#would literally climb this bitch like a tree

[elliesfavbae]

Summer camps and dead mouses, Part 3 series

Summer camp with enemy to lovers Ellie Williams.

part 1, part 2, part 4

synopsis: You went to a summer camp for the first time. Among many people, you've met someone who seems to hate you - her name is Ellie Williams. Suddenly, she starts to avoid you completely. What happened?

pairing: mean!Ellie Williams x reader

warnings: use of y/n, Ellie is a bitch, swearing

note: sorry it took me so long to post this! I didn’t have my laptop with me while I was away and returned literally yesterday

wc:3500

About fifteen people are gathered in a circle with a bottle in the middle. You look up; the dark sky peeks through the gaps in the trees. It’s a cloudless night, with stars twinkling brilliantly above. Since you’re deep in the woods, far from any cities, the sky is a stunning tapestry of stars. It’s so different from the view you have back at home in the city.

Your reflections are interrupted by a deep voice. “Quiet, everyone! Let’s start the game.”

The person who just spoke is the first to spin the bottle. He’s a boy around your age, wearing a simple beige t-shirt and light jeans that are pretty worn out and dirty at the bottom. He reaches out to touch the bottle and spins it. The glass revolves for a few seconds before it lands on a girl. You try to make out her features in the dim light of a few flashlights, but it’s hard to tell if you know her. You don’t think you’ve met her before. Does it even matter?

Since it’s the first round, the pair is quite shy about making the first move, but the girl’s friends push her toward the boy, and they finally muster enough courage to connect their lips. It’s a simple kiss, a peck even, but that’s enough to make the crowd cheer.

You cringe at the thought that every round of this game might be like this. Half of us are probably adults already or at least 17. You start to regret playing this childish game.

You scan the faces around you, trying to read their expressions, when your eyes land on Ellie. The second you look at her, she quickly turns her head in the opposite direction. Was she looking at you? You quickly push the thought away. No, why would she? Especially after claiming many times that she hates you. She was probably looking at someone next to you, or something.

The girl on whom the bottle landed spins it again. It lands on another boy, whom you recognize from archery yesterday. The boy spins the bottle once more, and it lands on a different boy, one you don’t know.

“Wait, what?” You whisper to Olivia next to you. You don’t understand what just happened. What are the rules?

“You’ve never played before? One of the people who just kissed spins the bottle. Once it stops, the person for the next round is picked. Then, that person spins the bottle to find a pair for themselves,” she explains quietly. “Get it now?”

To be honest, you’re not entirely sure you understand, but you’ll catch on. You nod.

You miss the moment when the previously picked people kiss. One of them spins the bottle, and it lands on a blonde, muscular girl. Wait, you know her—it’s Abby. She’s wearing the same braid she had before.

“Alright.” Abby reaches out to spin the glass bottle. The material catches the light, casting shimmering reflections around it. It spins for a while before it begins to slow down. You’re sure it’s going to land on your friend on your left, but it turns a little more and lands on you.

“Y/n,” Abby says with the same friendly smile she gave you while rock climbing. ‘So she remembers me,’ you think.

You shift closer to her, feeling everyone’s gaze fixed on the both of you. You try to return the smile she’s offering as you both lean in. You close your eyes when you’re close enough, and she’s the first to press her lips to yours.

Her lips are surprisingly smooth and soft. You feel her kiss your upper lip, so you mirror the motion with her lower one. You catch a hint of vanilla in her scent. The moment is brief, though. She pulls away quickly, and you follow suit. You try to sneak glances at the people around you to gauge their reactions. Some cheer, some laugh—not in a mean way. One reaction stands out, though. It’s Ellie, her face filled with… anger? Her face muscles are tense, her jaw clenched, and she’s definitely looking directly at you. You don’t have much time to analyze as a voice snaps you out of your thoughts.

“Y/n, spin the bottle.” You reach for the cold glass. You spin it, but you no longer care where it lands.

Your mind returns to Ellie. What was that about? You definitely didn’t just imagine her anger. Maybe she was jealous of Abby?

“Damn.” Olivia laughs quietly.

“Did you see how Ellie looked at me?” you whisper back.

“That’s what I meant—she looked furious.”

“Yeah, I’ve got no idea why, though.”

“What? You just kissed her ex.” You look at her in disbelief.

“Abby was dating Ellie?” You widen your eyes, and she nods.

“A few years ago, yeah.”

That makes sense. Ellie is still jealous of her ex, and a girl she despises just kissed her. You feel a strange sense of victory—you managed to annoy her without even trying.

You refocus on the game. Abby is once again in the middle, leaning in to kiss another girl. When did this happen? It doesn’t matter. You glance at Ellie, searching for any sign of anger on her face. This time, aside from her usual scowl, she seems completely unbothered. It doesn’t make sense; Abby is kissing someone else again, but there’s no trace of anger from Ellie. You’re utterly confused.

The game continues as if nothing happened until you feel a pressure in your bladder. You look to your right at Olivia, but she’s deeply engrossed in a conversation with a pretty girl by her side. You decide not to interrupt and simply just let her know where you’re going. She nods in understanding.

You get up and head into the dark woods with only a flashlight in hand. Once you can’t hear the chatter, you figure you’re far enough. Unbuckling your pants, you hope not to encounter any animals, let alone people.

You wipe your hands with a wet wipe after you finish, walking back toward your friends. Oddly, you can’t hear anyone anymore, even as you get closer. You’re sure you took the right path. When you reach the circle, everyone has disappeared. It’s clearly the same spot, evidenced by the worn circle on the ground. You flash your light around, searching for anyone. You come closer and nearly jump out of your skin—a figure is lying on the ground. You squint and, to your horror, it’s Ellie.

“Get this shit off my face!” she screams, squinting her eyes. You turn off the flashlight.

“Where is everyone?”

“They went back to the camp.” Even in the darkness, you can sense her disdain. “Why do you care?”

“And why are you still here?”

“And why should I explain myself to you? It’s none of your business.” Her frustration is palpable. She’s so infuriating.

You decide to head back to camp, but you realize you don’t know the way. You stand there, pondering what to do.

“Why are you still here?” Ellie asks again.

“I don’t know how to get back to the camp,” you admit, and you hear Ellie groan.

You hear a quiet “fuck me” before she stands up. You turn your flashlight back on. It seems she’ll accompany you back to camp. She’s holding something in her hand—a sketchbook. You try to look closer and make out a few blurry sketches of a person and a drawing of a night sky.

“Do you draw?” you ask without thinking. Ellie quickly hides the journal behind her back.

“No, I don’t.” She’s clearly lying.

Okay, whatever. It’s a shame, you think. If she weren’t such a bitch for no reason, she could be a pretty cool person. She dresses nicely, you hate to admit it, but she’s actually attractive and seems to have some interesting hobbies.

You walk in silence, just holding your flashlights. You look up at the night sky. The sky remains cloudless, with stars shining brightly. Some are larger, brighter than others. Some are blinking, as if they might extinguish and never be seen again.

The silence between you and Ellie is suffocating. You take a deep breath before speaking. “Look, that red shining dot is Mars. My dad used to teach me some astronomy stuff.”

Ellie actually looks up. “Hate to break it to you, but that’s Antares, not Mars. Mars isn’t even visible in this part of the sky right now. Guess your dad is an amateur.” She says it so nonchalantly, as if she didn’t have to think before speaking.

Mars, Antares, whatever. At least she didn’t tell you to ‘shut the fuck up and never speak to her again’ like she usually does. You decide to pursue the topic. Maybe this conversation could be more than just a few minutes of insults, and besides, you can’t stand the silence.

You didn’t lie—your dad did try to teach you about astronomy, but it was so long ago, you barely remember anything. You try to recall anything he told you about it and speak up again. “Whatever. At least you can see the North Star and the Little Dipper. It’s my favorite star. It’s fascinating that the North Star always stays in the same spot. Did you know it’s one of the brightest stars in the northern sky?” You point to a bright star, pretty sure it’s Polaris. Well, you can’t really see the Little Dipper, but it’s probably somewhere nearby.

“Polaris isn’t in this part of the sky either.” Ellie chuckles, clearly proud of herself. “It’s Spica. Pretty basic stuff. I thought everybody knew that. At least you got the facts right, but if you want to show off, make sure the whole thing is true.”

Her ego is inflated even more than usual. You wish you’d never brought up the topic. What’s worse—and you hate to admit it—is that she seems to know quite a bit about astronomy. Suddenly, Ellie speaks up. She sounds more… lost in her thoughts? 

“My favorite star is Tabby’s star. It’s a big mystery for astronomers. You can’t see it now, but it’s blueish. Some scientists think it might be used by aliens as a source of energy because of its unusual energy drops,” she clears her throat, “I mean, whatever, it’s not like I care about stars.” However, her tone betrays a genuine interest.

And that’s the first time she’s spoken to you for so long without offending you. Wow.

You notice you’re close to the camp gate. You feel relieved—you won’t have to endure Ellie’s presence and self-aggrandizement any longer.

You split up without saying another word.

Finally, you find your roommates, and you don’t bother hiding your annoyance. “Why did you leave me in the woods?!”

“Y/n? Sorry, we thought you’d already left with someone or something,” Leah, a girl from your room, apologizes. 

Right, you didn’t inform the girls from your room about leaving, just Olivia.

“And where’s Olivia?”

“Oh, she’s a little busy with that girl at the moment…” Emma looks suggestively to your left, and as you follow her gaze, you see Olivia clearly flirting with the same girl from earlier. You’ll have to talk to her once she’s done.

“But you’re back in one piece, after all,” Leah says again.

“Yeah, but at what cost?” You dramatically roll your eyes. “Ellie had to walk with me because I didn’t know the way.”

“That’s pretty nice of her, isn’t it?”

“No, I mean yes, but she was being a bitch, as always.”

“Oh, I know. I saw the way she looked at you when you kissed Abby!” So not only you and Olivia noticed!

“I mean, I probably wouldn’t be too thrilled if someone kissed my ex…”

“Abby and Ellie were a couple?” Leah asks, shocked.

“Yeah, why do you think Ellie is acting like such an ass around the main counselor?” Emma continues. “A few years ago, Ellie broke up with Abby. It was a big deal at the camp. Rumor has it Abby cheated on Ellie with a guy—Owen, I think.”

It all makes sense now. You swear the click in your head was so loud it could’ve been heard by everyone. Ellie broke up with Abby, so she wants to get back at her. That’s pretty petty.

“Why does she keep coming back here if that’s what happened?”

“She still has friends here and knows everyone. But honestly, I don’t know either.”

Well, she shouldn’t concern you. You push her out of your mind and try not to think about her again.

You can hear the counselor blowing whistles from afar, and after a few minutes, the camp director announces, “The Treasure Hunt is over,” right, you forgot about the Treasure Hunt, “and the winners are Ryan and Max from the third group. Good job!” The crowd cheers.

You sigh and look around as the counselors line everyone up and start counting heads. A few people are missing, but after a minute or two, they all return from the dark woods accompanied by counselors. Your friends were right—everyone made it back safely. That’s quite impressive.

You walk back to your cabin with your roommates and some other campers, gossiping about everything that happened tonight. When you arrive at your room, everyone is so tired they immediately head to bed, forgetting any pre-sleep chatter.

***

It’s the next morning. When you open your eyes, you remember everything from the night before—Abby, Spin the Bottle, Ellie… You can’t quite explain it, but when Ellie talked about the stars last night, she seemed… different? It’s strange to say, considering she only said a few sentences and managed to offend you in half of them. But it’s like she revealed another side of her to you. She doesn’t seem like the type to discuss nerdy interests, at least not until yesterday.

The day passes like usual. You’ve already been to archery, basketball, and now it’s time for biking. You would never have guessed that biking would be your choice among all the available activities, but Olivia’s convincing made it sound promising. Apparently, if you’re nice enough to the counselor, they might take you to a shop outside of the camp, in the nearest village. Sure, there’s a store on the camp, but its prices are outrageous, and their selection is limited to sugar-free imitations of real food.

You arrive at the bike shed with Olivia. You’re not really focused on your surroundings, too absorbed in laughing at Olivia’s story, until you reach one of the bikes. Just as you’re about to take it, you notice someone else’s hands on it. You look up and, of course, they’re Ellie Williams’. Her auburn hair is tied in a bun, spilling out of her helmet and covering her freckled face.

You brace yourself for another round of insults, but to your surprise, she drops her gaze when your eyes meet, removes her hands from the bike, turns around, and walks away to find another vehicle. The odds of a meteor striking the camp right now seem more likely than this.

For the next minute, you expect her to return and scold you for taking her bike, but nothing happens.

The rest of the activity is uneventful. Instead of visiting the shop, you go to a different spot by the waterfall and take a twenty-minute break to play cards with other campers. Ellie doesn’t join you; she spends the time talking to her friend. She doesn’t even look at you the whole time.

Tonight’s evening activity is team challenges. You’re divided into groups of twelve and compete in various games. You’re lucky to be in a group with some of your friends. Ellie is there too. It’s as if fate insists on you two crossing paths. Except this time, Ellie seems determined to avoid you. She stays out of your way—sitting out the Capture the Flag challenge and Tug-of-War, and then disappearing when she swaps groups with another girl.

You discuss it with Olivia later. “It’s just weird how she went from being a total asshole to suddenly avoiding me!”

“I mean, I’d be happy if I were you. She finally stopped bothering you. Maybe she just got bored of being a bitch?”

That does sound rational. You’re not even sure why you care so much.

“You’re right. I should be glad she finally let it go. But she even hid from me during the challenges today. I mean, she seems to love competing and gloating after winning…”

“Y/n, I don’t want to sound rude, but have you considered that maybe it isn’t about you? Maybe she’s having a bad day, or she’s upset about something else,” Olivia says suddenly. You think about it and feel a little embarrassed. She’s right—the world doesn’t revolve around you. Ellie’s behavior could be due to anything. Maybe that counselor she was flirting with earlier? Or Abby? “You seem like you can’t get her out of your head, though.” Olivia giggles.

“What? No, I totally hate her.” You roll your eyes and join her giggles.

After that, Olivia excuses herself and disappears to meet with that girl from yesterday. Seems like they're practically inseparable since the Treasure Hunt.

You go back to the cabin on your own, where you meet your other friends.

***

Another day passes by. Everything seems normal, Ellie doesn’t bother you anymore. From the meanest bitch you’ve met, she turned into someone who seems afraid to even talk to you. At first, you wonder if anything has happened. No one changes so drastically without a reason. You even ask a person or two if they know what happened, when you realize it’s not your problem. You’re overreacting, she might be just in a bad mood, it’s only been a couple of days.

It's evening already. After a day full of activities, you have hungrily thrown yourself at the pancake plate. You and your roommates are excited for tonight’s evening activity, it’s a bonfire; you can’t wait for the s’mores, singing and gossiping by the bonfire.

You’re leaving the dining hall, when someone runs up to you and pats you on the shoulder.

You turn around and see it’s Abby, smiling as always. You smile when you see her, too.

“Hey y/n, how you doing?” She starts walking next to you, you can feel a faint scent trailing behind her. It’s like a mix of fresh forest air and vanilla, probably it’s her shower gel.

“I can’t wait for the campfire tonight,” you admit.

“Right… That Treasure Hunt night was fun, wasn’t it?” Memories of that night flood your mind again. Looking at Abby, you remember Spin the bottle game, your kiss.

“Yeah, except the fact I had to walk back to the camp with Ellie by my side.” You sigh and look at Abby, her brows furrow a little. Right, you probably shouldn’t have mentioned Ellie to Abby. “God, sorry, I probably shouldn’t be talking about her…”

“What?” Abby seems genuinely confused.

“I mean, you guys seem to still have some unresolved stuff going on…”

“What? No, we’re totally cool now.” Abby laughs it off. Her face is relaxed, she seems to be telling the truth. “Want to sit down?” Abby points in a direction and your gaze follows her finger. She’s pointing at just some overgrown bushes.

“In the bushes?” You don’t understand.

“No, there’s a bench inside,” Abby chuckles. Right, you remember now - it’s the spot Olivia showed you earlier.

“Oooh, right. Sure…” As you walk closer with Abby by your side, you remember the things your friend told you about this spot. Like a romantic hideout or something?

You start wondering if Abby took you here purposely, knowing about this place’s reputation. It’s not like you don’t like Abby… Sure, she’s attractive, kind and stuff, you’re just not interested in her in that way… Maybe she got the wrong idea of you two after the kiss? You probably should tell her what you feel.

You fight your way through the thorny plants and both sit down on the wooden bench.

“So, as I said, me and Ellie are fully over.” When you’re just about to pick up the feelings topic, Abby starts talking. Guess you will have to try another time.

“Are you sure? Because I thought that when we kissed that night, Ellie got, like, super pissed off,”

“Really? I mean, it wasn’t about me, for sure.” Abby shakes her head. Well, if it wasn’t about Abby, then about what? You realize you’re sitting pretty close to Abby. Did she move closer to you? Abby puts her hand up and brushes a strand of hair behind your ear.

“Your hair is so pretty,”

When you’re just about to respond, someone comes up to you, their steps are heavy.

“Abby? Y/n?” A familiar voice reaches your ears. Not in a calm tone, though. You quickly jump away from Abby and look up. At first you think it might be Olivia, but it’s someone much more unexpected. It’s Ellie.

TAGLIST: @lI17284839 it wont let me tag u:(

@littlelittlebear

@diddiqueen

@kl1q

@abslvr111

@slut4els

thank u for all the support pookies!!!

[the-moon-files]

Linked Universe / GN!Reader - Random Headcanons abt the Chain! :)

Part 1 / Part 2 (ur here!) / Part 3

Sun: Reader (you/they/them)

Orbit: Headcanons-ish

Stars: Hyrule, Time, Fierce Deity, Twilight, Warriors

Comets & Meteors: Content Warnings: light cussing, & Trigger Warnings: none known.

☆

Hyrule (The Legend of Zelda - OG game, Zelda II: Adventures of Link):

Lost easily, obviously, you know this

What you didnt know was that its very easy to get lost with him

Bc he's so excited/curious for new sights he doesnt give any fucks abt where he is, so it devolves into that "wait, I thought YOU were leading us there?? Then where tf are we??!!" very quickly

Does feel bad he stressed u out smtimes but he somehow manages to get into such wild shit that Hyrule's kinda preoccupied being confused/amazed/finding his way out, or any combo of these situations (once again, usually with you unfortunately)

Is the luckiest when it comes to getting lost or anything to do with "natural" things

Like he heard u rlly like this one fruit? Accidentally gets lost all day and panics all the Links + You until he shows up at midnight with a shirtful of them

("I found a few fruit trees/plants in the woods while wandering! I tried to grab a few for you and before I knew it, it was dark, sorry...")

Likes learning little skills from other people, like learning how to do makeup from Legend, or how to spot collections of rupees the Minish have left somewhere from Four, or how walk on any terrain from Wind (good at walking on a ship, on land, climbing etc)

More of a "sunset" hiker than a "sunrise" one

Likes to do your hair! Whether that be braiding, putting accessories (he handmade shhh) thruout it, or helping with hair maintenance, likes how strangely intimate but domestic it feels together with you (u return the favor ofc)

(All the other heroes are looking at you both like kicked puppies jfcccc🙄)

Time (Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask):

Gets anxious if he's late to things, likes being fashionably early (or ungodly, when u let him get away with it)

Has absolutely been that meme from Parks and Recreation where he's like "Alright. I'm not mad, I just wanna know. Who broke it?"

(Abt the coffee pot for the camp)

Knowing full and well-

"I broke it. It burnt my coffee for the 3rd morning in a row, so I punched it. I predict 10 minutes from now they'll be at each other's throats with war paint on their faces and a moblin head on a stick. ...good. It was getting a little chummy around here."

MF LOVES GOSSIP (wouldn't admit this even at swordpoint)

Wars has absolutely been the person in the meme of:

Wars: "...why would you tell me this??"

Time: "Bc no one will ever believe you."

