his team lightly. “I’ve always believed that was the case but I haven’t come across strong enough evidence. That is, until today. What most likely happened is that Zane stole Gravis’ keys from Paleman when he wasn’t paying attention then used it to free himself and Cole as we saw. Though it’s a good thing that they don’t seem interested in escape or else this would have been ugly.” Neuro says and Chamille chuckled.

“Well. Looks like we have a lot to learn from those two, don’t we?” She asked him.

“Yeah. We do.” Neuro agrees. “And it’s all thanks to one massive mistake.” He says looking at Griffin as he looked at the screen, terrified from the prospect of Cole being able to open doors.

Griffin looked down at him then then grinned.

“You’re very welcome Oreo.” He murmured, pressing a light kiss to the corner of Neuro’s lips who only smiled.

“Don’t push your luck, Speedy.”

_________________

(It’s been ages since I posted a whole fic on here, huh? Well! here’s this fluff without plot! I literally had no idea what I was writing, just that I wanted big cat bois. Hope you enjoy! I have to get back on the Move on Dragons movement now.)

#ninjago #zane ninjago #ninjago zane #zane julien #ninjago cole #cole ninjago #cole brookstone #neuro ninjago #ninjago griffin #ninjago tox #ninjago shade #ninjago ash #ninjago chamille #other chars #Glaciershipping #aweebwrites' work

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honeyyvee · 5 years

Text

One kiss: Chapter 3

Rating: Mature (+18)

Genre: Romance

Summary: When your best friend Min Yoonji offers herself to teach you how to kiss, the only approapriate reaction is (gay) panic.

Pairing: Min Yoonji(Genderbend! Yoongi)/ female reader

Words: 2.5k

Warnings: Consumption of alcohol. Sexual content. Coarse language.

Notes: I edited one of the dialogues in the second conversation of Ch. 2, it’s an important bit of info. So I reccomend to re-read it <3. Anyways, enjoy!

← Prev (Ch 2)

You quite literally plunged in. Your mouth crashed with Jeon Jungkook's lips as your body toppled onto him, sending both of you to the carpeted floor amidst hooting and hollering. It all happened too quickly; your teeth clashed, and you were pretty sure you busted his upper lip open. The kiss was more like the crash of two mouths who had no idea what to do.

The contact was nice though, initially. Jungkook's lips tasted and smelled like strawberries. After the initial shock, the softer, firmer pressing of his lips became kind of pleasant. If you ignored the metallic aftertaste of blood, that is. Which you couldn't, really, as beads of blood pooled between your lips, both of you parted with a wince. When you opened your eyes your gaze tried to focus on anything and everything. Through the haze of your spinning mind you saw jungkook's wide eyes, his fingers stained in blood, blurry faces of friends and spectators… and her among them.

There was an indescifrable expression on Yoonji's face as your unfocused eyes landed on hers. Tried as you might you couldn't pinpoint it. There seemed to be a slight frown to her pouty mouth, a crease on her brow… a darkness to her eyes. Was she disgusted with your shameless behaviour? Was she mad you had gotten yourself drunk and now she had to deal with your shenanigans? Was she—? You couldn't follow your train of thought to its disastrous next suggestion, as Yoonji stormed off the room without a word.

Confused and slightly overwhelmed, your limbs stopped reacting as you became paralyzed by a wave of anxiety. Your unfocused eyes glued to the irregular patch of carpeted floor before you. Voices and music blurred around the edges, everything was too much, and the overwhelming sensation of shame/guilt made you sick to your stomach. But why, why did it feel wrong? Why did you feel like this?

Jungkook tried reaching out to you, calling out your name, brushing the skin of your arm. You flinched at his touch. The sensation felt foreign, an out of body experience.

Hoseok approached you both, trying in vain to suppress a face-splitting grin. "Yo, Y/N!"

Your stomach turned over itself in anxiety, you couldn't look at anyone in the eye, you wanted to get out of there asap. In a last desperate attempt to save face, your body doubled over itself trying to stop the convulsions of your stomach from emptying its contents on Namjoon's carpet.

"Hey, hey, are you alright?" Hoseok was making an effort to keep himself from giggling, you had to give him that.

You shook your head no.

"Alright, let's get you outta here." Hoseok helped you to stand. A relief. But Jung Hoseok was the antonym of subtlety. "Ok, there's nothing to see here everybody! Keep on with what you're doing. MOVE."

If people had been looking at you with curiosity before, they were now staring . You silently took back your feelings of gratitude towards the boy. Jungkook insisted on accompanying you to the bathroom, and even driving you back to your apartment, but you refused. Being around him was too much for you right now, it only worsened the nauseous feeling in your stomach. The least you needed was to add barfing all over a pretty boy to your list of achievements for the night. After giving you a glass of water that tasted like shit, Hoseok took you to the second floor barely avoiding getting barfed on by you.

"And here we are," Hoseok ushered you into the first door on the left. A bathroom. "What are you waiting for? Go, go!"

"I'm not puking here, that's gross."

"Oh yes you are, I gave you water with salt to help you with that."

"¿Wha—?" Your eyes opened in alarm. Just as you were about to protest, an uncontainable wave of nausea overpowered you.

Not even a second later, you were spilling all the contents of your stomach on the toilet. Hoseok rushed to your side to hold your hair back, rubbing soothing circles on your back.

"Find Yoonji, I wanna go home," you croaked.

“You sure you’ll be okay if I leave to go look for her?” He brushed a strand of hair behind your ear.

You nodded, Hoseok gave you a last glance before disappearing behind the door. You were left in silence, but it still took you a moment to recollect yourself on the cold tile floor. Your mind was a blank, anxious mess. You'd be facing Yoonji… you had to say something. You felt you had to say something to her, about the kiss. What exactly though, you weren't sure. Maybe it was the reeling of your mind coming down from the events that had transpired, the high of adrenaline and alcohol.

Your legs were wobbly and your vision hazy as you got up to wash your face. Vertigo swayed your body, and you clutched onto the faucet. The coolness of the water was a welcomed sensation. You washed away with ernst the taste of bitter alcohol and bile, and Jungkook. Nothing personal, but that first kiss wasn't short of traumatic. The image of your disheveled appearance caught your eye in the reflection of the small mirror before you. Smeared lipstick and smudged mascara have you looking like a hot mess. You tried fixing it as much as possible, until three knocks interrupted.

“Hey…”

Your heart stopped in your chest.

“I’ll be waiting for you on the driveway.” It was Yoonji.

“Wait!” You rushed to the door, lest she left again before you could catch her.

Yoonji was still there, just about to turn on her feet to leave. A slightly startled expression on her face by the suddenness of your actions. Hands in her pockets, she turned her eyes away as soon as they landed on yours.

“Ready?”

There was a knot of mixed feelings growing in your chest as you gazed at her in the dimly lit hallway. A feeling of uneasiness creeping in the air as you made up your mind about something you weren’t even fully aware yet. Words just fell out of your mouth without second-thinking about it.

“No,” you confessed “can we talk?”

Yoonji turned to look at you with an annoyed expression. “Right now? Can’t it wait until we get home?”

You floundered under her deflection.

Yoonji made a show of being tired by releasing a deep sigh. “Or maybe tomorrow? We can talk anytime about whatever this is, you know?”

Her words echoed inside your mind, and you took your sweet time contemplating them. Could you, really? Will there be any other chance in the near future, for you to clear this air of unresolved, lingering, something? You scanned Yoonji’s neutral features for answers. She avoided your gaze. Ha. That was a damn slim chance.

“We can’t.” Your hand shot to take her wrist in your grasp. “It has to be now,” you stumbled upon your words. Without waiting for her answer, you rode the wave of newly found courage and led Yoonji into the unoccupied room to your right.

She didn’t get enough time to actually fight or protest against it, before you opened the door and ushered her inside with you. The light was off, but you didn’t bother turning it on. There’s a big window on the opposite side, that let in just enough moonlight into the room for you to know your surroundings. You sat Yoonji on the edge of the bed.

“What are we doing here?” she groaned.

“Listen, I shouldn’t have kissed Jungkook.”

You weren't going to beat around the bush. Yoonji seemed only partially bewildered by the bluntness which you approached the topic of your talk. Her eyes went the tiniest bit wide in surprise. There was some interest written in her features, but she quickly hid it away.

“Why, because you nearly chopped off his lips?” Yoonji diverted with small chuckle.

“No, I’m being serious,” you took her hand in yours. “It’s just—." You sighed, shut your eyes closed to gather up courage for what you were about to do. "I don’t think I actually like Jungkook. I think… I think I might like you.”

The silence that fell over the room after your confession, grew heavy with expectation with each passing heartbeat. The muffled sound of the music downstairs and the cicadas outside, rang in your ears as you opened your eyes to gauge at Yoonji's expression. There was a deep frown on her brow.

“Me… ?" She echoed. A dead beat of cold silence stretched in the air of your lungs before she spoke again. "Why are you telling me this?” Yoonji breathed, barely a whisper.

There was something in her eyes, something you had seen before but didn't get to decypher before her expression changed again.

“Wait, you're drunk," she muttered bluntly. "You're still drunk."

Yoonji made a move to leave, so you held tighter onto her hand. "Am not! I'm being honest with you I—."

"I'm sorry, but this makes no sense to me," Yoonji yanked her hand away. "You don't like Jungkook now? You think you like me ?" She chuckled humorlessly as she stood up. "What are you even talking about? Kissing Jungkook is all you’ve been going on about for weeks . You asked me for tips on how to kiss him .”

“I liked you long before that."

"When? I don't believe you." Her gaze hardened.

You sighed in exasperation at her stubbornness, but proceeded to explain nonetheless because you understood where she was coming from.

"When Namjoon first introduced us. I thought you were attractive, but I never really made a move because I thought you and him were a thing. Since you two spent so much time together, producing and composing and all of that." You fell onto the bed. "Me and Namjoon? Yeah, fat chance," Yoonji snorted, sitting beside you on the mattress with a creak. A good sign.

"I just ruled you out completely off the market. And then we started sharing apartment and I never really thought about it again," you continued. "Until a few weeks ago…" You tried to meet her gaze.

"Why didn't you make a move then?" Yoonji's eyes pierced through you.

"I did. Multiple times."

Yoonji sighed, averted her gaze to the ceiling.

"You asking me for tips on how to kiss someone else was your big idea of a move?" She gave you a sceptical look.

You cringed. "When you put it like that it sounds terrible... but yeah, it was. So what, sue me. I'm a dumb bitch and I'm fucking shy!" You hit her with a pillow.

The action was reciprocated by a hit to the face with a cushion. Which then escalated into a full blown pillow fight and burst of mischievous giggles... which ended in a tickle fight. And you below Yoonji’s body, her knee between your thighs. Her body hovered over you, her piercing eyes scanning for your reaction as her knee pushed higher, and your breath got caught in your throat. Her hands snaked around your wrists, pinned you with hesitant gentleness to the bed.

"Why did you went through with kissing Jungkook in that spin the bottle game?" Yoonji murmured.

"Please Yoons, it's just a drunk party kiss, it means nothing,” you dismissed, with a forced chuckle.

Yoonji’s gaze wavered, her brow pulled together. And there it was. That thing, in her eyes. It was her walls coming down, opening up the slightest bit for a sliver of you to come in.

"And this?" she threaded her slender fingers around yours, her voice barely above a whisper. "Would this mean something to you?"

"That depends on if you want it to," your voice came out hoarse.

You were having difficulty with breathing, the air was charged with anticipation of what was about to come next. Yoonji leaned on you, your bodies now pressed closely together, her lips a breath apart. You closed your eyes, and welcomed the fluttering sensation of her soft cherry mouth. Her kiss was a starking contrast to your recent,previous experience. Calmer, softer, sober . In more ways than one. But at the same time ardent, passionate, ignating. Your chest filled to the brim with consuming fire. Your senses lit up alive.

Yoonji's lips moved slowly at first, one of her hands cupping your face, guiding you towards her. The motions grew impatient soon enough, and your bodies were tightly pressed chest to chest. It felt right, complete .

You broke the kiss with a gasp for air. Yoonji’s knee was pressed more intently against your needy core. All the blood rushed downwards in arousal as Yoonji pressed your clit through your skirt with mischievous intent.

“Mmn… you’re wet already,” she purred, with a smirk. She kissed a trail of kisses all over the sensitive spots of your neck.

You whined in response as your cheeks blushed red. Things were escalating fast, but you didn’t have any plans to back down. If you were gonna crash, might as well accelerate . You wanted her hands all over you, not holding you down.

“Yoonji…” you whined, as you lifted your hips against her knee. “My hands.”

Yoonji released them like they burned, with a rumbling sound at the back of her throat that resembled a complaint. You got what you wanted and now her hands were palming at your waist, and then your thighs as she brought you to sit with her. Her knee still between your legs, pressing against your swelling bundle of nerves.

You gawked at her disheveled appearance, never in your life had you seen Min Yoonji like this. Dark, hooded eyes, full of lust and pouty lips swollen from kissing. It was the hottest thing you had ever seen. It was hard to catch your breath when the sight knocked the air out of your lungs again.

“You’re beautiful,” you murmured, staring meaningfully into her eyes. She had to know… “And I don’t mean just your face. I’m talking about you, and the art you carry inside.”

Yoonji’s eyes softened, glossed even, for a moment.

“Shut up, you’re such a cheese,” she rolled her eyes, but leant in to press a firm, gentle kiss to your lips. Her mouth tasted like cherry chapstick, and you tucked the memory to the back of your mind.

Yoonji’s walls were still there, you felt it in the way she stiffened at times at your attempts of intimate touch. But you remained patient, you would take your sweet time to bring each of them down, little by little. So you kissed, and touched, and sighed with pleasure into your embrace in the faint moonlight. And you knew things were going to be alright between you two.

#armyofwriters #btsguild #min yoongi fanfiction #min yoongi smut #bts smut #vee writes #mine

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lemonysharkbait · 5 years

Text

Blue to Red

19 Days fantasy AU / Zodiac AU / Enemies to lovers

Part 1

Guan Shan hated him. The crown prince of the lands of Scorpio, second son in line to the throne and keeper of the coin: He Tian. And now he sat here, across from the man he despised, as his political prisoner.

His captor’s eyes glinted like the dark depths of the sea far below the cliffside stronghold and he smiled an infuriatingly fake smile. Guan Shan wanted to punch those shiny white teeth out. He Tian offered him wine.

It was a plan so like secretive Scorpios, the house that kept it’s affairs deliberately vague. It was too clean by a half. Keep the prince of Aries locked away in the strongholds of Scorpio and watch Capricorn continue their climb, trampling everything in their path.

Guan Shan glowered at his captor and refused the offered wine.

“We could go for a walk through the cliff gardens today.”

Can I push you off the cliff? Guan Shan had made it abundantly clear that he understood his position and was waiting for any chance to escape this hellish place. And for whatever infuriating reason, He Tain wouldn’t drop the charade of treating Guan Shan like an exalted guest. He Tian accompanied Guan Shan everywhere, fed him well and offered entertainments of all kinds.

Guan Shan forked a piece of fish with a little more effort than was necessary, choosing not to make eye contact with those inky-dark eyes.

He Tian sighed, tossing a napkin to the side. “I’ve given you every comfort and dignity and yet you’re stubborn as a Taurus.”

Guan Shan stabbed another piece of fish.

“You sulk and refuse to negotiate. You even refuse to apologize for your house’s destruction of hundreds of Scorpio’s merchant ships.”

There was a clatter as Guan Shan threw his fork down. His skin started to prickle and singe with the heat of fire and a thin layer of wisping flames covered his arms.

He Tian continued. “Yes, make a rash decision my little Aries pet.” The word rankled Guan Shan. “It’s mercy you’re here under my protection and not my brother’s or father’s. Your house’s actions are reason enough to take your head.”

The words had their desired effect. Guan Shan stood abruptly, his flames leaping. The ever-present guards at his back tensed. “Why don’t you just do it already?” The words were harsh and pitched low in his native tongue. He Tian cooly cut off another piece of fish, popped it into his mouth and chewed, savoring it. “It would be in bad taste to do so before we have the backing of the council.”

Damn the council and damn this place. Guan Shan planned to be long gone before the next house council meeting. “I’m not going out to the gardens to be stared at like some exotic pet.”

He Tian snorted “I don’t have you on a leash. Believe me, you’d know if you were a pet.”

Guan Shan flushed. He always lost these exchanges with He Tian. He didn’t have a mind for deception and pretty phrases. “That’s not, I wasn’t saying–”

“Of course not, you made your stance very clear the first night we met.”

A memory of He Tian pressed close and running possessive hands over the planes of Guan Shan’s body burst through his mind.

“Why would I fuck you?”

He Tian leveled a look that said Guan Shan wasn’t the one who would do the fucking. “We’re of the same rank and distractions are far and few between.” He Tian’s tone was arrogantly sure. You have nothing to do and you’re pretty. Why wouldn’t you want me in your bed?

Guan Shan turned from the table with a sound of disgust and stomped out. The guards followed him like ever-present shadows.

Back in He Tian’s quarters, he took up his usual game of cards with Brother Qui. They were both fire-born. It had surprised Guan Shan to see someone from the House of Leo working in a such a high rank in the House of Scorpio.

“Ready to lose again old man.” He shuffled the cards and dealt them out. A seagull call rang outside the window. The air was always a little damp and chill. Guan Shan chafed against the long flowing layers of robes he had been given to wear, clothes in the Scorpio style. The colors were deeply intense in a muted way and the layers rolled and shifted like the water-born’s fighting style. He ached for his own Aries clothes, tunics that stopped at the calf and the shoulder allowing for easy movement and keeping cool in the summertime heat. He wondered if there ever was summertime heat on this cursed cliff.

Qui was passive and they played in comfortable silence for a time. Guan Shan was losing badly but didn’t mind, he was gambling with money pilfered from He Tian’s drawers. He couldn’t fathom why he stayed in the prince’s quarters and not locked away in some other room or deep in the dungeon. It hardly mattered though, He Tian was almost never in his room. He barely slept and Guan Shan usually had the large, immaculate quarters to himself.

“You shouldn’t provoke the prince.”

Guan Shan scowled at his cards. “Is he your prince?”

“He is now. Him and his brother.”

“He wants to take my head off.”

“Your fate will be decided by the council.”

Guan Shan threw the cards down “Then why am I here? He has no proof that I burnt his precious merchant ships.”

“I don’t pretend to know the prince’s plans.”

Guan Shan stood abruptly. He didn’t want to talk about the damn prince. “I’m going to the practice ring.”

Everything here seemed to be inside. Practice rings in Aries were open to the air and floored with packed dirt. The main practice ring in the Scorpio keep was tiled on the walls and surrounded by water. Carefully treated wood made up the floor and soft light came from moonstones set throughout the tiled walls. It made Guan Shan feel like he was in a cavern and he didn’t like it. He liked it even less when he rounded the corner and saw He Tian. Guan Shan turned on his heel but it was too late, the scorpion saw.

“My little ram, why don’t you join me?” The voice was drippingly sweet. Guan Shan knew better than to trust it.

“I don’t want to train next to you.” He turned to leave again when He Tian said: “A friendly spar then.”

Guan Shan stopped in his tracks. He had been itching to fight the prince since he’d been taken here. “You want to fight me?” It was more a statement than a question.

“Unless you’re afraid of getting wet.”

Guan Shan stalked forward. This pretentious prince didn’t know what he was asking for. His control over water might help him navigate the seas and heal wounds but everyone knew the water houses were wet sops. Their strength came from the sea’s depths. In a real fight, He Tian had no chance. The only reason Guan Shan hadn’t fought his way out of this place was the sheer amount of armed guards he’d have to fight through.

He Tian looked cool and comfortable, not primed for a fight. This would be quick. Guan Shan pushed the top layers of his robes off so that they hung around his waist and his chest was bare. The robes hung low around his ankles, lower than he’d want to wear for a fight but there was nothing he could do about that.

