#wow. yet again the fastest block of my life

[antonblastdeluxe]

I'm sorry, giving lgbtq+ headcanons to characters is 'woobification' now?

[the-enamorando-deity]

Another really good oneshot, wow! 😍 I had an idea, maybe readers abusive ex boyfriend comes back and makes a scene at the bullpen in front of everyone (maybe pulls her arm a little to harsh) and Ziva is protective as hell? End fluffy with calming Reader down because she is having a panic attack? ❄

i felt the panic attack just writing it 🙃🙃 hope this is ok!!

ziva david x reader (platonic)

warnings/tw: anxiety/panic attack, mentions of previous abuse and some in the present also

The Ex in Excruciating

Working for NCIS had given you a new life. You only needed to escape a few things, but it changed so much for you that looking back seemed impossible. You thought you had almost become a new person, one that had never been through the things you had. You put everything behind you, or at least you tried.

None of your team really knew all that much about you, Ziva knew the most of all. Even that was minuscule compared to what you knew about them all, many of the things you had discovered through simple conversation, otherwise not much more than that you found through less ethical means.

You were sure they’d also done their homework and due diligence on the newest member of their team, but there were things you had hidden from public record and other more discrete files.

What you never expected was for your past to appear in your workplace, showing everyone more about yourself in those seconds than you had revealed in the months you’d worked there. When he showed up, you felt the blood rush as far from your heart as it could reach.

You could have passed out in your chair as the suave bastard appeared before you, lungs seizing as your brain fought for air. Your hands shook at the mere sight of him, but he hadn’t seen you just yet. Instead, he was leaning on the wall beside Ziva’s desk, chatting her up as he often would other women in front of you, usually in dingy bars you were forced to go to.

This was something entirely different, and you didn’t know if he was there for you. You were about to make a break for Abby’s lab, turning your chair slowly so it faced away from him. You were hoping the change in your own personal style and your hair colour would be enough to conceal your identity.

You had only just made it to the elevator doors when a familiar and terrifying shiver ran down your spine. Your teeth clenched, and you knew it was him, standing behind you. His hand landed firmly on your shoulder, spinning you around as he bore a wide grin across his otherwise expressionless face. His eyes were vacant of feeling, just how they were the last time you saw him.

You shook his hand off your shoulder and backed up to the elevator, praying it would open so you could disappear.

‘Hiya, gorgeous, miss me?’ he asked, hand now on the wall beside your head as he leaned over you.

‘Leave me alone,’ you whispered, glancing around if only hoping someone would appear to save you. You hated having to rely on others for help, but this was something you couldn’t do alone, back then or now.

He didn’t budge, so you quickly slipped to the side and returned to the bullpen, speeding through and leaving your stuff, just trying to get to the other elevator. You pressed the button a hundred times as he made his way over to you for a second time, calmly as to not arouse suspicion.

‘Go back into the bullpen,’ he ordered, enjoying watching you quake with fear. ‘Now.’

Your arm was tucked tight in his grip, and you could already feel it bruising. You tried to pull yourself free, but it seemed he’d been working out more than he had before, and you had no choice but to do as he said.

‘I’m sorry we haven’t all been formally introduced,’ he started, beaming a grin at your coworkers. ‘I’m Y/N’s boyfriend, but you can call me CJ.’

‘Boyfriend?’ Tony asked, puzzled.

‘CJ?’ McGee added on, eyeing you as he tried to recall you ever mentioning a CJ.

You swallowed and tried to hide the fear on your face as you nodded, but Ziva could read something off. Before she could ask anything, CJ tightened his grip and started guiding you toward the elevator again, but this time you weren’t going alone.

‘We’re going out to lunch, she might be back a few minutes late,’ he smirked, directing this towards Tony who only pulled a face. They could all tell something was off, but thought maybe it was just because you were so secretive.

You tried to resist him moving you, but he grabbed your arm and yanked it quite hard, dragging you towards the elevator. You were about to turn and look to Ziva for help, only to find her already at your side. She smiled sweetly at you both, pressing the button.

‘I am also going down, we can go together,’ she said, gently nudging you where CJ couldn’t see.

‘We’re fine, we don’t need an escort,’ he insisted, but Ziva laughed and put her hand on your shoulder.

‘Not an escort, but thank you,’ she teased, ‘I am heading out to lunch and this is the fastest way.’

The elevator opened as CJ’s anger levels rose, his grip once again tightening until you were sure his rings were cutting into your skin. You said ow, unable to stop yourself, and Ziva grabbed you out of the way and pulled you behind herself. CJ’s cheeks grew hot with anger, his fists balled.

‘What the hell is wrong with you?’ he snapped, drawing attention from almost everyone in the office. He noticed, quickly lowering his voice. ‘Give her back to me.’

‘No,’ Ziva replied, hearing your breathing start to get a little shaky, ‘you’re not taking her anywhere.’

She held your hand as she stood between you and CJ, your grip turning sweaty as you fought to keep yourself standing. He went to make a move, when the elevator doors opened to reveal Gibbs, who was all too quick to catch on. He grabbed CJ’s shoulder firmly and pulled him away from Ziva and yourself, not caring who he was, only knowing he was trouble.

‘Do you know who I am?’ CJ barked, now more pissed off than before.

‘I don’t care,’ Gibbs replied, stepping between Ziva and CJ, blocking you from his sight, ‘I don’t want you to come back here again. Out.’

With that, CJ seemed to balk. Gibbs’ words held a weight no one else’s had, one you now realised was similar to CJ’s father, a man he’d been terrified of since birth, and now something you were mentally adding to a list of his weaknesses. CJ left in a huff, but you didn’t see it.

You’d backed yourself against the wall and sunk down, Ziva kneeling beside you and helping you control your breaths. There were obviously things you were going to have to fill her in on, but for now, she just needed to make sure you were okay. Gibbs was at your other side with a bottle of water before long, and Tony and McGee were keeping onlookers from bothering you.

‘Who was that?’ Gibbs asked when your breaths returned to a normal state.

‘My ex,’ you managed, knees pulled to your chest as you felt the cool water relieve the heat from your cheeks. ‘I thought he thought I was dead.’

Ziva rubbed your back and looked over to Tony, who immediately understood and moved to his desk, calling security while the others watched over you. They helped you come down from it all, but you weren’t letting them know everything, you couldn’t.

‘They grabbed him on the way out, we’re gonna make sure he stays away,’ Tony informed you. ‘I’ll drive you home tonight, make sure your place is secure, Ziva can follow and make sure you don’t have a tail.’

When you didn’t respond, McGee joined the others by your side. ‘We’ll take it in turns, okay?’

They were insistent on making sure you were okay, which was something you wouldn’t often expect from people you had known for years, let alone them who you had known barely months. But they were your team, and you could trust them, and that made you feel safer than you ever had.

‘Thank you,’ you managed quietly.

taglist: @marvelfansince08love @mymarvelwomen @imnotasuperhero @natasha-danvers @veteranwerewolf95 @monihaswritersblock @natasharomanoffswife @xxxtwilightaxelxxx

[broomballkraken]

Title: Business and Pleasure

Fandom: Hades

Pairing(s): Charon/Hermes

Word count: 1880

Warnings: N/A

Summary: They always say that nothing good will come from mixing business with pleasure, but if you were to ask Hermes, he would tell you that it was the best thing that he had ever done.

As the messenger of the gods, and a conductor of souls into the afterlife, Hermes was always on the move, making his deliveries with the swiftness that he was famous for. He loved his job, as the important, time-sensitive work let him challenge himself to get things done as quickly as possible. The fast-paced lifestyle suited Hermes perfectly.

There were some rare occasions, however, where he preferred to take things slow and wished that time would do the same. His visits to drop off souls at the river Styx were such occasions, and that had everything to do with the river’s notoriously intimidating boatman.

“Charon! You got here before me for once!”

Hermes paused his descent from the sky and watched as Charon turned towards him, his boat rocking slightly with the movement. His eyes immediately lit up when he saw Hermes, and that ever-present purple smoke billowed out of his mouth at an increased rate; Hermes had figured out that there was a positive correlation between the amount of smoke Charon produced and how happy he was. The fact made Hermes’ heart flutter, because the smoke always seemed to be the most abundant when they were together.

Hermes had always been told that mixing business with pleasure was generally a terrible idea, but he knew now that it wasn’t a universal truth, as it was the best thing that he himself had ever done. He didn’t really know how it happened, but throughout their frequent business dealings, Hermes had fallen in love with Charon. Luckily for him, those feelings were mutual, and their relationship had grown to something much more than just a professional association. It was a shame that their jobs kept them apart so much, and yet those same jobs always brought them together again, so Hermes couldn’t really complain too much about that.

As his feet touched down on the ground, Hermes didn’t bother to hide the eagerness in his steps as he stopped in front of Charon’s boat. “So, how’s my favorite river Styx boatman doing on this fine day?” Hermes leaned up to place a quick kiss on Charon’s cheek, and he let out a delighted groan in response as more purple smoke filled the air around both of them.

A cheeky grin crossed Hermes’ face as he crossed his arms over his chest. “I really am surprised, though, that you actually beat me here. Did you really miss me that much?” Hermes teased, and Charon averted his gaze for a moment in a rare showing of embarrassment.

Charon’s flustered state didn’t last long, and when his eyes met Hermes’ again, he groaned softly as he lifted a bony hand to Hermes’ face and cupped his cheek. Hermes couldn’t help but sigh deeply, his eyes slipping shut as he leaned into the touch, something that he had missed desperately during their time apart. Charon was a denizen of the underworld, a supposedly dark and cold place, but Hermes had never felt warmth quite like what he felt whenever his lover’s hands touched his skin.

“Yeah, I missed you too,” Hermes said as he opened his eyes. He gazed up at Charon’s face, and his hand moved to cover the one that cupped his cheek, his fingers slipping in between Charon’s. Charon hummed a response, his head tilting slightly to one side, and Hermes grinned and shook his head.

“Oh no, I definitely missed you more.” Hermes laughed as Charon’s eyes narrowed, and he shrugged as his hands moved up to cup Charon’s face.

“...Well, I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree there, love.” Hermes whispered, and he closed the distance between them as he leaned up to press his lips against Charon’s mouth. A burst of purple smoke erupted from the gaps in their connection, tickling Hermes’ nose and coaxing a soft giggle out of him. A low rumbling came from deep in Charon’s chest as he laughed as well, and Hermes didn’t think he had ever heard such a beautiful sound before in his entire existence.

“Let’s get this transfer of souls over with already,” Hermes said when they parted, and he stepped onto Charon’s boat, “‘cause we have a lot to catch up on, you and I. The gossip floating around Olympus is particularly juicy this time around.” Charon hummed in response and they did their jobs quickly, as they both were more eager to just relax and enjoy each other’s company for as long as they could.

In no time at all, Hermes found himself in his most comfortable position: sitting on the boat, with his back pressed against Charon’s chest. One of Charon’s strong arms was wrapped around him, his hand settled in Hermes’ lap while the latter held it in his own. Charon’s other hand was resting on Hermes’ head, his fingers running languidly through his hair and brushing pleasantly against his scalp.

Hermes did most of the talking, as usual, and he rambled on about many things: the latest gossip concerning the Olympian Gods, interesting happenings during Hermes’ travels, and just whatever else he felt like talking about. Charon mostly listened silently, but he did occasionally offer some brief comments, and he gave Hermes an update on how his family was doing when he was asked.

Normally, Hermes liked his fast paced lifestyle, but it was times like these where he wished that he could stop time for as long as he wished. Ironically, these were the times that also seemed to fly by the fastest, and before he knew it, Hermes realized that it was time to head to his next destination.

Charon knew this too, and Hermes glanced at him over his shoulder when he let out a low, sad groan. A drawn out sigh escaped Hermes as he extracted himself from Charon’s warm, comforting embrace and stood up.

“Yeah, I know. Those souls won’t get to the underworld by themselves, will they?” Hermes said, a halfhearted smile crossing his face as Charon stood as well. Charon stared at Hermes, his expression unreadable...well, more so than usual anyway.

“I’ve got other places to be too, although...To be honest, there really is no other place I’d rather be than here with you, love.” Hermes’ face fell as he averted his gaze, and a familiar feeling of loneliness started to creep its way into his heart.

Suddenly, something was placed onto his head, and Hermes looked back up at Charon, eyebrows knitted together with confusion. He blinked owlishly when he saw that Charon’s hat was missing from his head, and Hermes glanced up to see that the brim was casting a shadow over his own face.

“Charon, what…?” Hermes asked, raising an eyebrow. Charon groaned, a string of purple smoke wafting from his mouth as he sipped his fingers under Hermes’ chin and tilted his head up. Hermes’ eyes went wide and he shook his head.

“Oh, wait! I can’t just take this!” Hermes protested, moving to take the hat off, but Charon placed his hands over his, stopping him with another low groan.

“You...want me to take it so that I won’t be lonely without you?” Charon nodded, and Hermes felt his eyes start to tear up, but he managed to blink away the moisture and smile instead.

“Well, what a lucky guy I am, to have fallen for such a thoughtful sweetheart! But I can’t just leave you with nothing, so...here.” Hermes hands dropped from Charon’s hat and instead moved to the laurel wreath adorning his head, which he quickly removed and placed on Charon’s instead. His hand lingered a moment, adjusting the laurels to make sure they were not crooked, and when Hermes was satisfied, he dropped his hands and gave Charon a once-over. He was staring at Hermes, wide-eyed, with his mouth hanging open slightly; Hermes didn’t think he had ever seen the stoic boatman look so shocked before, and he thought it was the cutest thing he’d ever seen.