Wars: ...😦

Has a resting bitch face and knows it, actively cultivates it, scary dog privileges for you,

Type to take ur side in whatever situation ur in, even when Time has no idea whats going on, always, without question <3

The same height as First, (Twi's a close 2nd), and feels most secure when the 3 of you are at the front of the group, but First/Time are slightly in front of you

Like ur literally the person walking their 2 huge scary doobermans/mastiffs one leash in each hand basically 💀

(Once again, Link is deeply comforted by ur voice just over his shoulder/just hearing u even without seeing you)

Very subtly sarcastic, u dont even know he made a dig at you until 3-5 business days later

Likes ur sarcasm more than anyone else's in the group, or even his own lol

Fierce Deity (Majora's Mask):

Likes music, any music (amused at drunk karaoke)

Casually cradles ur arms or back whenever ur falling asleep/tripping/being clumsy near him

Very warm and smoothed calloused hands

Thinks abt what he's about to say so hard/long, that the conversation's moved on by like, 3 rounds/subject changes by the time he's actually ready to talk

Scolds ppl (in like a sentence) who neglect their needs, like sleeping/eating/hygiene

Finds peace in nature, if hes ever upset, u can bet he's already taking a walk by a stream

Likes teaching u/other Links little skills he has, its nice to feel appreciated/needed for something other than fighting or big moments

He falls in love with small moments, like the first time u made them all a dessert recipe from ur world, or repaired First's scarf (for the millioneth time) and bc everyone had gotten their clothes scratched up, everyone needed repairs so most Links were sewing smth lol

Enjoys watching ppl experience smth for the first time, or even himself exp smth for first time

Fierce smiled fully for the first time when you got into the mountain hot springs in Wild's Hyrule for the first time and were super excited

Also the type to hold ur hand while stepping in to make sure u dont fall, or just subtly boost a Link that was abt to fall from climbing smth

Like for being the tallest, he's surprisingly sneaky, the energy of the biggest cat in the house yet somehow also the quietest

Does that thing where someone takes ur hand and like massages ur fingers, palm, wrist and shakes them out kinda for you <3

Twilight (Twilight Princess):

Trips UP the stairs.

Cold start LMAO

ok ill be nice to him,, sike

Easy to bully?? U mean that kindly, he's just such a golden retriever sometimes u cant help urself (tho u make sure to reign it in and not take advantage of it so as not to genuninely hurt him)

Lol likes to "herd" his favorite people, like those dogs livestock farmers have u kno that they say end up herding their owners/their family lol

Like making subtle circles around the Chain, wrapping an arm around Hyrule and teasing him to quietly bring him back into the group before he gets lost,

Tugs on Time's armor to slow him down, mf may be in armor head to toe but he'll outpace all of u 💀

Likes to put his hand on ur lower back to guide u back into the group from whatever scenic thing u got distracted by

(so sue you, ur literally in The Legend of Zelda's Hyrule, surrounded by pretty blondes, why tf wouldnt you be distracted all the time??)

The only time he doesnt herd actively is in Ordon, just subconciously lol <3

Terrible sleep schedule, but sleeps like the dead when he does, has collapsed with a limb on top of you and u couldnt escape

Hard time waking up in the morning despite being country boy, who usually have to do chores first thing in morning on a farm

hates/envious of Wild (up at 5am even on days off?? Foul.)

Runs warm, but complains abt a slight breeze?

Would sleep with no covers if it werent for morning dew

Wishes cats liked him more (its the wolf smell)

Twi has the constant energy of a tall person carefully maneuvering around cluttered/low doorways while someone a head shorter runs by him and bounces off of him

U get onto/scold the Links and he's immediately the first to just sit on the ground, or put down whatever he's holding no matter what he's doing LMAO 😭😭

Keeps his eyes on u too the whole time lol

Warriors (Hyrule Warriors):

Cries over romance novels/dramas

A virgo in all stereotypes of the word tbh

Invented the red-string conspiracy theory board before the red-string conspiracy board existed in Hyrule

Also likes to take care of your hair! (What?? He and 'Rulie don't fight over ur hair, that'd be childish, he's not a foolish boy- Hyrule, hand over the brush.👹)

Remembers the little things abt u type of person, like ur favorite drink, ur favorite stories like tv shows/books even if theyre from ur world, ur favorite clothing pieces like shorts vs. pants, etc.

The only Link who can single handedly claim he could take your closet and dress you in something you'd actually wear.

Honestly once he got the hang of it, would get better at dressing you, than you

(Another domestic thing he adores, picking outfits for u/finding that perfect piece of clothing you've been needing lately)

Born to night-owl, forced to morning-bird 😔

Wars wakes up stiff sometimes bc soldier training is sleeping on ur back, hands to ur sides, laying straight in ur bed, so as to fit into bunks/bedrolls close together

It got better as he was promoted to Captain, so he could have his own quarters but its still a hard habit to shake

One of the few Links who works up the courage to genuinely pitfully ask if you'd mind massaging his shoulders again? He slept badly last night, please?? 🥺👉👈

(Ur so weak for pathetic hurting pretty blonde twinks lol)

The most lowkey abt taking care of Chain, but u make sure to take care of him as a gift back, and you've definitely caught him tearing up abt it 💖

☆

Debated writing smth else first but figured this was easy and short and i started it first so youll have to wait like one more post before more Masc Reader stuff guys 😔

Dw its coming, i havent abandoned u my homies out there 🫂

Let me know what u think in the comments of my slight characterizations here!

Im struggling to conceptualize their personalities so thats acc part of why i started to write smaller stuff like this first! :)

Peace out,

🌙

[blingblong55]

DUDE FROM AND THE 141+KÖNIG ARE LITERALLY THE EMBODIMENT OF "my child is completely fine!" * cue child doing some wild shit*, I shall explain

Graves: they bit my shadows multiple times! I saw them scale a fucking walk Price! Like is was walking!

Price: fuck you, my child is completely fine!

Cue a camera pan to a half circle of 141, Keegan, König, and Krueger surrounding grim while cheering, grim, who is on all fours and growling ferally while ripping apart a mini voodoo doll of General Shepard like a dog would it's favorite chew toy

Graves: *now in hysterics* THAT IS NOT FUCKING FINE PRICE!

Price: *sips his mug of unknown liquid* eh, s'normal fer me, AYE!

Prices problem children: *stops what their doing and looks at him* ?

Price: I don't want any of the stuffing in that doll on floor! And if any of it does clean it up, hear me?!

Problem children: *nod then go back to their chaos*

Price: *walks away*

Graves: D:>

His shadows are hiding somewhere btw, them bitches fearing for their LIVES

Grim scaring the shadows has to be my favourite thing

The voodoo doll flies to Grave's lap and looks at Grim.

Graves: Stay... please don't get any closer

Krueger leans down and whispers: Remember he is kinda like the sugar baby of Shepard

Grim looks at Graves, slowly getting closer to him

Graves: Oh cmon it was my job!

König: Or was it?

Gaz: go get 'im Grim!

While Graves runs from Grim around the base the shadows climb trees and hide

[torukmaktoskxawng]

‘anla - part five

Masterlist

Summary: A child's neglect and a father's inner turmoil finally comes to a head. Y/n takes a leap of faith, both literally and figuratively.

Pairing: Ao'nung/Fem!Na'vi!Sully Reader

Warnings: Mature language, time skips, HEAVY angst, depression, older sibling syndrome, mentions of death, canon compliance, father/daughter trouble, fluff, etc.

posted on ao3

Word Count: 6k+

Tag: #'anla ao'nung fic

Na'vi Words: ikran - Mountain Banshee, tsahik - spiritual leader, Iknimaya - Rite of Passage, tawtute - human, tsmuktu - sibling, marui - home, olo'eyktan - clan leader, kalweyaveng - son of a bitch, ilu - dolphin like animal, Sänrr Rong - Glow Tunnel, frakrr - always

Taglist (bold indicates “could not tag”):  @bangtanxberm @aonungmyaddiction @lv9su @aisselasstuff @yourusername1 @amortencjja @king-julian6201 @gg-trini @im-in-a-pansexual-panik @mikeyswifie @heart-an0n @iloveavatar @urdads-gf 

Ronal always had perfect timing, and today was no different. She found herself with an empty basket in her arms as she walked into the jungle in search of specific plants. She had walked for a bit before she noticed a shadow cast over her form. Looking up, Ronal watched an ikran fly overhead and land on the strong branches of a large tree, its rider jumping off and landing on the branch gracefully. Ronal took an educated guess on who the rider was and called up with her strict, ever so formal voice, "Y/n te Suli."

A head and a pair of ears perk up at her name, then Y/n looks down to see who had called her. Eyes slightly wide in surprise, she shakes off the shock and climbs down the tree, landing strongly on her legs in front of Ronal. She keeps her eyes dutifully lowered out of respect, keeping her expression stern and impassive as she touched her forehead then lowered her hand toward Ronal, "Ma tsahik."

Ronal appreciates the formality despite the way she shoved the empty basket in the young girl's arms, "I need to restock my herbs and materials, and there are certain components that require climbing. I could use you for those instances."

Y/n took one glance down at Ronal's baby bump before nodding in submission, following the tsahik through the jungle in search of her ingredients. They do their work in silence, Ronal occasionally explaining certain depictions of a plant Y/n needed to look for before sending the girl up a tree, but other than that, they don't mutter another word. That is, until after Ronal deemed the assortment of acquired plants enough for her stock and walked with Y/n all the way back to the village. The walk through the jungle had been tense and Y/n didn't know how to entertain or even converse with Ronal. The tsahik was an intimidating woman, sometimes more so than her own mother. Y/n doubted that Neytiri and Ronal ever spoke a word to each other even as the Metkayina was teaching the Omatikaya woman her ways. If Neytiri didn't know what to say to Ronal, Y/n doubted she could either.

However, Ronal spoke first, and she spoke as bluntly as ever, "So it would appear that your brother has taken a liking to my daughter."

Y/n sputtered, surprised by the older woman's statement as she tries clambering for a more appropriate response. She knew that whatever was going on between Lo'ak and Tsireya was sweet and strictly innocent -for the time being- but for it to come to Ronal's attention was a bit concerning, to say the least, "Oh... uh... has he?"

Ronal doesn't appreciate the unintelligent stutter, ears flattening as she narrows her gaze at the forest child, "I am not stupid, girl, and neither are you. So quit pretending that you are."

There's a slight shift between them, and some sort of mask slips from Y/n's face right before Ronal's very eyes. The Metkayina tsahik observes the way Y/n straightens her posture and sternly frowns, glaring at the path ahead of her instead of at Ronal. Clearly, she didn't appreciate the insult, "What would you like me to say? That I disapprove? Technically, I don't."

Ronal wasn't one to turn down a challenge, and she was already intrigued by this side of Y/n, "Explain."

"Na'vi have mated with other Na'vi from different clans before, at least where I'm from. It's not unusual."

"You think that is why one must disapprove?"

"What else is there to disapprove of? That they're young?" Y/n nods in agreement, "They are, and obviously, they should wait until they finish their Iknimaya, but that shouldn't deter them from choosing one another."

"I see."

Y/n spares a glance at Ronal, narrowing her eyes with as much bravery as she could muster, "But I know that's not why you disapprove."

Ronal quirks an eyebrow ridge, challenging the girl, "No?"

"You disapprove because Lo'ak is a half-breed. Part tawtute." Ronal doesn't answer Y/n's accusation and instead watches silently as Y/n raised her five-fingered hand up to her face, examining the offending limb with pinned ears and sad eyes. Y/n brings her hand back down, still walking beside Ronal even as she started to feel small, "Maybe your son was right. That we are freaks... but your daughter doesn't see us as freaks. She thinks we're special, especially Lo'ak. I mean, it's not every day you have Omatikaya half-breeds bonding with a tulkun around here, right? Lo'ak has done the impossible and he should be given more respect as the son of Toruk Makto."

Her words were strong, stronger than Ronal has ever heard from Jakesully's oldest daughter. She knew Y/n was once strong-willed, remembering the day Ao'nung crawled back home and mentioned how Y/n broke up a fight with him and her brothers using her ikran and strongly-worded threats. But as of late, Y/n has barely spoken to anyone except for her remaining siblings and friends. Ronal couldn't recall the last time Y/n spoke in either her or her mate's presence, usually leaving her parents to do the talking. Somehow, the once mute girl let her mask slip in her little brother's defense, walking confidently beside the tsahik who dared to insult her family. Ronal had to give credit where it was due. There weren't many people alive who would dare speak to her so proudly and without courtesies.

"You are a boldly spoken girl, Y/n te Suli Neytiri'ite. Although my children tell me that you don't speak as much of late."

Her tail droops closer to her side as they walk, and Y/n doesn't bother hiding her shame, "I guess not. There isn't much to talk about."

"No?" Understanding etches across Ronal's elegant features, adjusting the basket in her arms as she pins her eyes ahead of her as they walked, "I suppose you are much like me that way. I let my mate do the talking if I think the need to talk is pointless or exhausting. I prefer to sing."

She catches Y/n's tail perking up in surprise, and it took a lot of willpower not to smirk as her amusement flourished in her chest. Y/n's jaw nearly gapes open, "You sing?"

"Yes... my Spirit Sister, Ro'a, she would sing with me."

Y/n immediately regrets asking, instantly catching the wave of sadness and distress that washes over the tsahik. It was still a loss she carried close to her chest, and Y/n understood where she was coming from and how she felt. They had both lost someone dear to them that fateful day, and the wounds still bled as if the loss was still fresh.

Y/n decided that she didn't like Ronal bleeding alone and feeling so vulnerable, allowing herself to remember bittersweet memories of her own, "... Neteyam would fly with me. All the time, whenever I asked. While we fly, he'd listen to me whenever I needed to vent my anger."

Ronal looks back at the forest girl, nearly a young woman. The tsahik's expression was impassive and Y/n could tell the gears in her head were spinning, but unsure of the what or why. Ronal nods solemnly, "I no longer prefer to sing. You no longer prefer to talk. Do you believe our tsmuktu would wish that for us?"

Neither female had thought of that before, and for some reason, whatever conclusion came to mind, the thought lifted their spirits, even if only for a little while. Y/n felt lighter for the first time in a while, since before Neteyam's death, and she didn't feel shame in letting her eyes get warm and blurry, the path ahead a little unidentifiable. Ronal doesn't comment and lets the girl shed her silent tears as the pair finally makes it to the edge of the jungle, spotting the village right up ahead. Y/n quickly wipes away her tears and just in time, too. As they approached the village, Ao'nung was sighted walking up to them. He had seen Y/n first and grinned widely, but the expression quickly falls when he noticed the woman walking beside her. Jogging up to his friend and his mother, he glanced between them with caution, waiting for either bomb to go off if one of them spoke.

When neither woman spoke, Ao'nung broke the ice first, addressing the Omatikaya girl, "Hey, Y/n. Rotxo and I are going bodysurfing later and we thought you might want to join."

Ronal spared a glance at Y/n and caught the forest girl smiling for the first time, but she wasn't smiling at Ronal. The tsahik followed her gaze until her own eyes landed on Ao'nung, and suddenly some puzzle pieces were fitting into place. Ao'nung was smiling back, and it wasn't one of his usual smirks or promises of trouble. He was smiling, genuine and happy.

Ronal ignores her son for the moment, turning to Y/n before the girl could even give Ao'nung her answer, "Thank you for your help, child. You may go now."

Y/n quickly broke out of her train of thought, remembering where she was, and dropped the smile. She nods to Ronal before sparing a lingering glance at Ao'nung, walking away as she spoke over her shoulder, "See ya later, Seawee-- Ao'nung."

Ao'nung had laughed even as the girl vanished from sight. Ronal sternly cleared her throat and the laughter immediately stops, the boy straightening his spine, standing in attention to his mother. The tsahik decides to stare at him for a long period of time in order to make him squirm uncomfortably, then she bluntly asks the question buzzing in her mind,

"Do you wish to court Y/n?"

The question stuns Ao'nung, his ears and eyebrow ridges sticking straight up to the sky. He gapes like a fish, trying to find an appropriate answer. Ronal felt a little smug and satisfied as a darker shade of blue begins to form underneath her son's skin, even without a straight answer. Serves him right. Ronal knew she was going to need to fuss over Tsireya's infatuation with the Sully boy, but she didn't think she'd have to fuss over her own son so soon. Why were her children growing up before their little sibling entered the world?

Finally, Ao'nung lowers his gaze to his feet as he forces out a single word, "No."

Her brow ridge rose, a little surprised by the answer, "Why not?"

She was prepared for him to say many things, like how Y/n was not true Na'vi or that she was of a different clan, but Ronal wasn't prepared for when her son finally answered, "Because she's hurt right now. She lost her brother. I just... want to be there when she's ready."

Ronal tilts her head, curious, "For what?"

Ao'nung had the decency to look bashful, shrinking into his shoulders and lowering his ears. He looked as though he didn't have an answer either, unsure of himself while questioning the words on his tongue, "Moving on with her life? Is that stupid?"

She knows her son has every right to feel vulnerable around her, as his mother, but Ronal couldn't help but roll her eyes at his idiocy. With her basket under one arm, she loops the other through Ao'nung's and begins tugging him back in the direction of their family's marui, "No, son... but she said you once called her a freak. Surely you don't feel that way if you wish to court her?"

He bristles with annoyance, a trait he, unfortunately, inherited from Ronal, "Mother--"

"Fine. 'Not' court her."

Ao'nung relaxes his shoulders a little, his voice softening, "I don't think she's a freak. I think she's amazing."

Ronal hums, nodding occasionally to any Metkayina they pass by as mother and son trudge through the pathways of their village, "So. You do not wish to court her. Not right now at least. You are waiting for her."

"Yeah. I... I guess I am."

"You cannot guess," Ronal spoke sternly, stopping in her tracks and forcing her son to do the same as she glared him down, "You have to be sure, Ao'nung. You are our future olo'eyktan and you cannot afford to second-guess yourself. And you certainly cannot second-guess yourself when choosing a mate. It is for life, boy, do you understand?"

Ao'nung gulps and quickly corrects himself, "Yes. I'm sorry, Mother, I guess--" he winced when her eyes narrowed, "I mean, I'm just confused. I thought you would disapprove of Y/n."

Understanding the hidden question, she hisses under her breath and begins walking again, pulling Ao'nung along, "I will admit. She's not someone I would choose for you. She is not a healer and she prefers the sky over the sea. But it has never been my choice and she is Metkayina now. One of us. I will just have to surrender to the idea of both of my children choosing former Forest People before anyone born of the sea."

His body relaxed into her side, gladly walking beside her now instead of acting like he was forced to. He quietly muttered how grateful he felt, "Thank you. Wait-- what do you mean both children? Where's Tsireya?"

A wry smile graces Ronal's lips, patting his hand in pity, "Oh, my son. You are so blinded by your own infatuation that you never noticed your sister's. At least I will have a third child to distract myself from your foolishness."

They return home and Ronal finally lets her son free of her grasp. He had hurried off, likely to get away from his mother and also to track down Tsireya (or strangle Lo'ak, whichever comes first). Stepping into the hut, Ronal finds Tonowari inside, gutting the fish he had caught that morning. The olo'eyktan looks up and catches her gaze, and whatever he sees in her eyes has him standing up to reach out to her, "Ma Ronal?"