He Tian raised an eyebrow, watching Guan Shan half strip. “I’ve always wanted to fight a fire-warrior. I’ve heard so much about your barbaric style.”

Guan Shan willed himself to stay calm. He wanted to singe the prince, not obliterate him. They squared off a few paces from each other. As a polite courtesy the prince didn’t deserve, Guan Shan didn’t call on his fire before the fight started. He simply stood poised and ready, taut with tension. He Tian was calm as ever. “Let’s make this a little more interesting. If you yield, you have to go with me to the garden party tonight.”

Guan Shan snorted. He didn’t want to play games. “Fine. And when you yield I’m free.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

“Then how about I never have to see your ugly face again?”

“Deal.”

The call was given and Guan Shan burst into flames. He Tian was taller and had a better reach, but Guan Shan’s fire would give him an advantage if he could get in close. He moved forward in a flurry and found, to his surprise, that He Tian wasn’t there. A flow of water obscured his vision. He cut through it easily to see that He Tian had side stepped. Guan Shan followed again, breaking through water sprays head first as he would cut through flames lobbed at him in his home practice ring. He Tian simply side stepped and side stepped again.

It was infuriating. It wasn’t a sparring match so much as it was a push and pull dance. Nothing connected except for harmless sheets of water breaking against Guan Shan’s fire. It felt like He Tian was taking Guan Shan for a leisurely stroll up and down the practice arena. He Tian was trying to tire him out.

“I can do this all day. Stand and fight.”

He Tian smiled that fake smile “I’ve been waiting for you to bring me a real fight.”

Guan Shan took a deep breath and lobbed a ball of fire around the sheets of water, forcing He Tian to change his footing. The water prince wanted a fight? He’d get a fight. To hell if he got burned.

The pace picked up and Guan Shan advanced flinging fire in a flurry that would overwhelm most opponents. Somehow, He Tian still looked cool, his eyes impassive slate grey. Guan Shan closed into the distance that he had wanted from the beginning and arm collided with arm in a sparring tete-a-tete. He Tian was surprisingly strong but Guan Shan had the upper hand at close range. His fire sent He Tian stumbling and a little fissure in the cold prince’s composure cracked. Guan Shan closed in again for the final blow, knocking aside weak sheets of water. He bore down fire, reaching for the hold that would force He Tian to yield, when suddenly the prince wasn’t there, like so many wisps of smoke.

Guan Shan whirled in time to see the wall of water come for him and the sick truth with it: He Tian had been holding back the whole time.

He felt his head snap back with the impact and he fell into the depths of the water surrounding the ring. When he surfaced, He Tian’s smug face was above him. “Cooling off? Looks like I’ve won, my little ram.” Guan Shan cursed and hauled himself out of the water.

“I was hoping for more of a fight. I guess water does beat fire. I’ll have clothes laid out for you for this evening. I think you really will like the gardens.”

Steam rose from Guan Shan’s body, drying what he could of his soaked cloaks. He Tian could have easily pulled the water out of the clothes, but he didn’t.

Guan Shan had to escape this place.

***

The garden was nestled in a cliff hamlet overlooking the cold, dark blue ocean. It was pretty if a bit sparse and ordered, not at all like the lush, sprawling gardens back home. And, just as he thought, Guan Shan was a spectacle. Highborn Scorpios asked barbed questions, feigning niceties when the entire time they simmered with distaste. It was clear that everyone in the Scorpio kingdom thought Guan Shan was personally responsible for the merchant ships that had burned to a crisp. It was heinous, forcing an unarmed sailing crew to choose between fire and water. Burn or drown. Death on all sides.

But he hadn’t done it. None of his people had done it. And he hadn’t the slightest clue why He Tian, why all of the Scorpios, were so set on believing that he had any hand in it. Guan Shan looked down over the side of the portico. The waves were so far beneath them they could barely be heard. He was in a quiet corner, eating in as much peace as he could find.

“Could Aries rams climb these cliffs?” Guan Shan tensed at the deep voice wrapped in silk. Somewhere in those silky folds a dagger hid.

“We don’t climb cliffs.”

“You’re not very good at small talk.”

“Why would I need to make small talk with you?”

He Tian smiled and lifted a drink to his lips. “The council meets in a month.”

Guan Shan didn’t want to be needled again today. “What could I have to gain from burning your damn ships?”

“I would think that’s obvious.”

What was obvious was that the House of Aries was poor. It had been a lesser power for several decades now and was on the brink of bankruptcy. In the past, his proud warrior people had turned to plundering to get what they needed and to establish their wealth. But that was a long time ago. And anyways, they had never gone after ships on the treacherous seas.

“It would burn up. Whatever those ships were carrying, it would burn up or it would fall into the sea. And our lands are nowhere near the coast. That’s a lot of effort for nothing.”

For once, He Tian didn’t have a smart comment waiting. He looked like he was digesting something he didn’t like.

“Anyways, it doesn’t matter what you think.”

He Tian blinked from his reverie. “I assure you little ram, it does matter.”

“Only to you.” And with that, Guan Shan heaved a gulp of air, pushed himself up onto the balustrade, and launched himself over the side.

Notes: I wrote this in a day and I’ve got chapter two a quarter of the way done! But uh, please don’t get too invested because my life is mayhem and I never know when I’ll have time to write 😣. I love the enemies to lovers trope, and the Zodiac signs and meanings fascinate me. Hit me up if you like it! 💕

#19 Days #mo guan shan #he tian #tianshan #19 days fanfic #enemies to lovers #zodiac au #brother qui #aries #scorpio #fantasy au

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gamesmakers · 6 years

Text

Shadows and Light

Katniss Everdeen wants nothing more than to wait out the latest galactic conflict, to someday leave her days of smuggling behind to go home to Panem. But when the Confederacy puts a bounty out on her sister and childhood friend, she finds herself at the center of events she never could have imagined. Star Wars AU.

This is an old story that I’m hoping to get back to very soon. Cross-posted on FFN and AO3.

Prologue

She laid the cards before her with a grace that only years of practice could provide. The leftmost came first. The Evil One. Flipping the center revealed the Destroyed Starship. The air suddenly went cold around her. The woman blew out the candle beside her, for the galaxy held some things the light should never touch. Lit only by the sliver of moonlight that crept into her room, she reached for the last card, her hand trembling.

"The Evil One, the Destroyed Starship, and the Queen of Air and Darkness," she whispered into the night. "The Evil One, the Destroyed Starship, and the Queen of Air and Darkness." The woman repeated it again and again, backing away from the cards, her fingers tangling in her dark hair. When her back hit the wall, she sank to the ground. "The Evil One, the Destroyed Starship, and the Queen of Air and Darkness." As her knees came up to her chest and her whispers morphed into hysterics, the moon slipped behind the clouds, leaving her with only the darkness for comfort.

The Evil One

Kuat City, Kuat

Rough hands pulled her back, and she felt the cool metal of a blaster barrel against her forehead. "One wrong move, Everdeen, and I'll blast your brains out." The alley had been a bad idea. If she had to get shot, she could at least get shot in a place that didn't reek of fish and where every shadow did not house a different species of vermin.

"I don't have the money, Clove."

"Just the answer I was hoping for." The grip tightened, fingernails digging into the skin of her upper arm, but the woman still did not shoot. Clove always had liked to play with her food.

Katniss' hand crept down towards where her own weapon was stored in a thigh holster. "I'll have it soon, though. We've got this run set up, nice and easy, quick money. We can pay your boss as soon as we -"

"Touch that blaster, and you die."

She raised her right hand. This would be easier if she could see the bounty hunter, but Clove remained behind her, one arm keeping Katniss immobilized while the other kept a blaster at her temple.

"You're out of tricks. That's what you said last time," the bounty hunter continued. "You get the money to me now, today, or you're not gonna live long enough to make that run." Her finger tightened on the trigger, and for a moment, Katniss was certain she was about to die. She steeled herself as best she could, but the shot never came. "You're dealing with dangerous people, Everdeen, and you're way out of your league. You can't really think Cray's going to let you rip him off like that, can you?"

Clove stood a few inches taller than Katniss, and she had a bit more muscle to her as well. Katniss would have a hard time fighting her off. But perhaps, if she played her cards right, it wouldn't come to that. "The job's worth more than I owe. Tell Cray I'll pay him an extra ten percent."

"And how do I know you're not going to run off with the money? I don't even know that this is a real job."

"Would I lie to you about something like this?" The woman spun her around so that they faced each other. Much to Katniss' disappointment, through the entire process, Clove never let go of her arm. She responded with a lopsided grin."Tell you what. We can make an easy ten percent extra for Cray. I know he wants to crack down on people, but he's a businessman first. He won't wanna lose out on a chance like this one. See, Gale and I'll take a loss on this one. Eat the costs ourselves, pass the extra on to you personally. Three thousand, way more than Cray'll pay for me."

The woman wasn't wearing her full armor today. Katniss could understand that. This part of Kuat was far more genteel than the areas she had become accustomed to these last few years. In neighborhoods like this one, where the city planted flowers along the paths and the only places you could get a drink were trendy wine bars with nothing for less than twelve, maybe fifteen credits, body armor did tend to make one stick out. So did carrying two BlasTechs and wearing a chest plate, but Katniss wasn't about to point that out to her. "You'd better be honest about –"

She heard the shot being fired and the scream at the same time, and for a precious few milliseconds, she wasn't sure which had come first. But Katniss' instincts had been honed through years of living on the edge of the law, and her body moved without her mind's conscious involvement. She swung for Clove's unprotected abdomen, her elbow connecting with the soft flesh there. Before she fully realized what she was doing, Katniss began to scan the area, blaster in hand, searching for other potential attackers. Spotting nothing, she turned back to see Clove lying on the ground, her face already ashen and still.

"Katniss!"

Ignoring the man's voice, she kicked away Clove's two blasters before kneeling down next to the other woman. She watched her face for any trace of motion and, seeing none, grabbed her wrist to check for a pulse. "Gale, you didn't have to do that. I had it under control."

"She had you immobilized and staring down the end of her blaster. I don't think that counts as being in control." He had just killed a woman. He shouldn't sound so collected and in control.

"I was going to buy her off!"

"And now you don't have to. Come on, let's get out of here. If Clove's here, Cato can't be far behind."

He tugged on her sleeve, and Katniss pushed him away. "Don't touch me."

Gale shrugged. "Fine, Catnip. But I'm not going to apologize for killing Clove when she had her blaster to your forehead."

"Then you can apologize for the fact that neither of us will be able to show our faces anywhere in the system again. This isn't some seedy tapcaf. The people that live here keep flowerbeds in a city where land goes for ten thousand credits per square meter. You really think they don't have holocams watching us right now? Think the authorities haven't been alerted already?"

"Then that's all the more reason to get out of here. Come on."

She couldn't argue with that, so she followed him, almost having to run to keep up with his brisk pace. Already, she could see well-dressed Kuati watching them, a few of their mouths hanging wide open while children or pets begged for their attention. More worryingly, she spotted a handful with tall, muscular non-humans behind them. Given how paranoid the Kuati could be, she would bet anything they were bodyguards. Though, she supposed, considering that their most recent run had been for a Kuati judge high enough up on the food chain that she could afford to have close to three million credits worth of high-quality glitterstim delivered directly to her, maybe they were right to be concerned. What mattered right now was that one or two pointed hand-held holocams in their direction.

Katniss nodded to Gale, and they turned down a side street. Her knees pounded and every strike of foot against duracrete made the split in her side scream, but they couldn't stop yet. "Find a speeder to hotwire, and let's get out of here," she gasped.

She had hardly finished her sentence when Gale grabbed her arm. "This one. C'mon." He hopped into the driver's seat of the roofless model, and a few deft movements later, he had the engine roaring to life beneath them.

District 12, Panem

The lines of the ledger sheet ran together as he studied the document. Peeta tapped his pen against the counter in time with the whirring of the fan above. Though he kept every window open, the summer always brought weeks of heat and humidity to the district, and the oven only made the heat even more unbearable.

An excuse to look away from the ledger came when the bell above the door rang. "Good afternoon."

"Afternoon, Peeta." Darius tossed him a lazy half-salute as he stepped inside, allowing the screen door to slam shut behind him. "How you doing today?"

"Hot, but I'm doing all right. How 'bout you? What can I help you with today?"

The Peacekeeper peeled a piece of flimsi off the top of the pile he carried and handed it to Peeta. "You got a place to hang this up? I've got to get them up in all the businesses in this part of town."

EXTENDED CURFEW HOURS

2000 TO 0600 HOURS

INCREASED PENALTIES STRICTLY ENFORCED

Peeta did his best to keep his voice steady. "Sure, will over there work?" He nodded towards the far wall.

"Yeah, I think it should. Mind if I use the glue, or do you have something else you'd like me to use?"

"The glue's fine." Peeta watched as Darius got to work. "Can I get you something to drink? I've got some lemonade, if you'd like any."

"Yes, please. It's like a furnace out there. I don't know how you stand it in here all day."

"You get used to it after a while." He fetched the pitcher of lemonade from the cooler, savoring the blast of cold air it released when opened. When he returned to the front, Darius sat at the counter, waiting for him. Once two tall glasses had been poured, the real conversation could begin. "Two hours on both sides is sure going to be a pinch on us. Think you'll be making some exceptions? I need to be at the bakery by five hundred hours at the latest to get the ovens up and running."

"Can't you old man do it? He's still living upstairs, isn't he?"

"He is, but my mother hasn't been well, and he can't leave her alone for an hour. Rye and I have been pretty well running the place for the last few months." He took a long drink of lemonade. Outside, he could hear children playing. Peeta couldn't help but wonder how soon that sound might become foreign.

"Sorry to hear that, mate. I wish I could help, but I'm not allowed to grant exceptions. You could try and bring it up with Commander Thread."

"Do you think it'd help?" The look on Darius' face told him the answer. Instead, he tried a different approach. "It says there are increased punishments. Are they raising the fines?"

Darius winced. "Don't be out past curfew, and you won't find out." He drained the rest of his glass. "Thanks for the lemonade, Peeta, but I've got to get going. The commander wants all of these in place before the formal announcement tonight. Take care of yourself, all right?"

"You too, Darius." He showed the man out, waving to the children that played tag in the square. Though it was only early afternoon, he flipped the sign from open to closed and locked the door. He read the sign over once more before he returned to the back to start the day's clean up.

Im'g'twe Hills, Geonosis

The rocky hills not far outside Geonosis' capital city held many secrets. Orange spires dozens of stories tall stabbed into the sky, while at their bases, meter-long, six-legged lizards scurried into the shadows as she passed. With their collective love of blood sports, the Geonosians had hunted the most dangerous beasts of these hills to extinction hundreds of years ago. But as Johanna had learned over the last three days of trekking, even without its native monsters, Geonosis could still be deadly. Winds that reached ninety, perhaps a hundred kilometers per hour whipped at her face, sending sand and dirt hurtling towards her eyes and mouth. She sported hundreds of tiny cuts where the jagged pieces had ripped at both her clothing and the skin underneath.

Though her throat was parched, Johanna hesitated to drink the few precious drops of water that remained in her canteen. She had found a spring the first day, but since then, there had been no water to be seen. There had to be water somewhere, because otherwise the lizards would not be able to live here, but it was well-hidden.

At the low, dull roar of an engine, Johanna pressed herself into one of the crevices in the rock formation. The ship flew low over the hills, far lower than there should be any reason to. According to her maps, there wasn't another settlement for eighty kilometers in that direction.

But maps, particularly official ones, often neglected to mention the most interesting features. Seven years in Intelligence had taught her that. She grabbed her macrobinoculars from her equipment belt and trained them on the ship. Johanna watched in amazement as a hole easily a hundred meters wide opened up in the ground, easily swallowing the freighter before disappearing again.

She typed a short request for backup into her datapad. Johanna had little doubt of her ability to get into the facility, but nobody hid hangars underground and kilometers away from civilization if they wanted them to be found. Getting out - and living to tell the tale - might be more of a challenge. She had better get on with it, then. Johanna pressed her cheek against the cool stone for just a moment, savoring the partial relief it gave from the sun, tightened the straps on her supply pack, and stepped out of her hiding spot. The hangar couldn't have been more than six or seven kilometers away. She could be there by nightfall and off this Force-forsaken world by morning.

By the time she reached the clearing, Johanna's legs quaked beneath her with every step. Though she was burning up, she hadn't sweat in hours. Johanna knew the symptoms of dehydration, had sat through hours of lectures on what to do in these situations, but she couldn't stop now. Air patrols swept the area at least every half hour, and she had dodged more than one ground force in the last two kilometers. She took that as a sign that she was honing in on her target. Excellent.

She stopped when she reached the clearing. This was going to be the tricky part. Though she couldn't spot any obvious holocams or guard stations, there had to be eyes watching, guarding this place. Nobody would build a hangar out here if they weren't going to protect it from prying eyes. Her vision swam, and unconsciousness beckoned to her, inviting, but Johanna forced herself to focus on the area before her. One couldn't make a perfectly invisible hangar. There must be a seam, a crack, a control panel, something that a well-trained eye could pick up on. And perhaps, had dusk not been fading into night around her, there might have been, but she could see nothing.

Johanna had largely given up on finding the entrance before her backup arrived when she noticed movement on the far side of the clearing. Making sure she was well within the shadow of the spire above, she watched through her macrobinoculars as eight Geonosians emerged from an entryway that had appeared the ground. The eight filed out two by two, maintaining their formation as they headed out in the opposite direction from where she sat. That'd be the next set of guards, then. Good to know.

She waited until they disappeared, then edged her way along the perimeter of the clearing. It took her several minutes to make her way to the entrance. Now that she knew the door's location, it seemed impossible that she had not noticed it earlier. From this angle, the seam in the ground was clearly visible, and it took her only a moment to locate the button that opened the door. A blast of cool air hit her as she descended down the pedramp, and after spending three days out in the heat, she was tempted to stay and enjoy it. Maybe she could find some water down here and…

No, the mission came first. It was a miracle the Geonosians hadn't discovered her presence already; she couldn't tempt fate by wasting any time.

She wandered through long, meandering hallways of the same red stone as the rock formations above. Created for the insectoid Geonosians, even a small human like Johanna had to stoop in the tight space. She kept hold of her blaster at all times, ready for any signs of movement. In the distance, she heard clanging, grinding, the sounds of industry, heavy manufacturing. After rounding one more corner, the cramped space opened up into a huge cavern. Johanna found herself on a catwalk above an enormous assembly line. Workers poured liquid metal into molds in time with a mechanical stamp. The chamber stretched on for as far as she could see in every direction, and the entire area was consumed in a hive of activity. Johanna traced through the steps of production, from wiring to stamping to molding, back for another round of wiring, and so on. With the exception of scale, it was nothing she had not seen before. But when she craned her neck back, she could see rows upon rows of the final product, and it made her blood run cold.

Battle droids, hundreds of them. And that had to be just today's creations, for as she watched, fifty, a hundred more came off the assembly lines. How many could this facility produce in a week, a month? No world needed those kinds of forces for self-defense alone.

Johanna grabbed the holocam from her belt. With fumbling hands, she turned it on and trained it on the lines below. "This is Agent Johanna Mason, reporting from the Im'g'twe Hills region of Geonosis, coordinates one-seven-niner-niner-three-eight. I have found an unregistered underground factory that produces battle droids." Right now, even the act of talking made her stomach churn, and she worried she would collapse where she stood. Not certain what else to say, Johanna guided the lens towards the finished droids. Her hand froze of its own accord.

Her eyes widened, and she tried to retreat back into the shadows, but her body remained frozen. A horrible buzzing filled her mind, insectoid chittering that drowned out any rational thought besides the searing pain in her hand. Johanna's knees crumpled beneath her, and the last thing she remembered was the pool of liquid metal that had once been her holocam burning through the flesh of her palm.