“Why Charon,” Hermes said, a sly smirk crossing his face, “I didn’t think you could get any more handsome than you already were, but I guess I was wrong-” He was cut off suddenly, when Charon let out a surprisingly loud and high pitched groan before grabbing Hermes’ face and pressing his mouth against his lips. Hermes was too shocked to respond immediately, and he watched with wide eyes as the amount of smoke billowing from where their faces were connected quadrupled in size.

‘Oh...Oh wow,’ Hermes thought, his heart hammering hard in his chest as his face flushed a bright red. His surroundings were completely blocked out by the smoke, and Hermes couldn’t recall it ever being quite this abundant. Charon...he was really happy, and the fact that he was the reason why made Hermes fall even more in love with him.

Smiling against his mouth, Hermes couldn’t contain the laughter that bubbled up within him, and he found himself giggling in between kisses. Hermes had never before found himself in such a perfectly blissful state, and for once in his life, he wanted time to slow to a halt in this tender moment with the one that he loved.

Unfortunately, the moment had to come to an end eventually, and when Charon broke the kiss, he groaned fondly as he gently pressed his forehead against Hermes’. Hermes laughed again and wrapped his arms around Charon, pulling him close.

“You...You’re really something, Charon. I’m...really glad that I fell in love with you,” Hermes whispered, and Charon let out a groan of agreement. Strong arms embraced Hermes in return, and he sighed as his head came to rest on Charon’s chest; Hermes wondered if Charon’s heart would have been beating as fast as his own, if he actually had one.

When they parted, Hermes placed a final kiss on Charon’s cheek as he hovered in the air above the boat. Charon hummed as he reached up to brush the back of his hand over Hermes’ cheek, leaving a trail of heat in the wake of his touch.

“Well, see you next time, love. I’ll miss you.” Hermes smiled and brushed a hand over the brim of Charon’s hat. “And I’ll take good care of this, don’t you worry.” Charon’s rumbling laughter filled the air, along with a burst of purple smoke, and he promised to do the same with a low groan. With that, Hermes launched himself into the air before he lost the will to pull himself away from his love, leaving Charon to start his journey back to the underworld with his cargo of souls.

As he continued to ascend into the sky, Hermes adjusted Charon’s hat on his head and turned to cast one last glance back at the one that he loved. He smiled when he saw that Charon had done the same, those beautiful purple eyes of his full of a rare sparkle of admiration and his bony mouth curved upwards into an even rarer attempt at a smile. Filled with vigorous determination, Hermes took off to his next destination. He knew that his work would bring him back to Charon eventually, and that was all the motivation that he needed to break all of his delivery speed records.

[lemonietrinket]