"We need to talk."

~~~~~~~~~

Jake knows that he should be more actively involved in his eldest child's life, but for the moment, Y/n has made it a game to avoid him. When he wanted to initially talk to her, she had slipped away to go bodysurfing with some of the other Metkayina her age. Jake found himself alone in their family's marui, waiting for everyone to return now that he wasn't able to talk to his daughter one on one. It made him think about Neteyam, and how the boy would've easily gone after his twin to talk to her. The thought made Toruk Makto greatly admire and miss his first boy all at once. He always relied on Neteyam to wrangle up his siblings, and for Y/n, he relied on her twin to talk to her for him. Neteyam always knew how to talk to Y/n. How to calm her, how to excite her, and he especially knew how to help his parents talk to her. Between the twins, Neteyam was more open about his emotions, but even that was a great feat. Neteyam didn't talk about it unless asked to, so if it was difficult to squeeze out Neteyam's inner thoughts, Jake wondered just how impossible would it be to reach Y/n's.

The struggling father even debated going back to the Spirit Tree to ask Neteyam what to do, but that inner turmoil made him feel so pathetic. How pathetic of a father was he that he needed to reach out to his dead son for help when it came to talking to his daughter? As a parent, Jake should be the one to have wisdom and give it freely to his children, not the other way around. Then again, it had been so long since Jake's own twin brother had died that he forgot that twins are on another level of understanding compared to the rest. Neteyam would always know Y/n best and vice versa, and that was something Jake had accepted a long time ago. Now, however, with Neteyam gone and Y/n left in a world without her other half, Jake was trying to understand her the way her brother always did.

It didn't help that Y/n has yet to go to the Spirit Tree herself. She refused to go see her brother and refused, even more, to talk about it. Jake wanted tonight to be the night they talk, so even after the rest of his family left to go to the communal meal, he waited.

He heard laughter coming from outside, ears moving wildly before he even raised his head. He recognized one of the laughs to be Y/n, and his chest squeezed at the familiar sound, wishing he could hear it more. After he heard her wishing her friends goodnight, he heard footsteps approaching, but not at the entrance of the marui. Looking up, he continued to hear the footsteps above him and realized that Y/n was climbing up the mangrove tree roots sheltering their home.

Jake goes outside, calling up, "Hey, sweetheart? Can you come down here, please?"

Y/n was sitting towards the top of the tree root but obediently climbed back down at her father's request. Hopping down and landing in front of him, she had jostled the bouncy walkway and stood straight up, tilting her head up at Jake in question. Once again, Jake found himself at a loss for words, unsure of what to say to her without her twin here to tell him, "Hey... feeling alright?"

She raised an eyebrow and shrugged, finding the outside wall of the marui more interesting to look at than her father, "I guess so."

Jake nods, deciding now was the time as good as any, "I was wondering if you and I could go to the Spirit Tree. I thought you might want to visit your brother."

Immediately, her posture shrinks and her eyes lower to her feet, and Jake was half afraid that she might burst into tears. Meanwhile, Y/n was thinking back to what Ronal had told her, wondering about both Neteyam and Ro'a and how they would feel knowing that their sisters were living miserable lives without them. She wanted to be able to live a life Neteyam would be proud of her for, but even now, the idea of looking him in the eye and telling him what she had been up to since his death made her stomach churn, "... I don't think I'm ready for that yet."

"Are you sure?" Pity and concern swim in Jake's own eyes, lifting his hand and settling it gently on his daughter's shoulder, "It might help."

She frowned down at her feet, "Help with what?"

"It's just... you never got to say goodbye."

Her watery eyes peer up at him then, and Jake felt like he was being punched in the gut as venom drips from her words, "You mean I never got to watch him die? Nobody got to say goodbye, Dad."

"He wanted to say goodbye. He was trying to," What kind of a father was he if he couldn't comfort his child? Jake scrambled to find the right things to say, and instead, he blurted out what he knew would only make Y/n feel even more distressed, "Neteyam... he wanted me to tell you something. He wanted me to tell you to... to 'find more?'"

He wasn't expecting Y/n to rip herself out of his hold on her, and he wasn't expecting her to stare up at him as if he had burned her, full of pain, shock, and utter betrayal. Her whole body began to shake, but not from crying. Even as tears welled up and fell from her eyes, Y/n's fangs were bared as she began to angrily spat, "That stupid, selfless, self-sacrificing kalweyaveng!"

Jake's posture turns rigid, glaring down at his daughter as if ready to lecture her, appalled by her speaking ill of the dead, "Y/n!"

"Just leave me alone!" She screamed back, too angry to even bother thinking about another lecture from her father. She spun around with the intention to run, but Jake reached out and firmly grasped her arm to keep her from escaping.

"I've done nothing but leave you alone!" She flinched and Jake immediately lowered his voice, exhaling the abrupt anger and forcing himself to calm down, but still spoke sternly, "I have given you your space and time because I knew you were in a lot of pain. I knew how you were feeling because I know what it's like to lose a twin brother. It's time we finally talked, young lady."

"About what?" She asked, keeping her back turned to him.

"About that day. Your side of the story."

Y/n spun back around, tears still spilling from her eyes even as she glared at her father in disgust, "You mean you want me to tell you why I wasn't there to save my brother from dying?"

Jake's grip froze, and for the life of him, Jake couldn't figure out why his muscles refused to move. It was like an arrow had punctured him through the heart, the disgusting accusation still evident on Y/n's face. His anger disappeared, being replaced by shock and disbelief, "What?"

"You heard me."

Jake sucked in a sharp breath. Had she always felt this way toward him? "No, sweetheart, I would never--"

"It doesn't matter if you did or didn't think that, what matters is that's exactly what I expect from you." She straightened out her shoulders, defiant, even through her soft cries. She looked so confident and the fact that she was confident about Jake's behavior made his heart shatter. Since when should a child be so sure of their parent's motivations? "At this point, everything you have done up until now has led me to believe that you would blame me for not being there. After all, that's what you did to Neteyam. You blamed him or held him responsible whenever one of us did anything wrong. So what else should I expect from you now that I'm the older sibling?"

Jake's eyes blink rapidly, voice so quiet he hardly recognized it, "Y/n... I am so, so sorry. That had never been my intention."

She wipes her face with the back of her hand, "It's too late for you to apologize. It's too late for anything you could possibly do to make up for it. Neteyam is gone," her voice cracked under the pressure of such a heavy word. She wished she didn't have to finally admit it, and she wished she felt less angry at the sight of her broken father, staring down at her on the verge of tears, "He had to die for you to realize what you did was wrong. You couldn't have tried to change when he was still alive? No. You couldn't. And I can never forgive you for that."

~~~~~~~~~

Y/n decided to sleep on the very far end of the marui that night, away from her family and their hammocks, with her back turned and outright refusing to speak. Neytiri asked what happened with only her eyes, to which Jake's ears pinned back and he simply looked away, unable to look his wife in the eyes when he admitted that he screwed up. The parents spoke quietly to each other that night, talking about what happened in quiet enough whispers so none of their children could hear. Not that it mattered, since Spider snored loud enough to drown any unwanted sound out.

"Just give her time, Ma Jake... she is young and doesn't fully understand what she says."

Jake tries his best to shake his head, but it was currently nestled comfortably in the crook of her neck, "She's not a little kid, 'Tiri. She's not Tuk. She's old enough to finish her Iknimaya and be considered a warrior of the People. She knows what she's saying, and she's finally saying it. She's going to be sixteen soon, and she is struggling to figure out what that means for her. Her father treats her like an adult and her mother treats her like a child. It's confusing her."

Neytiri lightly pinched his arm, quietly snarling in retaliation, "I treat all my children that way. My babies can grow up all they want. They will stay my babies for the rest of their lives."

Jake smiled into her neck, placing a small kiss there in admiration of how much Neytiri fiercely loved their family. Neytiri smiles to herself and wraps her arms more securely around her husband. They stay like that for a few moments until Neytiri huffs in exhaustion, bringing her hand up to play with his hair, "I can hear your thoughts. Out with them."

He's quiet for far too long like he was trying to pretend he was sleeping to get himself out of it. When Neytiri pinched him again, he finally spoke, "... Our baby is going to be sixteen soon."

Neytiri grows quiet with him, alone together in their home while their children are off in their dreams. Neither of them say it, but they were both thinking about it. Only one of the twins will be sixteen soon and will continue to grow old, while the other will forever remain fifteen, stuck in time. Jake's throat closes up at the thought. He was a twin, left behind by his brother, alone in a world that hated him and his existence. He barely survived on his own, especially in a wheelchair. Then his drinking habits got him kicked out of nearly every bar in the vicinity of his living quarters. His drinks and his wheelchair were never a good mix, and Jake knew if he stayed on Earth any longer, he would have been dead.

Jake knew that Y/n was stronger than him in every way possible. She could never fall as low as he did when Tommy died. He thought by letting her grieve the way she wanted to, the two of them could start over and heal after losing Neteyam. Looking back on his choices, Jake had regretted it, because all the while Y/n was grieving for her brother, she was also believing that her father hated her.

His arms tighten around Neytiri, trying to bury his face even further in her neck when he felt hot tears threatening to spill in the corners of his eyes, "I feel like we're losing her, too..."

"We're not," she spoke sternly, though it cracked under the pressure of her own tears, "We won't. I cannot lose another baby, Jake. I cannot..." She swallows down the bile in her throat, clearing her airway and taking a deep breath to collect herself, "Y/n is not alone. There are other people who are around her every day who love her and want to see her happy. She has more than just us. We will have to accept that we cannot fix everything for our children. Sometimes, we have to let other people do it for us, especially if our children do not want our help."

He hums in agreement, a small weight lifted from his shoulders, but not all of it. Just enough to make him feel secure, at least for the night. His eyes grow heavy and before long, Jake is finally asleep.

Whatever anxiety he felt the night before returned when he woke up the next morning and realized Y/n was already gone.

Neytiri was already awake and calmed him down, claiming that their daughter had left for the day to take a break from everything. When Jake asked if Neytiri knew where she went, his wife only shook her head, "I knew it would be best not to ask. Wherever she is going, she does not want us to follow her."

Despite their talk yesterday, Jake didn't feel the least bit reassured. He tried not to let it bother him as he goes about his day, taking a break from his usual chores to watch his other kids play around in the water. He should have been doing this from the beginning, watching over all of his children so they could enjoy their innocence just a little bit longer, instead of having Neteyam or Y/n do it. By noon, the children were all exhausted from playing and Lo'ak even asked if he was allowed to go check on Payakan. Jake almost agreed, but his anxiety got the better of him, "You can, but only after your sister returns. I... don't want more than one of you being apart right now."

And surprisingly, Lo'ak accepted his father's explanation and it threw Jake through a loop. Who knew that actually communicating with your kids will lead them to understand you a bit better? After he brought the kids home to eat lunch with their mother, Jake noted how Y/n was not back yet and so he told Neytiri that he was going to look around. She rolled her eyes but nodded.

Jake searched for places he's seen his daughter in the past but found no one that fit her description. He then went into the jungle to check on her ikran, and to his surprise, Evi was still there, confused but curious as to why her rider was not with him. Bob hissed at Jake with annoyance, clearly offended by the lack of attention around here, so Jake took him out for a short flight, using the bond to instruct him where to go.

The next place he looked for her was the Spirit Tree, flying half a dozen circles around the whole area to see if he could spot Y/n, but came up empty. Jake tried not to full-blown panic, and so did his best to fly home and try not to think about it too much. He told Neytiri that he had never been able to find Y/n by the time the whole village was starting to trickle back home for the day. The sun was still out and everyone was going around to start making preparations for the communal dinner. Now Neytiri was starting to get worried and voiced her concerns. So finally, Jake did what he should've done before and made a trip to the chief's marui.

"Have either of you seen Y/n?"

Ao'nung and Tsireya's heads perk up at Jakesully's voice and the mention of Y/n. Both of the reef siblings glance at one another from inside the hut while they could hear Toruk Makto speaking to their parents outside, "We looked everywhere. She's not with her ikran. We checked the Spirit Tree. Nothing."

Tonowari's voice spoke next, "Do you think she is in trouble? We can have a search party sent out for her."

Jake's voice sounded resigned, ashamed, "No, I think she just wants to be left alone. We had a fight yesterday and she ran off before we woke up. But if it gets dark out, I'd appreciate the search party."

Silence followed and Ao'nung could only assume that Jake had left. The reef boy's heart was loudly beating in his ears to the point he had barely noticed Tsireya gently placing her hand on his arm. He spares a glance at her and regrets it. She only stared back as if she held the all-knowing Eywa in her hands. The siblings part when their parents reenter the marui, and Ronal's eyes immediately found her son's with the same knowing expression her daughter bore.

"You know where she is, don't you?"

She's met with silence, the whole hut practically heavy in it as Ao'nung only stared back with a guilt-ridden expression. Tonowari sighed out through his nose, ridding himself of the heavy weight of the situation. He lifts his arm out to the doorway, "Go, boy. Bring her back."

Ao'nung quickly nods and rises to his feet, "Yes, Father."