District 12, Panem

After that day, the new decrees came quickly. Longer hours in the mines. Increased quotas. Lower pay. Limited permissible travel between the main town and the outlying villages. Frictions rose along with the temperatures. Old disputes between neighbors, unpaid debts that hadn't been mentioned in years, any excuse for a fight got tempers flared up in the once-peaceful district. Peeta tried not to think of the daily scuffles as foreshocks, but everyone realized the big one had to be coming soon.

The situation had been bad for business. Before the pay cuts, a few of the better-to-do miners had bought their bread from the bakery, and a handful even made a weekly habit of picking up a treat or two. But when you never knew if today was the last day you'd be able to afford to feed your family, bakery bread seemed too large a luxury for anyone. Still, Rye showed up as early as he could in the mornings to fire up the ovens, and Peeta stayed late every evening to get every customer they could. Today he'd baked only five loaves, less than a tenth what he would before the decrees, and at closing time, three of them still sat before him.

He ripped a chunk off and stuffed it into his mouth. At least it tasted good. Peeta wrapped one of the others up in a clean cloth for Rye in the morning. The third, he took with him for his parents as he headed upstairs. The new decrees had made it impossible for him to fulfill his obligations at the bakery while continuing to live on his own. It saved him some rent money. Maybe he'd have a little cushion built up by the time things calmed down.

While he wiped down the counters, he heard noises outside. A quick look at the chrono told him it was well past curfew. A flash of orange light joined the shouting.

The Seam. The neighborhood of ramshackle huts where the miners lived. It had to be. And if that place lit on fire, with all that fine layer of coal dust they never managed to quite clean away…

Peeta was out the door in an instant, consequences be damned. As he raced towards the Seam, he saw other townspeople emerging from their houses and shops. A few ran towards the scene as well, but many stood, taking in the curiosity of the faraway flames and screams. He wanted to drag them along, but Peeta couldn't stop now. He remembered all too well the last fire they'd had in the Seam. Clothes left too close to an open fireplace, the official ruling had been. Completely accidental. But that hadn't stopped it from killing eleven people, three entire families. And compared to the flames that danced in the sky tonight, that thing had been tiny.

The bang of a gunshot echoed in his ears, and for the first time, it occurred to Peeta that the fires might not be accidental. But he refused to stop now, when so many people were in danger, and –

The scene that greeted him was one straight from hell. Flames burst from the windows and ate at the roofs of the few houses left standing. In the smoke, he could make out only outlines of the flailing bodies. Only a few meters away, a woman lay, bleeding from a wound in her face. Peeta started towards her, but a young girl got there first. Satisfied that she would be well taken care of, he began to look for the other wounded.

"Step away from her." At the cold voice, Peeta stopped, only to realize the words had not been intended for him. "I said step away."

Peeta turned to see a Peacekeeper level his blaster at the girl and the old woman, and without thinking, he hurtled himself towards the man. He hadn't wrestled in years, but once you learned the basics, you never forgot them. With the man pinned under him, Peeta managed to grab the gun away. One shot, and it was over.

"Peeta?" the girl asked, questioning.

He didn't tear his eyes away from the face of the Peacekeeper. Romulus Thread. It had to be. The world dropped out from underneath him, and he was falling. This was it. They wouldn't let him live after this. Dad, Rye, Mom, they were all practically dead already. He shouldn't have come. He should stay here and let himself and the body burn so nobody would ever have to know what happened. He should –

Small hands grabbed him, pulling him up. "Peeta, come on! We need to get out of here!" The girl, Prim, he remembered dully, Katniss' sister, dragged him along, and eventually, he ran to keep up with her. "We need to get out of Twelve. Your family has a speeder, right?"

"Yeah."

"We're gonna need it." Together, they raced towards the bakery. He could still hear the screams. He could go back now, save them, die with them. But Prim kept him moving back into town, part of an exodus from the Seam as everyone who could still stand evacuated.

It took only a few minutes to reach the shed where the Mellarks kept their beat-up old speeder. "You get in and get it started. I've got to grab something."

"Hurry."

He raced up the stairs two at a time. "Dad! Get Mom ready to go. We need to get out of here." Peeta ran into his bedroom, grabbing the sack of credits he'd been saving these last few weeks. "Dad, come on!"

"Go on, Peeta. We'll only slow you down."

"Dad, no, you don't understand. You'll die if you stay here."

"And if we go with you, we all will." His father had never looked older than in that moment. Blue eyes so much like his own met his. "Go." Daniel Mellark flinched as one of the downstairs windows shattered. "Go!" He pushed Peeta towards the stairs, and with one last look at his father, he hurried downstairs to where Prim and escape waited for him.

Abernathy's Cantina, Coruscant

Haymitch leaned back in his seat, the booth creaking with his weight. Over the last twenty years, his cantina had become a hotspot for smugglers, thieves, bounty hunters, and the other lowlifes that lurked about in the midlevels. If you were down on your luck and looking for work, you came to Abernathy's. Simple as that. "Seems to me like you've got an easy way out of this mess you got yourself into."

Katniss watched him over the rim of her glass. "I'm listening."

"Sell her off. The money'll be enough to pay off Cray and have someone smuggle your sister and mom out of Twelve. Or you could try your luck and see if you can get 'em out yourself."

"And then what do I do?"

"Settle down and go straight." Haymitch took another swig from his glass, finishing off his whiskey. Katniss was surprised it had lasted him this long. Though, she supposed, she wasn't sure how deep into his cup he'd been when she showed up. It was hard to tell with Haymitch. "It ain't fun, sweetheart, but we all have to give it up eventually."

That was rich, coming from him. She crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not selling the Mockingjay. Cray can take her from my cold, dead hands."

"You think he won't? For a smart girl, you can sure be pretty stupid." He motioned for the waitress droid to grab him another drink, and she slapped one down on the table in front of him. "Thank you, ma'am. Hey, Rosie, why don't you grab another one for my friend here. Maybe she'll be a little more reasonable once I get her liquored up."

Katniss waited until the droid was well out of earshot to respond. Haymitch wouldn't bug the droids in here to eavesdrop, and he was smart enough to regularly check them for listening devices, but some caution in these situations never hurt. "I came here to see if you knew about shipments that needed delivering, not so you could tell me how to live. Trust me, if I was looking for life advice, you're the last person I'd ask." She should be glad the man had a soft spot for young smugglers from Panem, and grateful that the man had kept an eye out for her these past few years, but that didn't mean she had to appreciate his tendency to meddle in her affairs.

"I'm still alive, aren't I? The way you're going, you'll be lucky to make twenty-five. I don't think a single one of the idiots here'd take bets on thirty."

He had a point there, but Katniss wasn't about to give in so easily. "And if you stop, you might even stay that way for a little longer."

Rosie, or RZ-68, returned with another glass of whiskey for Katniss. "There's a message for you in the back, Haymitch," she said. A thick Coruscanti accent that surely hadn't been in the droid's original programming flavored her words. When he didn't get up fast enough for her, she added, "It said it was urgent." No droid had that much personality programmed in, but given Haymitch's tendency to not memory wipe his droids, it wasn't hard to believe Rosie was as much a person as anyone else here.

Katniss couldn't help but smile as Haymitch staggered back into the small office space. Habit made her check her surroundings. Neon signs lit up the bar area and the seats right next to the single, grimy window, but Haymitch allowed the rest of the cantina to remain dark. It'd been a good business decision, for the types of deals cut in this establishment were ones neither party would want brought up in the courts. In the shadows, she could make out only shapes. A few humanoids played sabacc in the corner, and in two of the booths, beings leaned in towards each other, doing their best not to be overheard. A man at the bar eyed her, but when Katniss glared at him, he turned back to his drink. Good.

Haymitch not so much sat as collapsed into his seat, his face pale. "They burned the Seam."

Those words hit her with more force than a physical blow. "Is Prim all right? My mom? Who did it? Did everyone make it out?"

"Katniss, you need to calm down. I don't know what happened to your mother."

Kriff him. The hell was wrong with him that he could keep calm when someone had kriffing burned their home to the ground? Haymitch might still think of himself as a Seam man, but Coruscant had changed him. Nobody with any real allegiance to Twelve or its people would be able to sit here, nice and calm, and just take what had happened. No, they had to fight, had to stop this from happening again, had to make them pay for what they'd –

Then, it hit her. "Do you know what happened to Prim?"

"There's a warrant out for her arrest. I don't know anything else."

Her body went terribly still, but her mind raced a thousand different directions, none of them good. Katniss' heart pounded against her chest, and she wondered if this was what a heart attack felt like, because wasn't it shock that caused those? And it wouldn't really matter if she died, not right now, now that Thread had Prim, was going to kill her, and Katniss didn't have much use for life after that.

Haymitch's hand on her cheek pulled her away from her thoughts. "Katniss, think about it for a minute. They have a warrant out for her arrest. What does that mean?" He waited a moment for her to answer, but all she could think of was Prim. Haymitch leaned in closer, grey eyes intense. "They don't know where she is, Katniss. If they did, they'd already have her."

"And we need to find her before Thread does," she supplied.

"There's my girl on fire." Any other time, she would have kicked him under the table for using that old nickname, but right now, it felt appropriate.

Intelligence Headquarters, Coruscant

"You think I made it all up." Johanna searched the three faces for any hint of sympathy, but she found none. One, she couldn't get much of a read at all on, and given that the other two appeared downright hostile, she doubted she was going to get very far with this group. Standing in the center of the small room, with the three strangers seated before her, blocking her path to the door, she was trapped. "You don't think any of what I saw was real."

"You have been put through an extensive array of screenings, Agent Mason," one of them, a gaunt female Ishi Tib Johanna knew only as Captain Ishgard, said. "We have no doubt that you believe that you saw a manufacturing plant on Geonosis. But all the other evidence presented to us suggests otherwise."

"I know what I saw."

This time, it was the Bothan to her left that spoke. "And perhaps you believe you do, but your report states that you collapsed inside the facility. Agent Blight found you outside in the desert only two hours after your last comm call, unconscious due to severe dehydration." She had never liked Captain Kan'fey, and given how this meeting had been going so far, Johanna doubted that was going to change anytime soon.

This meeting had toed the line between debriefing and interrogation from the very beginning, but now, Johanna felt that it had shifted too far towards interrogation. "How do you explain this, then?" She held out her hand, still bandaged after a week spent in a bacta tank. The medics said she might regain full use of it someday, but only with months of bacta treatments and physical therapy. The only part of that message that had really sunk in was the 'might'. She had seen too much of the galaxy to ever bet on the good outcome.

"There are many ways you could have injured your hand without entering a secret underground factory." The Bothan delivered his words with the same slow, patronizing tone that one might use with a small child.

Ignoring the pain that blazed up her arm, Johanna undid the bandage. "Then tell me, how did this happen?" Captain Ishgard winced at the sight before her. Underneath the bandage, the skin was puckered, scarred red and violet all the way across her palm and up onto her wrist. "Tell me, huh? How did I manage to get liquid metal poured all over my hand? Because even while I was dehydrated, I'm pretty kriffing sure I would have noticed that happening. And no hallucination would've been able to do that by itself."

At this, the human woman before her smiled. The only one of her interrogators that Johanna had not known before today, she had remained silent through the entire debriefing. Johanna was about to ask her what she wanted, if she thought that her wound and the circumstances surrounding it were funny, but something stopped her. "Do you mind if I see for myself?" the old woman asked, her voice both soft as a whisper and strong enough to carry to the corners of the room.

Johanna shook her head and held out her arm. Her eyes widened when she felt something brush against her mind. "Don't be afraid, Johanna. I'm not going to hurt you." Without conscious thought, the events on Geonosis replayed themselves in perfect clarity. Johanna relived the landing, the hike, finding the factory, the holocam melting in her hand. Kriff, it hurt as much this time as it had the last, and maybe she had hallucinated it, because this type of pain could only come once, and –

As suddenly as the flashback had begun, she returned to reality. "What did you do?" she asked, breathless.

"If you don't mind, Johanna, I would like you to return to Geonosis as a guide to my former apprentice. Whatever the wishes of Republic Intelligence might be, the Jedi Order will want this matter investigated further."

One-Eyed King, en route to Corellia

His stomach grumbled. It had been what, thirty, forty hours since he'd last eaten? Longer since he'd slept. Peeta rubbed his temples, doing his best to fend off what had turned into one hell of a headache.

"Peeta?" Even Prim's whisper made his head pound. "What are we going to do after this?"

He had to think about that one for a moment. For the last day and a half, his every thought had been consumed with trying to survive the next ten minutes. Getting out of Twelve, the speeder ride to Eleven, securing transport off world before the Peacekeepers locked down the district… none of it had left time to make a long-term plan. But now, safely aboard the One-Eyed King and en route to Corellia, they had to think further ahead. "Do you have a way to get ahold of your sister?" he asked. The girl paused. "Prim, I need to know. You can trust me. I'm not going to turn her in."

"I know the comm code for Uncle Haymitch's cantina on Coruscant. He'll be able to get ahold of Katniss."

Peeta nodded. "We'll call him once we land on Corellia, have her come get you there."

"How are we going to pay for it? I don't have any money." She was what twelve, maybe thirteen or fourteen at the most? Children, even capable ones like Prim, shouldn't have to worry about such things. The Seam made them grow up hard and far too soon.

He thought about the rapidly-dwindling supply of credits in his pocket. There should be enough in there for a comm call. Not much after that, but he would be all right. A grown man could fend for himself a lot better than a teenage girl could. "Don't worry, I'll pay for it."

"And what will you do?"

"Still figuring that one out." He laid back against the metal floor. "Get some sleep, Prim. I know the floor's not comfortable, but it's as good as we're going to get for a while."

Jedi Temple Hangars, Coruscant

The weird little old lady who turned out to be a Jedi Master and her tall, sun-bronzed prot égé made an odd pair. Mags leaned heavily on her cane as she spoke to him in hushed tones. Johanna knew they intended for this to be a private moment, but Intelligence had trained her too well for her to not listen in. The hangars beneath the Jedi Temple must have been designed by an eavesdropper. They lacked the constant activity she'd come to associate with docking bays all over the galaxy, and the acoustics

"Be careful, Finnick. Darkness surrounds us."

He nodded, absolutely serious. Gods, they were sickening. "I will be." Finnick Odair looked like he had come straight out of some Jedi holodrama. With the robes, the perfectly disheveled hair, and those brilliant green eyes, he was probably some casting director's wet dream brought to life. If she was dumb enough to judge on looks alone, she would have bet he could help her. Lucky for the universe, she wasn't quite that stupid. Nobody, Jedi or not, could be prepared for their first real mission. She didn't care if he'd been in dangerous situations a million times with some Jedi Master or another. It wasn't the same as being stuck in a tight spot with nobody but yourself to rely on.

"Are we ready?" Johanna butted in. The sooner they finished their little lovefest, the sooner they could get to Geonosis and end this kriffing nightmare.

Mags nodded. "May the Force be with you," she said to Finnick.

"And with you as well, Master." With a pat on the cheek, Mags nudged him towards where Johanna waited. "Ready?" he asked.

She didn't bother to answer that, instead hoisting her bag onto her shoulder and heading up the pedramp. He followed close behind. Johanna knew Finnick planned on piloting the shuttle they'd been provided for the mission, but she plopped herself down in the pilot's seat. He didn't argue the point. "So, this is your first time away from home, huh?"

"I've been on missions before. Don't worry about me." Cocky. Just her luck.

Fine, she could work with this. She'd just have to whip him into shape. "Not worrying about each other is how mission partners end up dead." Johanna busied herself with the pre-flight checklist, but she could still feel his eyes on her. "What?" she snapped.

He gave her a wide grin that had to have melted hearts from here to the Outer Rim. "Trust me. What could go wrong?"

Jedi Temple, Coruscant

"You believe that the Intelligence agent's worries have merit?"

She nodded. "I have seen what she encountered there. The mind is powerful, but no delusions are so detailed. Whatever Republic Intelligence may choose to believe, Agent Mason did stumble across a battle droid factory." Thoughts such as these had no place in the meditation chambers. Hundreds of such rooms littered the Jedi Temple, furnished with soft chairs designed to accommodate thousands of species and gentle lighting. The Temple's designers had envisioned them as chambers of peace and tranquility, not war.

Master Woof, her colleague of over eighty years, watched her carefully. "And when you peered into Agent Mason's memories, did you find any indication of the motivation behind this army's creation? Snow already holds absolute power over his Confederacy. He has little use for so many battle droids within his own territories."

"And we are so certain it is within his own territories that he plans on deploying them?" she asked.

Woof shook his head. "The Masters have not foreseen such an event."

"The Masters also failed to sense that Snow was creating a droid army large enough to subdue an entire star system. We can no longer put any faith in what we do or do not sense. The dark side clouds everything, and it is only moving closer."

"Always in motion, the future is," Woof said, adopting the tone and style of their long-departed former master. Mags smiled at the mimicry, a relic of good times unfortunately long since passed. But in times such as these, moments of lightness had to be fleeting. Woof's voice reclaimed its usual soft, serious edge. "It would be in the best interest of all to proceed with caution. You should not have sent Finnick without first consulting the rest of the Council."

The meditation chambers were not a place for sparring, verbal or otherwise, and she did not take kindly to being scolded as one might a disobedient padawan. "The Council," she replied, "would have wasted time debating the matter for hours."

"Avoiding mistrust within the Council is hardly a waste of time."

"Would it have been a waste of time if, as we have so often of late, we had asked the Supreme Chancellor what she wished for us to do? You know how Chancellor Coin would have reacted. The woman doesn't believe in the power of the Force, would have said I was looking to broaden the powers of the Jedi through making false claims. Even though the droids make a direct threat to Republic security, she would not have wanted to risk angering Snow by sending Jedi in. By the time we managed to get Finnick off-world – if we managed to get Finnick off-world, there's no guarantees on that – he could have an army large enough to topple the Republic!" Mags realized she was ranting, and she stopped herself. She felt a rush of guilt at the thought of arguing in the meditation chambers, but in the face of evil, conflict sometimes had to replace quiet contemplation.

Woof stayed silent for a long moment before nodding. "I understand your frustrations, but what would you propose as a solution? The Council governs the Jedi, ensures that individuals are kept accountable for their actions. Even as Council members ourselves, we cannot disregard its collective authority, for -"

"For without it, we are no better than the Sith, just individuals more powerful than others and with a will to shape the galaxy in our own image," she finished for him. "I know, Wolf. There's no good solution. But there is a very real problem."

"That, I think we can all agree on."

Abernathy's Cantina, Coruscant

Dried blood crusted under her fingernails, and her hands stung, but Katniss could not stop picking at the skin around her nails. The first two hours, she had braided and unbraided her hair, but it had started falling out, first only one or two strands at a time, then three, four, five. She would have to find something else soon, hopefully before she did any real damage.

These were the thoughts she allowed herself to think. The ones that hovered at the edge of her consciousness were the ones that could really bite. Six hours, and Haymitch hadn't been able to locate Prim. Katniss would owe him a lot after this. Comm calls halfway across the galaxy didn't come cheap, and to reach Panem, which officially allowed no information to flow out or in became very expensive very quickly. She had long since lost count of how many favors he had cashed in tonight. For a barkeeper in a seedy neighborhood, he had friends in very high places. And his network reached deep into the Confederacy's government. Every few minutes, the datapad before her would ping with a new message, and she would grab it before the man could, and each time, she was disappointed. She swore they now had the location of everyone in Panem except Prim.

Gale had paced behind her for the first few hours, to the point where Katniss had wondered if perhaps he had worn a path into the cheap linoleum flooring. She had been annoyed enough to snap at him once or twice about it, early on. She had her habits too, but at least they were quiet. Now, she wished he would start again. Nobody should have to hear that news.

"No Everdeens, huh? How about Mellark? The bakers, you know them?" She heard garbled voices, the other end of Haymitch's conversation. "Peeta, the youngest one, maybe nineteen or twenty. You heard anything about him?" More noise. "That's the older one, Rye, I think. Yeah, yeah, I know. Hard to tell 'em apart. Listen, you hear anything more, you get ahold of me all right? You know how to find me."

"No luck?" she asked, more to check that she could still talk than because she would learn anything new.