I’ll Admit ||| Wonpil x Reader

Summary: "I’ll admit, I didn’t think I would ever do all of this under a bed with a cold pretzel, and yet here we are.” Genre: Fluff, humour? Warning(s): 1x Hell (mild cursing), otherwise none Word Count: 4856 Theme Song: Mixtape #1 - Stray Kids; Best Part - Day6; Stay - Ateez AN: a pushed request from @idontknowapil I have no have no short-fic ideas lately ok. I’m here to fill the apparent void of day6 stuffs :((

~~~

To be absolutely honest with yourself, you were beginning to wonder if you’d offended some ancient deity, whose only remaining power was to cause minor inconveniences for a target chosen upon whim, and that you were said victim. 

Because, truth be told, what had you done to deserve being thrown onto the sofa like a sack of potatoes?

You hadn’t intended to get in their way—you weren’t even aware they were chasing each other round the tiny halls of the flat, and you hadn’t the slightest clue as to why either. 

You’d been helping Sungjin cook dinner in the cramped kitchen, effortlessly working around one another in peace as you jammed to the music over the speaker you’d set up.  Neither of you said much, opening your mouths to merely sing the lyrics together, or ask for the flavouring to be passed from the first kitchen counter to its only companion. 

Listening to the man sing in his gritty and soulful voice never failed to settle you into tranquil, even if the words he was singing weren’t exactly what most would define as deep and meaningful.

“I see that I’m icy~”

You choked back a laugh. You would never have noted him as the type to bop to Itzy—and neither did he, usually—but every now and again he seemed to like a rousing pop song, and since it was only you there he didn’t mind letting down his reserved guard and sing along.  It didn’t stop the contrast between his vocals and the tone of the song from being stark, though, and there was something amusing about hearing a mighty voice that was designed for heart-aching alternative songs chant sunnily to a summer pop hit. Still, it allowed you to join in without feeling so out of league like you would have naturally done. 

The heavy thunk however shook the entire block no doubt, and it also stopped your little concert in the kitchen abruptly short. The two of you flicked your heads to where it had somewhat resonated from: the living room.

“What the hell...?” you murmured, your knife frozen against the chopping board.

“Those damn kids,” Sungjin tutted, quickly going back to his work at the pan, “if I get another complaint from that poor elderly lady from downstairs again I swear I’ll...”

You were going to join him in cooking again as you had done before, when a high-toned shriek emanated from the furthest hall. At the sound of it, the leader hissed grumpily into the steam of the half-prepared meal, but you couldn’t help but let your thoughts wander.

There was no plausible owner of the cry other than Wonpil, and that made you worry.  You couldn’t help it. The others may not play often, but when they did it sometimes was a little rough—and this didn’t count the occasionally relentless teasing that Jae and Younghyun could indulge in on a surprisingly regular basis. And Wonpil, bless his heart, was just as regularly the target. He was just so sweet and kind and gentle, and when he wasn’t, he was surprisingly, underhandedly sassy. These were the reasons why you’d fallen worryingly swiftly for the man and his cute habits and neediness, and it was also the reason why he was chosen as the one who got teased; his reactions were normally pretty funny.

But it also had to be said that though Wonpil could handle himself better than many would expect, there were a couple of scenarios where he couldn’t, perhaps. And going by the sudden flurry of footsteps that charged into someone’s bedroom and forced Sungjin to lean against the counter and pull the wide-eyed expression he always made whenever he was considering whipping someone into shape, you deduced this may have been one of those circumstances.

And so, you finished chopping the mushroom before you, dished it out onto the plate for the main chef to use, before throwing, “I’m just going to check everyone’s ok,” over your shoulder and heading out into the hallway. 

Peering both ways you couldn’t see a single culprit or victim, which was unnerving to say the least.

Heading towards where the original thud had originated from, you barely got to the other side of the living room when there was a flash of white and suddenly you were scooped into the air with a yelp.

A victorious laugh that was clearly Younghyun’s tapered off within seconds as you were immediately put back on your feet. “Oh, Y/N, I’m so sorry I thought you were—”

“What the hell are you doing?” you exclaimed, still in shock from your sudden, albeit temporary, flight. 

The handsome smile before you became even more sheepish. “Nothing bad I promise! Have you—”

“Nothing bad?!” you echoed incredulously. “You’ve been lumping around causing an absolute ruckus! If you’ve caused any offence to the other residents up or downstairs I swear I will—”

“—seen Wonpil?”

The sound of his name sucked any threats of spite out of you. He was the reason why you’d risked life and limb by exiting the kitchen. “N-no, but why do you want him?”

Younghyun chuckled at your defensive scowl. “He stole my pretzel and I want it back.”

“I can’t believe you guys—over a pretzel?” You rolled your eyes. “Even if I had seen him I wouldn’t hand over any information, and you know that.”

The man looked mildly panicked as you began to head back towards the kitchen. “Wait, Y/N! It’s a cinnamon pretzel! You know they’re like, really damn good...!” 

You stopped in mere steps as a plan gradually began to spin in your head. You span on your heel, sending Younghyun a sweet smile. “A cinnamon pretzel you say?” 

He nodded earnestly as you slowly drew to the archway where he stood, coming to lean against the arm of the sofa nearest it. “Interesting...”

“Will you help us find him? I’ll let you have a quarter of it!” Younghyun pleaded, pulling the best puppy eyes he could.

“A whole quarter? Wow I am lucky.”

You had to bite back another laugh as you watched him panic again. 

“Because I’ve already made an offer to Dowoon and Jae to help me catch him, ok?” he explained poutily.

You pretended to think for a bit, though your mind was already made up. It was time to put your plan into action. “Fine.”

Relief washed over him as he flashed you that charming grin that made everyone’s hearts flutter. Well, perhaps everyone except you as you’d swiftly rationalsied. Your butterflies only seemed to make an appearance whenever he was around, and as if to make up for their rather useful vacancy in normal situations, they made a habit of appearing at all times when you were with him—which wasn’t as lucky, but what were you to do? Ask him out? Don’t be daft. 

“Ok, good, that’s great!” Younghun sighed, jumping straight in with an outline of his oddly detailed plan on how to smoke out Wonpil from his hiding spot and reclaim his pretzel in an elaborate trap. You weren’t listening, though, and it was rather fortunate really that he didn’t get to continue for long enough to ask you questions that you then wouldn’t be able to answer.

He was interrupted halfway through explaining he was going to head towards Wonpil and Sungjin’s room by another thunder of footsteps wracking through the apartment. A shape that you would soon identify as Jae barrelled right through, in and out of the living room like a lightning bolt, calling, “I see him!”

And unfortunately for you, the image of a sweet, pristine cinnamon pretzel had overcome his senses, and since Younghyun was in the way, he took the fastest option of bumping him out of the way. But this created a domino effect, as in an effort to recapture his balance, the younger had stumbled forward and sent you over the arm, onto the plush cushions with a startled cry.

As you lay squashed on your shoulder and your elbow slotted between the leather you couldn’t help but think about your predicament, yet also your future rewards. 

The plan you had concocted was of the same level as a secret agent’s master plan, you were sure, and you couldn’t help a devilish smirk rise to your lips as you thought it over.

It involved stealth, deceit, smarts, and a good dose of luck.

A double-cross. The ultimate spy-movie-move. And you were going to pull it off to-the-T.

Truth was, if you found Wonpil and hid with him, you were guaranteed to get half a pretzel. Maybe even more, since the man who had stolen your heart so cleanly without even realising most likely, was kind like that.

Ignoring the ebbs and flows of your heart that dictated that you would always take his side over the others’ any day anyway, it made much more sense to bluff.

Not only this, you also had a great advantage over Jae and Younghyun, and that was you knew Wonpil very well. Yes, they’d known him for longer, but you knew him on a deeper level, from all the time you’d spent with him late in the evening and in cafes in the morning and everywhere you went with him. Because you listened to what he had to say, because you cared with your whole heart.  And so it meant that this time round you were going to beat them, and win that pretzel too.

And so, you pushed yourself up—with frankly a ridiculous amount of energy required, because the sofa seemed very keen to grip your hand and pin you down—and slipped in the direction the two had come from, into your room.

As your eyes settled on your bed, there was no chance of you wiping the pride off your face.

Though Wonpil was softer than the others, that didn’t mean he didn’t still have a few tricks up his sleeve; after all, he wasn’t as ditzy as everyone always figured he was.

Your room was in fact the safest option—it was your private space, so the others rarely came in, thus they didn’t know it well at all. The wouldn’t know where to begin. Add this to their discomfort to even being in your room without your permission, let alone scouring their eyes in every nook and cranny, that had origins in your rare but mighty wrath, it all amounted to the best choice. 

On top of this, Wonpil actually did know it well. He was the only one that frequented your room, because the two of you were so close. And though you weren’t as close as you wished to be, he always came to you in the evenings, wrapping up in your blankets at your side and sprawling over your lap, your shoulders, your stomach. 

This in itself made you repeatedly rethink your wishes to finally work up the courage and ask—as what if it ruined everything? And you didn’t like to think down those lines for long, as it made your stomach churn enough emotionally to make you feel physically nauseous. 

But this was why he had an advantage by hiding in your room (as well as why you’d held your tongue for months on end). 

Banking on the fact that you two had a lot in common too, you could certainly have a good guess at where he was, since you knew where you would choose to go.

Lifting the covers that hung like curtains from the edge of your bed to the floor, you found everything in order—the drawer you kept under there still in its place. A good sign.

You made your way round to the other side of your bed.

The drawer did not fill the expanse of it, after all, and left quite a lot of space under there. And since the frame was reasonably high off the ground, this would be the prime spot to hide if you needed to.

Crouching down, you glanced up to the door left ajar as to not arouse suspicion but also maintain some privacy if your deductions were correct. No one there, and no sound of anyone approaching.  Success.

“Wonpil,” you whispered to the carpet, fingers fiddling with the embroidered lace upon the cover, “it’s Y/N. I’m coming under, yeah?”

A series of shuffles was heard while the tiniest ‘hi’ graced your ears. You slipped under the bed on your stomach, hurriedly repositioning the covers to hide your position once again.

Your arm ended up nudging into something soft that then emitted a small hum as a greeting of sorts. “Oh, Pillie, I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok,” he responded meekly, shifting his weight to further accommodate for you, “you’re not searching with them are you?”

You shook your head, coming to settle resting on your elbows. “Nope. I told Hyun that I was though.”

“Y/N L/N, world’s best double agent,” he giggled, and you couldn’t help but smile at him merely being happy. 

You couldn’t see much under the bed since a lot of the light was blocked by the drawer and overhanging bedsheets, but you could just make out the lines of his face and the corners of his beautiful smile. His dark eyes also caught the slivered beams of light that crept beneath the furthest end of the bed, appearing like distant constellations in them. He was a masterpiece, never appreciated fully as he deserved—but for those that did, they would find all his quirks as food for the soul, and as such he rendered you feeling at true peace in his company. You longed to speak out again.

You were brought out of your thoughts by the one who had caught your heart so accidentally holding a soft pretzel towards you. “Do you want it?”

You prayed he hadn’t seen your stare in the dim light. “Hm? Oh, I’ll have any part you don’t want, it’s ok.”

“Well...” he offered the packet to you more insistently by brushing your arm with the back of his hand, until you accepted it. He then rolled over onto his side, settling into the carpet. “I don’t want it, so you can have it.”

You analysed the knot of the pretzel, before frowning at him suspiciously. “You haven’t eaten any of it...? You didn’t drop it on the floor did you?”

“No!” he cried in a whisper that verged on just-a-bit-too-loud. Much as you feared, footsteps came at a slower pace down from the living room, sending the two of you into a bout of silence, hoping that they wouldn’t turn into your bedroom.

To your luck, they continued on into the studio.

You exhaled in relief as you continued with your interrogation over the lukewarm, but still very delicious cinnamon pretzel. “But, Pillie, my Wonpil loves pretzels, especially cinnamon ones! My Wonpil dared to throw a pillow at Sungjin over a cinnamon pretzel! And yet here he supposedly is, handing one over completely untouched? I say, sir, you have been outwitted—now tell me, who are you and where is the real Wonpil?”

Your tone had been humorous, perhaps overly so. You couldn’t help it though; the rush of calling him yours, even with it being uninterpretable to mean in that manner, sent electricity through to your heart and left it thumping against your ribcage. 

Wonpil meanwhile only laughed under his breath softly, his brilliant smile tapering off into a gentler, sleepier one. “I am the real Wonpil, I promise! I just want you to have it.”

“Why?” The word came out of you too fast and before you could even attempt to stop it. You cursed your neediness in your head, shying your head away as you leaned into the scent of cinnamon as a feeble attempt of a cover. 

He shrugged, though it was awkward to see at his angle. “Because you really like them and I’d rather you have it over Jae or Younghyun.”

You snorted. “What did they do this time?”

“They hid my phone!” he whined, a pout clearly on his face in the dark even if you couldn’t see it clearly, “I looked all over the place desperately for like, ten minutes, and then they laughed at me when they gave it back!”

“That’s so mean,” you agreed, “do you want e to kick their asses?”

He laughed sweetly, rolling closer. “Nah, I got the pretzel. That’ll teach them not to mess with Kim Wonpil!”

“The Almighty and All-Seeing,” you finished with a grin, taking a bite into the dough at last. Even though it was a bit cool, it still tasted phenomenal, and you hummed out of reflex and in satisfaction.

“Is it good?” Wonpil chirped, shuffling even closer. He was still merged with the shadows, but you could feel his warmth by your arm. He couldn’t stay away for long, after all.

You nodded assertively, torn between chewing quickly so you could reply and taking it slow to savour the taste. Considering the size of how much was left, you opted for the former and eventually asked, “Where did you get this from?”

“I don’t know actually. I just saw it in Younghyunnie’s bag and took it.”

You couldn’t stifle the chuckle at the image of the man’s devious behaviour, and ended up choking.

“Are you ok?” Wonpil’s voice was concerned, his hand already on your arm, gently rubbing and squeezing the skin there as he waited for you to gather your breath together.

As soon as you erupted into giggles that you attempted to smother as much as you could, he sighed.

“I’m sorry, I just imagined you in full, stereotypical robber costume with the mask and everything, running away with a pretzel and, I don’t know, it just...?” 

Wonpil seemed to not really be listening—not an entirely uncommon occurrence—and instead took the opportunity to wrap his arms around your free one and lean his head against your side.  “I’m so glad you’re ok!” he whispered.

Hearing a clang from the studio nearby you tensed up, but after a few more seconds of hearing nothing, you allowed yourself to pay full attention to Wonpil again. 

“Of course I’m ok,” you said, “why wouldn’t I be?”

“I was worried you were going to die on me, and that just wouldn’t be ideal.” Hearing you scoff a laugh at his terminology, he avidly continued, “Look, we’d have to write on your obituary that you died from choking on a cinnamon pretzel, and then you’d become a cautionary tale for kids, and that’s just not a fate anyone deserves!”  It was then as if his mouth continued without him really being aware of it.

“And if you died, Y/N, then what am I supposed to do? I would be so alone, I don’t think I would—” 

These moments happened to everyone, it was fair to say, though his reaction to his own words as he cut himself short was an enigma to say the least. It was as if he’d said to much of something he’d promised he would never say. 

And then he was quiet. In fact he was dead silent.  Not a Wonpil-thing to do to say the least.

It was good timing however. There was a creak, as another person entered the room.  You hadn’t heard the footfalls, so you weren’t able to work out who it was, until he spoke.

“Y/N?” Sungjin called.

You didn’t respond.  This wasn’t exactly good news.

The chances were the leader would try and catch one of the others and ask them of your whereabouts, if he was searching for specifically you of his own accord. Or worse, he had joined the search—unlikely, but a possibility nevertheless.

After what seemed like hours of waiting, the door creaked once more and you were able to release the air you’d been subconsciously holding. 

Glancing down, you realised you’d better get on with your pretzel. You spoke to clear the silence and anxious energy emanating from the man who was clinging to you. 

“I wouldn’t know what I’d do without you either, Pillie.” Deciding to take smaller bites but often, you began to eat and savour the taste of the stolen delicacy as best you could, while finishing what Wonpil had insinuated in his accidental words. “I don’t think I would cope at all with you gone, too.”

“Really?” 

You imagined his bright eyes wide and gleaming at you in surprise, as you wouldn’t be able to see even if you looked back. “Yeah, my life would be so empty, I think,” you bit down the nerves that began to rise as you spoke, “like a huge part of me and my life would be missing, and I never want that to happen.”

“Do you really mean that?” Wonpil’s voice was so small you could barely hear it, “You... want me here with you... forever?” 

You froze on the spot.

Was this the time?

Evidently, yes.

You let the the pretzel fall to the floor, shifting yourself so you were on your back and able to hold Wonpil’s cheeks delicately in your hands above you, as you had longed to do for months.  “Yes. Without a single doubt, Pillie. I’ve liked you for so long I haven’t been able to say it, but now I’ve... finally kicked myself up the ass and said it,” you chuckled to yourself, watching his glorious smile rise in the dark, “so, Pillie, do you want to be my boyfriend?”

He nodded desperately, coming to rest his forehead against yours.

And it was as if your heart had burst in two out of sheer joy. You could have very much burst into tears right there and then, but Wonpil was not finished. 

“Kiss me?” he requested, in a voice so delicate and sweet that it instantly mended your broken resolve.  

You closed the distance carefully, not wanting to mess up and make a fool of yourself, even though the circumstances really did prompt it. Fortune was on your side though, as your lips found his without an issue.

Threading your hands through his hair, you revelled in the tenderness of his kiss. It felt so right as your heart throbbed, his chest lowering onto yours as he sank into your touch. It was so chaste and impossibly sweet, and yet it carried the weight of the world within it—you hadn’t been the only one waiting. 

As much as you longed to remain there, your beating hearts dictated that you needed to take in air.

He moved away first, his breath tickling your skin as he giggled. “You taste like cinnamon.”

“And now so do you!” You ran your thumb across his temple, unable to contain your smile. 

Overcome with shyness, Wonpil bit his lip as he ducked his head into your neck, mumbling phrases of disbelief into your shirt. 

Stroking the soft tress of his hair you attempted to ease him into more calm. “I’ll admit,” you began, “I didn’t think I would ever do all of this under a bed with a cold pretzel, and yet here we are.”

“How did you picture it?” he enquired, voice still muffled by your neck.

“I don’t actually know...” you answered, pausing to consider what you had originally intended, if anything at all. “Maybe after the cinema? That’s the classic way, right? Wait, no... Probably one time when you come to hang out with me like you always do?”

He lifted himself up, cocking his head to one side. “Why then?”

It was your turn to get a little bashful, “Because you’d be right there in my arms, and it would be much easier than under a bed hiding from the others...”

“Well,” Wonpil reasoned, his voice nothing but a whisper, “I’m here in your arms now...”

You sighed, “I know, it took me long enough right?”

“I could have done something about it too,” he pouted, “so don’t worry about it... and instead, maybe do it again?”

There was no way you could have stifled the chuckle that bubbled from your chest, but it tapered off when your new partner leant in to kiss you again.

Nonetheless, luck is a finite resource, and so it had to run out at some point—and for you, it was at an admittedly unfortunate moment, as it was right there and then.

Light was released from its coil outside as the bedsheets were drawn back and a face appeared in its wake.

“Boom! Found y—Y/N?!” Jae’s voice was way too loud in comparison to the peace, and then it was absolutely ecstatic, “Y/N?! Are you making out with our keyboardist?!”

You were stunned by his sudden appearance as you hadn’t heard a single bit of noise to offer the idea that anyone was nearby. Then again, you were enraptured with the beautiful man before you—there was little chance of you noticing the low creak of a door.

As you floundered however, Wonpil handled the situation instead, unusually disgruntled.

“I asked her to, Jae,” he countered, sending him his best mean look which only really involved a nose scrunch, “now go away and let her continue.”

“Oop—” The eldest disappeared from sight, and darkness returned.

“Now, where were we?” Wonpil hummed, but you were reluctant.

Your inhibitions turned out to be well-calculated too, as you heard Jae, not three seconds later, yell, “Brian! Y/N and Wonpil are making out under the bed, come see!”

You rolled your eyes. “We’d better get out of here.” Confronted with Wonpil’s pout however and your grumpy tone melted. “It’s ok, we’ll continue later, I promise! Just, I have to go kick Jae’s ass real quick too, you know?”

You felt his weight shift from you as he admitted defeat. “Ok, but get him good, baby.”

You choked on air at the sudden pet-name. So many things sounded like pure perfection coming from his lips. Even so, it seemed the term ‘baby’ in reference to you did not share the same effect.

“Eh?”

“What?” he said, confused by your outburst. 

“I think you need to find another pet-name for me,” you explained as you crawled out from beneath the bed. 

“What’s wrong with baby?”

Once you were out, you extended your hand for him. Handing you the pretzel which you then discarded on your bed, he began to shimmy himself out until he could accept your offer, while you searched for a reason other than ‘slightly cringey’. “I mean... I can’t be baby, because you are baby.”

As he got to his feet, he dusted the both of you off shyly. “Am I?”

“Hell yeah you are, baby,” you finished, making your point with added flair as you raised his chin to face you.

His eyes went wide at the touch. “Y-yeah, you’re right.”

“Oh, ew.”

Your eyes rose to the voice to find Jae still standing there, though this time with Younghyun in the doorway who suddenly looked panicked. “Don’t look at me, I’m fully supportive of young love.”

Your gaze focused on Jae, then, who was smiling brightly, though it was turning more and more worried by the second.  “Thank you for reminding me about the other problem at hand,” you chirped, “You get a ten second head-start, Jae, as I’m feeling kind today.”

“It’s because of all that love in your system,” he retorted with a cackle, though he didn’t then waste much time in making a mad dash for the door, shunting Younghyun out of the way once more.

“Kick his ass, sugarplum!” Wonpil encouraged by your side, and you just about hid your wince. Younghyun merely ducked his head out of the doorway to snicker.

“Yeah, maybe not that one either, baby,” you suggested, resting your palms on his shoulders and pressing a kiss quickly to his cheek. “But I’ll make it count, don’t worry.”

He sent you that glimmering smile, this time in the light where you could see, and you stood transfixed for well over the designated head-start. 

“Come on, go!” Wonpil ushered, thriving on the drama. “Avenge me!”

And with his blessing you grabbed your pillow and tore off out of the door.

To see you so smitten was endearing, Younghyun thought. He’d been wondering how long it would take you to finally ask, and was starting to worry a bit. Clearly he shouldn’t have lost faith in you quite that easily.

He managed to avoid getting trampled by you too as you ran out of you room, leaving Wonpil to take in everything that had happened. He’d expected him to gush about it, or have a fit of giggles, but the man just sat on your bed and sighed, looking at a pretzel happily—

Wait, that was his pretzel—

“Hey, that’s—!”

“I know,” Wonpil interjected, scooping it up and offering it to him, “you want it?”

Younghyun eyed him suspiciously. “Who are you and where is Wonpil?”

The younger tutted, rolling his eyes. “I am Wonpil, and I don’t want it, so you can have it.”

Younghyun, after a few moments, stepped forward to claim his prize. Until he had an epiphany.

“Wait, it’s been on the floor, hasn’t it.”

~~~

AN: I feel like I’m gonna hate this tomorrow but oh well. here it is!

and it wasn’t supposed to be this long but oops

(also itzy’s music and lyrics are also obviously not mine—I’m not taking any chances though so, I repeat: I have no ownership of the song, lyrics, etc they all belong to JYPE ok)

Masterlist

[aweebwrites]

A Mistake

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

__________

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Cham? What’s-”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fuck all.