While watching her son leave, Ronal calls out, "Make haste. I do not want her mother to worry for much longer."

~~~~~~~~~

Ao'nung didn't waste any time. He called an ilu and took off, leaving the village behind him as he followed the beach further up the island. As he arrives at Sänrr Rong, he found a lone ilu, strapped to a harness but floating around without a rider, diving down and inspecting the coral to keep itself busy. Ao'nung disengages from his own ilu and watches the pair going around excitedly playing together before he got out of the water to climb the cliff. He grabs onto vines and rocks and pulls himself up, briefly remembering what the forest kids had done to climb up faster the last time they were all here. He eventually reaches the top, pulling himself over the ledge and catching his breath, exhausted in his haste to get up here. The wind was whipping wildly through his hair as he looks around, immediately finding what he had been looking for.

Y/n was sitting close to the edge of the cliffside where the kids would normally dive from. She had her legs tucked up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees, looking out onto the vast ocean, her mind far away. She wanted to go somewhere quiet, somewhere not many Na'vi travel alone. She hadn't been here in a long time, remembering the last time she had gone to the Glow Tunnel. All the kids were there, having a blast, even having a picnic whenever they took a break from jumping into the water. Y/n stayed on top of the cliff the whole time, still refusing to ever take the leap. She stayed with the basket full of fruit whenever one of her other friends or siblings came around looking for a refreshing treat. She remembered laughing and warning them about stomach aches, especially when Rotxo insisted on chowing down a whole fruit on his own before jumping in for a swim. He regretted that by the time he had climbed back up the cliff, taking a nap instead of rejoining the fun.

Neteyam never looked younger than in those moments at Sänrr Rong, having fun and enjoying being fifteen. He loved cliff diving, especially when he and Lo'ak would race to the bottom or back up to the top. He was always trying to convince Y/n to join them, but each time, she refused and would watch her twin leap into the sky and plummet down into the water.

Now, she sat alone, wishing that her brother was there to ask her to join in the fun. She didn't have to delve into those thoughts for much longer as finally, she heard rustling behind her, footsteps slowly making their way toward her. Eventually, Ao'nung sat down beside Y/n, as he always does nearly every day since she lost her brother, and like always, they sit in silence before eventually, the curiosity ate at him.

"What are you doing up here?"

"Waiting for you." She responds automatically, rising to her feet before her courage could disappear, "Jump with me?"

He peers up at her, surprised, eyes flicking from her face down to her hand when she offered it to him. Ao'nung gulps down the nerves and reaches up, marveling at how small her hand was in his as she helped him rise to his feet again. Ao'nung tries not to keep staring at their joined hands, taking a moment to curl one of his fingers around her smallest, the pinky, the one he used to tease about to her and her siblings relentlessly. Looking back, even Ao'nung wanted to punch himself in the face. There was nothing wrong with the extra finger. In fact, if nothing else, an extra finger just means more to hold.

Realizing he still hasn't answered Y/n's question, he glanced back up to her eyes, blue meeting yellow, like a sun meeting the ocean, "Frakrr."

She beams up at him with her eyes, and her hand clasps more firmly into his. Looking down at the edge of the cliff, she sees the height, the fall, and the water down below. A chill runs down her spine, but it's more from the wind running through her hair than the fear. The wind felt like a comforting hand on her head, urging her forward, and she was not afraid.

Neither of them counts or speaks. Without looking to one another for reassurance, the two teens jump. They both scream, but it's out of delight and excitement, a rush running through them as they fall, fall, fall.

SPLASH.

It was like Y/n blinked and she missed it. One moment she was at the cliff's edge, then the next she was in the water, holding her breath while simultaneously clutching onto Ao'nung's hand so he couldn't get away even if he wanted to. She looked back to find him, and he was already smiling at her, grinning from ear to ear, eyes full of pride and adoration. He pulled his hand out of hers but only so he could excitedly sign to her, 'You did it!'

Y/n mistakenly laughs underwater, the sound muffled by the sea that runs into her mouth. She sputtered, and Ao'nung tries not to laugh himself, taking Y/n's hand back and helping her swim up to the surface. When she emerges from the water, she was still smiling as she coughed, and to Ao'nung it was one of the most baffling and wonderful sights. It was like watching a baptism. Before, she was just a shell, now she smiled, full of life and love and hope.

The Na'vi believe that every person was born twice, and Ao'nung was starting to believe he had just seen it happen with his own two eyes.

They found themselves laughing. Not sure at what, just laughing, likely from the adrenaline rush. It was definitely fun, and Y/n would love nothing more than to climb back up that cliff and jump again. All those other times she and the other teens would come here, and to think she had missed out on all that fun. She never wanted to miss another second of it. Through her laughter, she had closed her eyes. When she opened them, Ao'nung was still right in her field of view. He still laughed, head floating over the water, flyaways of his hair sticking to the sides of his head, framing his face. Y/n's heart leaped in her chest, similar to the cliff dive. She wadded closer to him, barely to the point Ao'nung didn't notice. They were close now, but Ao'nung didn't realize this until he took a moment to catch his breath and noticed that Y/n was no longer laughing. He opened his eyes and his laugh cuts off, eyes widening out of curiosity, wondering what she was doing.

She laughed under her breath when he looked at her like a curious little puppy. Her laugh is infectious so he continues to do the same, and suddenly her nerves have escaped her. The rush is still there, beating loudly in her chest. Every thought in her head continuously tells her to 'jump, jump, jump!'

Y/n took the leap again, only this time, she jumped at the right opportunity to kiss Ao'nung, silencing their shared laughs and molding their lips together in perfect harmony. If it weren't for the crashing sounds of waves, Y/n thought Ao'nung would be able to hear just how loud her heartbeat was. But he was otherwise occupied, one of his arms automatically finding their home around her waist, the other arm keeping them afloat above water. He eagerly kissed back without hesitation. It was like he knew she was going to kiss him, but didn't at the same time. It was hard to explain. He was obviously surprised by the kiss but he didn't hesitate to respond, knowing that this was something he desperately wanted but had refrained himself from taking it. He was happy to wait for Y/n for as long as she needed, but when she kissed him, Ao'nung decided that he was allowed to be selfish, just this once, until Y/n is ready again.

It was hard for her to admit, but Y/n liked it when Ao'nung was selfish. When she had to part the kiss for air, he had eagerly chased after her for more, and that only made her heart swell in adoration. She giggled, rewarding him a small peck on his mouth whilst she gasped quietly for air, leaning her forehead against his. They embrace like this for a while, basking in the peace and the overwhelming happiness breathing between them, listening to the serene sounds of the ocean and feeling the rushing heartbeat of the person they held in their arms.

Of course, all good things must come to an end. And who else was able to ruin such a moment than Fish Lips himself, "If you wanted to get me alone, Forest Girl, all you had to do was ask."

Y/n scowled lightheartedly, rolling her eyes and pulling a laugh from him as he leans forward and kisses her cheek. She can't help but smile, watching her hands rest comfortably in the spaces between Ao'nung's shoulders and neck, gently pressing her thumbs into his muscle there.

"I knew you'd just find me here eventually."

"Mm. True," Ao'nung grins, "I'll play this hide-and-seek game of yours again if that means you'll kiss me each time as a reward."

The laugh she lets out is the most obnoxious one by far, a downright mockery of him as she playfully flicks his cheek with her finger, "Don't push your luck, Seaweed Brain. And unless you want to deal with our parents when we get back, you need to stop smiling like an idiot."

Oh, shit. The parents. 

A/N: She did what Neteyam told her to do. 'Find more'

NOT the end of the series! More to come soon! If you have a request, put in the ask box! Please read the rules first before you leave a request, thank you!

[apollosgiftofprophecy]

What made you fall in love with Copollo and how can we angst this with Hypollo?

I had to marinate this in my head for a bit haha

First - What Made Me Love Copollo?

I don't know if I have the words for it, but I shall try! XD

First of all, I do love me some of that simple, satisfying ships that make you smile - ie, Percabeth - but -

But. But.

There's something about those toxic relationships that are so interesting.

And Copollo has an especially interesting dynamic - Commodus is the more toxic one, but Apollo's the one with all the power. Usually it's only one person with both those things but it's split between them (and note: I said Commodus was the more toxic one - Apollo was also toxic. he was enabling Commodus.)

So the dynamic is one reason. But I also just...love their story.

They relate to each other on a level rarely reached. They had a genuine relationship that was more than carnal, or even just affectionate. They loved each other, and I do think Commodus had just as much of an effect on Apollo as Daphne and Hyacinthus did.

I mean come on.

Apollo gets nervous around trees because of Daphne = Apollo doesn't like water because of Commodus.

Apollo describes Hyacinthus as perfect = Apollo has thought of Commodus as perfect.

It's all right there^^^^

And with Apollo, it's like he's caught in this "I can fix him" / "he can make me worse" mindset.

With Commodus, he's been seeking validation his whole life and clings to Apollo's when it's given to him - and his sanity spirals when he looses it.

They're that perfect mix of "match made in heaven" and "match made in hell". They would have worked but they also could not.

It's just. such a tragedy. which FITS because ya know, Greek Tragedy TM ;)

AND OF COURSE THEIR INTERACTIONS ARNUMNUMNUM!!!!!

How they're so very casual with each other in that flashback. Apollo's bouncing grapes off Commodus's nose for crying out loud THEY'RE IN LOVE YOUR HONOR-!

And then. In ToA. urhhhhhh it's so good. Commodus is That Ex with a picture of his ex on a dartboard. SERIOUSLY. and he THROWS KNIVES AT IT.

LIKE COME ON HOW MUCH MORE JILTED EX CAN YOU GET?

"dear heart", anybody? DEAR HEART? REMEMBER THAT?! I DO!!! LIVES RENT-FREE IN MY HEAD!!!!!

also the two innuendos in TDP and TTT are so good like come on Rick you know what you did there

and then. their final scene together. it's just. ARGHURHMMRM

Apollo reminisces on how he used to hold Commodus's hands with love. Commodus is so fucking eager to take a shot at him. Apollo screams him to death like omfg and the last thing - the last thing - Commodus hears is Apollo's pent-up heartbreak.

May I emphasize Apollo's pent-up heartbreak. HIS HEARTBREAK OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS YES BUT ALSO HIS LIFETIME. WHICH MEANS COMMODUS IS LITERALLY GIVEN A FACE-FULL OF PROOF THAT APOLLO STILL CARED FOR HIM.

Two people in love, and their love going so wrong when one betrays the other - killing them! - and the other is suddenly hellbent on revenge?

It's all about that lovers to enemies, everybody. Enemies to lovers is good and all but what about loves to enemies.

It's so good armnumnum.

GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I LOVE THEM OKAY I LOVE THESE BISEXUAL BITCHES MJHYJUFGH

inhale

exhale

i'm good now. ahem inspects ask angst it with Hyapollo now, eh?

Let's see here...

Well for one Commodus is 100% jealous of Hyacinthus. Like sorry I'm not moving from this hill I will die on this hill you will have to climb up this hill and drag me off it kicking and crying and screaming and clawing you. I'm not moving. crosses arms and sits down pouting

Meanwhile, in the Hyacinthus department, I think Hya would just...not really care? Or well, he'd care about how Apollo took the whole arc but he wouldn't be like "oh no he moved on :(" about it (Poly Apollo is canon y'all i don't make the rules!). more like "bitch you think I give a shit about you?" at Commodus. "YOU'RE NOT WORTH MY TIME!"

I also find it funny if it's this:

this hasn't really turned out as angst but the comedic potential is too good lmao XD

[an0thergl1tch]

Patton (mainly buff frog) headcanons :

*So acknowledging Patton can turn into a giant frog, your telling me this man isn’t buff as hell.

*You know those moms that suddenly gain the power to life a car off their newborn child? That’s Patton. He goes full mama bear.

*I personally enjoy the idea that when somebody isn’t cooperating he could quite literally throw them over his shoulder and they couldn’t do shit about it because it’s Patton and he is a solid 5x stronger than them.

*Does not know his own strength in the slightest, and has accidentally punched holes in the wall before.

*Honestly I think the only reason Remus doesn’t mess with him is because one time Remus spooked him and Patton accidentally smacked him so hard across the face that he blacked out. (Also he could absolutely pummel him but I don’t think Remus minds that)

*Lets be honest Remus probably consistently calls him frog daddy now.

*Probably a god at climbing trees and swimming.

*Definitely was a Boy Scout when he was younger, and he was the superior Boy Scout. He would probably be the one who would try and grab a giant tree branch while on the search for firewood. If they went on a hike everyone else would be dying but he wouldn’t even be breaking a sweat, hell he’d probably even give someone a piggyback ride if they needed a break.

*Along with not knowing his own strength I imagine he gets a lot of mysterious bruises and scrapes that he has no idea where they come from because he accidentally bumps into EVERYTHING. (Same)

*Oh this dude is absolutely amazing at jump rope due to his frog legs, he was the king of jump rope for heart, he has all of the prizes and had all of those little shoelace thingys. (If you know you know)

*Carries all of the groceries and luggage, refuses to let anybody else carry them, and is too stubborn to make it more than one trip.

*”Oh we don’t need a cart we’re just here for one thing, just grab a basket !” *they needed a cart but Patton insists that it’s not that heavy*

*Has an insanely high pain tolerance, like if he got stabbed he’d probably be more worried about cleaning up the blood than him being injured. However jamming your toenail into a door and stepping on legos hurts like a bitch sometimes and he has to try very hard not to scream profanities when that happens. Has had to sink out and step outside on multiple occasions because he didn’t want to say fuck in front of everyone after stubbing his toe.

*Cannot tell when he is burnt. Like he will put on sunscreen to be healthy but nine times out of ten he comes home sunburnt and he can’t even tell until he looks in the mirror (why are all dads like this.) He loves the sun because frog but he’s also pale as fuck so he turns into a tomato. However bonus gets a fuck ton of freckles because of it (Patton with freckles supremacy.)

[aluria-sevhex]

posting's been more infrequent because i feel like i've hit a bit of a harder spot with figuring shit out and also have had less mental energy ig :P

update: fuck man it's been like over a week since i intended to post this and i also feel bad for not doing art fight stuffs or working on other projects... what not leaving the house much for a few weeks does to an mf apparently:

[Hi stardust!~ All of the posts in this series can be found in this masterpost and are tagged as #Aluria plays ISAT for the first time (please don't spoil)]

notes:

-i'm back bitch :3

-waiting for it to load and the sweet sweet title theme to hit my ears

-YEAHHHHHHHH

-i always let it finish :3

-time to help everybody

-this time i decided to ask Charline for the book. Odile now thinks Sif is sus! which. yeah.

-"You don't have to remember to yell" :(

-hehe Sif is now asking Loop if they have any theories on the loops

-"Your name is LITERALLY 'Loop'."

-"Don't you 'teehee' me."

-yeah! why don't time freeze skills count as death!

-"what if you loop when something keeps you from advancing?" good theory, but what about the loops where i got stuck in the house on floor 3? i didn't immediately loop back... then again there are the small few-minute loops...

-O_O. HANG OUT WITH LOOP???

-yeah sure i didn't really have any plans for this loop

-i climbed the tree and uh. this music is kinda ominous

-how did Loop 'kind of' know about Sif before they met?

-why did Loop choose to help Sif?

-Loop is stuck with Siffrin... and seems to have been in a time loop before?

-guys i don't think Loop is fine

-yeah Loop tell me about YOU

- >:P

-what'll happen- OH. LOOP. BRUH.

-"it makes you see something, doesn't it?" yeah. "you see a vision of the future"

-Sif is breaking down :(

-SIFFRIN JUST PULLED OUT THEIR DAGGER

-hm. why did i loop if i didn't die?

-aight time to talk to Isabeau

-i love this scene

-...everybody is suspicious of my apparent grace and good attacking skills ._.

-"I'm as tall as you, Mira..."

Mira: looks at their shoes

-funny how Isa's 'worst-case scenario' for uses of Time Craft is... exactly what Siffrin is doing

-inverted Six of Pentacles?

-ah yes. a pit-iful experience

-after i checked the gardening closet, Odile said something's weird...

-checked the book and Isa noticed something off

-i've been trying to make things as suspicious as possible

-hm... what *is* the deal with the book in the secret library? with the tree on the cover and it's in the headache language

-...the book on shields has the weird sugar smell?

-i feel like shields that reflect attacks will become important later

-what if things that have been tampered with all smell like Time Craft? like the various equipment that you can pick up? and that's part of the weirdness?

-sheesh, Tear You Apart is really effective

-bathroom again

-Sif is once again claiming they're fine

-huh. i didn't see the ghost this time

-tried to sharpen the keyknife. Isa made a comment about Sif usually saying something when he sharpens things, but he can't remember

-hm... where would i find carving tools

-"In this moment, you are loved."

"(Because you forced them to.)" FUCK THAT'S. OOF.

-*sighs* time to talk to Euphrasie again

-the others noticed me again...

-"in this moment, she loves you!"

"in this moment, he loves you!"

"in this moment, they love you!"

"in this moment, she loves you!"

FUCK.

-Sif's sad hollow smile and big eye...

-"they all love you!"

"isn't it wonderful"

"you could do this forever!!!"

-"you're happy to have helped everyone become the best versions of themselves again!"

-lol Sif called Loop awkward

-"because you're what's left" of what???

-Sif is level 75 now...

-stopping for now

[ghostsferalgremlin]

COD INCORRECT QUOTES

Ok this is my first post about cod and it's not really a serious one, but i have no friends to talk about cod so here i am.

Also my oc's code name is Cerbero (italian name of Cerberus), i don't really have a drawing of him or anything, and prob will use him only for the incorrect quotes.

Feel free to see Cerbero as y/n tho, I just wanted to put a name "on y/n" cause writing y/n every time pisses me off lmao.

................

Ghost and König are sparring

Cerbero: ya know what? Bet i can climb two trees at the same time

Soap: we're talking abput literal trees right?

Cerbero:

Soap: RIGHT??

................

Gaz: i swear he scares the shit out of me

Ghost: Cerbero? Why?

Gaz: have you ever seen him in the middle of the night?

Ghost: no??

Gaz: well let me tell you, i am traumatized for life

This whole thing after he walked on Cerbero making himself an hot chocolate at 3am with no lights on, phone in hand to see and deathcore out his headphones.

................

Price: remind me, please, why i said yes

Laswell: your words "maybe with a new kid in they will calm down a little bit"

Price: i really thought that would be a thing actually

Laswell: and now you have even König with them

Soap somewhere in background: YES BITCH DO THAT AGAIN

Price: DO NOT!

Laswell: how they did manage to destroy a whole tank is still a mistery to me

................

Full mission

Cerbero: KA FUCKING BOOM BITCH

Soap: YEAH, KA FUCKING BOOM

Cerbero: BITCH!

................

Ghost: what are they doing?

Gaz: idk, i walked in here and they had folk metal on and the chaos take the lead put of nowhere

Ghost: ok but why are Cerbero and Soap naked in the middle of the common room?

Gaz: trust me, i have no idea

................

Alejandro: YES MI AMOR, MOVE THAT ASS

Rudy: dear god

Ghost: was it really necessary teaching Cerbero how to dance like that?

Rudy: don't. Just... don't

................

Price: all i'm asking for is a normal kid on this task force, just one

Soap: define "normal"

Price watching Cerbero laughing while killing: not that Soap, not that

................

[juliusthedressmaker]

Uhhh Killian is yours, yours only. Nobody can have him but you can have him.

*gives Killian back to Julius*

QwQ… (Yandere Julius x Killian? I love it.)

Killy is absolutely mine, yes. I am the only one that he ever has and ever will love, his heart belongs to me alone and our souls are intertwined in a far higher dimension - as humans call them - than any being can comprehend. We're married, and he has my name tattooed on his chest, and I have a diamond ring so big and expensive that only mob Boss money can buy. That's very true, yes. However, sexually we aren't monogamous.

It's very rare that I ever mess around with other men. He doesn't like it when I do but also doesn't have much to do bitch and moan over it, you know? Since, well, Killian sleeps around with countless women and heavily fem aligned enbies - and it doesn't bother me at all, I genuinely do not give a fuck. I know how Killian views women, thinks of them and how he treats them. He's very misogynistic, so much so he calls men who say they're red pills "beta cucks" and thinks Andrew Tate is a "wannabe" and "omega bitch" ...... So you can see why I don't care about him sleeping with them. ...and, hmm...well, if you know anything about Killian, then you know how things play out for about half those ladies.

I do not like him sleeping with men and masc aligned enbies though. It makes me very very very jealous and angry!!! >:v Killian is pansexual, gender is irrelevant him, he's attracted to feminity and "pretty" so it does lower the amount of men and mascs significantly he finds attractive. Buuut still, to my dismay, there's plenty he finds attractive. And when Killian finds someone attractive, there is no stopping that man from putting on his charm and making a move. >:/

No matter what though, it's always me he comes home to at night<33 Plus, he lets me make those men perfect AND! "all mashy" if i want once he's done (⁠◕⁠દ⁠◕⁠)

I am not yandere or whatever though... The reason I cut Killian's throat was because. Well. I'll be honest: he knocked a glass of whisky over and it broke, so I used to glass to cut his throat. LOOK, MY LIFE WAS SO BAD AND I WAS AT MY WITS AND WE HAD BEEN FIGHTING ALL NIGHT TOO PLUS WE WERE BOTH VERY VERY VERY DRUNK AND HIGH! AND I DID APOLOGIZE. ... eventually. BUT IF I HADN'T KILLED HIM THEN HE WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN BROUGHT BACK AS A DEMON WHEN I WAS!! And he said he would have been humiliated if anyone other than me was the one to take him out, he literally wanted to die by my hands, go can go ask him yourself if you don't believe me!!

Everything worked out for the best and we're happy and in love and he is my everything. We are not complete without each other, two halves of a whole 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷 And also he's sexy as fuuuuuuuhhhhhhh and I can climb him like a tree. Did you know he has a 12 pack? Because he has a 12 pack!!!🤤🤤🤤

:)<3

[imagoddamnonionmason]

Heyyyyyy girl it’s me, Liberty (again)

I think AU!Annika has a tendency to climb people (especially Nik cause he’s like 6’7) Like trees, so I can’t get the mental image of Annika jumping between Nadežda and Nikolai for kicks after the two of them just experienced hell on earth. You can’t convince me that AU!Annika doesn’t get the zoomies.

Or AU!Annika sleeping on Nad’s shoulder while she’s doing paperwork and Nik’s on a mission.

In the mood to be wholesome today, don’t expect the same next time 😊

Welcome back my friend ^u^ you're always welcome here, haunt my inbox as much as you want <3

I absolutely adore AU!Annika. She a chaotic angel and it's the right mix.

But, let's not dilly dally, eh?

Both of these would happen. 100%. No doubt.