Haymitch shook his head. "No luck." He peered around her, towards the back exit, always handy in these types of establishments. "How's Gale doing?"

"Not sure. He left 'bout twenty minutes ago. Didn't say anything about where he was headed."

"And you let him go after what he just heard? The hell are you thinking, Katniss?"

Her face flamed. Still, she refused to admit fault, even to Haymitch. Especially to Haymitch. "Gale is an adult. He can do what he wants."

The man snorted. "And is that what you're going to tell the security forces when they ask you to identify the body tomorrow morning? Kriff, Katniss, it's admirable to care about your sister, but you can't let your friend jump off a pedwalk because you've got your head to far up your –"

"Stop it, okay? Stop it. You could have stopped him too. This isn't just my fault."

"I've been trying to find your sister for the past –"

"Fine. I'll find him," she said.

Haymitch watched her warily. "You have no idea where he went, remember?"

Katniss shrugged. "I'll manage. If anybody knows how to find Gale, it's me." Somehow, she managed to sound a lot more confident about that than she felt.

"You know your way around this level? Got a way I can get ahold of you?"

"I'm not an idiot, Haymitch."

"You sure?" She snorted at his comment and grabbed her jacket from where she'd left it next to the door. "Sure, fine, you've got a decent head on your shoulders, and sometimes, you even use it. But you're also a pretty girl walking around the midlevels at night. It doesn't hurt to check."

"Save your worrying for someone who needs it." Even with her jacket on, the blast of cool air when she opened the door surprised her. It would be summer back home, and though she hadn't been back to Twelve in years, it still felt wrong that it was what passed for winter here. Katniss stepped out, then ducked her head back in. "You'll call me if you hear something, right? You've got my comm code?"

"You'll know the second I do, sweetheart." Kriff if he couldn't make even endearments sound like insults.

There had not been a reliable survey of Coruscanti population trends in centuries, perhaps millennia. Every few years, some professor at some prestigious university would undertake the project, armed with millions in government grant credits to do what no one else had managed. But when it came to this project, even brilliance, the latest, most advanced methods, and a generous helping of good intentions were not enough. First off, the population was a moving target. Beings moved in and out of Coruscant at a rate that could empty and repopulate average-sized planets in a week. Certain species proved difficult to count. Did Echinae, which wandered about as seven seeming-individuals during their youth but bonded into one hyper-intelligent being only weeks into their year-long lifespan, count as one being or seven? What about hive-minded beings where one queen achieved sentience while her workers were little more than low-functioning organic droids?

But those were drips in a proverbial pond compared to the sheer size of Coruscant. What must once have been merely urban sprawl had crawled over the surface, bricking over lakes, leveling mountains to make way for building upon building. Now, few of the super-skyscrapers that covered the city-planet's surface touched bedrock, instead building their foundations on top of the ruins of older, smaller structures. All the professors ever managed were estimates. Some said nine hundred billion, some went as high as two trillion. Though the second figure seemed high to most experts, no one could prove it wrong. Most books went with the nice, round one trillion figure.

In any case, Coruscant had become a sea of living things, the perfect place to hide and never be found. And Gale, it seemed, planned to make excellent use of it.

Half an hour of looking later, she had managed to comb through perhaps five or six blocks, and that included only the publicly-accessible streets and establishments on this level. He easily could have gone a few up or a few down on one or another of the turbolifts that dotted the sides of the buildings.

She would know if he jumped. Katniss told herself that again and again as she searched. She had known, deep in her gut, when the mine collapsed, burying her father. Even before the search teams had managed to dig out the tunnel, she knew that Lark Everdeen wouldn't be returning to the surface except in a body bag. No, she couldn't think about that, not now. The dead were beyond saving; Gale needed all her attention.

Katniss gave up conscious thought and let her feet take her wherever they willed. Why not? Being deliberate and methodical hadn't gotten her anywhere. She knew this part of the city from years of coming to Abernathy's, so getting lost wasn't going to be a problem. She didn't really note where she was headed as she went through narrow, winding alleyways and crossed busy pedwalks so high that one could see nothing but city and sky when they looked down from them. Alien languages danced around her, animated and lively. Some, she could understand, most she didn't. Once or twice, she'd catch the eye of some shady being, but a glare was always enough to send them scurrying back into the shadows. Though it was counterintuitive, the streets here got safer as the night went on, for the beings really itching for a fight had already made their ways to the lower levels.

And she found herself in an outdoor café, closed at this time of night, but not at all securely guarded. Katniss stepped over the rope that separated it from the boulevard to join the figure hunched at one of the cheery yellow tables.

"Fancy finding you here," she said in her best attempt at lightness.

Something akin to a smile pulled at Gale's cheeks, but he said nothing.

"I'm really sorry about what happened to your family. That's terrible."

"Yeah, me too."

Hugging him felt off, for they had long avoided any kind of physical affection, but she gave it a try anyway. With any other two people, it would have been warm and comforting. The hug only managed to make her feel even more inadequate of a friend. "Want to get back to Haymitch's? He's worried about you."

"You can. I just want to sit for a while."

Silence moments felt longer than loud ones. Maybe it was a fundamental rule of the universe, maybe it was just human perception, but you couldn't do anything to convince Katniss otherwise. But in that time, she kept returning to the same thoughts again and again until she could no longer keep silent. "I'm going to make him pay for this."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I'm going to make Snow wish he never so much as thought about the Seam."

Gale snorted. "And how are you going to do that? One woman and a beat-up ship against the Confederacy? I don't think I could talk anyone into taking odds on that."

Solid reasoning, at least on the surface, but she had to point out the flaw. "I've got a copilot too, right?"

He smiled, and hell if that wasn't worth just about anything. Now, all she had left to do was figure out how to make a half-baked dream of revenge into a very satisfying reality.

Im'g'twe Hills, Geonosis

"There's something down there, that's for sure."

"You really thought I'd made the whole thing up, dragged your sorry skin halfway across the galaxy for it?" she snapped back.

Finnick shrugged and gave her one of those smiles she had learned to hate over these last few days. "A healthy dose of skepticism has never hurt anyone."

"Says the man who believes in magic."

"The Force isn't magic. It's an all-encompassing energy field created by life itself." These Jedi types sure got defensive when someone suggested their sorcery was something less than a perfect science, didn't they?

Johanna rolled her eyes. "Okay, sure. Whatever you say, pal." With that, she turned her attention back to the controls. The Geonosians had to have some kind of defense system in place, or at the very least some type of air traffic controller that should have gotten ahold of them by now. No world, particularly not a world that had enormous, secret manufacturing complexes, would take security so lightly. She had come in through the usual public channels the first time, and so hadn't encountered much scrutiny, but now? She didn't put a lot of faith in luck in general, but in situations like this, such coincidences and oversights became even more suspicious.

Finnick, though, hadn't seemed to catch on yet. "And it's what's telling me that the hills are teeming with life that, according to the official records, shouldn't be there. But don't you worry. I knew you were telling the truth." He added a wink at the end. Kriff, he could really be too smug for his own good sometimes. And now, after almost a week of sharing a space that included only two cramped sleeping bunks, a tiny 'fresher, and the cockpit, she was starting to think that 'sometimes' might actually be 'all the time.'

No matter, none of that charm was going to get to her. Johanna could promise that much. "And if you want to present your magic knowledge to Intelligence as proof that the Geonosians are making battle droids, I'm not going to stop you. I will tell you, though, that command's made up of way bigger skeptics than me, and they'll laugh you out of the room." And they would, too. If they had refused to believe Mags, who had been a respected member of the Jedi Council for longer than Johanna had been alive, when she'd tried to tell them that Johanna's "hallucinations" were nothing of the sort, they surely wouldn't believe Finnick.

"I think I could win them over." He winked, and that urge to smack him reared its ugly head again. At some point, she would have to give into it. If she could limit her observations about Finnick Odair to one point, it would be that people didn't smack that pretty face of his often enough. She would really be doing him – as well as the rest of the galaxy – a huge favor. "What do you think about setting down there?" He nodded towards an area just north of the hills.

"If they'll let us, I suppose it'll work."

"Well, then, let's say hello and ask them." He flicked on the comm unit. "Would you like to do the honors, or should I?" She shrugged, and he leaned in towards the mouthpiece. "Vessel six-five-eff-oh-seven-five, calling Geonosis control. Come in, control." He waited several seconds, looking over to Johanna worriedly when he heard nothing from the other end. Such a delay was commonplace on busy worlds like Coruscant, but they hadn't seen more than a handful of other vessels enter the system. "Vessel six-five-eff-oh-seven-five, calling Geonosis control. Are you there, control? Do you copy?"

The unit fizzed for a moment, and then, finally, a response came. "This is Geonosis planetary control," a female voice, almost certainly a droid for no sentient would be so cheery about a job in space traffic control, replied. "Requesting identification and the purpose of your visit."

"We'll send you our identification information right away," Finnick answered. "And tourism."

Well, there was her confirmation that the controller was a droid. Nobody would believe that Geonosis, with its enormous colonies of insects that rejected all outsiders and inhospitable climate could attract tourists. It was a pretty world, full of beautiful, towering stone spires and red-gold sand, and she had to give it that. Still, there were plenty of other beautiful things to see in this galaxy, and a lot of them didn't require risking one's neck to see. Personally, she would prefer to ooh and ahh over a few pictures of Geonosis then spend her actual vacation time somewhere with five-star resorts and no bugs.

"Verification received. What city would you like to dock in?"

"We'd prefer to be out in the hills, if that's possible. We've heard there's some great hiking out there."

She held her breath at the pause that followed. This could be it. The controller could call them on their bluff, send in the fighters or orbital weapons that they had to have, and there would be pieces of them floating around the system for millennia. "Permission granted. Have a pleasant visit."

"Thank you very much, and have a great day." Finnick grinned at her as he plotted a course for the hills.

The instant he stepped out onto the planet's surface, Finnick was hit with a blast of hot air joined with grains of sand that scraped at his skin. Nice place. From Johanna's descriptions, it was only going to get better. "How are you doing?"

"Just great." She might as well just growl if she was going to take that attitude.

He really shouldn't, but what was fun than poking at an animal that might just bite in return? "So, are you having a good time?"

"You know, Odair? I'm kind of getting a weird feeling about this place."

"Wait, really? What?"

"Well," she put on a perfectly innocent face, which really should have been his first clue something was off, "It's almost like I've been here before."

He snorted. "Any other feelings I should know about?"

"You put too much emphasis on your feelings. Sometimes they aren't intuition, they're just feelings. Everyone's got 'em, and most people know not to put too much thought into them. You Jedi should try it sometime."

"We do have feelings," he protested. "We just don't allow them to govern our actions like most beings do."

"Trust me, if I was governed by my feelings, I would be getting the hell out of here right now."

Johanna obviously wasn't listening, so he let the matter drop. He could always bring it up again later if she seemed more responsive. "How much further until we get to the clearing?" he asked, starting their conversation on a different path. It didn't really matter at this point, since they had to be at least a couple hours away still, but talking would make the time pass more quickly.

She checked her datapad. "Eight and a half kilometers. We've got quite the hike ahead of us."

"Sounds like fun." He adjusted the pack on his back, filled with enough supplies to last the average human male five days. With his Jedi training and careful rationing, Finnick estimated he could stretch it to at least two weeks, maybe three if he kept still.

"Keep up that attitude, Odair, and I'm sure it will be. Just keep your mouth shut and all those lovely thoughts to yourself, and I bet it'll be even better."

They walked in silence for over an hour after that. Every minute or two, he would calm his mind and allow the Force to guide him towards the factory like a homing beacon. Thousands of lives buzzed with constant energy only a hive dedicated to a cause could conjure. They were close now, closer than Johanna's map said they should be. He had little doubt the coordinates she had recorded during her last visit were correct, for she was efficient, if often a little less than friendly. But she had seen only one of many entrances, and if his feeling of where the plant began was anywhere close to accurate, this operation was far larger than Johanna had realized. Stretching his consciousness further, he estimated that it might be as long as four or five kilometers and almost as wide. What Johanna had described to him was big, but it couldn't begin to compare to the entire plant. Hundreds of new droids created every hour, enough to topple entire star systems ready within a month. It had been weeks since Johanna was last here. How many more droids had been built because Intelligence refused to believe one of their own agents? When it came time for those droids to be used – and they would be used, he had no doubt of that – how many more beings would die because they were too stubborn to just listen and act?

So caught up was Finnick in his thoughts that it took him a moment to realize that something had changed. He felt a flash of danger in the Force, and more out of instinct than conscious thought, he grabbed Johanna around the waist, pulling her flush against the cliffisde. "The kriff are you-" she began, but he clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Something's coming," he whispered, scanning the area for any hint as to what had triggered the sensation. Nothing stirred, and for an instant, he wondered if it was just nerves, if the creepiness of the hills had gotten to him. Then came a deep rumbling from beneath them. Red-gray dust rained down on them, and not twenty meters away, a hole in the ground appeared, dilating open like the pupil of some enormous eye.

Fascinating, but he didn't intend on sticking around to watch it. "Run!" he shouted, and Finnick bolted down the canyon, lightsaber in hand. Johanna was in the excellent shape required of an Intelligence field agent, but she couldn't keep up with his Force-augmented speed for long. When she began to slow, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her along, catching a glimpse of the hole behind them as he did. It was as large as their ship now, and he could just spot the tops of a few battle droids emerging from it. "Brace yourself," he warned Johanna only heartbeats before he pushed her into a crevice in the wall. His green lightsaber flared to life, and he batted back two bolts before he even heard them fire. Now that he could get a good look at them, Finnick could get an idea of the severity of the threat. Two dozen droids, and none of them had the yellow markings of the officer class. They must not have been expecting a Jedi. Good.

"Stay here." He wrapped the Force around him like a cloak, feeling that power, warm and seductive, crackle inside him. It took one leap, during which he deflected a handful more shots, to take him behind the droids. He had six on the ground in sizzling pieces before the rest managed to turn around. Finnick sent a few a few more blasts back their way, and they were down a third of their original force. He allowed himself a grin. This was going to be easy.

Johanna had moved out of the crevice and had started to contribute to the blaster fire. With all the noise around him, Finnick didn't even notice until a droid dropped before him for no obvious reason. When he saw the smoking hole in its back, centimeters away from where the heart would be on a human, he chucked Johanna a sloppy salute. Nineteen down, five to go. With any luck, they'd have enough time to get out of here before reinforcements arrived. Intelligence would just have to take his word for it that the factory existed. These droids were falling like dominos, but the two of them wouldn't be nearly as effective against a much larger force.

One more twist of his hand, and the last one crumpled into a twisted ball of durasteel. Finnick kept his lightsaber on for a moment more, half-expecting another droid to come out from the shadows, but only the music of the wind in the canyons greeted him. "Johanna?" he asked as she reached back into the crevice.

"One moment." She pulled out her holorecorder and shot him a wolflike grin. "I think this is all the evidence we'll need." She tucked the device into her belt and started sprinting down the canyon, back towards their ship. "Come on, Odair, what are you waiting for?" her voice echoed back towards him.

He shook his head, taking a moment to wipe the sweat from his forehead before starting after her.

Three more squads attacked them on the hour it took them to run back to the ship. A shot managed to graze Finnick's thigh, but otherwise, they were unscathed. He stood guard as Johanna entered the key code with fumbling hands, and after a few false starts, he raced up the ramp only steps behind her.

He slammed into the pilot's seat and immediately started the launch sequences. "We've got company!" Johanna shouted, too loud for the confined space of the cockpit, and he glanced up to see another squad of twenty-four battle droids emerging from the hillside.

"Get the shields up. I should be able to have us out of here before they get in range."

"On it." Half a second later, a blast rocked the ship, and a dozen sirens started going off. "It's the hyperdrive and the shields. Get us out of here. I'll see what I can do."

He wanted to argue with her, there was fire on the wings for kriff's sake, but she was already gone. Three seconds left in engine warmup, two seconds, one. "Hold on!" he shouted back as he lifted off. The controls shook underneath him, but most of them still seemed to be working, at least. He'd take getting off to a wobbly start over being stuck on the surface with thousands of battle droids any day.

Finnick heard a muffled oof from the back as he took them through the bumpy upper layer of the atmosphere. "Johanna, you need to get your crash webbing on. We're going through the asteroid field for the extra cover."

"Just when I thought this day couldn't get any better." Still, she sat down next to him and engaged her webbing. "I can't do anything for the shields or the hyperdrive until we land. Even then, the hyperdrive's probably going to need a professional."

He nodded, focusing on the asteroid belt before them. "So what you're saying is that we'll be lucky to get through this in one piece."

"We were going to have to be lucky to get through an asteroid field even with shields."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." He jinked and twisted the ship through the outer layer, managing to avoid the bigger rocks. The little ones, smaller than his hand and some only millimeters wide, did their own damage. It wasn't what he would have chosen to do under ideal circumstances, but he couldn't risk going into the denser part of the field, and even the smaller particles should give them enough cover to dissuade pursuit. As it was, the ship couldn't take more than the bare minimum of abuse. The ship buckled beneath them with every collision, and even dust-sized particles getting into the damaged hyperdrive unit ensured they wouldn't be getting out of the system anytime soon. Johanna stayed uncharacteristically silent through the entire affair, and he braved a quick look to find her white-knuckled, holding onto the arms of her seat for dear life, her face a stomach-churning shade of green. "Don't worry. We're almost out."

Perhaps it was the Force punishing him for his moment of inattention, or fate for tempting it, but at the crack that reverberated through the ship a half-second later, Finnick knew some higher power was against him. Dimly, he could hear Johanna retching, but he focused on the diagnostic screens. It had been the landing gear and stabilizers. Fantastic.

As well as he could with the navicomputer half-dead, Finnick plotted a course for the outermost world in the system. He couldn't swear by it, but he seemed to remember that the world, whose name eluded him, had both a small population and enough oxygen that he and Johanna should be able to breathe without masks. They should also manage to get there in only a few minutes. For now, that would have to be enough.

"How are you holding up?" he asked once he was confident they had escaped both the asteroid field and the danger it presented.

"I'm trying to."

"That's all I ask." Finnick reached over and patted her on the shoulder.

"And if you don't keep your hands to yourself, Odair, there'll be pieces of you spread all over the system."

He chuckled at that. Good to see Johanna was feeling better. Now, if he could find a way to keep her that way, he'd be a very happy man indeed. Too bad they were in for what was shaping up to be a crash landing any minute here. "You still got the holorecorder?"

She nodded.

"Keep ahold of it. This is going to be a little rough." He prayed that he wasn't lying, there would only be a little roughness. A bit of turbulence, a few bumps, and they'd be fine. Get much more than that, and Finnick couldn't make any promises. He took a deep breath as the plant expanded before them, growing to take up more and more of the viewport until all he could see was a solid plane of green, which he hoped corresponded to a grassy field on this planet, or perhaps an enormous algae bloom. Something soft and spongy was probably too much to hope for, but he couldn't bring himself to care right now.

The atmosphere was always a little bumpy, that was to be expected, but they should be going slower. He tried to slow them, but the controls were useless, and the Force could only do so much. Johanna screamed, and an instant after he realized that the texture before them had to be grass, pain raced up his spine, his vision exploding into thousands of blindingly bright lights as his entire body screamed in agony for a long moment before everything disappeared.

#star wars #thg #i haven't updated this story in TWO YEARS #but star wars day inspired me to dig up my outline #and i want to get to work tonight!

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4evafitstore · 5 years

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Beats Wireless Earbuds PowerBeats Pro | True Bass Earbuds

Not only in price but also performance it's been quite some time and I'm sorry that's just the truth over the years Beats hasn't really said anything new that is in your audio department but today finally we got the Powerbeats Pro and the specs are quite impressive. Now it's a hefty $250 retail at the time. They're very much on the upper end with the Sennheiser and the Vino truly wireless earphones are priced slightly above and with let's say the bose sound sports the Jabra lineup and also the truly wireless earphones from jaybird those are a little bit below as always. I'll be going over both pros and cons also click on my affiliate links down below for the most updated prices in real time you never know when these things might go on sale.