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

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

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

“Give him another shot.” Shade told her.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

_____

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

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

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

He rather scoop poop than be jobless and boyfriendless.

__________

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

… Will he ever see him again?

______

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

___________________

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

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

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

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

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

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

He then smiled, pulling Cole along still.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

_____________________

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He then took a breath.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Griffin looked down at him then then grinned.

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

“Don’t push your luck, Speedy.”

_________________

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

[thdorkmagnet]

Under the Sea (Star is Ariel AU)

Sorry I for the long absence everyone!! I was sick last week and just didn’t feel like posting anything and I’m really only now feeling 100% my old self!! I’ll try and get the rest of these posted as regularly as I can again. Thanks for the patience!!

Summary: A series of one-shots and multi-chapters proving why Star Butterfly should be considered a Disney Princess, as Star and company take over the roles of all your favorite Disney Princess characters! (Starco inevitable)

Check out my other stuff on Fanfiction! 

Disclaimer: Star vs and all its characters are owned by Daron Nefcy and Disney. The Little Mermaid belongs to Disney. All rights go to their respective owners.

The sound of crashing waves and seagull's calls filled the air as the large fishing boat cut it's way through the foamy sea. Dolphins, eager and happy, followed after the ship, practically gliding across the blue waves, easily keeping pace with the fast-sailing ship. They chittered and squeaked up at the boat as a group of sailors hauled a large net onto the deck, which was filled to the brim with dripping, flopping fish, all of the chattering creatures hoping for a handout. The sailors all but ignored the clear beggings of the sealife below as they went about their work.

One lone soul though was watching the dolphins playful behavior with a smile, the teenage boy getting quite a bit of entertainment out of the friendly sealife. A fish somehow wiggled free of the net, landing at the boy's feet, still flopping wildly and he took a quick look around at the other sailors, who were all too preoccupied with their work to notice him. The boy carefully picked up the dying fish and held it up where the dolphins could see and pointed at it with a wide smile. The reaction was instant, the aquatic mammals chittering excitedly. He quickly tossed the fish overboard and the dolphins went into a mad dash for the handout, trying to shove each other out of the way, until eventually it ended up in one of their mouths, the particular dolphin swallowing greedily while the others watched him in jealousy.

The boy laughed until he felt a hand on his shoulder and he cringed turning to see Manfred staring at him, with a raised eyebrow. “Sire, you know if you keep giving them handouts, they will just keep coming back,” he said with disgust, leering down at the creatures below.

“Yeah, but I want them to come back,” the boy explained, looking back over to them with a smile.

Manfred rolled his eyes, saying, “Oh, Your Highness, you still have so much to learn before you take the throne.”

With that the man thankfully left and the boy sat down on the boat's edge with a tired sigh, looking down at the ocean again. The dolphins had left and he was already missing their presence, one of the few tolerable things on this trip. He stared at the waves for another minute before turning and heading back to his cabin, his brain wandering as he tried to imagine what it would be like to a dolphin, living life free of responsibility and without a care in the world, able to explore the vast ocean with no one telling you what to do or how to live. It must be nice.

...

Meanwhile far below the fast-moving ship, deep deep below,  beneath the blue waves and lapping tides, father down than any human could go, lay an underwater world full of mysteries yet unsolved, creatures and places that no mere land dweller had ever laid eyes on, a treasure trove of wonders that went unappreciated and unnoticed to the world above. And in a particularly dark corner of this oceanic world, lay a far less pleasant and calming part of the sea.

A graveyard. Where sunken ships had met their demise at the hands of the oftentimes harsh ocean surf and storm. Here, in the dark, dreary waters, where little sunlight was able to touch, lay the sight where an unmeasurable number of souls had come to their end before being put to rest in Davy Jones' locker, a bloody collection of broken masts, tattered sails and shattered remains of what were once fine, sailing ships.

But this cruel fact did little to dissuade the two young mermaids who braved the underwater cemetery, swimming swiftly through the dark waters. One was blond with long flowing hair, bright blue eyes that sparkled with curiosity and innocence and hearts on her cheeks. She had a couple of pink shells braided into the top of her hair, acting as a headband of sorts, as well as around her chest. Her tail was long and slender, the thousands of green scales catching the low light making it shine, the end of her tail pink, matching her shells and cheeks.

The other mermaid, who was in the lead, had short white hair with a streak of green. Her face was freckled beneath a pair of shimmering sea-green eyes that sparkled with confidence and a pair of yellow seashells on her cheeks. She also wore a necklace that matched her cheeks perfectly and a light blue cloth around her mid-section. Her tail was light blue at the top but slowly grew a darker shade all the way down its length.

“What do you think we'll find this time, Jackie?” the blond one asked her friend, trying not to show how out of breath she was from trying to keep up with her fast-moving bestie. Jackie had the reputation for being the fastest swimmer in the ocean, oftentimes proving this title by racing against other sea creatures who were dumb enough to challenge her. So far she had yet to lose.

“Don't know,” Jackie responded nonchalantly, making sure to slow her pace a little to make it easier on her friend. “Maybe a snarfblat or another thingamabob?” she supplied.

“Ooooh,” Star said in wonder. “Either of those would be good, but y'know I kinda hope it's something new.”

The two swam for a few seconds in silence, before Star suddenly squealed with delight, not realizing just how close to Jackie's ear she was, spotting the unchecked ship they had scouted out a few days ago up ahead. The blond yelled loudly, “Look there it is, Jackie!”

“Yeah I can see it, Star,” Jackie responded with a chuckle, not caring about the slight ring to her ears, she was used to it by now having the overly excited Star as her friend, and she couldn't help but smile at the blond's infectious joy. No matter how many times the two came here to scour for human items, Star was always beside herself with exhilaration, acting like it was her first time.

Star adored the humans, loving anything and everything to do with them, collecting any trinkets she could find from their world and even studying them from afar. Jackie was fine with her friend's hobby, despite the rules against it, and often tagged along with her, but honestly wasn't that interested in the similar race from above. She mostly joined in because Star insisted she come, even making the argument that it was no fun without her bestie by her side.

Still she couldn't pretend it didn't put a smile on her face whenever Star spoke about the humans, her bubbly excitement intoxicating and impossible to resist.

“Well what are we waiting for? Let's go check it out!” Star said impatiently as she swam forward nearly matching Jackie's own quick speed. Jackie grinned before slowing her pace enough so that they were now side by side each other, feeling her own heart start to race in anticipation.

Once the two reached the destroyed wreckage of what was once a beautiful sailing vessel, the two easily slipped inside the small window of the ship and into the broken, decaying interior. The water was musty within, green algae covering the fractured and fading wood. Despite this, the ship was mostly intact, in comparison to most of the shipwrecks the two mermaids had explored in the past. It was as if the ocean waves had captured the ship in a moment of time and refused to let it go.

“Wowww!” Star squealed, instantly swimming deeper into the dark and cramped space, her eyes exploring every inch of the ship's lower decks, until she was no longer in Jackie's line of sight. A second later, Star screamed in joy, “Jackie, get over here, I think I just found a skeleton!”

The speedy mermaid, just shook her head and followed after, not saying a word as she looked around with mild interest.

But neither of the two noticed the large, dark shadow that passed by the port hole the two had entered into a moment earlier, before following along the length of the ships exterior, looking for a way in.

…

The two explored the ship for a while, navigating the maze of rooms below, searching for anything that caught their eye or intrigue. The two eventually came across a large chest, highlighted by the large unbroken window in that area, light somehow creeping into the murky interior. Star eagerly threw open the trunk without a second thought. The room lit up golden as thousands of dazzling coins reflected in the water around the two.

The blond looked inside for a few seconds before slamming the lid back down with an unamused expression. She let out an annoyed sigh as she leaned against the chest. “Uhh, another one,” she complained, with a roll of her eyes. “That's like the fifth one of these we've found.”

But Star quickly spotted something else that caught her instant interest, abandoning the chest for the greater treasure. It was a small piece of metal with three little points on it, reminding her of her mom's Triton.

“Wow, what is it?” Star said in a sing-song voice, her shimmering eyes almost reflecting the shape of the object perfectly, as she slowly approached the small, metal object.

“Beats me,” Jackie said as she watched Star pick up the piece of metal, running her hand along the smooth frame.

Star turned back to her friend as she stuffed her find into her purse. “Buuuuttt, we know someone who will,” Star pointed out, excitedly.

Jackie nodded and was about to respond when a shadow fell across them and she frowned in confusion. “Is it just me or did it just get darker in here?”

The two mermaids slowly turned in the direction of the light source, the light from the window being blocked by a large shape which Star and Jackie instantly recognized by its top dorsal fin and rows of sharp, dangerous teeth, which were opening wide as the overgrown fish prepared to strike.

“Shark!” Star screamed, before the glass shattered and the deadly predator barreled into the sunken ship with his prey. Star and Jackie dodged around the sharks gaping jaws, heading back the way they had come in a hurry.

The shark followed after, wiggling its large body through the tight spaces, chomping and destroying any weak, algae-covered wood that blocked its path like it was nothing. The two mermaids swam like their life depended on it (which it did) Jackie easily taking the lead and leaving Star to follow after her trail of bubbles. The blond pumped her tail up and down as fast as she could, panting heavily, as she heard the shattering of wood and low growl of the approaching predator ever behind her.

Suddenly though, Star felt something getting ripped off her shoulder and she looked back to see her purse hanging off a lone nail, the dangerous shark's snapping jaw fast approaching her treasured items. Star panicked, screaming out, “My purse!” before doing the unthinkable and actually began swimming back toward it and the predator.

Jackie, hearing her friend's scream, looked over her shoulder only to feel her heart drop as she watched the blond's suicidal dive. Jackie instantly reversed course, swimming back over to her friend as fast as her body and adrenaline would allow. Just as Star recovered her purse, Jackie grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the way, causing Star to cry out, but allowing them to just barely miss being eaten alive as the shark's jagged teeth made contact with the spot they were just in a second later, destroying everything there with a mighty snap.

The two quickly swam the short (if not claustrophobic) distance to the port window, both easily squeezing through the tight space, leaving the shark trapped below. Still, Jackie refused to release her hold on Star for a single second, dragging her behind her while trying to put as much distance between her and the deadly predator.

The blond looked back just in time to see the shark break through the wall of the ship, not even slightly dissuaded from his pursuit of his future meal. “Jackie!” Star started to cry in panic, but her friend quickly interrupted her.

“I see him.” she replied shortly, her eyes busy scanning the dark ocean around her for something to help them escape. Normally she could outrun a shark no problem, but with Star weighing her down she wasn't sure if they could escape or not. Which meant they needed another way out and fast!

That was when she spotted a giant anchor half buried in the sand and a plan began to form in her mind. “I've got an idea!” Jackie exclaimed. “Split up and lead him over there,” the white-haired girl continued, pointing out the place in mind. Star followed her finger and then gave a short, determined nod.

Jackie released her hold on her friend's arm and the two quickly took off in opposite directions, confusing the shark who looked between the two for a couple of seconds trying to decide which of the two would be an easier meal. Once he realized that the blond one was slower than the other, he quickly charged after her, his slick body cutting through the water like a knife.

A tingling feel in the back of her neck informed Star she was being followed and she looked behind her to see the shark gaining. She let out a small cry of panic, before picking up her pace with every ounce of energy she had left, overworking her tired tail in the hopes it would be enough to escape. She swam toward a sunken ship, maneuvering though the wreckage in an attempt to confuse the shark. But as she did, the shark crashed into the ship's side making the whole thing creak and groan as it fell to its side, nearly crushing the blond mermaid under its weight.

It did, however, kick up a cloud of sand that filled the ocean water for a moment, blinding the predator completely, who began snapping his jaws wildly in hopes of catching something. Star managed to swim out of the foggy area and made her way toward Jackie who was waving to her wildly. But as the dust resettled and the water became clear once more, the shark was finally able to see the mermaid and it shot toward her like a missile.

“Star, look out!” Jackie cried in warning and Star turned just in time to see the shark about to swallow her whole. She screamed and bolted to the side, the jaw's missing her by mere inches, but also managing to snatch her purse, ripping it off her shoulder. The blond watched in horror as her possession hung from the shark's sharp, deadly teeth and without even thinking she let out a yell, charging toward the deadly predator.

The shark actually stopped short in shock, as the foolish mermaid swam right up to him and grabbed onto the purse, pulling and tugging against it in an attempt to free it from his jaws. “Let go of it!” she hissed, her voice strained. “It's mine!”

Jackie just face-palmed, giving her friend a disbelieving look, unable to tell if she was either really brave or really stupid... or both. The shark, recovering from his initial shock, growled and began to actually pull back against her, getting into an odd tug-of-war with the stubborn mermaid, who refused to let go, keeping a firm grip on her prize.

Jackie, seeing this, reacted quickly she grabbed the end of the thick rope that once hung from the anchor beside her and swam over to the shark's swaying tail. She did a few loops around it, before yanking the rope tight around his tail and the shark let out a growl of surprise. The second his jaw opened Star was able to finally yank her purse free, flung back a few inches and sending her tumbling for a moment. But as she regained her bearings, she let out a shout of victory, “I got it!” She help up her purse triumphantly, but her elation was quickly overshadowed by the pure fear as the shark was now right in front of her, a deadly leering in his eyes, that told her she had made him angry.