Nadya and Nik literally get back from a mission, they're tired, they're bruised, they want nothing more than to crawl to their beds or wherever it is they're allowed to sleep and simply flop. Much needed rest is on the way... until it's not. After all, little Annika hasn't seen them and, yes, she has zoomies.

For Nadežda, even though she is tired and really wishes nothing more than to close her eyes, making sure Annika feels seen and safe is a priority, one I'm sure she shares with Nikolai. If that means Annika climbs Nikolai and then assassin creed dives off him and into Nadya's arms, so be it. This woman will stay awake a little longer to make sure Annika is happy.

Both her and Nikolai probably look very disgruntled and miserable when Annika isn't looking at the, probably to the amusement of other operators that might share wherever they're based. Nadežda probably internally curses the others for being idiots and not playing with Annika while they were gone, like, they're probably not doing anything, step up, bitch- uh, I mean... Sitch. Soz man.

(lmao Nadya and Stitch got along fine until the darts incident)

SORRY I realised I'm rambling- BACK ON COURSE

Of course, Nadya would gladly hold Annika close, having her sleep on her shoulder - a lot of the work she does for Perseus is 'background' stuff. Working through the intel, decoding messages, encoding them for other operators to receive in the field etc. But it would be nice to have the company and Nadežda would definitely love taking care of Annika while Nik is on mission.

I imagine that he comes back, expecting Annika to be raving mad, causing chaos, but is somewhat amused to find her asleep on Nadya's shoulder as she works.

To be extra wholesome, imagine if someone (idk who it would be??) snapped a pic and there's a little picture of the two like that. Nad would treasure it ;u;

[emolooswrld]

The Other Woman

part one part two

pairing: eddie munson x fem!reader

word count: 1.2k

warnings: 18+ minors dni, strong language, angst, chrissy being a cunt again😑, crying, and i think that’s it lmk if i missed anything.

summary: after you blew up on eddie, he was determined to figure out what happened. when he finally finds out, he knows what he has to do. he just prayed you would forgive him.

note: hey guys! im so sorry this part took so long to post. halloweekend really took a toll on me lol. but im back and yes, there will be a part 4. and i know y’all are gonna wanna read it because there will finally be some smut🤭also this part is pretty short but part 4 will make up for it! i hope you all enjoy😚

The second your car was out of Eddie’s view, he had almost ran into the school. He needed to know what happened. Seeing the hurt in your eyes just about broke his heart. Your words cutting through him like the sharpest knife imaginable.

The second he had opened the front doors of the school, he was met with a crowd of students, Chrissy being front and center. “What the fuck did you do to her?” Eddie asked, his voice laced with venom. “I just treated her like the pathetic little slut she is.” Chrissy shrugged with a smirk. Eddie shoved past her and the crowd.

When he reached your locker, his heart sank to his stomach. He clenched his fists as he read the words sketched onto the cool metal. “You know, I really should’ve listened to everyone when they told me not to date the freak.” Eddie spun around to face Chrissy. He swore there was literal steam coming out of his ears from how angry he was.

“And I should’ve listened to my friends when they told me not to date the self-centered, stuck up, bitch of a cheerleader, but yet here we are.” The look that struck Chrissy’s face had Eddie biting his lip to keep from smiling. “We’re done. Don’t talk to me ever again.” Chrissy spat at him before she made her way out of the crowd. “Gladly.” Eddie had muttered under his breath.

Now Eddie knew why you were so upset. He felt absolutely horrible. He should have ended things with Chrissy the moment he met you. Regret and anger and sadness coursed through his veins. He knew what he had to do. He just prayed you would believe him and give him a chance.

The second you had gotten home you ran to your room and locked the door. You had crawled onto your bed, hugging your knees to your chest. You had been crying for god knows how long. The tears just wouldn’t stop pouring down your face. You couldn’t believe Eddie had hurt you, yet again. You mentally cursed at yourself for being so fucking stupid.

Night had settled over the sky. You were still in the same position on your bed, tears still flowing. You heard something knock against your window, but you shook it off as a tree branch. Then you heard it again, and again. You shuffled around on your bed to look out your window. This isn’t fucking happening you thought to yourself.

There, standing outside of your house, was Eddie. You wanted nothing more than to walk downstairs, open the front door, and punch him square in the face. But the look in his eyes was desperate, pleading. The soft spot in your heart for Eddie won. You opened the window.

“What do you want, Eddie?” you sighed. “Can I please come up there? I need to talk to you.” he was practically begging. “Fine, but make it quick.” You moved away from the window to make room for Eddie. You watched as he climbed through. This wasn’t the first time Eddie had come through your window late at night so he did it with ease.

You sat on the edge of your bed as Eddie stood awkwardly in the middle of your room. You both just stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. Your red and puffy eyes broke Eddie’s heart. You looked like you had been crying for hours, which you had been. Finally, Eddie spoke.

“When you were yelling at me in the parking lot, I genuinely had no idea what had happened. I was so confused and seeing you so upset shattered my heart. So after you left, I went back inside the school and I saw what Chrissy did. I told her off in front of everyone and we ended things. I don’t know how she found out. I promise you I didn’t tell her. I’m so sorry she did that to you y/n.”

You let out a sigh. You wanted to forgive him, you really did. “How am I supposed to trust you Eddie?” was all you managed to say. Eddie walked over to your bed and sat next to you. He turned so that he was looking at you. You watched as he reached up to his neck. He pulled out his guitar pic necklace out from under his shirt and undid the clasp. He grabbed your hand and put the necklace inside.

“I know it doesn’t look like much, but this necklace means a lot to me. I want you to have it. As long as you have that necklace, you can always trust me. I know I’ve fucked up and I know I’ve hurt you. Nothing I say or do can change what I’ve done, but I want to make up for it. I meant it when I said I loved you, I still do. I want more than anything to make you happy.” Eddie looked at you with such genuine love and adoration.

You looked down at the necklace in your palm. You knew how much it meant to Eddie. You’ve never even seen him without it hanging around his neck. “Eddie, I can't take this. It’s too special to you.” You said as you gazed into his chocolate brown eyes. “You’re even more special to me sweetheart. I want you to have it.” He smiled at you.

You both sat there for a moment. You didn’t really know what to say. You knew he was being genuine, you could tell from the look in his eyes. “I still want to take you out this weekend.” Eddie said suddenly. You turned to look at him, a smile on your face. “I’d like that.” Eddie smiled so big you swore the corners of his mouth almost touched his eyes. “Yeah?” he asked hopefully. “Yeah.”

Eddie cupped your face in his hands. He leaned in until his forehead was against yours. “Can I kiss you?” He asked. “Please.” And that was all Eddie needed to hear. The kiss was slow and gentle. Different from the usual heated make out sessions you two had. There was more passion, more love behind this kiss. You were the first to pull away, out of breath. You rested your forehead against Eddies and looked up at him, pure love behind your eyes.

“I wish you could stay, but my parents will be home any minute.” You said, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen between you both. “Can I take you to school tomorrow?” Eddie asked. “You know I have a car right?” You said teasingly. “I know, but if I take you, I’ll see you sooner.” He said with a bashful smile. “I was just teasing, you can take me.” You giggled. “Good.”

Eddie stood and moved towards the window. “I’ll see you tomorrow princess.” He said with a wink. “See you tomorrow.” You waited until he was halfway out the window. “Wait!” You said as you walked over to him. “What? Did I forget some-“ Eddie was cut off as your lips pressed into his. He sighed into the kiss as you ran your fingers through his hair.

You pulled away with a laugh. “Fuck princess, you’re making it really hard for me to leave.” You giggled. “Im sorry, you can go now.” “Bye y/n.” Eddie said with a wink before he hopped down from the window and made his way to his van. You stayed at the window until his van was out of view. You couldn’t contain the squeal that left your mouth as you flopped down onto your bed.

You couldn’t wait for Saturday.

taglist: @sanzu-holic @harringtonfan4 @mayafatimakhan @sage-the-z0mbie @zbeez-outlet @tlclick73 @anonymousstoryteller2000 @daydreaming-mood @lali1010 @eddiesbattattoos @iunaelumen777 @whore-for-eddie @emiluvmybf

[quinloki]

Ok so, I shit u not, since u said I could pick who to talk about, I decided to use a number generator to pick for me and it picked my Kid Pirates OC LMAOOOO who was inspired by this, really fantastic fic by @standfucker (if I remember right the title is “Rotations” but don’t quote me on that)(also note that this is the crew I am the LEAST familiar with but the most FASCINATED by atm)

So, let’s get into Zella(he/she), my newest OC (like, literally came up with her in the last couple of weeks)! She is a 5’5”, 22-24 spunky lil shit from the West Blue, who loves her crew and ONLY them, fuck the rest of the world. He’s punk (ofc), usually sporting a cropped deep red and green leather jacket, long fingerless gloves, and black tank top and high waisted pants, with boots (a pair she’s had since before the Kid Pirates and would stab a bitch for as they were a gift). Short dark green hair, with two little white tufts that poke out in front of her ears and frame her face. (Im kinda shooting for like, a hummingbird kinda vibe for her, but not like “cute smol, wants some flowers” and more “I will stab u with my beak if u get near my flower” deal. A colorful chihuahua if u will)

Since Zella is so new I don’t have a lot aside from design vibes, but I have some key things

• as One Piece characters tend to have, his childhood? Fucked up. Got dragged around hopping island to island with their shitty parents until they finally abandoned him. He tried to find comfort and friendship with the local kids and it, didn’t go well. Let’s just say the fingerless gloves r there for more than fashion. Once she managed to leave THAT shitty place, Zella found an island home that, while on paper it’s not a good place, there were few people who actually took her in. Until that too was taken, resulting in Kid Pirate Zella.

• can and has climbed her crewmates like trees to get a better vantage point. It’s usually Wire or Killed, Kid in a knee-jerk reaction threw him overboard. Zella has not let him forget about it since.

• Has the filthiest mouth of my OCs, but is not immune to being flustered into place (which happens more often than she’d like)

• will pick the spiciest food and eat it with no reaction (Dive took a bite thinking she could handle it. She could not)

• very skilled at sewing and has helped her crew with fixing and customizing their clothes on many occasions. Do NOT touch her chaotic corner of supplies, she knows where everything is and somehow always knows if it’s been messed with. A l w a y s.

• has two tattoos (atm, may add more later), one in particular being an under chin tattoo of a red star/flower shaped pattern. Does not remember the night it happened, at all.

• always has a knife hidden somewhere on her person. Full body searched? HA u missed the one between her ass cheeks bitch

And that’s it for rn!!!! I have a lot more I want to develop and figure out for Zella, but I also have to get to know her crew first lmao thanks for letting me ramble!

Sincerely,

The 🌷

Holy shit - hey Zen - idk if the tag in an ask will ping you, but I'mma assume yes - Your one-shot birthed an OC for someone!!

And yeah, it's called Rotation - that one and Whiteout whew.

Anyway, we're talking about your Zella and I love him \o/ What you have so far is fantastic, and it's certainly enough for a full fledged OC, so I don't think you have to worry about that.

And it doesn't take much honestly, sometimes character creation is a long long process, and sometimes they come to us all at once. And sometimes real development happens in the parameters of a story, but you've got her down solid already. I love the bullets and the little personal bits here and there with the crew.

If you're fascinated with the Kid Pirate crew, I gotta make sure you're aware of @swampstew - she's got a Meet the Crew series, and yeah it's based on her head canon of them, but it's a great place to start in my opinion. (I imagine you are if you follow me, I love her Kid Pirate passion, and I bet if you're nice and ask for some head canons she'd share as much as me xD ❤️🥰)

[chibikyo]

Highlights from my sister playing through story mode with me in mortal kombat 1. She's familiar with mk but not obsessed like me (gonna just copy/paste this shit from my discord chat)

!!!spoilers!!!

Sis: *clearly had been falling asleep last time we played* wait when did Raiden get hisnlightning back

Me: *explained that the last cutscene we watched showed just that

Sis: shit that's right. *Proceeds to kick li mei's ass*

****

Me: look at the cake on sindel and kitana and mileena

Sis: right!? Is she still forced married to shao kahn*looks closer at i believe sindel* girls that's just a thong!

Me: *explains new timeline shenanigans and differences*

****

Sis: i dont want to fight Shao he's scary

Me: yeah but... uppy

Sis: really? You want uppy? With him?

Later...

Sis: goddammit. I get it

Me: told you

Sis: it makes me fucking furious

*******

Also Sis: no i don't wanna fight Baraka. He bite

Me: nah he good boi.

Sis: dammit why they gotta make me feel bad for Baraka?

Me: why did they give him nice hands?

Sis: right?!

Me: its okay. You dont gotta be attracted to baraka like me

Sis: Look the game is making a strong case for him, ngl

*****

Sis: it baby! (Points to syzoth) *ishowed hwr before launch how the babygirlified him so she was ready*

Game: reveals tragic back story

Sis: NOOOO!!!

*****

Sis: why is everyone gotta be sad. I need a happy fighting game

*****

Also pretty sure she wants to climb Reiko like a tree and just. Same

*****

Sis: *talking to syzoth* but do you have two peens?

Me: 😏

Sis: its a valid question

My sister does breed gargoyle geckos so she would know

*****

Best bit!! My sister reduses to admit she thinks quan chi is hot, but usually mains him because of his special moves. She like the portals and stomping and when he hypnotizes you. So anyway

Me to my friends over discord: Omg. So also. When Johnny and kenshi and kung lao get knocked out I'm sitting there with her and the green portal opens

And under my breath i whisper ' here comes magic husband*

And Sara fucking goes "how can all these bad guys be here and they don't bother to include Quan ch...." literally as he steps out the portal. She's half way through the name when he shows up

Fucking lost my shit. She's pretty sure she didn't hear me just the green portal reminded her of him but the timing was so goddamn good

I was legit crying. We had to pause

My friend mikachu: Fuck! Why can't we be there for the good shit?

*****

So in short, my sister is fully engrossed in mk1 stort. She hasnt played story mode with me since 9 so I'm hoping i can get her to rewatch the 9-11 trilogy with me cause watching her watch 1 has been hysterical. We are on chapter 6 so if anyone wants more of this ill post more next time we play

She also watched shang tsung being a smug bitch and commented: "i thought I'd say no to him, cause he's an awful bastartd, but no. I'd tap that if he showed up."

[cao-the-dreamer]

@artsy-hobbitses Here is he, the boy, the gremlin, the feral critter, I named... Cliffjumper!

If Ben and Claude decided to swap their clothes, nobody would notice the difference… until Claude starts spouting Cajun insults and charging through the enemy lines with a gun three times his size. Claude is often defined by his urge to fight, his stubbornness, his daredevil personality, and his habit of literally jumping off cliffs (giving numerous heart attacks to his teammates), hence the nickname “Cliffjumper”.

Hanley/Hot Rod: Yeah, you’re definitely related. Claude/Cliff & Ben/Bee: Cause we look like each other? Hanley: *raises an eyebrow since he saw Ben knee someone in the balls and Claude bite someone else’s nose* Sure. That.

Having grown up in an all female household, he finds it pretty normal to wear skirts (and they’re waaaaay more comfortable and practical). During his calmer moments, he likes to settle down and mend his clothes (often torn because of his running and climbing), just like his grannies taught him. People meeting him for the first time often mistake him for a girl, which he absolutely adores and he decides to see how long before they actually realize on their own; it took a whole week for the rebellion to notice and he finds it hilarious (he could simply tell them but… nah).

He’s also a very good bait.

Starscream: What the hell are you wearing. Cliffjumper, with a very frilly, glittery, neon-colored dress: It’s my ass-kicking outfit, BITCH *effectively acts as a distraction, drawing fire away from the rest of the troops*

Although he pretends to be annoyed when people mistake him for Bee, he will go feral if anyone threatens his half-brother and, over time, starts to view him as the sibling he never had.

(He also definitely encourages Bee to release his inner gremlin)

More of his story below!

Jean Claude Frugé, or simply Claude for his friends and family, was born of a Cajun mother — as for his sperm donor, he is an “holiday souvenir”, and the one thing he shares with Benjamin/Bumblebee, making them half-brothers.

When his mother, Lucienne, discovered she was pregnant, she dropped her dream studies so she could keep the baby. To this day, Claude still feels like he wasted his mother’s life, and tries to “make it up” for her, no matter how much she told him it was unnecessary.

Claude was raised between the bayou, the rice fields and the farms of Louisiana by an army of aunts, grandmothers, grandaunts, and great-grandmothers. He learned English at school and French at home. At a young age, he was already a wild child and spent his free time running through the swamp and fishing all by himself, so he could bring food to his maman. Imagine an eight-year-old absolutely caked with mud, his clothes dripping swamp water and holding out a fish that’s half his size, while grinning despite the face covered in dirt. Lucienne couldn’t be mad at him when he looked so proud of himself, and the grannies encouraged this behavior by showing him the best fishing spots.

The town folks got quickly used to the child walking barefoot through the bayou, but it didn’t stop the whispers about Lucienne’s broken dreams; she had lost the opportunity to get out of here and study in a renowned university/city, which was a pity in their eyes.

The whispers were quiet, but Claude heard them nonetheless.

He didn’t know if his penchant from fighting came from the hurt these whispers caused, or from the paternal genes, but his fists and sharp teeth ostracized him from the other children. Although he belonged in the bayou, he didn’t belong with the people living here. At least he had his family and their gentle love.

But sometimes love wasn’t enough.

Thus he began to leave more and more frequently, going deeper in the bayou, learning how to avoid quicksands and recognize alligators in the water, spending time with the birds and climbing trees until he was so high he felt he could touch the sky.

Sometimes, he wondered if his family’s life would have been easier in the city; he thought he would probably be less lonely with a nuclear, intact family, and he cursed his faceless sperm donor for “running away”. The spite prompted him to look for any information about his progenitor.

He was surprised to discover his progenitor had made a family in one of the big cities, and quite disgusted he was a cop. He was unable to know how to feel about the existence of a brother, and decided to drop the research.

He didn’t want to shatter the peace of this family; they seemed happy like that.

He had never been so wrong in his entire life.

As time passed and unrest began to grow through the United States, the Frugé family took on an activist side; the house became a safe haven for protesters who needed to hide from the police, and the older women wrote down their testimonies, which they then hid in the walls.

They told Claude how powerful memories could be.

When the Clampdown started and more people hit the road, Claude used his knowledge of the bayou to guide refugees through and to Mexico, stopping at his house so the Frugé women could feed and clothe the Cold Constructs, Beast Men and other refugees. More testimonies filled the walls.

One night, as he was guiding three Cold Constructs who had fled from Texas, they made a remark about his uncanny resemblance with one of their previous helpers. He would have brushed the words aside were it not for them mentioning the other one’s name.

His half-brother’s name was the last thing he expected to hear.

Knowing he was risking his life for a stranger, he nonetheless decided to look for Benjamin/Bumblebee, with whom he shared a fight. At only 19, he joined the rebellion created by Omar Parvez (Optimus Prime), Jace Zayden (Jazz) and Preston Wan (Prowl); while it was a good outlet for his chaotic energy and thirst for danger, his true reason was still Bumblebee, but he didn’t dare approach him, fearing the anger shimmering within him would scare Ben away, like it has scared so many children before.

But at some point he had to stop running away.

Time only will tell whether or not the revelation of the lineage between Bumblebee and Cliffjumper will bring pain, as both boys have their demons and misconceptions about each other, but there is no denying a tentative bond is starting to grow.

(Bonus: His color palette)

[ovyy-pvcure]

Ok well nobody asked but I'm bored so wild transmigration Naruro au borne of madness go.

So first things first Kishimoto made one gigantic mistake and that was making and naming a bit character that's easy to do the whole 'dead modern human pops into the body of a canon character' thing.

^ That's Tobio who shows up exactly once in the entire series at the start to accidentally knock Naruto off balance and kick off literal decades of shipping. This convinent oc stand in blank canvas is the turning point of the au that means when he accidentally dies as a result of that one off-canon event the universe* steps in and sticks a random schmuck in place to keep things basically on plan. There's, like, prophesies to fullfill (and cosmic schemes going on). Which is why and how a late age teenager finds themselves stuck in a 12 year old's body ("it matches your emotional age") after an unfortuante accident with nothing but the basi s of chakra and history downloaded to their brain and no psrsonal memories of the new body to call on. Oh, and a cheery "good luck" before getting dropped into basicially the start of the plot just before team allocation. Where, as the top student in the "espionage and subterfuge" class he's assigned as the final member of team 7.

To give the basic skeleton of what's taken shape in my head already the first arc would follow tobio as he tries to wrangle the cats known to the public as Sasuke and Naruto without actually letting anyone know he has literally no memory of anything that's happened to him before a couple months ago. Oh and surviving the grueling change of lifestyle inherent in becoming a Child Soldier. He's doing Great this arc. Not stressed At All as he tries to juggle managing his teammates' egos with getting stronger because he has none allies or parents or connections to fall back on if he stumbles.

Well he thinks so anyway he's Kakshi's favorite adorable little student because he's the one who keeps pulling NaruSasu apart and making them actually, you know, cooperate. Naruto likes him because tobio treats him like a person and Sasuke at least appreciates that he doesn't have a fangirl in his squad and he's even focused on getting better so no deadweight. Also Mizuki's hovering around asking how he's progressing and if he feels ready which is odd since wasn't Mizuki beaten to an inch of life for all that treason he was up to? Well, not tobio's problem.

If you're curious how tobio died so is he! He can't remember; he was just told in the void of space time that he had an accident, died and now he's getting shipped off to 12 year old boot camp. What he does know is his own sarcastic rebellious wit has nothing on the universe's* considering it called him a quote "sarcastic bitch" as it did the whole transmigiration thing.