Overview

Release Date May 2019 Price $249.95 Bluetooth 5.0 weight Earbuds: 21 grams Model Number PowerBeats Pro Waterproof IPX4 Check Price On Amazon

Physical Features

Going over the physical features first. I anticipated these were going to be bulky and they were going to stick out that the earphones would also bounce around during intense movements with my testing on all fronts. They don't, they're actually quite flush against my ear and for the first time I can run with a hoodie on and the earphones don't feel as though they'll fall out from gently rubbing against that fabric. Now with more intense movements simply demonstrate myself jump-roping here I'd never had any doubt that they would fall off and more importantly I don't feel that the ear tips will be lifting off my ears and losing sound quality. That's really impressive, these are truly wireless earphones. One of the issues that I've noticed when I had the Powerbeats 3 now of course cosmetically I think they look pretty damn good too. Now all of this praise off physically being stable it's because of these ears they are adjustable and does retain its shape. They do feel more competent than the Powerbeats 3 as it's a bit stiffer and the casing feels a little bit more durable. So, we'll see over time now I love the fit on my draw bars and my Samsung Galaxy buds more recently those who were great but I will admit the ear hooks do provide that extra level of stability.

water resistance

Now moving on beats are claiming these are water and sweat resistant spraying the crap out of these things right here they are still working perfectly fine. I was hoping for some sort of ingress rating or considering that we've had all this time to design these having it be submersible/ Although overkill would have given me more peace of mind there's a few other competitors out there that offers just that why not the Powerbeats Pro. You can't be in your shower listening songs under heavy water pressures. It's water protection rating IPX4 can't help you there, it has physical buttons and not touch buttons. 12 BEST NOISE CANCELING EARBUDS FOR WORKOUT IN 2020

Mic, Buttons & voice commands

But getting a closer look easily identifiable multi-function button. The actions are identical on either side which I really liked. Little volume rocker buttons are located at the very top and also are easily identifiable. Everything is there except for transparency mode. Maybe some people call it here through ambient to air whatever name these companies give them beats does not have the ability to turn on the internal microphones so you can hear your environmental noises nearly. Everyone else is offering it and I know a bunch of you use it for safety while running. Some uses these truly wireless earphones while working to hear if your boss sneaks up on you. We don't get that again with your Powerbeats Pro. Last test I confirm you can activate Siri with your voice as it seems to always be listening for that command. Awesome feature or of course you can always hold down the beats logo again on either side of these earbuds. Now with Android using my voice didn't work for me. You can only activate Google assistance with the button press or telling the button hold all right.

Bluetooth & Apple H1 Chip

Now moving on to the good stuff here. The technology there's this new Apple H1 Chip inside and it's working wonders. Yes, you do get amazing fast and seamless bluetooth pairing a very similar experience to those who had ear pods previously and with my iPhone I'm averaging about two seconds when the case opens to when the iPhone brings up this cool 3d spinning thing in battery life. In states definitely fast enough for me though but I love how seamless and more importantly how consistent it's been with Android, it's honestly not a slouch either. On screen is proof with my new pixel 3a I've been testing it connects on average in three seconds. Either scenario either phones by the time you put these earphones back into your ear. Adjust them, get them properly seated. It's already been paired. Now since we're on the topic of Bluetooth, yes, I can't connect to more than one device at a time. yes, after testing playing video on either Android or iPhone where the YouTuber Netflix, I had zero syncing issues. Now although I couldn't find if the Powerbeats Pro uses bluetooth 5.0 or not which is typically used to signify which version a device uses. Apple States instead on their websites this uses a class 1 signal instead which means the earphones should be good up to 150 to 200 linear feet and yes wireless range and stability it has been great. I've been able to walk my entire apartment here with several walls in between and had zero signal loss. Now I also couldn't find if beats use apdex HD to determine how high of a resolution audio file it can handle but again I usually don't as there's been some great headphone / earphones without that high-resolution designation.

Battery & charging case

In addition to that chip we get one of the best battery performances on any truly wireless earphones that I've tested. Fast fuel just 5 minutes on that charger gives you back an hour and a half. This is the fastest I've experienced on any pair of truly wireless earphones that I've tested. Not to mention beats claims up to nine hours of use with the case you're getting about an additional 15 hours of use for a total of up to 24 hours. Most truly wireless earphones I have tested, they've ranged from 12 hours to 15 hours give or take an hour for the extremes but the Powerbeats Pros, they're class leading with my testing at 50 percent volume like all my other truly wireless earphones. Since we're talking about the case or maybe you have seen that in the image here. I know some will say this case is quite large and it is but to be fair how else are you going to have these ear hooks attached to the earphones themselves. The case itself had more than one light to indicate battery life. I wish the case featured USBC versus lightning to have a truly wireless port for all my devices. I know Apple fans will be upset hearing that but the iPad pro has USB C there might be a USB C iPhone coming down the road so if that's the case no pun intended, here that's future proofing yourself that would be ideal unless I don't think there's any other company doing this just yet but if we can make this case dust proof in or water proof that would give me 100% peace of mind. But again, that's me being nitpicky right there and wishing for features at this point. And before I forget about this, there is audio pause and play when you take off your earphones the audio stops you put them back on and the audio plays again and this also works for video as well. Seconds, you can leave either one of these earphones out of your ear and the audio will still play. You can have the other earphone on the other side of the room if you want and the audio will still continue this signal is not dependent on the other earphone like traditional truly wireless earphones.

Powerbeats Pro Check On Amazon

Audio Quality Noise Canceling

Alright, let's get into some of the audio features. First up, let's talk about the microphone get ready that is and the audio is completely unedited and it's a little bit of breeze. Only guys can tell us by here being all crazy or jacked up right now but let me know what you guys think down the review description below. There's no good sound bad sound to pick it up. Let's test out this audio. as nice and expensive as my microphones are audio recorded on my end and then played through your speakers are not the best depiction of audio accuracy. It's just a sample but it is better than nothing but hence my filing audio review here the Powerbeats Pro is loud enough for most people. Loud but still comfortable to me is at about 75 percent volume, there is some sound leaking occurring, So those sitting right next to me in a very quiet room, library whatever. Can hear what you're listening to so just be a little bit cautious about that. The ear tips do sit around the ear canal but they don't sit fully inside. Most people will find that more comfortable but keep in mind that it won't give you the best passive noise isolation as other truly wireless earphones and of course a little bit more sound leaking as well. These do let in some noise as much as it leaks out so if you're in a busy place you might have to turn it up to maybe 75 percent volume to encapsulate yourself here with your own audio and kind of drone out the outside noise. Again, that's only if you're in a very busy environment.

Powerbeats Pro True Bass

Now jumping into bass. it's deep at loud volumes its rumbling. It feels like I'm wearing wired earphones at times considering how deep these actually go. If you like bass no question the Powerbeats Pro is it the Jaybird X4 run ex tees were the next closest in bass for me but Jaybird X4 offers a punchy variation or more of a bass boosted audio signature. Versus offering deep bass like the Powerbeat Pros. Now going into the mid-range, the louder you go the more basses experience that's pretty obvious but I do notice the mid-range is just ever so slightly overshadowed by bass most. Having most average consumers, I think they'll be fine with this or the tolerance level is still within reason for most consumers. Now if you're more of a technical audio listener or if you don't like the bass then you might prefer something more has more emphasis on the vocals / mid-range something that may be a little bit more forward in that mid-range frequency. This is simply a matter of preference the high frequencies would never ear in your tingey in my opinion but if anything, that is clear or lacking actually in some resolution or detail on the top and especially that loud volumes at moderate listening levels. It's not a big deal, a little bit more detail a little bit more Sparkle up top would have been much better as for soundstage there isn't much of a wide soundstage either you get decent audio separation but nothing huge or class defining. powerbeats pro These are great with hip-hop and EDM most but not all pop songs will do well. Those favoring vocals, I would consider these. Powerbeats Pros are no question bass ear truly wireless earphones if you prefer a pair that's more so for jamming outs verses technical accuracy, the Powerbeats Pro are recommended to. At least give them a try if you highly value the better life connectivity, the ear hooks alone comfort instability. I'd go from recommended to highly recommend it as not many other are offering the core functionalities at this level. Again, I think the biggest thing for you as a consumer you have to consider if you like Basie audio or not. check on Amazon Read the full article

#bluethoothheadphones #earbuds #noisecancelingearbuds #powerbeatspro #wirelessearbuds

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shwni-blog · 5 years

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Indoor Soccer Shoes For Kids

Indoor Soccer Shoes For Kids: Best 15 in 2019

I hope you don't think that you can just wear any old pair of trainers to play soccer indoors, Do you? Well, you can but you probably wouldn't perform as well as you would like to There is a huge range of Indoor Soccer Shoes For Kids out there And here at shwnisports we have searched high and low to find you the best ones (in our eyes) that might even change your gameplay

What is an Indoor Soccer Shoe?

Now I don't want to sound condescending but it's basically a soccer cleat/boot without the studs or blades on the bottom of them Just wearing normal trainers will be OK but proper soccer shoes for indoor would be a lot better for you They will have a much tougher sole with a better grip than your average shoe which will give your feet better traction on the indoor facilities that you used to play on Read About The Advantages of Them Right Here in This Post by livestrong.com There are actually quite a few things to think about before buying the soccer shoes

Buying Indoor Soccer Shoes For Kids

Like I said, there are a few points to consider first, you shouldn't just rush into buying a pair and get the first ones you see Obviously your skill level will be the main reason you play good or bad but owning a pair that will compliment your playing style will make one hell of a difference If you really want to improve your soccer skills you should check out this pretty cool website called fourfourtwo.com where they have Training tips for Goalkeepers, Defenders, Midfielders & Strikers But Just Think About These, And in This Order... 1. Budget Now it's not always the case that the more money you spend on something the better they are so don't go worrying that you need to spend a fortune to get a quality pair There are some very decent soccer shoes out there at very reasonable prices so shop around first rather than just grab the first nice ones you see 2. Fit

Like any shoe, they obviously can't be too big or small but with soccer shoes you shouldn't leave an inch or so at the front for room to grow And also, some shin guards have an ankle strap that fit around your feet so you need to take that into consideration You want them to fit snugly around your foot like a sock would but make sure you can wiggle your toes and that they are not cutting the circulation off anywhere on your foot Just remember though that natural leather will stretch over time and synthetic materials won't 3. Cushioning Look, you need proper cushioning on all your footwear but when you are running around on a hard surface like an indoor sports hall then you need to find an insole that offers you the padding and comfort that you need to prevent any injuries that you might get with indoor soccer You could even buy extra padded insoles to add to the shoes if you wanted to 4. Flexibility You don't want a pair that is ridged and hard otherwise you won't get the movement in your feet that you need to pull off those soccer skills that you are used to doing on the pitch Find a pair that has Flex Grooves on them as that will give the shoes extra flexibility 5. Weight With playing soccer indoors you get fewer players on the pitch at the same time so it tends to be a more past paced game so having a lightweight shoe will make all the difference to your speed of play Most indoor boots are very lightweight and feel like you are just wearing a pair of socks 6. Breathability

Being indoors playing soccer will probably be warmer than playing outside and of course your feet will get sweaty so having a pair that has air holes would be much better for you in the long run Just think about that sweat ruining the material of the shoes and how much longer you could keep them if your feet sweat less 7. Design This should be the least of your worries but we all know what kids are like when it comes to designer labels Some shoes will be designed a certain way to improve performance so don't totally rule out the look of them altogether There are 3 basic designs for indoor soccer shoes which are... Low Top - Having low top shoes has both pros and cons for soccer. The pros are that you will have a wider range of movement for your feet but the cons are that you won't have any ankle protection so you might be more prone to injuries. Mid Top - Mid Tops are not as protective as the high tops for your ankles but you will still get some protection and a very good movement with your feet which is quite important if you play indoor soccer. High Top - Now I'm not saying that you won't be able to move in these but that extra ankle protection is going to do you the world of good and also probably give you a bit more confidence in those twists and turns you pull off when you use those soccer skills that you "think" you have. 8. Upper Material You probably just want a soccer shoe that looks the best and not care what its made of but in a matter of fact what the upper material is made of some very different material and what you want from you gameplay can really change depending on the upper material that you have Just Take a Look at The Different Materials You Have to Chose From... Natural Leather - Light and thin as a material but very durable nonetheless. Genuine Leather - When you hear of genuine leather you will be using either Kangaroo, Cow or Calf skin, Or the full-grain leather that will be talked about soon. Synthetic Leather - This is a very durable material and very light but it should keep the animal rights off your back while you wear them... Which is always good. Full-Grain Leather - You might find that this is much heavier than all the others but you should know that it's much more durable and stronger than them all also. Kangeroo Leather - Also known as K-Leather and also known as the most expensive of all the leathers, But don't let that deter you from paying the extra, they really have a very comfortable fit and it will stretch and mould to your feet like the other leathers that are spoken about above. Synthetic - Breathable, Durable, Waterproof, Lightweight, and did I mention... Made for comfort and style. Mesh - Not a material I prefer but I suppose they are OK as long as you keep out of the rain with them on as they are not waterproof at all.

Taking Care of Your Indoor Shoes

Obviously the better you take care of your shoes or boots the longer they should last you, well, in theory anyway Here are a few tips on how you can keep them in great shape Make sure all dust and dirt has been removed from them after every game by either banging them together or hitting them gently against the floor. Obviously there shouldn't be too much mess on them as you are playing indoors but it won't harm you to do this. After doing this use a damp cloth to remove stuck on dirt and grime. Use a soft brush to clean the upper material in the hard to get to places like the seams and lace area. You could even use a toothbrush which I find works really well especially inside the sole of the shoe. Do not use water every time you clean them as it can damage the material by getting it wet all the time. If you need to, use a small amount of soap/hand-wash with some lukewarm water to remove tough stains. Tap dry the boots after washing with a clean bit of material or a paper towel, you can even stuff them with newspaper to soak the water up from inside them. Whatever you do, do not use a hair dryer or radiator to make them dry quickly as it will damage the material. Dry them in natural air and keep them out of the sunlight to prevent ruining them. Here Is A Quick Video Of The Shoes That Are In This List Now Here is What You Came For... 15. Adidas Performance Mundial

Buy It Now One of the heavier shoes on the list but these have been around for quite some time and still making the top of most soccer players lists They are turf shoes but work well on an indoor pitch with the rubber rivet grips on the underneath that will give you better traction than shoes with flat soles Made of 100% K- Leather with TRAXION outsole material you will be getting a very durable soccer shoe with a pretty good grip on the front to be able to control the ball better

Adidas Performance Mundial Outsole Pros & Cons of The Performance Mundial PROS The K-Leather material is super strong so they should last you longer than most other indoor soccer shoes. Having the TRAXION outsole material you will have better control of where you want the ball to go. They have a synthetic lining inside and also a pre-moulded EVA midsole to stop chaffing and blistering of your feet giving you a sturdy, yet comfortable game of soccer. CONS Some people have said the that the sole grips wear away easily if used indoors rather than on turf but like any pair you use they are going to get worn down over time, unless you float around like a butterfly.

14. Adidas Performance Samba

Buy It Now Another similar shoe from Adidas that has a lot of the features that the Performance Mundial has but much lighter on your feet These have a flat gum rubber sole on them which are better for indoor use than the small grips on the shoes above As they are made from full-grain leather with suede overlays they might feel a bit heavy at first but you will soon get used to them and they will stretch and conform to the shape of your feet The Samba shoe has been out for quite some time now and there hasn't been many changes to it since it was first brought out, and to be honest, theres no need either You can be assured that the soft & lightweight EVA midsole will make your game much easier on the feet

Adidas Performance Samba Outsole Pros & Cons of The Performance Samba PROS They have a pre-moulded EVA midsole for a lightweight cushioning so every step won't feel like your slamming your feet onto the ground hard. The full grain leather upper material will mould and stretch to the shape of your feet and will last longer than synthetic shoes. The Sambas are classic Adidas shoes that have stood the test of time and keep getting chosen by many soccer players around the world so you know they can't all be wrong. CONS The nylon laces can be a bit temperamental and keep coming undone if not tied tightly.

13. Adidas Originals ACE Tango 18.3

Buy It Now Yes I know, another pair of Adidas indoor soccer shoes but in my opinion they are the leading brand in soccer footwear so you will be seeing a few more of them in this list Now if you are like me then you are going to love these, the reason being is the elasticated sock fit that fits perfectly around the ankles providing you get the right size They are made from a synthetic material but don't think that they are not going to last because they will If you Keep Them Clean after every time you wear them then they should last you a while Especially with the tough rubber sole with the durable grips you should at least get a season out of them, if not more They also come in an all black colour with the famous 3 white stripes down the side but I much prefer this colour

Adidas Originals ACE Tango 18.3 Outsole Pros & Cons of The Ace Tango 18.3 PROS They have a tough & durable rubber sole that have amazing grip on the indoor courts which can help you turn on a sixpence and run rings around your opponents with the ball. A very lightweight pair that are stronger than they look but be prepared to have those glistening white shoes targeted by your mates, Who can resist not standing on a brand new shoe. The front of the upper material have a moulded ridged grip for better ball control when taking a shot at goal. CONS They can be a bit too narrow so they are no good for people with wide feet.

12. ROONASN Soccer Cleats

Buy It Now Not really a brand that I'm super familiar with personally but after reviewing them I have learned what a fantastic shoe they are Roonasn has a high top fit collar that really keeps them snug around the ankle area which makes them feel part of your feet That with the ultra soft leather upper material that moulds to the shape of your feet and the fabric knit will get you dribbling the ball around the indoor pitch feeling like you aren't wearing any shoes Looking at the sole you can see the rubber moulds with a rotational traction configuration that will help you change direction without slipping They also come in 8 different colours and designs and even though the design won't improve your game you can still look cool whilst playing

ROONASN Soccer Shoe Outsole Pros & Cons of The ROONASN PROS They have a high top collar fit that will protect your ankles slightly which could prevent serious injury. The upper leather material will mould to your feet making you feel like you are playing without shoes on. Having rubber moulded soles can help with quick acceleration and precision turns. CONS They need a bit more padding on the front of them as they tend to wear away where you kick the ball.

11. Larcia Soccer Shoes

Buy It Now This Larcia pair of shoes took me by surprise when I looked more into detail with them In my opinion I thought they looked quite cheaply made and wouldn't be worth looking into But boy was I wrong… They are made from both synthetic leather and fabric material on the upper which makes them surprisingly comfy, and more importantly, lightweight They also have a very durable outsole giving them superb floor grip and they won't leave any marks on the indoor pitch which are ideal for kids Speaking of ‘perfect for kids’ they have been specifically designed with a padded tongue and toe area and they also support the children's delicate bones in the feet which are still developing

Larcia Soccer Shoe Outsole Pros & Cons of The Larcia PROS Specifically made for kids with the strong and durable frame to keep their growing bones from serious injury. They have a tough outsole with amazing grip so they will last you quite some time. They are made slightly wider than normal soccer shoes for you to be able to wear thick soccer socks and not have them feel tight. CONS The only real issue I had with them that I ordered a size 3 for my son and even though they came in a box with size 3 written on there I opened it to find a size 1. I did get the correct size in the end with no problems at all but my son needed them asap so he had to wait a bit longer.

10. ALEADER Indoor Shoes

Buy It Now How nice are these ALEADER shoes? I absolutely love the style of these and they come in 3 other different colours but I prefer these the best Made with a durable rubber moulded turf sole with a rotational traction configuration they are ideal for indoor training and games They have an ultra soft upper leather for a comfortable fit and a state-of-the-art high top fabric knit that not only looks good and is a supported fit but is very lightweight and easy to run around in Even the insole has a molded cushion design that will make you feel like you are walking on marshmallows and they fit like a glove

ALEADER Indoor Shoe Outsole Pros & Cons of The ALEADER PROS The stylish and state-of-the-art fabric knit will make you stand out on the court and make you light on your feet. Having the durable rubber molded outsole will help your feet grip better to the floor and make you play a more controlled game. The perforations in the upper fabric act as both traction grip for a better ball control and air holes to let your sweaty feet breathe a little. CONS The ankle sock fit is a bit tight to get over your foot but that's the same with all soccer shoes like that I have noticed.