“Uh oh,” Star squeaked, as the jaw opened its mouth to attack, but Jackie had just finished tying the final knot and in the spam of seconds, swam around the shark and pushed the mermaid out of the way of the deadly, snapping jaws. She and Star continued on, the predator making chase, that was until the rope around his tail went taunt, yanking him backward and holding him effectively in place.

The two paused, watching as the shark struggled to free himself, snapping angrily at the water, trashing around like there was no tomorrow, causing a cascade of bubbles to swirl around as he upset the flowing tide around him. Star and Jackie panted and let out deep sighs of relief at having avoided being eaten alive, the latter punching her friend hard in the shoulder.

“Ow! What was that for?” Star asked, rubbing at her sore limb in annoyance.

“That's for putting your life intentionally in danger... twice,” Jackie replied, surprisingly calm.

The two began swimming side by side to the surface, leaving the dark murky waters and forgotten graveyard behind them. Star let out a scoff and rolled her eyes, saying, “I was fine, I had it handled.”

“Oh really?” Jackie commented with a small smirk. “Cause if I hadn't done anything I'm pretty sure you'd be in that shark's digestive system by now.”

“Well, you did, so it's all good, right?” Star stated, her own naive logic as endearing as much as it was frustrating.

Jackie let out a small sigh, before saying, “Just maybe try to use your head next time or else that hobby of yours will end up getting us both killed.”

“Now your starting to sound like my mom,” Star said, grinning playfully. The two began to giggle, as they continued their ascent, unaware of the furious roars from the predator below them.

…

When the two surfaced, breathing in the salty sea air, they instantly began to look around for the large rock that housed their human expert. They found it quickly, but once they had swam over to it, they realized it was empty. “Where is she?” Star asked, her hands on her hips.

“Knowing her, it could be anywhere,” Jackie replied with a roll of her eyes. A form surfaced from the water suddenly and the two turned to stare at the black-haired mermaid, wiping her dripping bangs out of her face. She wore a fishnet woven into a beanie of sorts over thick black hair and a pair of skull and crossbones on either cheek. She had on some sort of soft yellow material over her top, her dark green tail slapping the waves carelessly. She had a net full of what looked like a bunch of kelp slung over her shoulder and she lugged it over to her home. She either didn't seem to notice the two there or was simply ignoring them, but Star decided to take the initiative and say hello.

“Hey Janna!” Star greeted cheerfully.

The girl's brown eyes landed uncaring on the two, as she threw the kelp onto the rock. “Oh it's you two,” she said emotionlessly.

“Yeah, ha, it's us!” Star agreed, ignoring the girl's careless behavior. “We brought you some more human stuff...” Star held up her purse for Janna to see. “And we were hoping you would... y'know, tell us what it is, like you do.”

“What's in it for me?” Janna asked, hauling herself onto the rock and leaning comfortably back against the bulky net.

Before Star could answer, Jackie quickly cut in, saying, “C'mon Janna, is that really necessary?”

The dark-haired mermaid shrugged, retorting,“Hey, if  you don't want to pay up, find someone else who knows about humans.”

“But you're the only one!” Star exclaimed in exasperation.

The girl smirked widely, before saying, “Exactly.”

“Look, we almost died to get this stuff-” Jackie tried, but the topside mermaid was having none of it.

“Not my problem,” she said. “I'm just trying to run a respectable business up here, which you two keep getting in the way of by constantly interrupting me.”

“What business? You're only up here because you got yourself banished trying to steal the Triton,” Jackie shot back.

Janna raised a finger in the air, correcting the white-haired mermaid, “No, being banished just meant I couldn't be in Atlantica anymore, ... I chose to come live topside because the ocean is dumb and boring.” She looked over to the blond. “Which I'm sure you already know, considering you keep coming up here.”

Star twitched nervously, her hands fiddling with the strap of her purse. She would be lying if she said she wasn't bored of the same old place, hence why she had taken such a strong fascination with the surface world. But she also knew that her mother would never allow her only daughter to leave Atlantica, especially to move to the surface, a place she despised with every fiber of her being. No matter how much she wanted to, she was stuck where she was at.

Still that didn't stop her curiosity any, making her venture outside of her mother's established boundaries, breaking the rules in the hopes of satisfying her overwhelming need to know more. She knew her mother would not approve of her coming to the surface, of her collecting human things, and most certainly would be opposed to her speaking to the banished mermaid traitor. But part of her wanted to be rebellious, to for once live outside her mother's suffocating rules and regulations to keep her safe and just... be herself.

“I just... want to know...” she said softly and Janna nodded in understanding.

“Hence, why you're here.” She held out a waiting hand, saying patiently, “Now, my payment?”

Star reached into her purse and pulled out a shiny, gleaming pearl handing it over to Janna, who eyed it meticulously, tapping a finger against it, before grinning widely. “Okay then, lay it on me, princess.”

Star handed over her bag to the other mermaid, the girl digging around inside it and pulling out the small fork. She examined it closely, while the two waited patiently for her explanation. Well, Jackie waited patiently, Star was jittery as she stared at her wide-eyed, fiddling with her wet and tangled hair.

Janna tapped a finger to her chin, trying to think of a good name for the object, before saying simply, “Dingelhoper.” She tossed it back to the blond, who caught it with ease, staring at it as if it were the most priceless treasure ever made.

“Dinglehoper,” Star muttered wistfully.

“What's it do?” Jackie asked, cocking her head to the side as she stared at the small, metal object.

“Straitens your hair out,” Janna replied instantly, digging around in the purse again, before pulling out another metal object twisted into a couple of loops. Another paperclip? she thought, raising an eyebrow. That had to be like the ninth one they had found this week. How the heck did they keep ending up out to sea? Star looked up, noticing the object in the her hands.

“Oh yeah, I found another thingamabob back on the ship too, want it?” Star asked, giving her an earnest smile. “I got like twenty at this point.”

“No thanks,” Janna said, before stuffing it back into the purse and handing it back to the blond royal. “Don't really need it.” She lifted the pearl back up, studying it closely. “This baby is all I need to get by.”

“What good does a pearl do you?” Jackie asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Observe,” Janna replied, holding the shiny object up, as a dozen seagull flew in out of nowhere, dive-bombing the pearl, squawking loudly the same word over and over again, “Mine! Mine! Mine!”

“Turns out, seagulls are attracted to shiny things!” Janna shouted above the loud, obnoxious birds, while Star and Jackie covered their ears, cringing openly. “And with it I can get them to bring me all kinds of food.” She held out her other hand, keeping her eyes on the two mermaids. A second later, one of the birds dropped a hotdog onto her hand, her smirk never leaving the two. She lowered the pearl out of sight and just like that, the birds scattered, leaving her alone again. Her hair was now even messier and covered in feathers but she didn't seem to notice this as she took a bite of her food, giving the two a knowing look.

“Well that's... one way to get by,” Star said hesitantly, while Jackie just stared at the girl incredulously.

Janna shrugged, simply replying, “Hey don't knock it until you try it.”

…

Deep within the shiny gold city of Atlantic, where all mermaids dwelled and in the very heart of its esteemed castle, a certain member of the castle staff was swimming back and forth just outside the throne room, while another watched them in disinterest, the former muttering to themselves in worry. “I can't believe she just disappeared like that,” he continued his quiet rant. “Does she just not care about my job, about how much trouble she was gonna get in or get me in for that matter?!”

“Awww, relax Johnny,” Ponyhead, a blue seahorse and close personal friend of Star, said to the worrisome dolphin. “You worry too much. Must be from breathing in so much surface air.”

The dolphin ignored the comment, before complaining, “But Star has gone too far this time! She knew how important today was and after I spent weeks, with little to no sleep, preparing my most thrilling presentation of ocean safety yet, and she has the audacity to run away from home to go treasure hunting!”

Pony rolled her eyes, before scoffing, “Geez, your complaining is giving me a headache. Look you can still give your dumb presentation as soon as B-fly gets back.”

“But I don't have that long!” Johnny angrily exclaimed. “I'm expected to go out there any second and if she isn't here by then than my whole career as safety manager for the castle is over!”

“Uhh, I don't see what the big deal is?” Pony pointed out, with an uncaring roll of her eyes. “So the girl has a little freedom for herself, so what?”

“The big deal is if my new safety implications can't even keep Star here and out of trouble than how can I expect the Queen to take me seriously!”

“Your a porpoise in a suit, I think that ship has long since sailed.”

“This isn't a joke, Pony!”

“Hey, I'm only here cause I promised my girl that I would cover for her so she could go and live a little reckless for once, making fun of you is just added bonus!”

Johnny growled, before turning back to the entrance that led to the throne chamber and gulped loudly. He was so gonna end up fired. Or electrocuted by the Triton. Or banished from Atlantic forever. He could almost picture it now, him standing in front of a judge after a terrible and tragic accident had befallen the princess and him being sentenced to the Great Barrier Reef Prison or worse...

If Star didn't get back soon, he was gonna be in deep trouble.

“How much longer can your boyfriend stall?” he asked, worriedly.

“Ah don't worry about him, Seahorse can put a whole school of fish to sleep. He's even more boring than you.”

Johnny glared at her, saying suspiciously, “I'm starting to think you are the bad influence in Princess Star's life.”

“Hey, Pony!” a cheerful voice suddenly called and the two swerved to see Star and Jackie swimming up and Johnny let out a relieved sigh, muttering, “Oh thank kelp.”

“Hey B-fly!” Pony called enthusiastically. “Get any good finds from that shipwreck!”

“Pony, shhh,” Star reminded her, putting a finger to her lips, both her and Jackie quickly hushing her. “Top secret, remember?”

“Oh yeah, right,” the seahorse quickly said, giving her a sheepish look. “My bad.”

“Where have you been, young lady?” Johnny scolded and Star gave him a confused look, raising an eyebrow.

“Uhh, we're the same age,” she pointed out.

“Don't change the subject,” the dolphin continued. “You were supposed to be back here an hour ago!”

“We got held up,” Jackie said simply.

“And anyways, I'm here now so what's the big deal?” Star asked, unconcerned with Johnny's lecture, swimming forward and into the throne room, the dolphin following after her as he continued his rant.

“The big deal is if you hadn't gotten back in time, I could have been fireeee-” his voice trailed off as he caught sight of the Queen's regal and biting glare, so busy educating Star he hadn't even realized they had entered the throne room. He visibly froze and if they hadn't been underwater would have been noticeably sweating, chuckling nervously.

Moon's inquisitive eyes jumped between both her daughter and servant, before returning to Seahorse, who was droning on about a decreasing in pearl population or some other such nonsense, when the queen interrupted. “Thank you Seahorse for that... interesting lecture, but now I would like to speak with my daughter if you don't mind.”

“Of course, happy to be of service, You Highness,” Seahorse said in the same monotones drone that she had been listening to for the last hour an a half, nearly driving her mad and wonder more than once the implications of using the powerful weapon positioned in easy reach from her throne on one of her subjects. He bowed, before starting to swim out of the room when he caught up with Jackie and his girlfriend Pony, who were watching quietly from the entrance.

“Hello darling!” he greeted Pony Head, his tone and infliction never changing in the slightest.

“Sup, Seahorse,” she replied, almost uncaring, more focused on the drama between mamma and daughter that was about to take place, but Seahorse didn't seem to notice or mind.

“Did I do a good job?” the appropriately named Seahorse asked, his voice never losing its empty, business-like tone that was off-putting to nearly everyone. And if that didn't do it then his unblinking, blank stare and forced smile could make anyone uncomfortable.

“Yeah, I mean only because of my brilliant planning and stuff,” she got a cocky look at that statement. “You were just as boring as I was hoping you would be, maybe even better.”

“I aim to please,” he said simply, his fake smile widening almost creepily.

Meanwhile Star was staring into the reprimanding gaze of her mother. “Star,” her mother began and Star let out a mental sigh. Here we go.

“Where have you been?” she asked, her eyebrow raising in that condescending way she hated. “You were supposed to be back an hour ago.” Johnny sucked in a breath, looking like he was about to pass out. He couldn't believe she had noticed. Of course she had noticed, the queen saw everything. Oh man, he was so going to be fired.

Star stayed calm, though, as she merely shrugged and said, “I was just out hanging with Jackie and we lost track of time, no biggie.”

Moon's eyes narrowed. “There is a 'biggie' here, Star. A proper princess is punctual at all times. How can you be expected to run a whole kingdom if you can't even arrive on time?”

Star crossed her arms in front of her chest, giving her mom a stubborn look. “So I was a little late, it's not the end of the world, mom.”

Moon let out a long sigh. “It is when you are in charge,” she explained, sounding exasperated with her daughter. “You will be queen someday, you need to learn the right way to behave.”

“Oh what, like you. Dad told me all about how you used to be reckless and irresponsible when you were my age.”

“Don't change the subject, Star!” Moon shouted, quickly losing patience for her daughter. “And yes, I was that way and I had to learn the hard way what it takes to be a good leader. I just want to spare the same thing happening for you.”

“Gee, thanks,” Star muttered bitterly.

“Now then,” Moon continued, ignoring her daughter’s behavior. “Tell me, what exactly were you doing that made you so late?” Moon asked, her eyes searching and Star froze up for a second. This caused Johnny to pale immensely, his already uncomfortable look multiplying tenfold, as his eyes jumped frantically between mother and daughter.

“Just... doing stuff with Jackie,” the princess replied as calmly as she could.