Blah blah blah team building, lunch at ichiraku's using future knowledge to climb trees early the usual oc stuff up until Wave. Things even go kind of normal up until the city is reached where kakshi's chakra lesson gets more than a little derailed by tobio already knowing how to do the whole shebang. Instead of being sent off to guard the bridge he suggests Naruto do so with clones since he's been thinking of a way to make use of his specialized training and making this mission truly worth Konoha's time.

A reoccurring element of the first arc is that the people around him not really knowing the OG Tobio that well is a boon his training in espionage is also guiding tobio to keeping his own secrets under wraps. tobio wants to infiltrate Gato's orginization and siphon money directly into The Leaf's coffers as recompense for making it impossible for the village to get properly paid from the outset. Besides Zabuza's gonna kill Gato so it's fine. Kakshi is against it but can't deny the logic and concedes but insists tobio's top priority is his contiuned survival.

Due to all the miscellaneous ne'er do wells romping about it's easy for a trained Ninja to slip in and start liberating ryo for Konoha (and maybe some for Wave while he's at it). Things contiune apace until The Bridge Showdown where in the confusion tobio once again slips into the waiting horde of Goons. Right next to Gato. Kyubi chakra comes with a weird feeling alongside the terrifying bloodlust from Naruto himself and tobio seizes the opportunity to take out Gato himself before the order to fire on Zabuza can be given.

In the temporary silence we have a dying Haku, a dead Gato and a disguised tobio skipping out of the goon squad cheerfully announcing Gato's plan to shoot everyone left on the bridge dead before his interference and daring anyone to contradict him. They can't mostly because the small child with blood dripping off their knives has scared them silent, and instead of fighting they flee with a furious Zabuza in pursuit. Haku doesn't survive but Z does to contiune his bloodly plans for revolution but now without his restraining bolt. This will cause problems for our heroes later. But for now Wave is a success and only one of the children has killed anyone in cold blood. Only Kakashi is worried about this. Oh and all the builders who are now wary around the killer kid who mocked and psychologically attacked his victims first. Victory all around!

Kakashi can not get the privacy needed to properly talk to his genin about the thing he did until they're back in Konoha where he overhears Mizuki grilling his student for details on the mission and dropping info he really shouldn't be re: the kyubi, and implying Tobio was meant to somehow harm Naruto. Which is the conversation that tips tobio off to the divigerence which is that oops Tobio was doing himself a Treason. Thankfully tobio is a fully trained fluent liar who reports to Mizuki that he never had a chance to harm Naruto and that, no, there was no hint of the Kyubi both of which are lies the eavesdropping Kakashi catches but isn't sure what to make of. tobio himself is basicially flying by the seat of his pants as he describes Sasuke's growth and personality even as he internally starts to panic as he realizes just how epically Screwed he is since he also doesn't know Kakashi is there, and now Mizuki and Tobio's treason is his problem. Crap.

A sweep of his apartment has tobio finding a journal of his days in the academy where one day Tobio reports Mizuki pulling him aside and pointing out he'll be lucky go get a proper jonin teacher and get out of the genin corps if he continues on the normal path but Mizuki has a solution since he feels so bad for another orphan of the Kyubei attack. His new plan is to join the E&S course the so called "kunoichi class" and with Mizuki's help-all helpfully noted down by Tobio and utterly obviously manipulative to tobio-he can ace that and get put on a star team with a good future. With Sasuke he means so someone can keep an eye on the Uchiha for Orochimaru. The journal also veers off into a hateful anti-Konoha rant at the revealation of Tobio's parents killer's continued existence and favortism from the Third via Naruto. However misguided a start by the time of graduation testing Tobio had been perfectly groomed into Mizuki's personal spy who had a sneering relief that he could leave Konoha and a dead Naruto behind after they secured the scroll for their actual master.

Well, to be forewarned is to be forearmed as they say, and no one else in the village has as much foreknowledge as tobio who thinks it's high time he got serious and picked put a proper name for himself: Otogiri Tobio sounds perfect.

Otogiri doesn't know Kakashi knows even half of this but luckily neither does anyone else yet. While the poor scarecrow man tries to figure out just what is happening without directly confronting a possible traitor in his own squad even as political pressure mounts to prove one of Konoha's founding clans has a strong future by putting Sasuke (and his squad they guess. Whatever.) into the chuunin exam. With an effective A rank under their belt and Otogiri's proliferation of funds Kakashi would need a pretty sound reason not to bend to the council's "suggestion" and he doesn't want to leave the boys alone with a possible traitor but he also doesn't want T&E descending on his student for maybe nothing. So in they go causing the domino effect that ends with the K9 (sans sakura plus Otogiri) all enrolled in the annual deathmatch.

Ignorant of all this back door politicking going on Otogiri's already gearing up for the Invasion. Chuunin exams? Sure he's signed up the squad's in. Whatever. He's got bigger problems including Mizuki dropping in and telling him to meet up and assist the incoming Sound kids. No one notices the dog watching this play out not that Mizuki's sloppy enough to say anything outright but Otogiri catches the subtext, but also sees a chance to start turning the tables on that creep. After all Orochimaru already wants Sasuke, and Naruto's becoming pretty strong himself maybe they should pull everyone in?

So on the prophesied day squad 7 is coincidentally in place to welcome and show around the teens from the newly founded village of Sound. Otogiri is a little concered but the thing about Naruto is that yes he's loud and arrogant and annoying and has to be physically wrestled into bathing regularly but he's charismatic enough for all that to be liked anyway. And Zaku? Is loud and arrogant and definitely had to be wrestled into a bath at least 5 times so he likes the kid, and their friendly little mole's hinting that he's not been treated great by the Leaf so why not get along and lead the kid astray? Could be fun.

Kin has a headache. She's met louder blonde Zaku and she wants to Die about it. She and Sasuke bond over it as they have to quiet the duo down.

Dosu is amused by Kin's discomfort and Zaku's weirdly instant attachment, but as long as they serve their duty he's fine with it. They're the best the Sound has to offer that could pass as genin. The mole worries him a little, he's a little too quick witted and sharp to feel like he's really their ally and he never says anything to give him a hint of where he lies beyond the veiled code phrase he introduced himself with to mark him as the Tobio they were supposed to meet. The blonde's infectious energy and loudness doesn't leave him exposing weaknesses in the village, and The Uchia clearly looks down on their little village. Well he'd change his mind about that once the rest of his squad turned on him or Dosu would have the personal pleasure of wiping the smug off his face.

Otogiri is not having a great time he has a little over a month to get Dosu to trust him so he can derail Orochimaru's chess style pawn sacrifice strategy for his own shogi inspired pawn theft strategy. Some people might claim using alternate universe future knowledge is cheating. Otogiri would claim that he's trying to outwit someone who even with his ages combined has 20 years minimum on him so really he needs every advantage he can get. Especially because Dosu is so damn distrusting that getting an in to try and make the older boy waver on his desire to gain glory is harder than making Sasunaru work together back in the first arc.

Blah blah blah chuunin exam stuff test speech forest of death. Where Otogiri realizes there was a fight with Rock Lee but no declaration of lust from him without Sakura. And he has no connection to Ino beyond her sort of hating him for stealing what she thinks should be her place. No it doesn't matter Sakura outranked her, Otogiri's on the wrong end of Ino's many grudges and eventually despite his best efforts he winds up with an unconscious chakra dampened Naruto and a freshly Cursed Sasuke. No allies forthcoming and probably 3 teens expecting an easy kill on their way. To be killed to make Sauske stronger.

Otogiri must once again consider that actually The Universe* is just screwing with him. With a bit of deception, luck, and just plain knowing more than he should Otogiri convinces the trio when they show up they're not really meant to try and kill Sasuke it's all a test of how wisely they can act on a mission. He bluffs that Mizuki told him what The Master could do and how he marked Sasuke betting on Dosu at least managing to link Curse Seals and their Effects on the mark on Sasuke.

Sound trio on side Naruto and then Sasuke wake up groggy and foggy as hell but hey safe! With their new cool allies! Naruto's devious nature surfaces and he makes a plan to net both teams all the scrolls they'll need with his prankster past . While he has the time Otogiri pulls Zaku aside and warns him to watch his tubing around the Aburame since their bugs follow and eat chakra which is a huge vulnerability for specifically him. Sorry Shino it just ain't your time-line.

Successful plan put into motion everyone moves onto The Tournament where things play out basicially as they do with the exception of Shino getting outplayed by Otogiri's timely warning. Naruto does a little better and wins less with a stroke of luck and more by being just enough better at chakra control the seal doesn't completely stop him. And of course Ino tries to vent when she gets paired up with her new Fated Rival (that random boy who was better in class than her and hasn't given her a second thought all story) but Otogiri is tired stressed and over it so he forces a grapple pins her hand with a kunai and presses his advantage until he knocks her out because Ino is Not A Quitter. By any sane metric Ino does fine but Otogiri's got his sights aimed way higher and has been training accordingly. Sorry, Ino just ain't your timeline either.

Seconds into the fight he gets even more stressed out as he realizes all at once the various things even a brief jaunt into his soul/mind would reveal. Making him fight way more aggressivly and mercilessly which the other K9 minus s7 don't like. Zaku and Kin do but boo on them.

Easy part over Otogiri has to rededicate himself to several things all at once: untangling the invasion's plans without drawing too much attention to himself. Keeping the sound trio alive and out of Orochimaru's hands to keep him from going full Necromancer on the Third. Keeping Naruto and Sasuke safe from the wretched hands moving on them. Again not drawing aggro himself from Danzo and ROOT. Or Jiraya. Noted spymaster. Old teammate of his new archnemesis. Naruto's newest teacher. Whooo.

Meanwhile in the mountains Kakashi is training Sasuke because he got paired up against a serial killer jinjuriki. Which is one more gray hair on his head along with all the other stuff including Otogiri seeking him out in private and explaining the attack, the seals and who he suspects was the attacker. Which. Kakashi is smart, he now probably knows who Mizuki sold Konoha out to and how and why Otogiri would know who he is but he still has no idea what angle the kid is working. Or if approaching him about it is smart. Kids are hard and Kakashi has been avoiding this for years. Obito please come back and help him you were always basicially a kid you'd know what was going on.

Otogiri has come to the conclusion it's officially time to call Gondor for aid and seeing as there's maybe 3 people who could be discrete enough to trail the trio and play off if they got caught. One was on a mountain one is him and one is...capable of self replication. Welp time to put a hand over Naruto's gross mouth and explain the bullet points.

A pinned Naruto with two hands over his mouth later gives more context to the Mizuki mysteries; he confirms it was Mizuki who told him of the special pass requirement and that he never showed that night. Iruka found him and he remembers an odd smell but has no memory beyond a very verbal lashing. Neither boy knows how Mizuki got away with it, but Otogiri spells out the "truth" to Naruto about Mizuki's plans to steal the scroll and leave Naruto to rot for it. In return for the tiny lie Otogiri tells Naruto he knows about the Kyubei and has decided that Naruto's too kind and simple to be a demon fox so he's cool with him.

Before even a single sappy sentiment can be shared Otogiri launches into his suspicions about how valuable Orochimaru finds their new "friends'" lives and Naruto is all about protecting them (believe it!). Together with a little "totally unknowing" help from a certain Toad Sage they figure out Kabuto's ninja info cards have summoning seals on them and before Dosu can go and get himself killed the new duo gush about how excited they are to see Zaku and Dosu kick butt in the stadium which is enough to mollify Dosu's increasing need to go out and prove himself. Barely.

Zaku's feeling right offended they were given "information cards" as if they needed the help to kick a bunch of kids' asses in a straight fight. Otogiri could kiss that lanky moron because he just handed him the answer and he makes a big show of agreeing and saying they should prove it by getting rid of those useless cards and giving them to him and Naruto who could use the help. Dosu's suspicion gauge raises another tick but the trio do and those cards find themselves in Jiraya's hands lightning quick.

Surprise surprise the cards have summoning sutras on them to send the holders to a preset location. Jiraya with the subtly of a trained deceiver who's lead a spy ring for decades pries a lot of information from Otogiri very skillfully and concludes what Otogiri already knew regarding the intentions of summoning cards the holders didn't know about. So, the sound trio receive a friendly visit from a friendly toad man who gleefully shows them the trap on the cards and notes whoever gave them these might not be as trustworthy as they thought. The trio say nothing, cutting contact with OtoNaru.

Come the tournament a lot of the usual beats play out; late Sauske, Naruto's still heated about Nehi being the ultimate Heel wrestler, Shikamaru proves he can make wise tactical decisions and before the oragnizers have to awkwardly side step there's one too many contestants Sauske dramatic entrances in and the fight begins. A fight Naruto Otogiri and Shikamaru miss because Dosu and company have given it some thought and are going to just full Bail but they know what's about to start and at least want the duo (and shikamaru they guess) to be awake and away when the fighting starts.

Naruto Talks at them and tries to fire them up agaisnt ol copperhead as everything Pops Off including a pall of mist that descends over the arena. Zabuza's found a fellow revolutionary it seems. Sasuke takes off after Gaara with Naruto hot on his heels with a shove from Otogiri seeing as their the "same".

Otogiri rounds on the trio and decides to use his own version of Talk pointing out that they owe one person one thing and that's revenge on Orochimaru. He tried to sacrifice them multiple times hasn't been in contact with them, and was gonna do who knows what with their bodies without consent. They can flee in the middle if they want but don't they want to pop him in the metaphorical face first? Zaku does. Kin does. Dosu doesn't anymore but his almost-friends (all 4 of them) aren't budging so he figures he might as well prove how non disposable they are by messing up snakey's plans.

Shikamaru is thoroughly disgruntled because Naruto dragged him along to the Gaara mess which is going basicially like canon. Shino's even here his bugs having devoured the genjutsu and wanting to back up his non insane classmate. An exhausted Shikamaru can barely hold back a desperate Temari until the timely ringing of bells saves him. Kin's strings may not have much shadow but they are a direct path to a disoriented Temari who has to watch her little brother actually struggle and bleed before she gets introduced to a tree the same way Kin was to a wall. Naruto summons a giant frog.

Meanwhile Kakashi is meeting back up with Zabuza, his ninken already have the swordsmaster's scent and this time they do need to settle the score. Zabuza's both mad at Kakashi for reasons he knows aren't sound and persuing his goal since Orochimaru will eventually tear down Wave and he says will leave it to Zabuza while he goes after the rest. He has to make Haku's sacrifice count so Leaf has to die on the vine just in case this time the promise is real. No points for guessing who wins in this confusing melee. Final tally: 3-0 kakashi:zabuza it was close though.

Meanwhile again Mizuki's poised to take some sweet justice against Iruka for, frankly, being a better instructor ninja and person than him wheb Otogiri shows up playing it like he wants the honor. No dice, Mizuki's wanted this for awhile and the kid's nowhere close enough to be subtle and he just has to drop the genjutsu on Mizuki to make him miss and engage his manipulator in a direct confrontation to end this whole twisted mess. Good thing Mizuki doesn't have that filler arc power up because Otogiri's fighting an uphill battle on this one.

But first Hayate Gekko's girlfriend the ANBU member Cat is engaging his canonical killer Baki the sand jonin her swordsmanship sharp enough to leave Baki's attempts to entangle her blade useless. And him open to said jonin's surprise strike taking out the sandman. Oh how the turntables. Is what someone who knows the alternate timeline would say since that confrontation didn't happen in this one since Dosu wasn't trailed and Hayate killed for Knowing Too Much.

Speaking of Dosu he and Zaku have run into Kabuto who's cover is very blown because Konoha's Spymaster got a peek at his Trap Cards and no one is happy with anyone here. Dosu and Zaku aren't exactly jonin level even combined but in a chaotic melee large windbursts and balance altering soundwaves make up for a lot when your speciality is up close precision scapel attacks. Kabuto would win ordinarily but he's a wanted man and there's an angry snake lady willing to take out her misplaced sense of displacement on a willing medical collabteour. Kabuto gets away in the end but Anko takes one look at the trio once everyone's round up in the end and asks "is anyone gonna claim these kids?" And not wait for an answer.

Back to Otogiri who lacks the element of surprise of numbers to overwhelm Mizuki and is going pretty even but for all the cheap kill shots he has to prevent from taking out a defenseless wounded Iruka who himself got taken down protecting the academy kids not named nepotism. Mizuki isn't his usual sneering jackass self here because he's pissed that the kid he'd been grooming slipped out of his control and had taken to playing him for a fool. Otogiri bullshits back that after seeing how Orochimaru treated his soldiers he made the choice to back out before he was sacrificed for a madman's goals stubbronly ignorning the Danzo in the room for now.

Injured, humiliated and generally unpleasant Mizuki lunges for Otogiri and gets his hands around the boy's throat. Any plan of escape is cut off by a torrent of rage and red as Otogiri loses it after all of Mizuki's crap and he simply rips the man's hands off him and before the former instructor can process the impossible thing he just witnessed he's driven into the side of the academy and has a kunai driven through his neck. Good thing Iruka passed out from his wounds and no impressionable children saw that. Oh hi Konohamaru don't wanna come out of hiding in that closet and say hi to Naruto nii chan's friend? No? Suit yourself he's gotta hurry Iruka to a healer anyway no time to stop and ask questions like "how" or "what the fuck?"

The final results of the invasion are far from pretty. Konoha's numbers are still pretty cut down as are Sand's who are still totally playing that "Orochimaru killed our kage and was giving orders so us invading you is totes not our fault" card they did in canon. It's accepted for the same reason as in canon: the sharks are already circling with blood in the water no need to churn the tide when a perfectly good excuse is offered up.

Third watch: without two other kages backing him in a restricted space and not enough time to restructure the plan to get Mandra in on the action sun wukong and The Professor taught a hard lesson in getting absolutely whomped. Orochimaru got away alive sans a working leg, but old man bodies aren't really still made for pitched life or death combat and his body's heavily protesting the return to combat. The can can be kicked a little further down the road safely but they need a qualified non Danzo candidate and soon.

Sound Trio: the corps aren't totally happy about it but they need manpower and they've got friends on the inside and a grudge against orochimaru so...probation working with Anko. She already adopted them they can't say no. And by adopted i do mean carted them away in a net to get lodgings and food. And a good medic to look at Zaku's arms.

Otogiri: in so much trouble you have no idea. His various schemes finally came out around someone without the good sense to lie about it so T&I would like a word with him. And Kakashi? Who is now claiming before anyone can even threaten pain or a jaunt through his head that they were in already working against the threat to Konoha since Wave. Kakashi?

His claim is the money stolen from Gato to insulate Wave and brought back to Konoha was in preparation for the coming storm. Obviously deep internal agents like Mizuki and Kabuto left Kakashi little choice but to keep Otogiri in deep cover to root out the problem without drawing suspicion by having contact with known figures like The Third. Kakashi had total control of the situation the whole time. Honest.

Otogiri's just kind of nodding along because he is just getting windmall slammed by haymaker after haymaker in a pretty short window of time. Ibuki is Not Buying This but the kid's actions prove his loyalty at the end of the day and if Hatake wants to take the lumps for his kid? Well, more power to him. Ibuki reminds Kakashi there are 'proper verified channels' for internal operations and he should remember to use them in the future. He expects a full concise report regarding everything from both of them and sends the teacher-student pair off with a glare.

This is where all that Kakashi stuff from earlier gets revealed to the audience as he goes over how and when he caught Otogiri mid treason and how close an eye he's actually been keeping on the boy. It is as terrifying as Kakashi's tone is light. Otogiri's just so incredibly thankful he declares his undying loyalty to his sensei for looking out for him and following his own principals so closely. Yes, Otogiri is crying at this point why do you ask?

This is the peaceful denouement of part 1 as Otogiri goes around catching up with who he can he is left to ponder why he has Kyubei chakra. How did Tobio even die anyway? And why is Jiraya here inviting him on a trip with Naruto? Does he wanna be a spymaster? Wasn't fixing Tobio's mistake the end of the story why is there more? Help!

Miscellaneous character notes on Otogiri:

-> is fairly meta and aware of transmigration novels and some of their rules. Is wrong about as often as he is right

-> has a fairly solid grasp on the character's motives but can't predict moments of wild humanity

-> has a hard time grasping his own mortality despite or rather because he has already died once. Will blank out at the idea of dying as bad as if not worse than Sakura when intent is aimed at him. Refuses to dwell on his first death or Tobio's

-> sarcastic and frequently argumentative. He likes to pick fights when he's feeling safe with someone.

-> was a bit of an edgelord in life and has a twisted sense of morality. His interference doesn't cost Shino his life but it could have and he ignores that for his own goals.

-> early on is mildly obssessed with finding the divervent point of import thinking if he can solve The Problem he'll fade into an epilogue or something. Is in Denial.

-> connecting events in his present with his past unlocks memories of both Tobio's life and his own. Facing his own death is the only way for him to Understand.

[xxwhiskeyxx]

It’s All Because I Fell

Mountain and Reader have been friends for the last 3 years but have had feelings for the last 2 years (Mount) and 1 year (Reader), but the problem is that both believe that the other have a crush on different people. Mountain thinks Reader likes Swiss and Reader thinks Mountain likes Sister Harlow, both want the other to be happy so neither reveal their feelings. But the other ghouls and Harlow are getting annoyed by their longing sighs of how much they love each other and how much they talk about they talk about the other. So Swiss and Harlow come up with a plan to get these lovebirds together. ALSO, READER IS AFAB BUT IS REFERED TO AS THEY/THEM BECAUSE I’M A FOLLOWER AND IM INDULGING MYSELF