9. Puma Adreno

Buy It Now Showing you a Puma pair now and even though you might not think they look designer and cool enough What it lacks in style, it makes up for in durability and value for money My 9 year old son has these but he wasn't happy with them at first and now I struggle to get them off him They come in 3 different colour schemes which I think are all quite nice You do need to get either a half or full size up though because they are a bit narrow and have some great insole padding that does makes them a tiny bit smaller Made from 100% Synthetic leather with a ‘Non-Marking’ rubber outsole which makes them very durable and strong The soft sleek design with a padded collar & low-profile tongue will be both comfortable and long-lasting Absolutely Perfect For Kids!

Puma Adreno Outsole Pros & Cons of The Adreno PROS The padded collar and low-profile tongue makers them really comfortable so there shouldn't be any rubbing or chaffing around the ankle area. Awesome value for money so you can spend the money that you save on other things, like a new soccer ball maybe? The soft synthetic leather upper looks quite stuff but it's surprisingly flexible and will form to your feet just right. CONS In my eyes, They aren't as 'Designer Looking' as some of them are here but at the end of the day you will be wearing them to play soccer, not to walk down the catwalk in them.

8. Adidas Fortarun

Buy It Now You might be a bit surprised to see these adidas Fortarun trainers in here as they are running shoes But bare with me on this one as I think they are brilliant for indoor soccer Running around on a hard floor for an hour is going to take its toll on your feet so having the right insole padding should be at the top of the list of priorities for you And that's exactly what this shoe has They have a cloud foam midsole and a sponge like insole that makes wearing them feel like wearing a comfy old pair of slippers And what makes it even more comfy is the Eco OrthoLite sock liner which covers the whole inside of the shoe Looking at the rubber outsole, they obviously need to have a fair amount of grip to be able to handle all the running so they are going to last you Then to top it all off, the seamless mesh upper material is breathable so your feet won't get too sweaty while your playing They might not appeal to you but I can promise you that they will work well to player soccer in them

Adidas Fortarun Outsole Pros & Cons of The Fortarun PROS The breathable upper mesh material will ensure that you will keep your feet cool during a game or training. Probably the comfiest trainers here in this list and even though they are running shoes you will not be disappointed. Having the tough rubber outsole will help your feet grip better to the indoor pitch reducing the fear of slipping and sliding all over the place like Bambi on ice. CONS They are not a soccer shoe but I hope you trust my judgment that they will work perfectly. Some people might not like the velcro closure instead of laces but they are very sticky.

7. Adidas Originals Samba

Buy It Now The adidas Original Samba is the granddaddy of all indoor soccer shoes They were actually created in the 1950s for players to train on hard frozen pitches Obviously they have been tweaked a bit over the years but not too much to be honest Currently the 2nd best-selling adidas footwear that has ever been made so they must be doing something right Made out of a soft full-grain leather upper which is one of the strongest out there and will to your feet perfectly over a bit of wear They have a gum rubber outsole which is very durable and won't leave a mark on the indoor pitch

Adidas Originals Samba Outsole The midsole is made with a lightweight die-cut EVA material that will give your feet a comfortable and secure feel whilst wearing them giving you a bit more confidence in your gameplay Pros & Cons of The Samba PROS The tough upper material will stand the test of time and will let a bit of airflow through to your feet so they won't sweat as much. Has a very comfortable midsole so you can enjoy playing rather than them rubbing on your feet all the time. The gum rubber outsole is a No-Marking material so you won't ruin the floor of the indoor court. CONS They have quite a big thick tongue on them which might not be to everyone's taste…(excuse the pun)

6. Adidas Predator Tango 18.4

Buy It Now Need I say more about the adidas Predator range? They have been dominating the soccer shoe world since they first came out in 1994 and they just keep getting better These are the slightly newer version of the Sock Fit I Have Shown You Above Just lace them up and take control of the game at hand The Tango 18.4 are made with a structured prime mesh upper material which just fits to your feet just like a pair of socks They have a flexible control embossing synthetic upper material that has a great grip and will give you more control of the ball Now with that better ball control you might get a bit carried away and that's where the molded rubber outsole comes into play giving you amazing traction making your ball dribbling even more precise

Predator Tango 18.4 Outsole Pros & Cons of The Predator Tango 18.3 PROS Predator boots have always had a good reputation and the Tango 18.4 is no exception with the precision design of every aspect of them. The prime mesh upper material will fit just like a pair of socks making every game you play a comfortable one. The control embossing upper material makes dribbling the ball easier and will make you look more like a professional player. CONS They are not ideal for players with wide feet.

5. Nike SuperflyX Academy CR7

Buy It Now The first Nike indoor soccer shoes on this list and what a cracking pair they are indeed Nike can be hit or miss in my eyes but the SuperflyX CR7 are definitely a hit as the CR7 as they are part of the Cristiano Ronaldo soccer boot range The rubber sole and the dynamic ankle collar fit are built to reduce the stress on your knees and ankles when you are making those twists and turns with the ball at your feet Ideally perfect for AstroTurf play, but after many hours testing them out myself I can honestly say they work brilliantly on an indoor pitch as the mesh upper material will form to your feet giving you a comfortable and lightweight fit

Nike SuperflyX Academy CR7 Outsole Pros & Cons of The SuperflyX Academy CR7 PROS The Dynamic ankle fit collar will protect your ankles and reduce the risk of injuries, but they are also flexible enough to be able to make those sharp twists and turns. Having the soft and comfortable internal lining and the lightweight synthetic outer material will make you feel like you are just wearing another pair of socks. They have a rubber outsole that will improve the traction that you have on the hard indoor court so your slips and falls should be reduced quite a lot. For the quality of the boots the price is very reasonable. CONS Some reports have said that the finger hold at the back of the boot to help get them on tends to break easily, but after 3 months of wearing them I haven't witnessed any damage yet.

4. Diadora Cattura

Buy It Now Now I know what you're thinking, Diadora hasn't been cool since the year 2000 but don't let that put you off these Indoor soccer shoes don't get ruined as quickly as outdoor soccer shoes but having a durable pair on your feet will make all the difference And that's exactly what you will get with the Diadora Cattura They have a "fairly soft" polyurethane upper material and a brushed Nylon ankle collar lining that will protect your childs still growing bones and highly reduce injuries to the top of the feet and ankle area

Diadora Cattura Outsole Pros & Cons of The Cattura PROS They have a Non-Marking, anti-abrasion, gum rubber outsole that will absorb the pressure of the hard indoor floor and won't mark the court. The brushed Nylon ankle collar lining will reduce the risk of injuries that tend to occur in soccer. The shock-absorbing EVA foam and fixed cotton lining really does absorb the impact your feet make on the hard indoor soccer pitch giving you a more enjoyable & comfortable game. You will be getting a very, very durable shoe for an amazing low price which is ideal as we all know that kids ruin shoes way to quickly so the lower the price, the better. CONS They aren't as designer looking as the rest of the shoes in this list but still a quality pair that deserve to take the #4 Spot on this list.

3. Nike HypervenomX Proximo II

Buy It Now The 2nd Pair of Nike shoes here in the top 5 and they have every right to be in my opinion Like all of Nike merchandise they come with an authentic Nike Gear guarantee so be careful if you try to buy them elsewhere and make sure that they have the guarantee as here at shwnisports.com we pride ourselves in showing you only authentic & quality products These are undeniably a very good-looking pair that any child would want to have on their feet and to be able to show off to their team-mates but its not all about what they look like Try Telling That To My 13 Year Old Son!!! They have a tight dynamic fit collar that will form around the top of your feet keeping your ankles secure and reducing the risk of injuries, but not totally protecting you so do not think you are indestructible wearing them The FlyKnit upper material forms to your feet like a 2nd skin and is lightweight & aerodynamic making dribbling the ball easy and effortless making you think that you are better than you actually are Also, the raised grips on the front and sides of them will help you keep the ball close to your feet while you are going through the opposition's defense I really love these boots but the price tag can be a bit on the steep side if you are looking for a pair of soccer shoes just to kick about in Excuse The Pun!

Nike HypervenomX Proximo II Outsole Pros & Cons of The HypervenomX Proximo ll PROS The durable Non-Marking rubber outsole will ensure that every game you play will be spent mostly stood up instead of laying on the floor after slipping on the wooden indoor pitch. The FlyKnit upper material is both comfy and aerodynamic making your gameplay faster and more enjoyable. You will have more control over the soccer ball with the raised grips on the front and sides of the shoes so you might be able to pull off some moves that you weren't able to do before wearing these. CONS Even though I personally think that you really do get your moneys worth with these boots, the price tag might not be within everybody's budget.

2. Adidas Nemeziz Tango 17.3

Buy It Now Probably the lightest boots that are on this list, The Nemeziz Tango 17.3 has an awesome reputation for being one of the most worn indoor soccer shoes amoungst soccer players to date They are made with a very durable textile upper material that will make you feel every touch, pass and shot of the ball and make you feel more connected to it And as you can see the design of them they are sports tape inspired which means you will have a greater lateral and medial support on your feet which will certainly reduce the risk of any foot injuries All that combined with a tough and durable rubber outsole for maximum grip making you whiz around the pitch at maximum speed and skill with minimum effort They come in 3 different colour designs but I personally think these black, yellow and white ones look stunning What Do You Think?

Adidas Nemeziz Tango 17.3 Outsole Pros & Cons of The Nemeziz Tango 17.3 PROS They are a low-ankle cut boot that are lightweight and durable making them feel like a 2nd pair of socks. The sports tape inspired design will give your feet extra medial and lateral support reducing the risk of injuries. Having a tough durable rubber outsole will help you stay on your feet and in the game. Adidas very rarely make a pair of soccer shoes as nice as this with a decent price but depending on the size you need you will be able to get a great deal with them. CONS Some people do not like the low-cut design as they expose your ankles but you can get some Shin Pads that will cover that area if you are worried about that.

1. Nike Hypervenom Phelon III (With Collar)

Buy It Now Finally, at Number #1 Now you might think that these Hypervenoms look like a pair of comfy, flimsy slippers, but you would be totally wrong The textured upper material might look like it could break and rip at the first contact you make with them but they are actually built with a Nike skin technology which is a soft mesh layer wrapped with a polyurethane film that is embedded into the synthetic leather and that makes them one of the strongest shoes here The easy to put on dynamic fit collar will ensure that you get the most ankle protection and comfort like wearing marshmallows on your feet while you are playing soccer If you notice, the laces are slightly off-centered giving you a much larger striking area on the front of the foot so you will have more control of the ball when you take a shot at goal Another awesome feature of these are the Non-Marking rubber outsole as the stud pattern has an amazing traction both on indoor courts and AstroTurf and that's exactly what you need from a quality pair of boots... Not To Keep Falling Over During A Game! OK, so you are probably thinking "A pair of shoes this good must cost a pretty penny" Let me tell you now that I think you would be pleasantly surprised when you see how much you have to pay And that is one of the main reasons that the Nike Hypervenon Phelon lll has taken the Number #1 spot in this list of Indoor Soccer Shoes For Kids in 2019

Pros & Cons of The Hypervenom Phelon lll PROS The Nike skin technology is very strong and durable and should last you longer than most soccer shoes. They have an easy to put on dynamic fit ankle collar that will keep your ankles protected much more than the low-cut designs. They have a wider striking area on the front because of the off-centred laces so you will have more control of the shots you take at goal. The textured upper material is covered in raised grips to help with ball control and curling the ball into the top hand corner of the goals. CONS These are actually advertised as indoor football shoes but they are also ideal for soccer also. I suppose if I wanted to be picky I would say they could do with having more colour choices but that's really being petty about it.

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soulswimmr · 7 years

Text

High Hopes

Ch. 3

Pairing: Holy Duality (GabeMike)

Word Count: 4327

Date Numero Uno

“Good morning, Michael,” the receptionist clacked loudly on her computer as Michael was greeted by the cool air conditioning in the rec center, humming a bright “hello” to the lady who could embarrassingly call him by name. He had made quite a few trips to the rec center now, and not just to drop Kristi off at school.

Gabriel should be off work in the next fifteen minutes or so, when Michael would ask him on a dinner date like a proper man and “firmly establish his thirst” as Zadkiel had so gracefully put it. But first, he thought, peeking around the corner and climbing the stairs to the upper workout area, There’s someone I haven’t seen in at least a month.

Michael always felt bad for the little kids who had to wander through rows of workout benches and strange equipment just to reach the ballet studio, but it had never been able to phase him. According to the schedule of activities that was posted for all to see at the entrance of the rec program, ballet classes didn’t start for at least a half an hour, which meant-

Michael rapped on the glass doors to the ballet studio cheerily, creaking the door open, and poking his head inside.

“Ms. McAllister~” he sang, announcing his entrance. The bright lights in the studio were on, and a young woman was crouched over the stereo system sniffling loudly. Michael’s smile froze as she turned to him, wiping her eyes quickly and sighing.

“What do you want, Michael?” Natalie’s voice was crackly and tired as he shut the door behind them, embarrassed about...whatever he had just walked in on.

“I just wanted to say hi to my favorite redheaded ballet dancer named Natalie Anabella McAllister!” he put his hands up, leaning on the wall and giving her a sympathetic pout. “What’s got you all hung up, Gingersnap?”

“It’s nothing, I don’t want to talk about it,” she crossed her arms and turned away from him. She’d look pretty ridiculous in her black leotard and tie dye tights with leg warmers if her hunched shoulders and drippy face didn’t melt Michael’s icy heart.

Michael sat on one of the steps that led to the door and patted a space beside him, “C’mon, kiddo, talk to me.”

Natalie glanced down at the spot and her indignant composure collapsed. Her lip trembled as fresh new tears breached her eyes and she half threw herself on the steps next to Michael, hugging her knees as she cried.

“Awww, Gingersnap,” Michael slung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, letting her lean on his shoulder. He tapped out a quick message on his phone and deposited it back in his pocket. “Now, what’s this all about?”

Natalie made an attempt to compose herself, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue she had been holding on to. After a couple deep breaths, she pulled out her phone, bringing up messages from an unfamiliar contact. The contact picture was of some slimy looking kid that looked about as trustworthy as a hungry vulture.

“It’s my boyfriend- well, ex-boyfriend? I don’t know, he’s sending so many mixed messages,” she whined.

“Uh oh,” Michael quipped. “So, tell me about this ex-boyfriend of yours.”

Gabriel put his planner in his black bag, glancing at his phone, shining bright in the dark classroom with a new message. He unlocked it and smiled when he saw that it was from Michael.

[4:27] Michael Alegal: Whenever you’re done, meet me in the ballet studio upstairs! We have a boy emergency!

Gabriel smiled at the slew of emojis that followed, ranging from sad faces to knives to hugs. It hadn’t taken him very long to realize that Michael was one of those people who wouldn’t feel complete texting words alone. From the implications of it, it seemed as though he was going to see Natalie upstairs, who Gabriel knew very well to have “boy emergencies.”

He closed his phone, and, after locking up the classroom and waving goodbye to Chelle, made his way upstairs to the dance studio. Michael had texted him early, announcing that he would be stopping in the rec center after Gabriel was done working, but had never specified why. Gabriel couldn’t quite shake the jittery feeling in his gut, or the spring in his step that even Chelle had noticed after he received the text. Perhaps it was worth admitting that Gabriel was excited to see Michael after texting him back and forth day in and out. Despite his strangely vain nature and wildly disproportionate emotions, Michael was a gem to be around, occasionally stopping through the rec center to go to gym and waving hello to Gabriel. It was that and the time that he came in with a cake just to apologize that had caused Gabriel to blush (feeling like a dumb 13 year old again) when his mother asked when he was going to take the man on an “actual, proper date.”

The studio lights illuminated the corridor outside through the glass door, and Gabriel took that as his invitation to walk inside, slowly opening the door and searching for Natalie and Michael inside.

He found them right at his feet, surrounded by crumpled tissues and hunched around Natalie’s bright coral phone. The sound of him entering captured Michael’s attention as he craned his head backwards and smiled wide.

“Gabe!” he greeted cheerily, a stark contrast to Natalie’s puffy eyes and frown. “Come, join us, we were just cleaning up dear Natalie’s contacts.”

“What’s going on, Ms. McAllister?” Gabriel inquired, sitting on the other side of her. Gabriel had taken a secret pride in being The Shoulder to Cry On to the rec center staff. He had seen everything- breakups, pet deaths, or just someone spilling their lunch everywhere and bursting into tears because their day was already a mess. He did his job sparingly, but there was nothing better than a shaky smile as someone would say “thanks for listening, Mr. Fields.”

“Natalie’s former honey keeps asking her to take him back even though he was the one who broke it off in the first place,” Michael explained as Natalie continually stared at her phone, more focused than melancholy at that point.

“He’s a jerk,” she sniffed, dragging her eyes from the phone to Gabriel. “And I know, he doesn’t deserve me, but I can’t just-”

“Delete it,” Michael insisted, reaching for her phone, and Natalie jerked it out of his reach.

“Delete what?” Gabe asked.

“His contact. She needs to cut him out completely,” Michael crossed his arms pridefully. “Nothing says “It’s over for good” like “Who is this?? You aren’t in my contacts.””

“Gabriel, help me out here!” Natalie groaned.

“I hate to gang up on you, Ms. McAllister, but Michael might be right. You sure you don’t like him anymore?”

“I- I think so.”

“And leading you on isn’t very kind of him, yes?”

“Yeah…”

“Then I think deleting his contact information might be a good decision,” Gabe said, trying to sway his voice as gentle as he could. Natalie looked at her phone with a new confidence.

“He doesn’t deserve you!” Michael squeezed her shoulder. “If he doesn’t treat you right by now, you’re gone!”

“I’m gone,” Natalie nodded firmly.

“Good! Now go chop his di-”

“Michael,” Gabriel cut in. Michael gave him a sheepish smile over Natalie’s shoulder.

“Want me to do it for you, Nat Cat?” he asked. Nat thought for a moment and nodded, handing him the phone. Michael poked at the buttons for more than a few moments, looking up when he saw Gabriel and Natalie staring at him.

“Ah, sorry, I’m still trying to find the delete button...Aaaand done!” he exclaimed, handing the phone back to Natalie. She cracked a smile.

“I’m...glad. I feel like I just got a weight off my chest,” she admitted.

“Atta girl!” Michael encouraged, shaking her playfully. Natalie laughed and wiped away a few tears.

“We’re very proud of you, Natalie. You make sure you find someone who treats you well,” Gabriel commented. She just nodded appreciatively.

“Oh gosh, I’ve got a little more than ten before the girls start showing up,” Natalie stood, looking at her watch. “Thank you two again for the unplanned therapy session.”

“No problem, Gingersnap. Kristi will see you on Tuesday- either I’ll take her or my delightful brother will. Either way, see you around!” Michael waved at her, opening the door up for Gabriel to walk through, who nodded his head at her with a soft smile.

“Well, I must say, I’m impressed. She’s been having this internal battle over that guy for weeks, now,” Gabriel stuck his hands in pockets as they walked back down the stairs. “And you just solved her problem in what? 15 minutes?”

“What can I say? I’m a people person,” Michael’s eyes swung to the ceiling.

“You took a long time to delete one contact.”

Michael’s easy smile turned forced when he held the front door open for Gabriel.

“Michael…”

“I may have made an addition to her phone contacts in replacement of her awful ex-boyfriend,” he hummed as they strolled to one of the park benches.

“Who’s phone number?” Gabe rubbed his temples with new stress. Michael sat and tapped his knees.

“Well, you see. My brother Stanley sometimes drops Kristi off at dance for me.” “Oh my God.”