“And that would be...” her mother pried. “I mean if it was interesting enough to make you break one of your duties as a princess, then it must have been very important.” The way Moon emphasized the last word, Star began to worry that she had already figured out the truth. She would have to be very careful with her answer.

“Oh you know, just-”

“Searching for seashells!” Pony quickly interrupted, positioning herself between her bestie and her scolding mother.

“Pony what are you doing?” Star whispered worriedly and Pony confidently answered, “I got you girlfriend. Just leave it to me.”

“Seashells?” Moon repeated skeptically.

“Yeah but not just any shells,” Jackie quickly cut in, joining in on the lie. “They were for a necklace Star was gonna make for your birthday.” She paused before quickly adding, “Uh, Your Highness.”

Moon's eyes widened in surprise at this, turning to her daughter. “Is this true?”

“Uhh-” Star said, until an elbow from Jackie, made her blurt out, “YES! Of course it is mom. That's, uh, that's why we had to keep it a secret from you, so we wouldn't spoil the surprise.”

They all gave the queen innocent grins, all hoping she bought the lie. For a few uncomfortable seconds, Moon said nothing and the three began to mentally panic, until she finally responded, her face and voice conveying how unsure she felt in this situation. “Well, I'm... sorry that I spoiled your surprise.”

Star chuckled awkwardly, waving an arm in the air. “Aww, it's fine, mom. I'll just find another gift for you. No big deal, it's all good.” She could tell she was starting to ramble and feeling increasingly awkward, she sought out an escape goat from the situation, quickly blurting out the first name that came to mind, “Right Johnny?” The blond turned to the dolphin, who had staying oddly quiet the whole time. His mouth was sealed shut, both flippers over it and his body was shaking as he seemed to be struggling to hold the truth in. Star saw her mother's suspicious glare and quickly tried to make light of the moment, “Uh, haha, yeah. Anyways, I should probably be heading back to-”

“Star went to the surface!” the dolphin finally blurted, startling everyone. “What?!” Moon cried in concern, while Star and the others all shot him a death glare. “Johnny!” they shouted.

“I'm sorry, I couldn't help it! My conscious got the better of me!” Johnny cried.

“Starrrr,” Moon began in a warning tone and the princess whimpered in fear.

“Uh, bye mom, we'll talk later, I got princess lessons to do!” Star quickly shouted, trying to quickly escape the room, but her mother's scolding shout, stopped her in her tracks. “Star!”

The girl slowly, guiltily, turned back around to face her mother, the look of pure anger and disappointment on her face, enough to make even the most evil of creatures cower in guilt. It was a look that Star dreaded and one she never seemed to be able to avoid, still that didn't mean it didn't sting every time she had to look at it.

“Come here,” her mother demanded and Star slowly obeyed, approaching her mom with a lowered gaze.

“You know that you can't go to the surface for any reason, it's forbidden!”  Moon began, her tone sharp and her gaze stony. “You could have been seen by a human, you could have compromised our entire world!”

“Yes, but I didn't,” Star argued. “I was really careful, no humans saw me, I swear! And anyways I was only up there for like a couple of minutes!”

“That doesn't matter, Star!” Moon shot back, her anger rising to new levels and Star visibly flinched at the tone. “You could have died! Murdered by those barbarians!”

Star had to bite her lip to keep from blurting that not all humans were barbarians and that she had no right to judge a bunch of people she had never even met before. “You think that is what I want to see happen to you, Star!” Moon added, her voice cracking with emotion, the fear in tone obvious now. “To see you dying at the hands of those vile humans!”

Star felt a tinge of sympathy and regret, but it was easily overshadowed by her anger and she quickly snapped back, “I'm not a little kid anymore, mom! I can make decisions for myself!”

“Not when you are purposely breaking rules made to keep you safe!”

“Well, it's a dumb rule anyway!” Star crossed her arms stubbornly in front of her chest. “Just because some humans are bad, doesn't mean all of them are.”

Moon let out a long sigh, burying her face in her hands. She didn't say a word for a moment and when she did finally speak again, Star could hear the exhaustion in her voice, “Star, those rules exist to protect us. Whether it is right or not, we can not take that risk. It is for the good of the kingdom that we remain separate. To protects our world and keep any one of us from ending up dead in some fishing net, do you understand?”

Star hesitated before sadly answering, “Yes, I understand.”

“Then I want you to promise me you will never go near the surface ever again, are we clear?”

Star opened her mouth to argue, but her mother's gaze narrowed and she harshly repeated, “Is that clear?”

Star rolled her eyes with a huff, before saying, “Yes, mom.”

“Good, then you may go,” Moon said dismissively. “Permitted that you stay safe and keep out of trouble.”

Star didn't even reply as she turned her back on her mom and angrily swam out of the room, her posse of friends following right after.

Moon leaned back in her throne once she was alone again, looking utterly exhausted and lost. “Ugh, what am I going to do with that girl?” she asked herself, worriedly.

But suddenly, her attention was drawn to the sweating Johnny, who was still watching her wide-eyed. There was an awkward pause between them, before the dolphin quickly chuckled nervously. “Um so about my suggestions for safety-”

“I'm afraid that your services are no longer required,” Moon curtly responded and Johnny looked panic-stricken. He quickly threw himself at the queen's fins, bowing low and begging wildly, “No, please, my queen! I swear I can make it up to you! Just give me another chance to prove my worth to you!”

Moon gave him an annoyed look, before the begging became too much and she finally said, “All right. I will give you one more change.”

Johnny's face brightened at that. “Oh thank you, Your-”

“If you can keep my daughter out of trouble and, most importantly, away from the surface,” Moon continued, and Johnny's mouth dropped open against his will.

He quickly shut it, though, saying, “Um, well, I was thinking maybe I could just... give a few lectures on how to-”

“Do you wish to remain as a member of this staff or not?” Moon asked in annoyance and Johnny quickly swallowed.

“Y-Y-Yes, Your Highness, I very much do,” he said softly.

“Then I suggest you hurry and catch up with my daughter. She did get quite the head start while you were busy ogling.” Moon looked away from the porpoise, staring off into space, signaling that the conversation was over. Johnny paused only for a second, before making the very smart move of bowing and leaving the queen to her thoughts.

Though he let out a very loud groan the second he was out of earshot. Great now his entire future career depended on one reckless, headstrong teenage. What else could possibly go wrong?

…

Star swam huffily through the streets of Atlantica ignoring all the friendly merfolk waving to her, too angry with her mom to notice anything else. “Ugh, who does she think she is?!” Star yelled, throwing her arms up in the air in frustration.

“The Queen of Altlantica and your mother,” Seahorse instantly replied and Star shot him a glare.

“Not now, boo, can't you see the girl is ranting,” Pony quickly reprimanded him.

“Oh, my apologies,” her boyfriend quickly replied blankly, before going silent.

“Look Star, I know her thinking is flawed but she is just trying to look out for you,” Jackie supplied, putting an hand on her friend's shoulder.

“Yeah, but I don't need her too!” Star exclaimed back. “I can take care of myself and besides, humans aren't the monsters she says they are.”

“What did you call me?!” an angry barracuda who had overheard part of the conversation quickly shouted, turning to glare at them.

“Nothing, mind your own business!” Pony snapped, which only managed to enrage the dangeous and deadly fish all the more.

Jackie put an arm up between her friend and the fish, giving him an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that, sir. We weren't talking about you, we swear.” The barracuda still looked skeptical so Jackie quickly added, “And may I just say that you have very fine and lovely scales.”

The fish glared for a few more seconds, before his face melted into a smile, which was still terrifying to look at, but at least they no longer had to worry about him attacking them now. “Oh, well, thank you. No one ever says that about me.” He looked genuinely happy and slightly embarrassed and he quickly cleared his throat saying in a gruff voice once more, “Ahem, carry on.” He then swam past the group and they watched him go, before Jackie sighed in relief. She gave Pony Head a glare, asking in annoyance, “What was that, Pony? Were you trying to get yourself eaten?”

“Ahh, whatever I could have taken him,” Pony replied with her usual Pony smugness that was one of her many annoying trademarks.

“Actually I think you would have been eaten alive, dearest,” Seahorse said and Pony shouted at him, “What did I say about interrupting the moment?!”

“Guys, can we please stay focused on my problem,” Star reminded them with slight annoyance and they all turned to her in surprise.

“Oh yeah, sorry, guess we got a little off track there, girl. That is my bad, B-Fly,” Pony quickly admitted.

“So what are we going to do now?” Jackie asked, giving her royal friend a long, questioning gaze. “I mean, you promised your mom you wouldn't go up there anymore. Are you going to do it anyways?”

Star let out a long sigh, swimming forward with an unsure and troubled look. She was about to respond to the mermaid when, another voice quickly cut in, “Oh look at that, if it isn't, Little Miss Perfect.”

Star groaned, dreading talking to the owner of that voice, who she recognized in an instant. Brittney Wong. Great, as if she didn't have enough problems to deal with. She slowly turned to glare at the mermaid before her, who stood there in the same cocky, holier-than-thou pose that she always had and Star held back rolling her eyes. It was no secret the two had been rivals for years and never got along in any regard whatsoever. It wasn't like Star hadn't tried, in the beginning she had been friendly and optimistic as she was with everyone, believing the two would become close almost instantaneously. But this hope was dashed as Brittney's stuck-up attitude caught Star by surprise and began to slowly push her away.

She didn't understand why the mermaid was so bitter and hateful toward her, but the more and more Brittney pushed the more angry Star became and she quickly began fighting back, using the rejection as fuel for the fire inside her as she bit back every comment with equal disgust and vexation as the snob. Since then, their confrontations had only gotten worse with time.

“Oh, Brittney, it's you,” Star began calmly, keeping a forced smile on her lips. “From your voice I was sure a seal or something was wailing at us for a handout.”

The black-haired mermaid glared at the grinning blond, scoffing as she said distastefully, “Well my voice can't be as bad as that outfit, what's the deal, princess? Did mommy not teach you how to stylize your shells?”

Star crossed her arms but it was Pony who quickly retorted, “Ha, like she'd taken fashion advice from someone who wears make-up underwater. Like seriously, what's that about?”

“Yeah, Brittney, what's that about?” Star repeated, equally mocking as her friend and she quickly gave Pony's extended fin a high-five.

“Not to mention, her choice in braiding her hair in shells that went out of style exactly 2.5 hours ago,” Seahorse added and Pony let out a loud gasp.

“Ooooh, good thing we are underwater, because that was a harsh burn,” the blue seahorse snapped, with a cocky grin.

Brittney seemed to be growing more and more angry by the second, her entire body shaking as she tried to fight back the intense hatred she felt. “Why don't you freaks stay out of this?!” she quickly shouted and Pony's eyes quickly narrowed, a furious snarl on her face.

“I better not have just heard those words come out of your bratty, snobby face,” Pony hissed, Jackie having to hold her back to keep a fight from breaking out.

Brittney just smirked arrogantly, flipping her hair as she swam over to Star, who looked the angriest she had ever been. If there was one weak point you didn't touch, it was Star's friends. “Honestly, Star, I don't know why you hang around these losers, are you that desperate for friends your willing to hang out with a bunch of bottom-feeders,” the snobby girl said, tutting sarcastically, feigning worry.

“I hang out with them because they're real friends, something you wouldn't know about considering you don't seem to be able to make any,” Star shot back.

“How sad,” Brittney continued, seemingly ignoring the royals last comment. “You know, everyone around here talks about you. Says that you've got a thing for humans.”

Star rolled her eyes. “Whatever Brittney, you must be pretty gullible to believe a bunch of gossip,” Star scoffed, trying to dodge the question as best she could. “Did you also believe that crab that said we were going to be invaded by jellyfish last week?”

“Oh please, you can't seriously think I'm that stupid,” Brittney retorted.

“Coulda fooled me,” Pony suddenly snapped and the bratty mermaid ignored her, as she tried to swim around Star, who quickly turned her body with her, trying to hide her purse behind her back.

“So where you heading off to, princess?” Brittney asked, intrusively, still trying to get a good look at what was behind her fellow mermaid's back. “And what's that you got behind your back? Some secret your ashamed to let everyone see.”

“None of your business!” Star snapped. “Now if you'll excuse me, I've got better stuff to do than stay here and be picked apart by you!”

She quickly swam past her and Jackie followed, moving so she was blocking the purse from the others prying eyes. Pony and Seahorse followed swiftly after, the former shooting the first a mocking, superior grin which only further infuriated the black-haired girl. She crossed her arms, watching her rival swimming away as she muttered under her breath, “I will find out whatever weird thing your hiding, princess. Just you wait.”

…

Johnny panted wildly as he swam through the underwater streets of Atltantica, his eyes searching for any signs of the blond princess anywhere, but for some reason she was no where to be found. “Oh man, oh man,” Johnny muttered to himself as he continued his frantic hunt for the missing mermaid, his mind jumping to the worst possible scenario. “This is bad. Where is she? What if she already went back to the surface. If the queen finds out she'll have my head!” The dolphin groaned covering his face with his fins in frustration and worry. But as he removed them, he miraculously spotted Star and the others swimming out of the city and into deeper waters, a black-haired mermaid watching them go in disgust, before flipping her hair and swimming off in the other direction.