9k words

First Chapter: Mountain loves his Squirrel

Narrators POV: (Wednesday)

The sound of an alarm blaring through a room shocked (Y/N) from their dreams, groaning they roll over and shove their face into their pillow, hating the world and its societal expectations of making people work. Until they realized that today they are in the gardens with Harlow and Mountain, gathering and readying the crops for the soon-approaching summer. (Y/N) rolls out of bed and stretches with a groan when suddenly there is a knock at their door, “Who is it?”, (Y/N) asks as they stumble to the small bathroom attached to their courters, “It’s me, ya sexy bitch,” calls Harlow before she lets herself in knowing (Y/N) won’t care if she watches them get dressed since this has been their routine since they became friends in high school. In fact, (Y/N) was the one who got Harlow to join after they found out their favorite band in high school was in fact an actual band made of ghouls and that Papa Emeritus was in fact the head of the Church of Emeritus. “Can you grab my habit from the closest please LowLow?”, (Y/N) called from the bathroom, slightly garbled as they brushed their teeth, Harlow called back a yes as she grabbed one of the habits that (Y/N) used for gardening, the skirt and sleeves were slightly longer and had permanent stains and small holes due to the years of it being dragged through the literal mud and working in the beautiful, expansive garden that was Papa Primos pride and joy. (Y/N) finally emerged, drying their face as they tossed the towel into the basket. “Are you excited to work with your mannn,” Harlow teased, “I heard Primo say that he wants you two to work on getting the apples and peaches from the trees, since your the best climber and Mountain for..obvious reasons.” “Harlow! He is not “my man”, we both know he likes you, he’s always watching you at meal times and he asks you for help whenever we’re outside..” (Y/N) trails off, looking away slightly saddened by the thought as they dressed, making sure to pull on leggings underneath their habit as they would be climbing today and slipping on their combat boots. Harlow rolls thier eyes, (Y/N) thinks Mountain is looking at her because if their always next to each other, he is staring at the oblivious and insecure dumbass that is their best friend and he askes Harlow to help because he gets too nervous around (Y/N), especially when they have to be close when picking and tending the same section/plants. “Come on, your moving slower than Nihil at this point, we’re gonna be late. Also I will tell you this for the thousandth time, He likes YOU not me dumbass!” Harlow rolls her eyes as she pulls (Y/N) out of their room, sunshine pouring through the windows of the abby, frost still cripsing the grass and windows as they run towards the gardens, laughing and giggling between each other.

Mountains POV:

I hear the approach giggles of Harlow and (Y/N) before I see them, I stand up from the tomato plant I was fixing after it had gotten battered by the winds of last night small storm. Turning towards the sound, I set my gaze onto (Y/N), taking in their beauty as the morning sun settles on their laughing face. ‘I wish that I could tell them, but it’s useless compared to Swiss; I’m quiet, hes the people person, I prefer to be alone with just Rain and (Y/N), he knows how to make people laugh and draw in a crowd, he also isn’t 8 feet tall when unglamored and could possibly hurt them.’ “Mou…Mount? MOUNTAIN!?” I’m drawn out of my thoughts by (Y/N) shaking my arm and Harlow yelling my name, “You good buddy? Seems like you were lost in ya head for a mintue there.” (Y/N) teased as Harlow makes her way over to Primo to get her instructions for the day since he had to leave before she could get hers yesterday. “Yeah, yeah I’m fine, just a little tired after having to calm Dew’s tantrum last night.” I groan out, rubbing my face at the memory, “Oh no what happened”, (Y/N) laughs, knowing how hot the gremlins temper runs, especially after doing his least favorite chore of cleaning the animal pens that the Ministry kept and doing the kitchen inventory, let alone back to back on the same day. “Swiss and Aether were teasing him about stinking and being bad at counting because he was complaining about inventory taking so long cause he had to keep recounting after missing a jar or bag, had to drag him off Aether while Rain was trying to calm him with his ability cause I had to focus on keeping him from killing the other idiots. We were holed up in Rains room just holding him, and then..ya know how Dew gets after he gets mad.” I flush at the memory of the needy fire ghoul whining for more as Rain and I ruined him. (Y/N) also blushes at the described pairing, having had to help out Dew after a temper tantrum when Mountain was away due to Dew’s habit of basically turning into a puppy when (Y/N) is around, they have him practically eating out of their hand when it comes to calming him down, its like watching a miracle at work whenever they get called to help calm the resident gremlin. “So, you ready to get the apples and stuff from the trees?” I ask as we walk to where the baskets are kept, “Yeah, I love having an excuse to climb the trees without Sister getting onto me for not having shoes on and acting “Heathen like”, which we literally live in a church dedicated to worshipping Satan? Isn’t it good I’m a heath?”, we laugh together as we reroute towards the small orchard in the corner of the garden. Which while it is small, only about 20 trees, it’ll still take us till around noon to get even halfway done. We make small talk, this is one of the times I am grateful for having to wear the mask as it help hide the blush they brought to my cheeks as we make our way over. Stopping at the first tree, I decide they can have it, “Do you want a boost to branches closer to the top?”, I look down to gage their reaction being in my half-glamored state I am only 7’3 but have my tail, claws, and horns, which is of course hidden by my mask. We have to wear them outside of the ghoul dorms, even around siblings that know/have permission to know what we look like because others who don’t may see. Not everyone is keen to seeing fangs, horns, and grey skin in the face even though they know we’re here, stupid rule I know, but we gotta keep sister happy, thankfully she didn’t mind if we wore our older maskes as she understood that it was hard to see through the bug masks so I was wearing the last eras silver mask as it was easier to breath in and wasn’t suffocating. “Nah, it’s not to far up, I can make it myself. Thanks though, Mounty.” They decline with a small smile as they take off their shoes and are almost instantly up the tree, like a squirrel. I chuckle to myself, watching them shimmy and scamper across the branches with the rodents they mirror, before turning to the next tree and unglamoring fully to give myself extra height to make it easier to gather the fruit between the branches without having to climb till I have to check the tops.

Timeskip

By noon we had finished 9 trees each, I had just finished up my 9th tree when I heard the bell tolling calling siblings and ghouls alike to lunch. I turn and go to find (Y/N), walking towards the line of trees they had been working on when I had last looked. Looking up into the branches, I see no hint of their black habit, while also trying to accidentally look up the skirt of their assigned uniform, when all of a sudden, I hear rustling from above me, and before I could look up, I feel a thunk on my head and hear a familiar giggle. Glancing for what had hit me, I spy an apple before I peer into the branches above for the source of the giggle, I catch a glimpse of (Y/N) sitting on a branch, about 6 feet above me, covering their mouth to hide their laughter and holding a second apple. But before they could throw it, I see them wobble and loose their balance on the branch. My eyes widen as they sudden fall, “(Y/N)!”, they scream as I try to get under them to catch them. They land solidly ontop of me, knocking us to the ground from the force.

(Y/N) POV

I had finished the last of the apples from this tree when I heard the lunch bell toiling from the church, I lowered my basket to the ground as I looked up searching for Mountain. I see him setting his basket down when I get a sneaky idea, quietly and quickly climbing back up the tree with two small apples I wait for him to come looking for me since he never leaves without making sure both me and Harlow go to lunch with him as I had a habit of sometimes skipping lunch to finish my work. I make it a couple feet up and settle on a branch, since I had to make sure I wasn’t at eye level to make sure my plan works, I felt a little unstable because this branch was slightly thinner but I haven’t fallen yet so I just shift my weight and grip the branch a little tigher with my legs. I wait for him to walk under the tree before dropping the apple, giggling at the cartoonish thunk of the apple and the surpised confusion on his face as he looked up. I go to drop the second apple but I guess I leaned to far to the side but I wouldn’t know because all of a sudden I felt myself slipping and before I could right myself, I was plummeting to the ground and a scream escapes my throat. I hear Mountain scream my name as I feel arms suddenly grapple me and we’re sent to the ground. We both groan as the air was knocked from our lungs as we hit the ground, I come to my sense a bit faster than Mountain and without thinking of the position we were in, I scramble up and cup his face, “Mount are you okay?!”, I ask scared I hurt him, “Am I okay?! Are you okay?!”, he sits up and copies my movement, checking me all over for any sign of injury. This is when I realize our compromising position, I was straddling his lap with our faces inches apart, my face flushes bright red all the way to the tips of my ears. He seems to realize it as well after he determined I didn’t seem harmed. “Ye..yeah I’m okay, just a little star..startled, might ha..have a bruise or two later..,” I stutter out as I watch the exposed part of his grey face and top of his chest where it peaks out of his slightly unbuttoned shirt flush a dark green, his forest green eyes wide through the silver mask. We were so close I could make out the flecks of gold and brown in each one, our hands not moving from their places as we sit frozen in place, I see his eyes seemingly flick down to my lips and it looked as if he was contemplating something when we heard the concerned shout from Harlow and Primo. I scramble off of Mountain as the shouts got closer and rush towards them with a slight limp that I chose to ignore, too embarressed to turn to check if the tall ghoul was following, “Over here!”, I call as I reach Harlow. She just about throws herself at me, I grunt in pain at the sudden added weight to my injured leg, the ginger girl pulls back from the hug, holding onto my shoulders, “What happened, we heard you scream?!”, Primo had caught up by now, “I was trying to pull a prank on Mountain by dropping apples on his head but I lost my balance and fell, he caught me but I think I landed wrong on my leg but I didn’t feel it until I got up.” I say, skipping over the moment that was held between me and the Earth Ghoul just moments before. “That is surprising that you fell little one, you are are our resident squirrel,” Primo teased as a way to help me feel better, “Never thought I would live to see the day you managed to fall, always scurrying along those branches like you belong in them.” I let out a small laugh, “Neither did I, but I guess I just chose the wrong branch today.” I wince after finishing the sentence as I accidentally leaned on my injured leg, “Harlow you go check on Mountain, I will take our injured squirrel to the infirmary to ensure nothing to broken.” Harlow clearly could tell I was tense and embarrassed about something and wanted to be the one to take me but simply nodded, knowing that there is no use arguing with the eldest Emeritus brother, and took off towards where Mountain was still sitting. “Now my dear, lets get you checked up and some food into you, I know you and Sister Harlow came out without eating again.” Primo offered his arm to me as we made our way to the church, slightly slower than usual due to my injured leg. But as we made our way to the church, I couldn’t help but be slightly sadden by the fact that Mountain would be taken care of by the one who he clearly had feelings for.

Timeskip

I had left the infirmary after they checked me out, I had a sprained ankle due to how I fell on my leg. All they could do for me is tell me is take the day off tomorrow and ice my ankle tonight, and, of course, be more careful when climbing next time since they knew I wouldn’t stop climbing. They had called Swiss to help me back to my room and to make sure I didn’t try to go back out and stubbornly keep trying to help in the garden since I had a tendancy to push myself to make sure I help Primo as much as possible and assist in keeping the gardens in the best shape possible, even if it went against me. We were currently in his room since it was closest to the medical wing, he had grabbed a bag of ice from the nurse to place on my leg after I layed down on his bed, we were curled up together watching South Park, Swiss’ mask being long discarded on his desk. We had started it one night when we were high as kites with Mountain and Dew for shits and giggles, but we deicded it was now our show to just throw on whenever we were hanging out because we could ignore it or watch it, but we always made sure to yell out, “You killed Kenny, You bastards!”, in time with Stan and Kyle, even if it interrupted conversation even to the annoyance or confusion of others in the room. I was lazily playing with Swiss’ claws and fingers, knowing not to mess with his tail which was wrapped around my waist contently flicking every so often, and staring at the screen as he scrolled through some random social media site with his free hand. “Swiss..”, all I get is a half minded hum of acknowledgement, “Am I stupid for liking him?”, I mumble, looking away from the screen and blinking my eyes to discourage the tears that want to fall. We had spotted Harlow and Mountain hugging in the hallway as we were making our way to the ghoul dorms, “Thank you for making sure I was okay, I’ll be fine nothings broken.”, was all I had heard before Swiss pulled me away, knowing I would be upset. This is part of the reason he had turned on the stupid adult cartoon, as it had slowly become a comfort show for us that we watched whenever one of us had a bad day and just wanted to spend time with each other, sometimes with addition of the other ghouls, mostly Dew, Harlow, and Sunshine and sometimes Mount or Rain since they didn’t care much for the show but enjoyed it enough that they’ll watch it with us in a ghoul pile, Aether and the other two Ghoulettes prefer to not watch it and usually request for a different show whenever they join. “Oh sweetheart no, he’s the idiot for not realizing the best person he could ever have is pining for him like a schoolgirl,” Swiss teases me while trying to comfort me, I laugh weakly and half-heartedly slap his chest, “I do not pine for him you ass!”, “Yeah yeah, says the one who stares longingly after him like a puppy and always jumps for the chance to have a smoke sesh if I suggest inviting him.” he retorts, grabbing my hand to defend himself from any more attacks before tilting my chin up, so I am looking him in the eye, “But seriously, he’s the dumbass here. I love Harlow to death, but you are the most beautiful, caring, selfless, stubborn, smartest…what’s another nice thing,” he pauses for a moment to think before looking at me with the most sincere look I have ever seen him give me, “(Y/N), Your the closest thing to a fallen angel in this Abbey, anyone would be lucky to have you. Hell I’d snatch yo-”, he was cut off by a sudden knock at the door, “Who is it?”, he calls, “It’s me”, I tense at Mountains voice, he almost sounds…sad? ‘Why would he be sad?’, I wonder to myself as Swiss gets up and opens the door, I try to make myself as small as possible as to not be noticed by the lanky ghoul who was talking to Swiss. They talk for a mintue before Swiss bids him goodbye and shuts the door, turning around revealing my combat boots, ‘Fuck I had left them in my hurry to get away, I should’ve grabbed instead of making him bring them to me..’, I’m quickly knocked out of thought when Swiss jumps back on the bed, “He said that you forgot your boots after you fell, apparently he cleaned them for you since they got covered in leaves and looked like you had walked through mud this morning.” he says, handing the now shiny, almost new looking boots to me as my eyes widen noticing a small squirrel embroidery on the side of each boot, not big enough to be noticeable but also simple enough that I could clean the boots without worrying about ruining it. I haven’t felt the need to polish them in awhile cause of how often I wear them in the gardens since they are so comfortable and have a steel toe, which helps when I drop sharp tools and heavy rocks onto my feet when I’m working in the flower garden, why did he do that? “Earth to (Y/N), you there space cadet?”, Swiss is waving his hand in front of my face, I glance up to him, “I’m sorry, was just thinking about how their just going to get dirty as soon as I’m back in the garden, he didn’t have to do that.” I babble out nervously, Swiss just rolls his eyes as a grin spreads across his face, “So Sweetness, you staying here for tonight or do you wanna go back to your room?”, he questions as he lies out across my lap, not unlike a cat who clearly doesn’t want the person to move, I chuckle and brush the curls that had fallen onto his forehead back as I contemplate,”Hmmm so my choices are either go back to my cold, boring dorm with a tiny bathroom or stay here with a my warm best friend who clearly doesn’t want me to leave and has a much bigger, nicer bathroom? I wonder what my choice shall be.” I mockingly tap my chin in fake thought before I sprawl backwards and make myself comfortable as I set the boots on the floor next to the bed and text Harlow to get her ass to Swiss room to get the tea. Just because Mountain loves her and not me doesn’t mean she’s not one of my best friends, I wanna fill her in about what happened in case Mountain didn’t, which of course he didn’t why would he, and to see what happened when she helped him.

Mountains POV:

Harlow had helped me back inside after (Y/N) had ran off, ‘I am such a fucking idiot, what was I thinking.” I say to myself as I walk back to my room after Harlow gave me a hug as I thanked her for checking on me, going into my bathroom once I closed my door and removed the silver mask from my head. Plopping the forgotten boots in the shower before hosing off the caked on mud and polishing up the boots as a peace offering, hoping that this would possibly help the awkwardness of what happened today, a slight peace-offering if you will. I know that they are in Swiss’ room since I heard South Park playing as I was walking past the multi-ghouls door and heard them do the iconic Kenny death sayings, chuckling softly to myself as I usually do whenever I catch them doing that, even if it makes the my heart twinge a bit at the thought that they are growing closer. I made my way over the Swiss’ room once he finished his project, the squirrel had been an after thought but thought that (Y/N) would enjoy it as it had become their unofficial nickname, Aether had even teased that if (Y/N) was a Ghoul that it would be their name. But before I went to knock, I heard Swiss talking to (Y/N), feeling a tad nosy for once I listen in, “You are the most beautiful, caring, selfless, stubborn, smartest…what’s another nice thing,” there is a slight pause and I hold my breath with a sinking feeling in my gut to what I expect him to say, “(Y/N), Your the closest thing to a fallen angel in this Abbey, anyone would be lucky to have you. Hell I’d snatch yo-”, unable to continue listening I quickly knock on the door, clutching the boots in my shaking hands as I hear them stop and Swiss call, “Who is it?”, “It’s me..”, I can hear some shuffling which I’m sure is Swiss getting off the bed and traversing the mess of his room, South Park still droning in the background as he opens the door with a surprised look, I hold out the boots, mumbling, “(Y/N) left these in the orchard today after they fell, I noticed they were dirty and thought I’d clean the boots for them so they wouldn’t have worry about it with their leg messed up..”, Swiss smiles up at me, “Thanks man, I’m sure they’ll appreciate the gesture. They told me everything that happened, I know Harlow checked you but you good?” he questions with a slight grin, knowing I have feelings for (Y/N) which I flush at the underlying question he is hinting at, “Ye..yeah! I’m fine, no..nothing happened. I’m sure (Y/N) told you how I stared at them and creeped them out,” I laugh nervously, “Dude you need to grow some even bigger balls, if thats possible, and tell them, they are fucking in love with you dumbass.” He playfully punches my arm as I flush even brighter, I glance over his head and see (Y/N) curled up in his bed and while they look comfy, they smell..nervous? I quickly look back to Swiss to see nonchalant but thinking, ‘Why would they be nervous, probably cause I interrupted the love confession she has been waiting for, I don’t know what Swiss means it’s so obvious they love him, why the hell would they like a 8 foot freak..’, I quickly lock away that intrusive thought before I can spiral, I don’t need that right now, I focus back as Swiss is saying bye. To which I reply and walk the few feet down the hall to my room before I shut myself inside it, leaning against the door with a sigh as I rub down my face. I turn on the small tv and flip to a random music channel to listen to while I read and decompress for the rest of the night, if I spend anymore time thinking about this I will just spiral and that is never good.

Timeskip: 2 days later (Friday)

Harlows POV:

Okay I’m officially tired of these two being so god damn oblivious, I text Swiss to meet me in the library after I finished a second awkward day in the gardens with Mountain and (Y/N), they would nervously laugh and try to talk before either leaving awkward silence or turning to me for my input. “Swissy we need to get these two dumbasses together before we die from an overdose of Pining from both sides, (Y/N) keeps talking about what they think I think Mountain was thinking when they almost kissed 2 days ago, or the Squirrel he embroidered into their boots, which by the way is so adorable!” I rant to the smilely ghoul who groans in agreement, earning a hush from the librarian who he gives a sheepish smile of apology before turning back to me, “Your telling me, Mount has been either locked in his listening to he insisted is not angsty folks music about past loves and other sappy shit or he’s in the common room sighing and talking about how he’s an idiot for what happened after I got him to crack and tell me what happened, which of course I already knew from (Y/N)!”, he finished his rant with a dramatic face rub that pulls the bottoms of his eyes down slightly revel the whites of his glamored eyes, the normally black sclara hidden behind the glamore, the head librarian didn’t care if the ghouls had their masks on or not since she has been amongst the clergy for so many years, even longer than Imperator, seeing so many ghouls faces throughout the years that she doesn’t care and says that “Everyone has the right to be comfortable when reading and researching,” and Seestor knows better than to arguement wiht the old woman, so she just had a sign that warned siblings that they could possibly see unmasked ghouls so tread lightly be put outside the library. “I say the only way to make them believe what we have been telling them is to force it to happen,” I say as I think of a plan, “I heavily doubt we could get either to actually confess to the other, they refuse to believe the other likes them. Mount is convinced (Y/N) likes me and (Y/N) thinks Mount likes you!”, Swiss exclaims, earning another hush from the librarian, giving him the ‘I’m watching you’ look as he gives another sheepish apologetic smile before trying to think of a way to achieve their goal. “I know, I have an idea but I don’t know if it would work,” I say after a few minutes of thinking, “Well spit it out woman?”, Swiss says leaning forward excitedly, “Well what if we threw a party and forced the two in a closet for seven minutes in heaven? I’ve seen it work in movies and in fanfics I’ve read, it’s dumb but it could work!” I suggest, “I’m not sure but it could be worth a sho-, OW”, Swiss is cut off from his agreement by the head librarian smacking him on the head with a thick book, “You two are terrible at matchmaking, I have seen those two, the Giant Earth ghoul and the little gremlin who is always climbing my shelves to reach the books they can’t reach even though I have told them a thousand times to use the step stools and ladders,” she rolls her eyes, “If I can tell anything about them from what they’ve checked out and my experience as a mother and grandmother, they would absolutely not “confess” to each other in whatever enclosed space you shove them, they would sit there awkwardly till it was done.”, Her russian accent acentuating shame filled stare at how they expected their two awkward friends to suddenly profess their love like their in some fanfiction written by a whatever-teen year old on the internet at 3am, in a closet during a party of all places. “You said that they each think the other likes one of you right? What me and a friend did in our younger days to have a little drama and fun, was get details about the person one of us like and see if they liked us back, if they did then we had the other “confess”, she makes quotation marks with her fingers for the word confess, “to the person while the other was around the corner, then whenever the person would, usually of course unless they were a prick and just wanted a hook-up, apologize and say they actually had feelings for the one who was waiting around the corner, we’d come out with a big todo about if they really mean it and botabing, ya gotcha man.” She finished her story was a small smirk at the memories, “You two need to decide between the two of you whose gonna be the “confessor”,”she makes the quotation marks again, “And whose going to bring the other person to listen, of course you gotta make it seem believable so set up a place where you would easily hide and can hear, I’d suggest the courtyard at around 10pm, as theres a lot of shadows to hide in and not many siblings muddling about, and it is also quite beautiful at night, perfect for love confessions. That is if you wanna take the advice of an old lady.” She finishes with a wink and smirk as she goes to return to her desk but stops short, “That is if you wanna take the advice of an old lady.“ before returning to her desk as the the ghoul and girl sit with their mouths dropped comically in shock, they look at each other and back at the librarian before they begin to conspire using the head librarians advice.