“As bewildered as I am by Natalie’s liking to my aloof and antisocial brother over me, the chemistry between them is undeniable as it is disgusting. I may have put in a couple of heart emojis after his name as well.”

“Michael, the poor girl’s messy breakup is no time to play matchmaker.”

“Just you wait, they’ll be all over each other in no time,” Michael hummed dismissively. They sat watching families walk out of the rec center, some of the kids still in their swimsuits from the pool in a moment of tranquil silence, before both men opened their mouths.

“Gabe, I was wondering-”

“I’ve been meaning to ask-”

They froze, looking at each other with wide eyes, and then laughed. Michael put up his hands in surrender.

“You first, you first,” he said, and he swore Gabe’s cheeks turned a little red.

“Well,” the teacher said, folding his hands. “I’ve been meaning to ask you if you’d like to get dinner sometime this week.”

Michael’s mouth opened and a small squeak came out. Well, he wasn’t expecting that. Gabriel’s face went from sheepish to mortified in a minute, putting up all his defenses.

“I mean! It’s okay if you don’t, I certainly don’t want to be too forward if you don’t...i-if you-” he sputtered, and Michael snatched one of his hands.

“Gabriel,” he laughed a little too loudly. “Gabe. I’d love to get dinner. I was just surprised, ‘cause I was about to ask you the same thing.”

Gabe looked confused for a moment, until a moment of clarity seemed to cross his mind his shoulders relaxed, and he giggled.

“Really?” he asked.

“Yeah! And you ruined all my fun, thanks a lot,” Michael teased him, sniffing indignantly. In his mind, a crowd roared and champagne bottles were opened in celebration. Gabriel wanted to ask him to dinner.

“My sincerest apologies, then. Have you ever been to Richter’s out by the country club?” Gabe asked, waving to a young boy in one of his classes, walking into the rec center.

“I don’t think so.”

“It’s mediterranean food, if you like that. I haven’t actually… been there, but Google tells me it’s good!”

“Whatever you like is fine by me,” Michael smiled. The worry on Gabe’s face evaporated and he grinned.

“That’s great! I mean, that’s- that’s really great. It’s a date, then?” he beamed at Michael. It was contagious. He smiled back.

“It’s a date.”

“It’s a date! Not a visit to Guy Fieri’s house!” Michael whined, digging through his closet. Zadkiel pouted behind him, holding up a tacky Hawaiian shirt Michael had worn once, just once to a costume party.

“What? You wanted my help, didn’t you?” Zad rolled their eyes, shoving the shirt back on the rack.

“I like green, green’s an alright color, right?” Michael held up a forest green polo, trying to make himself believe that the color was remotely acceptable with his skin tone. Zadkiel took one look at it and raised an eyebrow. Michael put it back. “Fine! How nice is Richter’s, anyways?”

“Hmm. Google says “casual neat.””

“That’s specific.”

“Think like, you’re visiting Grandma’s house but her neighbor is cute,” Zadkiel said thoughtfully.

“That’s even more specific!” he cried, but dug through his closet nonetheless. After some digging, he pulled out a few shirts, piecing them together until his brain liked what it saw. “I think I’m onto something here,” he grinned. Shoving Zadkiel out of his room, he threw on the outfit and tossed open the door dramatically. Zad stood against the wall and blinked, mildly impressed.

“That’s the one,” they said, and Michael agreed. Admiring the ensemble in the mirror, Michael felt proud of himself. A simple pair of khakis, a short-sleeved, and blue button up shirt. Michael felt glowing.

“Blue’s my color,” he decided. “What time is it, Zad?”

“5:47.” “Time to roll out.”

“I’m surprised you might actually be on time,” they shrugged as Michael squeezed past them and kneeled down, pulling on his boots.

“Implying that punctuality is an issue with me?” Michael inquired, yanking his laces tight. Zadkiel scoffed, leaning against the wall.

“I can think of a number of dates where you got there an hour later than planned.”

“It was a mistake! I had misread! I-” Michael dug out his phone and very quickly read the text from Gabriel, just to be sure. He put it away and jabbed an accusatory finger at Zad. “Do not distract me. I have a date to catch.”

“Have fun, Romeo,” they waved as Michael threw on his jacket and rushed for the door.

“Don’t leave my door unlocked!” he called over his shoulder as he closed the front door behind him and fast-walked through the apartment halls and down the stairs.

Michael must’ve checked his hair ten times in the mirror while he drove to Richter’s, trying to make sure it had that perfect wave that his previous girl and boyfriends always seemed to like. Yeah, he knew about Richter’s. It was a place he recalled several of his coworkers at the health center getting dinner at while Michael went home on his own or to Kristi’s house. Fine by him. Sometimes he preferred the little girl’s company to the people he worked with. It was like work followed them everywhere, the way they talked and talked about the magic of exercise and kale. There were a million more interesting topics in the world to talk about, and Michael had been through a million and one with Kristi.

Okay, less than a million, she didn’t understand taxes at all.

Michael also knew that a part of his excitement was from just going out at all on the weekends. Sure, he had Zadkiel and Stan, but they were his siblings. They had seen him naked and when he had braces and they just knew way too much. Besides, Michael frowned, he could only talk to Stan for so long before both of them ended up angry. That was the catch with patching a relationship back together. There were some scabs from Stan’s later days of high school that threatened to come back open when they got to sensitive subjects.

He shook away the thought as his car pulled into the Richter’s parking lot, silently congratulating himself, as he was three minutes early. Parking his car by the front, Michael admired the lights strung up around the front of the restaurant as he walked to the door. Gabe had chosen a good place.

Speak of the devil, the man himself was standing by the door when Michael stepped inside, and had a good moment to admire him. Gabriel’s hair was combed back, with the same lock of hair dangling in his face. He had overdressed, as Michael had come to expect, with a striped button up shirt under a grey sweater and slacks. His distracted expression focused when Michael walked in, and he broke into a smile.

“You beat me here,” Michael said before Gabriel could open his mouth. “I hate being beat.”

“I always have to be extra early, it’s something that comes in handy when you’re a teacher,” Gabriel said, mild surprise in his voice as the waitress lead them to a table by huge windows.

“I’m joking,” Michael snorted. Well, phooey. He was gonna have to break his habits of being fashionably late if they went on another date.

“Can I start y’all off with something to drink?” the waitress asked, her southern accent betraying the restaurant's mediterranean theme.

“I’ll have a strawberry lemonade,” Michael answered.

“Coffee, please,” Gabriel smiled kindly at the waitress. When she left, Michael gave him a quizzical look.

“Coffee? At six in the evening?”

He flushed, huffing defensively, “I like coffee! I don’t give you grief for ordering strawberry lemonade.”

“If any place has it, I get it,” Michael insisted, pausing. “Wait- you’ve had it before, haven’t you?” Gabriel shook his head, and Michael balked. “That’s a sin, Gabriel.”

“Is not having strawberry lemonade a deal breaker for you, then?” Gabe joked.

“Yes!”

“Oh my goodness,” Gabriel stuck his face promptly in his hands as Michael stopped their waitress and requested a second strawberry lemonade, smiling victoriously back at Gabriel. He would convert a nonbeliever to the magic of insanely sugary drinks. This date was going well.

“Drink and believe, Gabriel,” Michael pushed the glass towards him, little yellow umbrella sticking out the edge. His date finally caved, and picking up the glass, took a sip while Michael waited with baited breath.

“It’s sickeningly sweet,” Gabe commented, his neutral expression unchanging.

“Well, no wonder! You drink too much coffee is all,” Michael concluded and Gabriel hummed speculatively. That was no problem. If Gabe stuck around, he’d be consuming a lot of sweet drinks.

“If you worked around twenty four year olds for hours, you would too,” Gabe snorted, taking another sip of his drink.

“One is quite enough for me,” Michael smiled. “Unless you count my sibling in college. They’re basically a four year old who carries a knife.”

“I can’t imagine having siblings, and especially not knife wielding ones.”

“Oh, so you’re an only child?”

“Yes, it was just my mother and I growing up,” Gabriel smiled. “I got all the toys to myself.”

“And all of the attention, too,” Michael mused.

“Yes, all of the attention,” Gabe said, a blush creeping back on his cheeks. “I’m my mother’s number one.” “She sounds like a sweet mother.” “She really is,” Gabriel’s smile turned sad. “She was there for me when I was widowed, and has been helping me raise Chamuel ever since.”

The gears in Michael’s brain clicked into place as he almost dropped his drink. Of all the possibilities he had exercised, the idea that Gabriel had been widowed-

“We all ready to order here?” the waitress’ voice sounded like jingle bells, and Michael snapped to attention, trying to form words as Gabriel ordered some kind of sandwich. Michael feebly gave her his order, distracted as she took the menus away, and cleared his throat.

“I uh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know-”

“Really, it’s okay,” Gabriel stopped him before he could start, smile sheepish. “She died about five years ago. Chamuel and I moved to be closer to my mother, and we’ve been a trio ever since.”

Michael breathed a sigh of relief as Gabriel, gracious Gabriel, recovered the conversation and went into details about his mother spoiling Chamuel “until her whole mouth is filled with cavities and she forgets her manners”.

“If only my little brother had been raised with those,” Michael smirked, and Gabriel laughed like he’d been raised beside Stan too. Michael couldn’t hold back an amused smile. The dinner was flavorful, and Richter’s was somewhere he’d certainly come back to, but Gabriel’s company made Michael never want to return the restaurant alone again. Strawberry lemonade, he had found, was much sweeter when there was someone to share it with.

“I think teaching old people yoga is a lot more entertaining than troubled teenagers, if I’m honest,” Michael explained, waving his fork around subconsciously. “Often, they fall asleep.”

“What do you do then? Do you wake them up yourself?” Gabriel pondered.

Michael shook his head, “I figured if they’re that relaxed, I’m doing something right. They typically wake themselves up after a few moments. What gets me is the positions they fall asleep in.”

“Oh no.”

“Oh yes. We’re talking full pretzel-mode. And they’re out like a light!”

“They don’t hurt themselves, do they?”

“No,” Michael snickered. “You can count on the teenagers to get themselves hurt during yoga. Kristi is better than half of them.”

Gabriel smiled, “You teach her too then?”

Michael pulled out his phone and quickly went to his photos, finding the one with Kristi balanced in a handstand and showed it to Gabriel.

“I spend so much time at her house, I eventually run out of things to do,” Michael pushed his phone back in his pocket.

There’s one hobby that’s great for passing the time, you know,” Gabe hummed, trying to be subtle. What mattered was the poor man tried.

“I don’t own any yarn, Gabe. Or needles.”

“You can have mine.”

“You really are determined to get me to knit, aren’t you?” Michael laughed incredulously. Gabriel nodded, looking very sure of himself. There was no way Michael was getting out of that, that was for sure. He shook his head. “Alright, alright, I promise I’ll consider it.”

“Good enough for me.”

The two finished their dishes and sat for a while, chatting about the perks and downfalls of looking after kids all the time and the weather and what they did for fun in high school and how much a year’s worth of strawberry lemonade from Costco would cost. Gabriel loved the kindness in children, but the screaming drove him a bit nutty. Gabriel didn’t always live in the southwest but he loved the heat. Gabriel played trumpet in high school and was the valedictorian and thought the price for that much lemonade was far more than necessary.

Michael decided that he liked watching the sun from the window hit Gabriel’s eyes and the way his mouth twitched a smile whenever Michael told a corny joke- like he wanted to laugh but didn’t want to encourage him.

Michael paid for the bill before Gabriel could even see it (making a note to himself to check for more places with strawberry lemonade), and the pair left the restaurant with full stomachs and hearts.

Arizona in the evening was something Michael would never really get used to- except when it was smolderingly hot. Golden rays of sun ran over the mountains on the horizon and spilled down on their ever-growing suburban town. Not too bright to blind, but enough to give the illusion of an eternal summer. It was comfortably warm, perfect for Michael. He loved his little heaven, how the weather seemed to bend to his wishes and how the wind blew just enough to push people like Gabriel in his direction.

“Thank you for meeting me here. I would’ve never actually gone to a little place like this on my own,” Gabriel glanced back at the fairy lights in the window, a smile curling in his cheek as they made their way for the parking lot. “I probably would’ve kept visiting the same three restaurants I always do out of habit.”

“Well, I am more than happy to be your sense of adventure,” Michael, mindlessly swinging his arms. “Be sure to let me know if you’re ever feeling adventurous again, ‘kay?” He added a wink for good measure. Gabriel snorted.

“Sure thing, Michael. You have a good night,” he held eye contact with Michael for just a moment more before turning towards the park and walking off, Michael still waving with what was probably a big, stupid grin on his face.

He got in his car and turned the ignition, still grinning, and drove all the way back to his apartment complex before realizing that he hadn’t bothered with the air conditioning or radio, and was sweating in his nice shirt.

He fumbled with the keys and popped open the door to his apartment, making a note to himself to get into something that didn’t smell like Mediterranean and sweat, and found Zad waiting for him, on the phone.

“Yeah he just got home and- oh my god Raph he got laid. He’s covered in sweat.”

Michael’s eyes bugged out a bit. “Wh- I did not!”

“Raph is now lecturing you about sleeping with strangers and STD’s and- Raph, he can’t hear you! I’ll put you on speaker,” Zad rolled their eyes.

“No, don’t! I didn’t get laid. Raph I didn’t get laid!” Michael yelled at the phone, groaning as he made a beeline for his bedroom, ignoring Zadkiel’s cackling.

He put on a fresh T-shirt and rinsed his face at the sink with a happy sigh, when he heard his phone buzz on his bed. Perking up, Michael almost ran to the phone, chest filling with delight.

“Texting so soon, Gabriel?” he laughed to himself, before seeing the notification and pouting, almost disappointed.

[6:17] Mr. Lange: Called to a meeting tonight. Can u come over and watch her?

That was the Langes, Michael thought, tapping out a response. Always gone. He’d bring Mac n Cheese and drive over to their house in an hour.

Until then, he’d just lie with Zad and torture them with excruciatingly detailed accounts of Gabriel’s physical attributes. Michael smiled. Revenge was sweet.

#gabemike #satan and me #my fics #satan and me fanfiction #SaM archangel michael #SaM archangel gabriel #zadkiel #raphael #natalie mcallister #thisiskindagross #hello hello its been a few months oopsy #EDIT: FUCK FUCK I MEANT TO POST THIS TO MY WRITING BLOG #o whale

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juju-on-that-yeet · 7 years

Text

When Evil Rears its Head: Chapter 8 - Sacrifice

Oh dear...

Read below or on AO3!

In hindsight, it probably wasn’t the best idea for Yandereplier to take the elevator.

He’s aware of that even before it lurches to a stop too soon, trapping him between floors. But he’s always been too impulsive for his own good, launching into things without a second thought. He hadn’t had a clue where Peevils would go next, and the elevator had seemed like a good place to start. And it had been: Finding Silver there, and recalling Ed Edgar in the doorway of the control room, Yandere could guess where Peevils planned to go next. But then, of course, the elevator had broken, and Yandere is sure that Peevils was the cause.

At first, he can’t do much but scream and curse, venomous thoughts of what he plans for Peevils once he gets his hands on her swirling through his mind. He kicks and bangs on the elevator doors in his anger, like he can break them open with brute strength alone. But they refuse to open, no matter how hard he hits, and he gets nothing but sore fists for his trouble. It’s then that he’s forced to take a moment to breathe, let the red fade from his vision.

He remembers something that happened a long time ago, when he’d gotten himself killed trying to stop a group of humans from hurting Dark. While Dark had gotten out alive, he’d still been injured, and Yandere had felt like a failure after he’d woken up in the clinic. But it was while he was still recovering, laying half-asleep there and kept half-awake by his self-deprecating thoughts, that he felt he heard something. He didn’t see Dark, or even feel him there, but he remembers his voice, whispering something to him:

“If you’re going to be reckless, then at least be strong enough to get yourself out of trouble.”

Yandere, impulsive as he is, has tried to abide by that ever since. He thinks. Obviously, beating on the elevator doors is useless; he’ll have to open them some other way. He looks at the elevator’s ceiling, but he can’t tell how to remove the lights by sight alone. He could try it, maybe use his katana to pry the panel off, but who knows what would happen? He could electrocute himself, and if he breaks the light before he’s finished, he’ll be in total darkness. That option’s no good. Perhaps his katana can pry the doors open? Yandere isn’t certain. He loves his sword, and he couldn’t ask for a better weapon, but this is certainly not what his katana was designed for. He takes it out, looks up the length of the blade, turns it around, watching it glint in the elevator lights. He tests it out, pressing the katana into the crack between the doors. There’s the slightest bit of give, and Yandere knows that if he works at it, he can open the doors with this sword. But he has to go slow and be careful, or else his sword could snap from the pressure.

If there are two things Yandere cannot do, they are “slow” and “careful.” But he has to try. For Dark. For Wilford. For Chrome.

He’s barely gotten the doors a centimeter apart when a high-pitched ringing pierces the air, like the sound Dark’s aura makes but louder, sharper. Yandere drops his katana to cover his ears. His brain feels as if it’s being skewered by the soundwaves coming through his fingers into both ears, but he can hear something even worse beneath them: The creaking of the elevator. When the sound finally ends, the elevator continues to make strange sound for several moments before lurching down about a foot.