Johnny almost laughed out loud in relief as he quickly followed after the girl. He did his best to match their quick pace as they got further and further away from the safety of Altlantica, but he was finding it difficult to keep up with them his cushy job in the palace leaving him out of shape for most physical activities. He quickly began to fear he would lose sight of them altogether as they made odd twists and turns as if trying to lose someone tailing them, the four disappearing out of his sights for a couple seconds at a time before he found them again. And when they disappeared around an outcropping of rocks on the ocean floor, not emerging after several seconds (far longer than any of the previous times), he panicked and swam forward with frantic vigor.

He peeked around the edge of the rock, watching the princess and her friends and whatever scheme they were up to this time. Probably with the intention of getting me fired, he thought bitterly. The princess did a quick look around to make sure nobody was watching, before her and her white-haired friend tugged a large boulder up and out of the way, revealing a hidden entrance, Johnny gasping in surprise. Pony and Seahorse wordlessly swam inside, followed after by Jackie and then Star letting the rock fall back into place. Johnny propelled himself forward with all the energy left in his body, just barely managing to squeeze past the rock and into the large cave hideout of the princess. He let out a sigh of relief, wiping his forehead with his fin, before trying to swim forward. Only to be jerked back sporadically and he turned back to see the end of his tail caught in the large rock. He began pulling and tugging on his tail trying to free his trapped limb, grunting quietly so as to not alert Star to his presence.

But just as it grew an inch free and Johnny almost let out a squeal of delight, the rock moved, crushing the limb more and making the dolphin cry out in pain, his loud voice echoing around the room.

Jackie's head jerked back toward the way they had come, hearing the eery scream bouncing around the walls of the cave and she asked, “Did you hear that?”

“Eh, it was probably nothing,” Ponyhead replied nonchalantly.

Jackie shrugged before following after her friend. The four entered into the main part of the cave, a large open space, lit by a small hole above, letting the filtered light pour into the area, lighting it with an otherworldly glow. Every inch of the cave was covered in trinkets from the race above, human items of all shapes and sizes coated the walls and sandy floor, the princess's vast collection from years and years of exploring and scouring every sunken ship she could get her hands on scattered about the large open space, displayed in their full glory. Jackie gazed around in wonder for a moment, quite impressed with the vast treasure trove. No matter how many times she saw it, it never lost it's grandiosity.

Star didn't seem to feel the same, not even gazing at the items as she simply reached into her purse and pulled out the small dinglhoper she had received and setting it in place with two similar looking objects, one flat and the other rounded at the top. She let out a long sigh, as she gently pocked one of it sharp tips absentmindedly, thinking to herself, her face sent into a deep frown that was so unlike her.

“So, what are we gonna do now?” Jackie asked, sitting down next to her downtrodden friend.

“I don't know,” Star said sadly. But there was slight venom in her tone as she added, “Mom is just being dumb and overreacting like she always does.”

“Maybe it will blow over in a few days,” Jackie suggested, though it sounded weak coming from her. They both knew that wasn't true.

Still, Star allowed herself to cling onto the foolish hope for a moment, responding hesitantly, “Maybe.”

“Aw, who cares what your mom thinks,” Pony suddenly chimed in. “It's your life, B-Fly. I say you do what you want. So what if you break a few laws? It's not like you haven't done it before.” She gestured around the room with her snout, the thousands of illegal trinkets glimmering in the faded light.

“That's true,” Star said softly, clearly considering her friend's words. She let out a loud groan, falling back and onto the sandy floor. “Ugh, she just doesn't get it!” the blond exclaimed in annoyance. “She wants me to stay underwater and away from the humans but, I don't get how the surface can be so bad when they make all this cool stuff.”  

“Yeah, like this thing, whatever it is,” Pony said, moving closer to a small box with a handle in the side.

“Oh that's a surprise box,” Star explained.

“What's the surprise?” Pony asked, gently nudging the handle, which began turning on its own, provoking an off-key jingle.

“It would seem it produces some kind of music,” Seahorse said, matter-of-factly.

“Yeah, I can see th-” Pony was cut off, as the box suddenly sprang open, as a small puppet attached to a spring jumping out and startling the cocky Ponyhead, who released a loud scream.

“That's the surprise,” Star said as her and Jackie laughed at the panting Ponyhead.

“Yeah, okay. I knew that the whole time, that's why I played along, to y'know cheer you up and stuff,” Pony quickly said, clearly trying to cover up the embarrassing moment.

Star swam over to the box, closing it up once more. “See, humans make all kinds of cool things. Things that mermaids and fish can't make.”

Star picked up a nearby object, a gun with a hook in it. “Like this thing.”

“What's that do?” Pony asked.

“I have no idea,” Star admitted, setting it back down. “Or, or how about this?” the girl quickly grabbed another object, a small pocketwatch. “Look at this gizmo, see? We couldn't make something like this in Atlantica.”

“Or how about this?” Star said, gesturing to the painting in front of her, one with a woman warming her hands over a small flame. “Humans can make fire, for crying out loud! Why can't we make fire?!”

“Cause we live underwater?” Pony said, now decked out in as much jewelry as she could wear, stealing it off the shelves when Star wasn't looking.

“Or, or what about-”

“Star,” Jackie said, silencing her friend as she put a hand on her shoulder, knowing she could go on forever if she wasn't stopped. “We get it. We know you love human stuff.”

Star let out a loud sigh. “I just wish I could go up there, y'know? See all the wonders of the human world, instead of being stuck down here with the same old boring ocean.”

Jackie nodded. “I know,” she said, understanding clear in her tone.

“Well then do what you want B-Fly and don't tell your mom!” Pony shouted enthusiastically. “If she doesn't find out than what is there to worry about?”

“Yeah,” Star said softly, deep in thought. But her voice was stronger as she said again. “Yeah. Yeah!” she practically shouted. “It's my life I can do what I want!”

“You go girl!” Pony yelled in support.

“Who cares about the rules?! This rebel princess makes her own rules!” Star cheered, jabbing a finger at herself.

“Technically speaking, the princess does have slight authority for making decisions in certain circumstances,” Seahorse pointed out.

“Which I'm pretty sure doesn't count in this case, right?” Jackie asked with a raised eyebrow.

“That would be correct,” Seahorse droned out.

“Well still, promise or no promise I'm not giving up going to the surface. It's just too important to me,” Star declared with a finality, crossing her arms determinedly in front of her chest. But it switched to a bright smile as she couldn't help but squeal over her decision, glad she didn't have to give up on the one thing that made her happy. “Oh man, if mom could hear me she would be so mad,” Star said with a small giggle.  

“That is correct!” Johnny shouted as he swam into view, making his presence known. The others all gasped in shock at seeing him floating there, Star exclaiming, “Johnny?! Wh-What are you doing here?”

“Your mom told me to keep an eye on you, so I followed you here,” the dolphin explained.

“Well it's not what it looks like,” Star quickly blurted out, trying to cover her tracks as best she could. “We were just... um, getting ready to throw all these human things away, since I won't be going to the surface anymore, right guys?” She turned to them for help, her eyes pleading for them to play along.

The others obeyed, quickly nodding in agreement, but Johnny just continued to glare at them, saying, “Save it. I heard what you were talking about.”

Star let out a short, awkward chuckle, before asking, “How much did you hear?” She was poking her fingertips together sheepishly as she waited for a response.

“All of it,” Johnny said with narrowing eyebrows.

“Oh,” Star muttered in defeat, visibly deflating.

“And you should be ashamed of yourself, going behind the queen's back like that,” Johnny scolded, waving a disapproving flipper at them.

“Only because mom is being stupid and making a bunch of dumb rules,” Star argued, crossing her arms childishly in front of her.

“She is trying to protect you, again if you had just followed my previous rules we wouldn't have this problem. All you had to do was listen to me and everything would be fine, but noooo, instead you had to be rebellious and do whatever you want so-”

Star, Jackie and Pony shared a look, knowing they had just lost him to the rant for who knows how long, as he swam back and forth around the cave, overemphasizing his speech with wild gestures from his fins. They all tuned him out as he droned on about every single security measure he had ever implemented in great and excruciating detail, only Seahorse actively listening, watching with interest, even nodding every so often.

“This is gonna take forever,” Pony groaned in annoyance, rolling her eyes.

“Hey at least he isn't busting us to Star's mom,” Jackie pointed out.

Suddenly, the entire cave went dark and the three girls looked up to see their only light source covered up by some large shape at the top of the waves. Star gasped. “A boat!” she exclaimed in joy. Ships almost never sailed this far out to sea, so seeing one intact was quite the rarity for her. “Oh man, we have to go see it!” The desperation and need shimmered in her eyes as she looked back over to the still-distracted Johnny, who hadn't noticed a thing as he carried on with his rant.

“Come on, at this rate the turd won't even notice we're gone,” Pony pointed out and Star nodded in agreement. Besides, who knows when her next chance to see a ship up close would be. It was worth the risk. Star and Jackie easily slipped past the dolphin, making for the exit, Pony stopping to rip her boyfriend away from his mindful observation before pulling him after the others, Seahorse never blinking or breaking gaze from the dolphin until he was out of sight.

Johnny after a moment, finally wound down, finishing up the speech he was currently giving to the treasure trove and trinkets, way off topic from where he had started from as his rambling came to a close. “And that's how to avoid being stung by an angry, vengeful jellyfish. Any questions, You Highness?” he looked over to where the four had been only to see empty water and he panicked, looking around the room frantically. “Your Highness? Star?” But when he received no answer and came to the quick realization that he was alone, he groaned in defeat. “They ditched me,” he whined in disgust before quickly swimming out of the cave after them.

Once back in open waters he spotted the four instantly, seeing them heading up to the surface where a large and familiar shape cut through the waves, as well as unfamiliar bright flashes of  multicolored lights, which colored the ocean in its hue with every few second bursts. “Oh no,” Johnny groaned in worry. “Princess, stop!” he tried to plead with her only to get an exited and unconcerned response, as the girl shouted joyfully, “Come on, Johnny! You won't want to miss this!”

Johnny just cringed knowing he had no way to stop the headstrong teenager. “This princess is gonna get me killed,” he observed. But, because it was now his duty to do so, he followed after the four, dreading what they would find topside and just hoping it didn't lead to any of them tapped in a net or on a hook.

…

The moment Star surfaced, she became enchanted by what she saw, her eyes glittering as she watched the bright explosions in the sky, her mouth gaped open in shock and awe. The others surfaced around her, also seemingly captivated by the fireworks, all except Johnny who was watching the whole thing nervously.

“Wow, they're beautiful,” Star murmured in whispered wonder.

“Yeah really pretty,” Johnny said, though his voice lacked any enthusiasm or emotion toward the sight. “Can we go now?”

“Wait a minute, we just got here,” Star insisted, swimming closer to the boat.

“Stop, princess! Come back!” the dolphin shouted after the mergirl, holding a fin out uselessly as if trying to will her back, though he was too frightened of the boat to move closer to it himself.

Star meanwhile, put a hand against the smooth wood and let out a small giggle. She couldn't believe this was really happening to her. After all this time, she was finally able to see a real boat up close, well one that was in one piece that is. Suddenly she could hear a janky tune above and her gaze and interest was immediately drawn upward, where she could almost hear the exited chatter of the human's over the loud popping of the fireworks.

Johnny just continued to groan and fidget with worry, his eyes darting around in paranoia, as he begged the girl, “Star, please, what if someone sees us? We should just go home already.”

“Aw relax, J. You worry too much,” Pony said nonchalantly.

“Yeah, Star is a big girl she can handle herself,” Jackie added, reassuringly.

But Johnny was having none of it, putting his flipper down as he commanded, “No way! I am not losing my job over this. I am taking the princess back to Atlantica and that's final! And once I tell the queen, she'll-”

“Fire you,” Pony finished for him and the dolphin visibly froze. He hadn't thought about that.

“I mean you did let the princess come to the surface, after all,” Jackie pointed out.

“Only because you guys ditched me!” Johnny loudly defended himself.

“Yeah, can't wait to hear you talk your way out of that one,” Pony said with a roll of her eyes.

Johnny was visibly unsettled by that. What was he thinking? He couldn't tell the queen about this. She had said that this was his last chance and if she found out he had already failed his task less than an hour since she assigned it... well, he didn't want to think about the consequences. “Oh my gosh you're right,” he admitted with horror. “I can't tell the queen about this, she'll kill me!”

“Yeah so just don't tell her and it can be our little secret,” Jackie suggested with a shrug.

Johnny quickly nodded. “Y-Yeah, okay. We'll just leave and pretend like none of this ever happened.”

“That's going to be pretty hard to do,” Seahorse suddenly spoke up.

“What, why?” Jackie asked in confusion.

“Cause Star is currently climbing the ship,” Seahorse explained.

“What?!” the others shouted, whirling around to see that the boring fish was right, Star was currently scaling the side of the boat, using her arms to pull her now useless tail up the length of the boat.

“Star, get down from there?!” Johnny screamed, but Star ignored him, only hearing the playful laughter and infectious music above, drawing her in closer and egging on her curiosity. When she finally reached the side, she hauled herself up enough that she could peer over without being seen, her tail resting on a convenient slab of wood beneath her. From there she could only watch in awe as the humans danced around the ship, laughing and partying it seemed, while others played some sort of collection of instruments, most of which Star didn't recognize at all. The blond also didn't recognize the tune, but after a moment, found herself humming along with it, its upbeat, janky notes catchy and impossible to resist.