Timeskip to just before 10pm

Narrators POV:

The conniving duo had perfected their plan about 2 hours after the head librarian gave her advice, they decided that Harlow would be the one to “confess” Mountain, knowing that even though it was fake, he’d be more easily convinced than (Y/N) since they would believe Swiss was just doing it as a joke or a way to make them feel better. Harlow have a note to Mountain saying to meet her in the courtyard at 10pm, knowing the ghouls punctuality was only rivaled by Papa Primo and Copia, while Swiss would get (Y/N) to follow him saying they were gonna snag snacks from the kitchen and have a small party in his room with just the two of them to make them feel better after a shitty week, the shortcut to which just so happens conviently cross through the courtyard, they would hopefully get there right as Harlow is finishing her fake confession so (Y/N) would hear Mountain say he actually loved them. Harlow had just texted Swiss that she was in the courtyard and she could hear what she believed to be Mountain coming so they should start coming. But they couldn’t plan forwhat happened next.

Readers POV:

Swiss had texted me earlier to come to his room around 9:45 because he had surprise for me, I had finished my chores earlier than normal since Primo, even when I insisted that my leg did indeed feel better and was no longer hurting me, didn’t have me working on as much stuff as I typically did. He insists that I have been working so hard and I deserve a little break to ensure I don’t irritate my ankle, I guess the old Papa was scared by what happened more than he let on. Today, I was instructed to simply tend to the small flower beds; weeding, water, adding fertilizer, and the like. Then making sure the greenhouse plants, including the sick ones Primo and Mountain healed for the people of the Abbey, had enough water and if they seemed well enough to call the number on the small piece of paper attached to their respected pot and ensure the owner was returned their greenery. It was simple work that didn’t involve much heavy lifting other than the bags of fertizlier but Mountain always seemed to appear right as I was about to move the heavy bags of plant food and insisted to help, hauling the bag wherever I directed, sometimes to try and ease the awkwardness that had grown from the incident, I would jokingly fully instruct him how to hold, carry, and set down the bag, I once led him basically all the way around the garden before looping back to the bed of Tulips and Dragonsnaps near the greenhouse we started. To which the large earth ghoul playfully growled and chased me until he easily grabbed me, flipped his mask off his face, and proceeded to rub his sweaty face on my shoulders and face as I giggled and pushed his face away by his horns until he relented. It felt like everything had gone back to normal. Even though I still had strong feelings for him, I had accepted that he loved Harlow and I appreciated our friendship and would take what I was given, no matter if it hurt. I texted Swiss back a thumbs up to acknowledge that I’d seen his text and checked the time, it was about 6:30, so I had time to run back to my dorm. Once I had reached my door and gotten inside, I decided to take a quick shower to wash the sweat that belonged to both me and Mountain off myself and change my clothes, taking my time in the shower, I had put my phone on charge and connected it to the small waterproof speaker I kept in my shower so I could listen to music, using my fancy body wash, the one I use when I feel like pampering myself because it smelled amazing and was kinda pricy, before washing my hair and falling into my urge to shave, I usually don’t care about body hair but I also love the feeling of smooth legs. By the time I finished my shower it was around 8, I guess I really took my time, I decided to wear some comfy black shorts and a oversized t-shirt I had gotten from Aether the last time we had a impromptu sleepover in his room with Swiss and Dew after a night of drinking, the Quintessence ghoul had offered one of his shirts after Dew had stolen mine in a game of strip poker and was drunkenly cuddling and refused to give it back because he apparently “missed me and my scent is comforting”, I can’t say no to the whiny fire ghoul especially when he says such adorable things so he still has possession over my shirt, though I suspect it will be returned to me within the next few days when my smell has finally been replaced with the fire ghouls. I comb through my wet hair, leaving it smooth, before blow drying as I hate the feeling of wet hair on my face and neck, once it was dry I just brushed it back and looked at myself in the mirror, gazing over my (color) (length) hair, (color) eyes, and (skintone) skin, unconsciously comparing myself to Harlow. Her long silky red hair is something that has caught the eye of many clergy members, her fox-like brown eyes that always held a hint of mischief, and her pale, ivory skin that shines like sunlight on snow, though she used to have horrible acne back in high school when we originally met. She was always the one boys and girls alike went after, I was the one they would sometimes use to get to her, always asking if she was single or what her number is. Always the friend left ignored by others no matter how much Harlow tried to include me, ignoring people as they attempted to woo her but refused to tolerate them ignoring or using her best friend. That is the reason I love her but I still feel so plain and boring next to her, she is like a goddess among men. ‘No wonder Mountain fell for her’, I sigh as I check my phone, “Shit!”, in my self-loathing time seemed have sped by and it is 9:30, it only takes about 5 minutes to get to Swiss’ and he won’t care if I’m late, but he seemed kinda adamant that I be there by 9:45, so I slip some socks and slides so I don’t have to walk on the cold wood that covered the abbey floor and cause I have no clue what Swiss has planned, knowing him a surprise could be anything from a him giving me a Magic Mike esc lap dance because I was sad someone said something rude to me, to him having seemingly raided a liquor store of its entire stock and is throwing a ghoul party, or as simple as just he had grabbed some cool snacks on tour that he wanted to try with me. Though the best surprise so far had been when he had somehow tied down Dew and coaxed him into being our good boy for a night, I am no virgin, but of the ghouls I’ve slept with only Swiss, Rain, and Dew, the last two started cause of my involvement in calming Dew but every so often Rain will come knocking on my door asking for help with his heat and that leads to either one of two Rains, Top Rain who doesn’t stop until your crying and legitmently can’t cum anymore or Soft, Bottom Rain who cries for Mommy to use him and break him, both of which are always fun. Okay (Y/N), lets not get horny. I make it to Swiss’ door by 9:42 and knock on his door, I hear him curse and fall over something before he finally opens the door, shirtless and chest heaving as he ushers me inside. I take in his appearance, black joggers with blue socks that are covered in little smiling suns, obviously a gift from the sunny ghoulette down the hall. “You good man? You look like you just saw your mom naked or something,” I laugh at Swiss’ frazzled state as he is searching for a shirt, I eye a red muscle tee that he frequently wears during the summer months on weekends when we go to the beach or lake or sometimes just lounging in the ghoul den. I grab it and give a quick sniff test as you can never know with Swiss, I have to help organize his room again since it’s been a few months since the last deep clean we did, “Swissy here,”, is the only warning he gets before the red tee is launched at him and promptly gets stuck on his horns. I laugh even harder as he grabs it off and flips me the bird as he pulls it, “Now, you told me to be here at 9:45, what’s the surpise?”, I ask as he checks his phone after it went off, “Who is it?”,”Jus Dew telling me that him and Aeth managed to convince that brother whose been flirting with Aeth for the last week to a threesome,” (Slight narrator check in: This isn’t a lie, Dew did actually text him this earlier but the text he just checked was actually from Harlow. That is all, keep reading whores <3), “Cool, he’s cute but he ain’t gonna be walking for the next few days,” I laugh, “Now the surprise dumbass,”, “Oh yeah, we’re doing a sleepover and raiding the kitchen for snacks before doing an all night movie marathon and possibly finishing South Park for the 2nd time if you want. Now move it Squirrel, move that tail!” He says as he just about drags me down the hall, using the shortcut we’ve used for years at this point. As we neared the court yard to sneak into the hallway that leads to the back entrence of the kitchens I start hearing voices, as we get closer I recognize it to be Harlows but I can’t exactly understand what she’s saying yet till suddenly Swiss pulls me close to him, pushing his finger to his mouth to signal to be quiet, I nod and we peek around the corner, this is when my heart drops cold to my stomach. Harlow is….confessing her love to Mountain. I feel tears welling up in my eyes as I choke out a sob, trying hard to be silent but it’s clear Mountain heard it as his head perks up from where it looked like he was adamantly watching Harlow. I can’t stand to continue hearing this and I don’t care if they hear me, I allow the tears to flow and sobs erupt from my throat. Swiss is panicking, trying to shush me and hug me but I push away from him, trying to run when I suddenly hear Mountains voice, “(Y/N)?...”, I freeze and see that Harlow and Mountain had moved slightly and can clearly see us, I break out of Swiss’ hold and run. I don’t know where, but I have to get away from this. I thought I could handle this but turns out I can’t. I slowly stop running after what feels like hours but in reality was only a few minutes, I’m in the garden. The moon is shining down on me as tears continue to fall down my cheeks, I make my face through the flower garden to the large Oak tree that I always love to climb up and sit in on my days off and weekends, reading by myself with earbuds playing music or talking with the ghouls and Harlow as we just laze around for the day in the warm sun surronded by flowers and nature. I climb to my favorite spot, a little nook of two branches the split off just from the trunk that form a perfect little nest almost, where I then sit curled in on myself and let the tears flow. ‘I never thought it would actually happen…but I guess this is what is going to be the normal, I’ll apologize tomorrow and congradulate them. Their perfect for each other..’

Mountains POV

Harlow had asked me to meet her in the courtyard at 10 tonight, I wonder why. We’re friends but she’s never singled me out personally like this other than asking for help in the gardens or sometimes in the library if we’re in there at the same time to reach books on the top shelves. Life had just seemed to get back to normal too, (Y/N) and I had joked around like we usually do, they forced me around damn near entire flower portion of the garden till they revealed the spot the fertilzer was going was right next to where we started, those bags aren’t too heavy but their awkward, especially because they had insisted that I had to carry it like a toddler? As soon as they brought us back to where we started and said, “Oh actually it was right here all along,”,with a shit-eating grin, I dropped the fertilizer with a playful growl and they immediately took off. I let them get a little ahead before I followed, almost immediatly catching them due to my much longer legs and decided their deserved punishment was me rubbing the sweat that had collected on my face under my mask from carryinf the heavy bag so far all over their face and shoulders as they pushed me away giggling, hands on my unglamored large, ram-like horns as a grip. It felt normal and I thought everything was going to become like it was, I don’t care if Swiss askes them out or at least I don’t think I do? I had been in the middle of thinking about this when Harlow had come up to me and handed me a note before scurrying away, I opened the note with a raised brow of confusion but figured maybe it was just something about (Y/N)? I know she’s heard me talking with Swiss about (Y/N) and I figure maybe she knows something is going on between them and wants me to know so I don’t have to see it without warning. What I certainly didn’t expect was her to…confess her love for me? It was weird and I was standing there awkwardly waiting for her to finish when I heard quiet footsteps approaching, I assumed it was probably siblings or possibly Dew sneaking to the kitchen and were about to hear a rejection when I suddenly heard a sob, a sob that very much so sounded like (Y/N). Harlow had heard it too and we peeked around the corner, I see Swiss trying to seemingly comfort a crying (Y/N) who was squirming in his grasp, “(Y/N)?..”, but before I could say anything they broke free and were running away. I was about to go after them when Harlow stopped me with a hand on my wrist, “I’m so sorry big guy, this wasn’t how this was supposed to go.”, this both intrigued me and infuriated me, why was she stopping me from trying to go after (Y/N). “Mount before you go after them we just want you to know that what Harlow was saying wasn’t true, the head librarian gave us an idea of how to show you two that we were telling the truth and you truly loved one another, but all what was supposed to happen was we get here right as Harlow finished and you’d of course tell her sorry but you love (Y/N) blah blah blah, happy couple, we’re the bestest friends ever, The End. I am so sorry buddy, go show them the truth.”, what Swiss didn’t think I’d notice is the smell of sadness and slightly jealously coming off of him, but we’d deal with that later. (Y/N) is my priority now. I take after the way they ran, following their scent to the gardens, towards the tree that they always love.

Readers POV:

I have no clue how long I have been here, just letting myself cry when all of a sudden I hear rapid footsteps approaching. I quickly try to silence my tears as they get closer, it’s Mountain? Why is he here? Shouldn’t he be with Harlow, I mean she just confessed to him shouldn’t they be celebrating, I expected Swiss to come after me but not Mount. He’s looking around, looks like he’s trying to catch my scent again. I know how powerful those ghoul noses are, their better than bloodhounds if Dew’s ability to sniff out whenever someone’s horny and where Cirrus tries to hide the takis whenever she buys them for herself has proven anything. I knew he’d find me eventually, probably knows where I am now and is either letting me have a chance to come out myself or give me a moment to calm down. But he looks more…frantic, almost scared for someone who has just gotten in a relationship, he eventually stops in front of my tree, “(Y/N)? I know your up there, can you please come down so we can talk,”, he sounds..desperate. “Ye..yeah gimme a minute,” I sniffle as I slowly lower myself to the ground but before I could even reach the grass I am pulled into a tight hug by the Earth ghoul, his head tucked into my neck as he mumbles out apology after apology, begging for my forgiveness for not believing Swiss and Harlow, for letting his self-doubt keep him from seeing the truth. All I can do is hug him back in shock, ‘What the hell is he on about, Harlow just confessed to him that she loved him, isn’t that what he wanted?’, “Mount? Mounty, hey calm down. Why are you sorry?”, I ask as I quietly shush him now apologetic babbling, “I heard Harlow, I thought you loved her? Why are you here?”, I question as the tall ghoul lifting his head from where he had been almost seemingly trying to bury himself, kneeling so he could be closer to eye level with me as I hold his shoulders, not realizing the tears I had been shedding were still slowly dripping down my cheeks, “You sho..should be with her right now, not me…’, I choke out, not looking him in the face as the new group of tears fall down my cheeks, I go to try to coax him into believing I was fine and to return to his new partner but all words die in my throat as I feel his thumbs gently wipe the wetness from under my eyes as he took a shuddering but deep breath, seeming to be trying to steady himself and choose his words, “I don’t love Harlow…her and Swiss had teamed up to try and get me to confess to who I truly loved by having her fake confess to me cause they knew I’d tell the truth of who I love while Swiss brought you to listen…they apparently didn’t think that hearing the one you love being confessed to would make you react like this.” he finished and took another deep breath as he cupped my face as he continued to brush the tears away, a soft smile on his face,”Even while crying your still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” I freeze in his grip, my eyes meeting his for the first time since the incident two days ago, those vibrant forest green eyes, the soft light of the moon and lights that lines the pathway of the garden lighting up the flecks of pure gold and caramel brown in them even more so than before, but this time they have tears in the corners of them. “Wh..Wha-”, I’m cut off by the earth ghoul in front of me, “(Y/N) I don’t love Harlow, I love you. Swiss and Harlow have been telling me for the two years that if I just told you the truth, that you’d accept me. That you returned the feelings, I refused to believe them because I saw how you were with Swiss, you two got close so fast and easily, you seemed to connect so much more, he was the one you mainly turned to for comfort after a bad day, you two have sleepovers all the time, he’d invite me over because he knew I liked you but I was convinced that you would never possibly look at me as anything more than a friend. I’m an 8 foot tall ghoul who doesn’t like to talk to people outside of my pack, you, Harlow, and the Papas, my favorite pass times are reading about music, plants, and animals, being outside, and playing drums. I’m quiet and awkward and boring. Who I am to compare to everything Swiss is, charismatic, funny, the life of the party, always knows what to say, and is overall a much safer than me. I’m so much bigger and stronger than you, that I am always scared I will unintentionally hurt you when I touch you. But none of changes the fact that I love you.” He finishes his rant, face flushed and eyes full of fear of my reaction to his words as the tears he was holding finally fall, “Mou..Mount I..,” I stutter trying to find the words to even begin to compare to the speech he just gave me, but I ground myself with a deep, shuttering breath, “Mountain I can’t even begin to compare to what you just said. That is the most heartfelt thing anyone has ever said to me, but I’d like to revise a little of what you said,” I slowly start as I mirror his actions from before of cupping his face but instead, gently kiss the tears falling from his eyes, he leans heavily into the touch as his forehead leans against mine for a moment before I pull back to continue, “You are not just an 8 foot tall Earth ghoul and your not boring, far from it in fact. We have had some of the deepest discussions I’ve ever had from a conversation that started as drums as cool, how long have you been playing that turned into how the drums are the key part of any band and how the entire concept of bands probably wouldn’t exist if drums hadn’t been invented, not to mention how your eyes light up when you talk about plants and their different qualities, hell you’ve fucking made the most amazing teas and best weed I have ever tasted just with a few samples of different plants and mixing blends together. You are easily one of the most caring ghouls I know, outside of Aether and Rain who are equally tied, you are always there for your pack, me, the papas, and Harlow whenever we need you, be it we’re sick or just need an ear to listen or someone who can reach the top shelf because someone thought it was funny to put all of the coffee mugs on top of the fridge, doesn’t matter what it was you were there. You are also funny as hell and have the comedic timing of a god, I’ve never laughed harder than when Copia slipped and fell off the fake stage during practise one day and after a solid couple seconds of pure silence, you did that stupid drum thing. I swear Dew and Cumulus peed themselves from laughter,” I take a couple seconds to stop the laughter than followed the memory even as Mount chuckled too, “I’m also gonna knock that stupid thought that you’ll hurt me straight out of your head, yes your a lot taller than me and I know very much so that ghouls are much stronger than humans, believe me I’ve fallen into bed with Dew and Rain enough to realize just how much strength ghouls have,” there is a quiet growl that emanates from deep in his chest at the mention of my sexual encounters with his pack members, “let’s just say I’m into that shit and leave it at that for now, that’s a conversation for another time. What I mean with everything I’ve just said, is I love you too. And now that we both know this, what d-”, I’m cut off as Mountain leans forward and presses his lips to mine, his hands cupping the back of my head and wrap around my waist as mine slide into his thick, wavy brown hair. It desperate with a hint of need and so much love I feel like I’m going to explode. Even while kneeling he is equal if not slightly taller than me in height but this is comfortable, his tongue slides teasingly across my lower lip and I open willingly for him, letting the wet muscles fight for dominance that for now I allow him to win as he tastes every corner of my mouth he can. His fingers threading into my hair and his grip on my waist tightens as he slowly leans back and sits down, tugging me into his lap and we return to the position that caused this mess in the first place. Once we finally seperate, he tucks his face into my neck, chest vibrating with a deep purr of contentment when I hear Swiss and Harlow finally coming to find us. The purr quickly switching to a low growl of warning as Swiss approaches, I run my fingers through his hair and down his neck, drawing a shiver from the taller male, “Relax he’s not gonna take me away,” I whisper to him, pressing a kiss to his forehead before turning to look at them, “Well…I guess you guys were right..” I give a nervous laugh as the now obviously territorial, and if what I’m guessing is poking me is correct, turn on ghoul below lets out a slightly louder growl even as Swiss holds up his hands in surrender with a sheepish grin and Harlow lets out a loud cackeling laugh, “I told you it would work!”, she cries between laughs even with the death glare I know my ghoul has fixed her with…my ghoul, that feels good to finally say. “You two are adorable,” Swiss teases as he takes a picture, “Send me that!”, I demand before I yelp as Mountain suddenly stands, his hand moving to under my thigh and he secures me against him with the arm around my waist, “Yeah, I just finally got the person I’ve been loving for the last two years, if you knock on my door it better me an emergency or Papa absolutely needs me, even then tell him I’m unavailable.”, is all Mountain says as he begins to walk towards the ghoul dorms, Swiss is howling with laughter with Harlow but it is quickly silenced with a yelp when Mount stops for a moment to turn to them and with a flick of his wrist, Swiss is tied in ivy and moss and Harlow is knocked off her feet by a tree root that shoots out and swipes her feet. “Your mine for the rest of week little one, Papa will understand. We don’t have to do anything you don’t want too, but I am curious to know about that size kink you hinted at early,” Mountain purrs into my ear as my face turns into a tomato. I am so not walking for the next month

Masterlist | Chapter 2