Yandere curses. He has to be even more careful now; whatever that sound was clearly caused further damage to the elevator. He’s more frustrated than ever before, but he forces himself to take a breath, pick up his katana from the ground, and continue the slow work of opening the elevator doors.

~~~

Peevils is in the second-floor kitchen and still looking for King of the Squirrels when the strange, keening sound rings out, and she’s forced to stop and cover her ears against it. She hears other sounds, though, just beneath it: The sound of Mark crying out from inside his mind, the frightened chattering of dozens of squirrels, and someone else shouting in pain, unable to keep quiet.

Once the painful sound ends, she grins. She looks around herself in the kitchen, but already King seems to have scurried off somewhere else. This has been his infuriating game; she’s looked in every room by now, but he doesn’t stay in one place for long. Several times Peevils has narrowly avoided something heavy falling on her head; a coffee-maker, a thick book, a glass bottle from the shooting range. But every time she looks up, King’s already gone. How he can stay on the ceiling like that is a mystery to her (and to Mark, as she discovers from prying into his memories of the ego). No doubt King wants to knock her out, perhaps to be able to imprison her somewhere until someone else can get her to leave Mark’s body.

But the game seems to have changed now, as the squirrels, disoriented and likely in pain from the strange noise, all dart in a single direction. Peevils is certain that they’re seeking King out, either to comfort him or be comforted. How amusing that the subjects he wishes so dearly to protect will be his undoing. She follows the creatures out of the kitchen and into the hallway, and she decides to act while she knows he’s in earshot.

“I know you’re here, King,” she says, walking behind a group of squirrels, “You can’t hide from me forever.”

No response, and even when Peevils finds the spot where the squirrels are congregating, in the hallway next to a stairwell, she still cannot find him. Perhaps he’s in the stairwell? Peevils knows that he’ll bolt the instant he hears her put a hand on the door, and quite frankly, she’s tired of this game. But she knows just how to get a rise out of him, and now that she knows where he is and that he can hear her, she’s going to do it.

“You know, King,” she says casually, “I came to your room when I first got here. I just so happened to look in your dresser. I admit, those babies are pretty cute.” She cocks her revolver, letting the sound hang in the air. “It sure would be a shame if they got hurt.”

“Wait!”

Just like that, the door to the stairwell opens, and there’s King, face drawn with panic. Peevils smiles as she feels Mark’s jolt of fear, his wave of horrid nostalgia looking at his own much younger face and knowing what’s about to become of it.

“Don’t hurt them,” King is saying, bravely stepping forward, feet expertly avoiding the tails of the squirrels clamoring around him, “Whatever happens to me, don’t hurt the babies. Please.”

Peevils raises an eyebrow, surprised at how well he’s keeping his cool. He’s afraid, she can see it in his sweaty brow and dilated pupils, but he speaks evenly, and he levels a calm stare at Peevils. Perhaps he’s putting on a brave face for his subjects, who chitter nervously around him, no doubt sensing that something bad is brewing.

“You’ll give yourself up? Just like that?” Peevils asks. She knows she shouldn’t be looking a gift horse in the mouth, but she can’t help it. King purses his lips, showing his nerves, but lifts his chin with regality at the same time.

“For my subjects, I’d do anything.” There’s something like pride, but softer, in his tone. “Besides, even if I can’t stop you, someone will. If you kill me, I’ll come back. My squirrels won’t.”

“That’s optimistic of you,” Peevils replies wryly, “Assuming someone will stop me. And assuming that there’s an “if” I’m going to kill you. There is no “if.”” She raises the gun. “And, even further, assuming I’m going to leave those stupid animals alone just because you asked nicely.” King flinches but doesn’t break.

“Why would you?” He asks, with only the slightest tremor in his voice. “No one cares about them but me. If I’m gone, killing them doesn’t get you anything.”

Well, he has a point. And Peevils was only able to take so much ammunition with her from Wilford’s room, she doesn’t wish to waste too many bullets. She shrugs.

“Fair enough,” she says, “It’s just too bad there’ll be no one to take care of them anymore.”

“Someone’s going to stop you,” King insists, even as tears fill his eyes, “You won’t get away with this.”

Peevils recalls how Mark had said the same thing earlier today, and so does Mark. He recognizes so well that endless optimism in the face of certain failure, that refusal to lay down and give in to sadness. It’s strange seeing it from the other side, seeing the same feelings that sustained him when he was young and new to YouTube in another version of himself, one locked in another time.

“I guess we’ll see, won’t we?” Peevils laughs.

She fires into King’s forehead and he drops, nearly crushing a few unwary squirrels. The creatures panic, crawling over King’s back and rubbing along the side of his face even as blood pools around his head. Mark dry heaves inside his own mind. Peevils rolls her eyes at him.

“So sentimental,” she mutters, “Just because he looks like you when you were younger doesn’t make him special.”

Mark is too shaken to argue with her, and instead cries silently, trying to shut out her words.

All at once, Peevils sees the squirrels surrounding King’s body turn towards her, casting the stare of a hundred beady eyes onto her own. It seems they’re smart enough to put two and two together, and realize why their beloved king won’t respond to their nudges and chatters. Several squirrels run towards Peevils, ready to attack.

“Seriously?” she mutters, firing at one, then another, then another. The force of the bullets is so strong that their tiny bodies practically explode, their upper halves rendered into lumps of gore that spray towards the squirrels hanging back. Were it possible for Mark to vomit where he is, locked inside his mind, he would be doing so now. The other squirrels, some of which were preparing to charge Peevils, shrink back and cower before scattering. They have to go past Peevils to get anywhere else, of course, since the stairwell door is shut, so they scramble up the wall, scuttling past Peevils before dropping back to the floor to dash away. Peevils doesn’t bother chasing them, instead reloading her gun as they scurry past in a wave of fluffy brown.

“How troublesome,” she sighs as she finishes reloading the weapon, “Thank god that’s over with.”

Now, of course, she has to decide who’s next, but it doesn’t take her long to remember that the Host isn’t the only person who rooms on the first floor. It’ll be easy, she thinks, much easier than chasing after King just now. And she’s already right next to the stairwell. She steps over King’s body and begins her descent, closing the door behind her.

(But the building is wide, not just tall, so of course there are two stairwells, each on opposite sides. Peevils goes down the east stair as Dr. Iplier, Bim, and Google go up the west one. Dr. Iplier’s body has recovered from the jolt of pain, but he wonders who it was that was killed this time, as do Bim and Google. The three find themselves moving a little faster.)

~~~

After they were left alone, Bing and Bop went to Bop’s recording studio like they said they would. The room is attached to Bop’s bedroom, which Bop already locked. He and Bing are sitting inside the recording booth, hoping to conceal themselves further. They’re trying to keep their moods light; Bing plays music, and Bop sings along when he can. Both are afraid, Bop especially, but as seconds tick past the two begin to feel more and more secure.

(But Peevils knows that any half-intelligent person would hide in a soundproof room.)

It’s Bing who hears the hole shot into the door, but only barely, through the studio and recording booth walls.

“Shit,” he mutters, “She’s here.” Bop goes white.

“A-are you sure?” he asks. Bing listens again, and is able to hear footsteps approaching the studio. The room may be big, but he knows they don’t have long before they’re found.

“I’m sure, dude,” he answers Bop, voice quiet. He bites his lip. He has a plan, he’s had it for a while, but he knows Bop won’t like it.

“What now?” Bop asks, voice thick with fear.

“I do what I said I would earlier,” Bing says, keeping his voice as steady as possible, “I go and beat her up.” He pauses. “And if that doesn’t work, I’ll convince her you’re somewhere else.”

“Bing,” Bop gasps, “You can’t. You can’t just confront her, she’s armed, she’ll hurt you, she’ll kill you—”

“Bop, easy,” Bing murmurs, reaching over to squeeze Bop’s shoulder. “I know it’s scary, but there’s not much else to do. I can beat her, I just gotta take her by surprise. And if we stay in here she’ll just get us both.” He pauses a moment before taking off Bop’s cap with one hand and ruffling his hair with the other. “I mean, one of us has to make it, right?” He tries to grin.

Bop is terrified, but he sees in Bing a fear that surpasses his own. Maybe his eyes are shaded, and maybe he’s putting on a brave face (like always, he’s always swallowing his own nerves or panic for Bop), but Bop can’t miss the tightness in his expression, the way his brows furrow, the slight tremble in his body that he can feel from Bing’s hand in his hair.

“Bing, you don’t have to do this,” Bop whispers, “Maybe if we stay in here, and stay quiet—”

“Bop, dude, you know that won’t work,” Bing replies, and he’s right, but Bop can’t let this happen, he can’t let Bing just go out and—

“Bing, please.” Bop takes Bing’s hand, the one still holding his cap, in both of his own. He stares at Bing with wide, watery eyes. “Don’t go. Stay here with me.”

“You’ll be golden, bro.” That’s all Bing says as he pulls his hand out of Bop’s grip and places his cap back on his head.

“Bing, please…” Bop is crying now, and feels frozen in place.

“You’ll be golden,” Bing repeats before getting up and leaving the booth, shutting the door behind him.

Bop whimpers, completely at a loss. Should he stay put like Bing wants? Should he follow? What good would that do? He can hear Peevils too, now, hear her footsteps coming into the studio. Bop’s fear wins out and he cowers into the back corner of the booth, hoping, praying, wishing. He hears words being exchanged, but his mind is so wrought with anxiety and terror that he can’t focus enough to comprehend them. He tries to keep quiet even as tears roll down his cheeks. It’s like waiting for the other shoe to drop, waiting for the tornado to touch down, caught in the split-second when a singer falls backwards into the crowd and it’s anyone’s guess whether they’ll be crowd-surfing or hitting the floor.

When he hears the gunshot, he throws both hands over his mouth to muffle his scream. It’s not the same painful and powerful scream he made when Google grabbed him, but a low and anguished wail. At the back of his mind, Bop wonders if he could replicate that high-pitched screech now, but again, what good would that do? It might let the other egos know he’s in trouble (he should’ve gone with them, he should’ve gone with them, if he had gone with them Bing wouldn’t be—), but how long would it take them to get to him? How long would he be able to keep it up? All it would do is burst Mark’s eardrums and slow Peevils down but not stop her, merely delaying the inevitable.

Speaking of Peevils, she quickly finds the recording booth and kicks the door open, and Bop finally sees what he’s been so afraid of. Even looking at Mark, it’s impossible not to see Peevils there, in the way Mark’s shoulders roll after the kick to the door, the way his eyes peer at Bop, the way his face twists into an evil grin.

“I knew I’d find you here,” Peevils says, stepping forward towards Bop. If her body language hadn’t already tipped Bop off, her voice certainly would’ve: It’s too high, and there’s a layer of hissing just beneath it. He tries to scoot backwards, but he’s already up against the wall. Peevils laughs at his attempt to get away from her.

“God, you’re a coward,” she giggles as she approaches Bop, squatting down in front of him. “Not a very smart one either. But I guess you’re smarter than your friend there.” Peevils points vaguely over her shoulder. “He tried to convince me you weren’t here. Imagine,” she cackles, “You, MarkBop, not in your sound-proof studio during a time of crisis. And even if I didn’t know a thing about you, Bing is still a really bad liar.” She tilts her head. “Or, was a really bad liar.”

Bop wants to say something, anything, or even scream or cry out, but he can’t get a sound past his lips. He already knows he’s too shaken to speak English, and no doubt Peevils will laugh off any Simlish he manages to spit out. Tears are still running fast down his cheeks, but he’s so paralyzed with fear that he can hardly even sob. He tries to reign himself back, get his breathing under control. He tries to remember the song Bing sang to him earlier. How did it go? They were sitting, they were sitting on the strawberry swing…

“This is really too easy,” Peevils says with a wide, manic grin, “The only one who really put up a fight was Wilford. I’m glad I got him first, because the rest of you are a nice break.”

Every moment was so precious…

There’s the click of the gun, and Bop feels cold steel on his temple. All he can do is whimper and shrink away, but he can’t go far backed into the corner.

They were sitting, they were talking on the strawberry swing…

“No last words from the singing ego?” Peevils mocks. “Too bad.” Bop whimpers again and squeezes his eyes shut.

Everybody was for fighting, wouldn’t wanna waste a thi—

Bang!

The bullet goes through Bop’s head and lodges itself in the wall. He slumps back into the corner as blood leaks from his temples. Peevils looks inside herself for Mark, and finds him in tears yet again. She’d already known he was a crier, but she’s surprised he still has any tears left in his body at all. He’s quiet again as well, not wanting to speak to her and not knowing what to say. Peevils grins to herself as she stands up and moves to leave the studio.

~~~

Google, Dr. Iplier, and Bim reach the second floor as Peevils is traveling down the east staircase. Though they’re on the opposite end of the floor from where King of the Squirrels lies, they immediately sense something is amiss from the squirrels congregating aimlessly throughout the hallway. None of them have paid much mind to King’s squirrels in the past, but they’ve never known the creatures to gather so haphazardly; sitting in random clumps and tittering nervously. All three of them are immediately worried, and they walk quickly through the hallway—as quickly as they can, that is, without stepping on any squirrels. It only takes a few minutes for them to find King, and even from a distance Dr. Iplier can see the line of red zeroes above his head, and knows it’s too late to help him. Bim, though, cannot see those zeros, and runs ahead to King.

“Bim—” Dr. Iplier begins, but Bim either doesn’t hear or doesn’t care to. The doctor shakes his head as he and Google pick up their pace to catch up with Bim.

As they approach, Bim sees something on the ground, yelps, and recoils. Dr. Iplier watches his face turn green as he staggers backwards. He goes into doctor mode like the flip of a switch, and thus doesn’t notice what Bim has seen right away.

“Hey, Bim, easy,” Dr. Iplier says gently, grabbing Bim’s shoulders to keep him upright, “What’s—”

Ah, now he sees. Not only has Peevils killed King, but she’s killed several of his squirrels as well. There’s not much left of them but clumps of bloody fur and red pulp. Dr. Iplier feels a bit sick himself. He only hopes that Peevils killed the poor creatures after she killed King, so he didn’t have to see what became of his subjects.

Bim still looks like he might vomit (or cry, tears for King welling up in his eyes), so Dr. Iplier turns him away from the dead squirrels, keeping a steady arm around his shoulders. There’s nowhere for him to sit aside from the floor, so Dr. Iplier lowers him down, and a few squirrels approach him curiously. Google, meanwhile, can’t tear his eyes away from the grisly scene. At the very least he doesn’t feel physically ill (such a sensation is nearly impossible for him to experience), but the sight of King, older than himself but so much younger physically, and his poor squirrels bloody and dead on the floor doesn’t exactly make him feel good, either. He finally manages to look away and see Dr. Iplier trying to comfort Bim.

“Deep breaths,” Dr. Iplier is saying, “In through your nose, out through your mouth. Slowly, now.”

Bim obeys, and his skin color returns to normal as the sounds of his long breaths fill the hallway. The squirrels around him, while clearly unhappy from what’s happened, stay where they are and sit up against Bim, calming him further. He reaches out a tentative hand to the squirrel nearest him. It sniffs his hand but otherwise doesn’t react, so Bim gently pets the tiny creature, feeling the slinky way it moves beneath his hand. He manages a smile.

“I hate to interrupt,” Google says, “But it’s likely that Peevils is using this stairwell.” He gestures in front of him, past King to the stairwell’s door. “Or she’s just exited it. Either way, we can catch her if we leave now and go quickly.”

At that moment, Dr. Iplier’s heart twists and pain fills his chest. He jumps up from the ground, grabbing the front of his shirt.

“Google’s right,” he gasps, “We have to go, now.” Bim scrambles to his feet, and the three move past King and his squirrels to enter the stairwell.

“Which way do we go?” asks Bim.

“She’s already killed most of the inhabitants of the third floor,” Google says, voice lowering without him meaning it to, “So it’s more likely she went to the first floor.”

“Dammit,” Dr. Iplier mutters before taking off down the stairs.

“Doctor, wait!” Bim cries, dashing after him.

Google feels an I-told-you-so lurking in his chest, but says nothing as he follows the others. Part of him hopes he’s wrong.

Especially when Dr. Iplier stops dead in his tracks.

“Fuck,” he gasps, before running off again. Bim and Google follow close behind, trying not to let anxiety slow their steps.

The group finally makes it to the first floor, and no one needs to ask where they’re going. They reach their destination and find that the exact thing they all feared has come to pass: Bop’s bedroom door is wide open, with a messy hole above the doorknob.

“I’m going to look for Peevils,” Google says, voice hard and cold, “She can’t have gotten far.” He moves away to look before Dr. Iplier can remind him that they ought to stay together. He and Bim have no choice but to step into Bop’s room, and into the adjacent studio.

They find Bing first, laying on the floor with deep black oil around his head. There might have been a struggle, or perhaps the force of the gunshot that killed him was exceedingly strong, because his sunglasses have fallen from his face and sit beside him, covered in oil. They can see Bing’s eyes, those strange orangey things, half-open and lightless. Dr. Iplier bends down to close Bing’s eyes as Bim ventures further into the studio. He sees the open door to the recording booth, and takes a deep breath in before he approaches it and steps through the threshold. He’s not surprised to find Bop’s body in the corner of the room, but the sight brings him to tears nonetheless. He’s fond of Bop, and Bop is so young, was so young…

Dr. Iplier hears Bim’s sobs and joins him in the recording booth. He grits his teeth at the sight of Bop. He knows he should be staying calm and comforting Bim, but he can’t stop the anger and despair and regret and guilt that well up in his chest. He shouldn’t have given up so easily. He shouldn’t have counted on their times not being set. He should’ve tried harder to get them to come along. He should’ve ordered, demanded them to come. He shouldn’t have left them. He shouldn’t have left them, what kind of doctor just leaves people to die?

“Dammit,” Dr. Iplier sighs, suddenly very tired.

“Are…” Bim begins, taking a shuddering breath, “Are we sure they’re the ones who were just killed?”

“It has to be them,” Dr. Iplier answers, voice quiet, “The blood is fresh, and Bing isn’t…cold yet.”

Indeed, the blood pooled around Bop is bright red and shiny, not the deep rusty maroon that surrounded the Host. And Bing, despite being an android, has the same warmth of a human from his whirring internal machinery. Dr. Iplier felt that warmth, not yet faded, on Bing’s face when he closed his eyes. The doctor is sure that they just missed their murders, just missed Peevils. As if on cue, he hears Google enter the studio.

“Peevils isn’t here,” he growls. Dr. Iplier and Bim turn away from Bop to meet him, and find him staring down at Bing, hands balled into fists.

“She must be in a stairwell,” Dr. Iplier says, “We have to check—”

“I did,” Google interrupts, voice hissing, “Both. I couldn’t see or hear anything in either one.” He shakes his head. “It doesn’t make sense. She’d have to be incredibly fast to get away like that, and even then, I should’ve heard her footsteps echoing. It’s like she’s disappeared.” He looks up at Dr. Iplier and Bim, eyes glowing blue. “Were the hell could she have gone??”

(Peevils hadn’t known about the other elevator, secretly tucked behind a wall on the first floor, until she’d possessed Darkiplier and saw into his mind. Apparently even he gets tired of teleporting everywhere, or occasionally finds himself in situations when he cannot teleport at all, so he made himself a private elevator with his reality-bending magic. No one knows about it, not even the Googles, and not only is it hidden and password-protected, it goes straight to Dark’s office. Of course, having seen into Dark’s mind, Peevils already knows the password. As Dr. Iplier, Bim, and Google puzzle over where she could be, she steps out of the elevator and into Dark’s office. There aren’t many egos left to kill, but there’s a certain pair of them that she knows will be exactly where she expects. So she walks out of Dark’s office to the stairwell, so she can travel down one floor.)

~~~

Yandere has nearly opened the elevator doors enough to stick a hand between them when another groan rises from the elevator.

“Ugh, what now??” he mutters, unable to keep his frustration internal any longer. His patience was exhausted what feels like hours ago to him, as he mindlessly wiggled his katana back and forth between the elevator doors. He’s so close now; once he can fit a hand comfortably through he can push the doors open himself. But the creaky sounds the elevator is making don’t bode well, and Yandere is forced to stop moving and wait for the sounds to pass.

Every movement Yandere makes minutely jostles the damaged machine. As he pries the doors apart, millimeter by millimeter, the elevator loosens just a little more. But he’s been careful, his movements have been quick and small and purposeful, and the elevator is holding steady enough for Yandere to escape if he keeps up that carefulness. That is, until, Dark’s elevator begins to move, and the shared system adds more movement and jostling to the main elevator.

So the elevator doesn’t quiet, but continues to creak, and then it lurches down. Yandere stumbles and falls, landing on the floor alongside Silver. He hisses in annoyance. The blood doesn’t bother him, but with the way the elevator is acting, he wonders if he’ll even be able to stand back up. At least he managed to hold onto his katana, which he decides to sheath until the noise stops. But it only continues, becoming a scraping, and the elevator lurches again, tilting to the side. Yandere is half-afraid the doors are going to slide back shut, but they seem stuck in the positions Yandere has pushed them to.

It suddenly occurs to him that perhaps he ought not to wait at all. He’s so close to getting a gap in the door big enough for his hand, and once that happens, he can escape the elevator in a minute, maybe less. The elevator is still making noise, still screeching at him, but who knows when it’ll stop? Maybe it’s a bad idea, but Yandere is tired of waiting, sick of being careful. He has to get out of here, he’s wasted enough time as it is. Every second he’s stuck in the elevator is another second Peevils is walking around, another second Peevils is getting away with what she’s done to the people Yandere loves, another second Dark, Wilford, and Chrome are going unavenged.

Yandere grits his teeth. To hell with not being reckless, reckless is what he does best.

But he’s not stupid. He doesn’t scramble to his feet, and instead crawls back towards the elevator doors. He unsheathes his katana again and begins to work at the doors again, more quickly than before. The elevator screeches on, and Yandere growls. Just a little more. The elevator falls an inch, and Yandere almost tumbles backwards, but he steadies himself and keeps going. Almost there, almost there. He can imagine it now, imagine finding Peevils, imagine grabbing her by the hair, imagine throwing her down, imagine slicing through her legs to keep her from running, imagine wrapping hands around her throat and choking her until she turns blue, imagine cutting out her tongue when she can no longer scream, imagine prying open her ribs the same way he’s prying open the elevator doors—

The sounds finally cease, and for a long moment, Yandere believes the danger has passed.

Then the elevator drops.

#peevils #king of the squirrels #bingiplier #markbop #yandereplier #when evil rears its head #my writing #kristin says stuff #curse tumblr for only using the first five tags on posts #this fic has too many people #peevils can fix that

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