She studied each human closely, watching their movements, particularly from their legs and feet, their weird motions they were making foreign and yet intriguing. But as her eyes roamed over the crowd of happy-go-lucky sailors she spotted one in the crowd who looked unhappy to be there, even in the midst of his fellow partying men. He was a young boy looking no older than 15. Right at Star's own age, she realized. He had brown hair and eyes along with tanned skin. He wore a fancy looking white suit, complete with cape and tight restrictive looking black boots. Star also noted with interest that he had a small little dot on his left cheek that was absolutely adorable.

Who was she kidding, all of him was adorable, he looked so handsome in his outfit and Star felt herself blushing at this train of thought. He was the first human boy she had ever seen before and she found there was something about him that seemed to draw her in. But at the same time, for as cute and interesting as he was, she also noticed just how sad and alone he looked standing all by himself, his eyes studying the crowded deck with disinterest. Star didn't understand why he didn't just join in on the fun, but for whatever reason, he simply rubbed at his arm absentmindedly, before quickly stopping himself and looking around as if afraid someone had seen him.

He kept his posture stiff after that, continuing to watch the celebration he seemed to be left out of and Star felt a twinge of sympathy for the boy. She wished she could go over and comfort him, but that simply wasn't a possibility, not unless she wanted to reveal her identity to the entire boat. So instead, she just followed him with her eyes as he made his way around the eager partygoers and over to the edge of the boat, leaning against the railing with a deep sigh, now directly over where Star was perched.

The mergirl sucked in a breath as the handsome boy unknowingly hovered over her, she felt her face beginning to break out into a sweat over how close he was to her, almost able to feel his presence through the thick wood. She looked down below where Johnny stood mouth agape at the sight and looking on the verge of passing out. Jackie had dunked beneath the surface to avoid being spotted, but Pony was winking at her and giving her encouraging, meaningful smiles to tell her that the boy was cute and she approved which only made Star's cheeks blush lobster red. She risked a look up and instantly caught sight of the boy, his eyes gazing sadly down at the ocean, but despite this the chocolate brown orbs were magnificent and engaging as Star found herself having trouble looking away from them.

The boy just stood there silently for a moment, before he rubbed his eyes tiredly with the palms of his hands, muttering under his breath, “What am I even doing?” He started to walk away and Star sat up so she was peering over the edge again, wanting to follow his every move, when she noticed with concern that he had turned around. His eyes lit up as he spotted her and the mergirl felt her heart stop, whether that was from being found out or being noticed by this boy of all people Star didn't know. “Whoa, be careful!” the boy cried, racing over to her, fear and concern on his face. The blond briefly contemplated ducking back out of sight but she was frozen to the spot so it wouldn't do her any good at the moment.

He continued to shout as he reached her, saying, “It's dangerous that close to the edge! You could fall!”

Star finally seemed to recover, ducking enough out of sight that only her head was in view to him. “Oh, um, thank you, but uhhh, I'm fine.”

“No, your not,” the boy insisted holding out a hand to her. “Here I'll pull you up.”

Star started to instinctively reach for his hand but stopped herself, shaking her head freeing of any distracting thoughts and saying, “No, really I'm good, just pretend I'm not here and you didn't see anything.” She chuckled nervously, hoping the boy bought it and just left her alone.

Instead, his eyebrows just pinched together in the cutest way and he looked over at the other sailors, who hadn't paid him any mind, before getting down on hands and knees and asking in a soft whisper, “Are you a stowaway?”

“A what?” Star asked in confusion.

“Did you sneak onboard this ship?” the boy asked, instead.

“Ohhhh,”the blond said in realization, before hesitantly replying, “Uhhh, sorta,” She looked down at her tail with a grimace.

“Well, don't worry your secrets safe with me,” the boy said softly, a small smile on his lips.

“Secret, what secret? I don't have any secrets,” the mergirl replied way too fast.

The boy gave her a confused look. “Uh, about you being a stowaway.”

“Oh rightttt. Yeah let's go with that.”

The boy gave her an incredulous look, but didn't press her on her odd behavior instead saying, “I'm Marco by the way.”

“Star,” the girl said softly, her cheeks growing red once more.

“Star,” Marco repeated, testing out the name on his tongue. “I like that. It's really pretty.”

Star giggled nervously, trying to hide her face from view. “Oh, psh, stop it!” she mumbled in embarrassment. She was about to say something more, when she noticed out of the corner of her eye a familiar form over by the buffet table. She felt her heart stop as she realized that Janna was stealing food out in plain sight and she made a tiny little eep noise.

“What, what is it?” Marco asked, starting to turn to see what she was looking at.

“No, no, nothing,” the girl nervously exclaimed, grabbing his face and keeping him from looking in that direction. “There's nothing to see.”

She watched as Janna caught her eye, shooting her a wink before diving overboard without being spotted. The mergirl let out a sigh of relief, glad that her friend hadn't been caught, that could have been a disaster.

“Uh, can you please let go of my face?” Marco spoke up and Star looked back over to see that she was squishing his face with her hands and she let go with a gasp.

“Oh, uh sorry,” the girl said, her cheeks flushing bright red. What was she thinking? She was acting like a total doofus in front of the first human she had ever met.

The boy didn't seem too upset though, just giving her a long look. “What was that all about?” he asked, an eyebrow slowly raising.

“I was just, uh, trying to keep you from being tempted by all that food over there, ha ha,” she chuckled nervously, hoping he bought the weak lie.

Marco didn't say anything for a moment, though, finally muttering, “You are a strange one, Star.”

“Good strange or bad strange?” she asked, looking at him hopefully.

He smiled. “Definitely good,” he replied, earning a smile from the blushing girl. He leaned against the railing of the ship with a far-off look. “In fact, your the first good thing about this trip so far.”

“Why? This place looks like so much fun,” Star blurted out, looking around at all the dancing humans with longing, wishing she could be one of them.

“Maybe for someone who actually belongs here,” Marco muttered sadly. “I'm only here because I'm expected to be. No one ever really asks me what I want.”

Star let out a long sigh, propping her elbows on the deck and leaning her head on her hands. “Yeah me too. My mom is always telling me to do this or do that, but she never really listens to what I want.”

“Sounds like we're in the same boat,” Marco said, before the two began giggling at the accidental pun.

“Yeah, guess we are,” Star whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

The two continued to talk for a while, just chatting about their life and all the responsibilities that were being constantly thrust upon them. Star quickly discovered that Marco was actually a prince and that this whole trip was to celebrate his birthday, despite the fact that he hated sailing and had been virtually ignored the whole time only to be scolded or reprimanded by someone named Manfred. Star found herself enjoying herself the longer they talked, the boy so easy to talk to and so opposite what her mother had told her that humans were supposed to be like. He was nice and very fun to be around and she found herself wishing this moment would never end and she could just stay by this human boy's side until the end of time.

“You know, if you don't mind me saying, when you put your hands on my face, they were really pruny,” Marco suddenly mentioned out of nowhere.

“Huh, that's strange,” Star quickly said, trying to cover her shock.

“Like really pruny,” the boy continued. “Almost like you live in the water,” he added with a laugh.

The girl's eyes went wide and she let out a quick, fake laugh, feeling sweat dripping down her face. “Yeah, that, that's crazy,” she said with a halfhearted scoff. “I mean, we humans don't live in the water, hahahaha.”

Marco gave her a suspicious look, able to tell she was hiding something. “Uh, right. We human's sure don't,” he said, forcing the weird phrase out of his mouth. He tried to shrug off her off behavior and instead commented, “You must really do a lot of swimming, though.”

“Me? Oh yeah, I swim all the time,” she said, still with an awkward edge to her tone.

“And you must love the ocean to wear seashells in your hair,” he added, pointing to them with a little smile, the girl quickly trying to cover them up with her hands.

“Yeah, I uhh-”

Before the girl could stutter out another answer, there was a roar of thunder behind them and they both turned to see the sky quickly growing dark, already nearly black, out of nowhere. “Wh-What's that?!” Marco asked in worry and Star just sucked in a breath.

“Oh no,” she muttered in terror.

Above their heads, the lookout yelled to the rest of the unsettled crew, confirming Star's fears. “Hurricane acomin'! All hands secure the riggin'!”

Rain began pattering the deck of the ship, as panicked sailors ran around trying to tie up the now uncooperative ropes down with little success. Marco stood up, a look of anxious determination on his face, as he turned back to the girl he had just been talking to, offering her a hand. “C'mon, we need to get somewhere safe, before the storm finishes blowing in.”

Star looked at his hand eagerly before reluctantly shaking her head. “I'm sorry, Marco,” she said, her sad eyes not meeting his. “I can't.”

“What, why not?” Marco asked.

“Your Highness!” a voice interrupted behind him and he turned to see Manfred, wobbling over to him on the unsteady deck. He grabbed the boy by the arm trying to forcefully pull him away. Marco fought the grip, trying to reason with the small man. “No wait! Hang on, there was someone who needed my-”

But as he looked back over to the spot Star had just been in, she was now gone. He felt fear and confusion pinch his chest, wondering how she had suddenly disappeared but hoping she was alright.  “Star?” he muttered softly.

“Oh dear, he's seeing stars,” Manfred said in worry, clicking his tongue and continuing to drag the boy behind him. “I really must get you below decks. Come now, Your Majesty, it will be safer there,” Manfred insisted and Marco followed numbly, his head still spinning with unanswered questions and fears.

…

Star dropped back into the water with a splash, ignoring the questioning gazes of her friends and the panicked rant from Johnny, keeping her eyes on the ship and hoping it would be okay, her thoughts and fears solely focused on Marco. The waves were quickly growing higher, slapping against the boat as if trying with all its might to knock it over and sink it. The sturdy vessel held strong though, fighting through the ocean and trying its best to keep coarse through the rough wind.

Star and the others were nearly being dragged away by both the waves and wind but Star fought tooth and nail to stay close by the boat, wanting to see what happened to the desperate crew. She kept her eyes on the ship as she forced her body through wave after wave, fighting the sinister current with every ounce of strength she had, ignoring every limb that was aching and begging her to stop and let her rest.

Meanwhile, the ship didn't seem to be doing much better as it was suddenly lifted up on a particularly large wave before being slammed back down into the water, making the whole ship shudder and groan, threatening to fall apart at any moment. Flashes of lightening and blinding rain filled the sky and the sound of thunder seemed to echo from every direction.

At some point, a lightening bolt must have struck one of the masts, because the boat was slowly being engulfed in flames, even the drenching rain unable to put out the fire, as it eagerly ate away at the wooden vessel. The sailors promptly gave up on saving the boat after that, the men quickly abandoning ship as they loaded themselves into lifeboats and quickly dropping themselves into the crashing waves below, to avoid being licked by any stray patches of fire.

As Star neared the ship, panting heavily and nearly blind from the rain in her eyes, she searched for any signs of Marco, fear clenching her chest as she watched the once proud sailing ship being reduced to ash and fire, and she silently prayed that her friend had made it out okay. Which was why she nearly cried in relief as she finally spotted Marco being led over by someone to the last lifeboat, looking safe and unharmed.

But to her horror, just as Marco went to get into the boat after the man, a sudden shuddering from the ship knocked him off his feet and caused the lines holding the lifeboat up to snap, dropping it in unceremoniously into the ocean. The man screamed the prince's name but could do nothing as the ship was easily carried away from the boat.

Marco lay unmoving on the deck, knocked unconscious from the hit to his head, as the steady but growing flames came nearer and nearer to his oblivious form. Seeing this, Star began fight with vigor against the unforgiving tide in a desperate attempt to reach the boy before he was burned alive. But she never got a chance as the ship suddenly exploded, a bright and expansive burst of light as the remnants of whatever fireworks were left were found by the flames and simultaneously ignited, tearing the ship apart in a hot breath of beautiful destruction. Any previous feelings of curiosity or delight for Star were now replaced with empty horror as she watched what was left of the ship sink into the sea to join its other destroyed brethren.

Finally seeing up close and personal what caused the wreckage she had spent most of her life exploring made her sick and she knew after this her days of exploring the tragic sights were now over. But for right now she didn't care about that, as she dove underwater, swimming through the debris now floating to the bottom of the ocean, looking for any signs of Marco, her heart pounding in her ears as she continued her desperate search. She pushed past broken masts, damaged boxes of goods and other items, ignoring their content or worth as she panted wildly, looking for the first human she had ever met.

At last, she found him, his body caught in a rope as he was dragged down into the depths below. She quickly swam to him, nearly hugging him in her relief, but knew she had too little time for such things, he was in danger of drowning. So instead, she quickly untangled the rope from his frail body before wrapping her arms around his frame and lifted him back up to the surface.

The moment her head broke through the waves, she saw that the storm had begun to die down, leaving the ocean a dark blue as the sound of thunder rolled away from the pair. Star made sure Marco's head was above water but bit her lip not sure which way land would be. But to her relief, Janna suddenly appeared, shouting out to her, “This way!” and pointing off in what Star guessed was the direction of shore.

Janna began to swim toward that and Star began following along as best as she could, struggling with the human boy's heavy form weighing against her. She wasn't used to swimming with a partner, much less an unconscious one, making her movements klunky and awkward as she nearly dropped his head into the water several times, struggling to keep his head resting on her shoulder.

She felt her body fill with relief as Jackie appeared beside her, grabbing hold of one of the boy's arm and helping shift the weight so it was equally distributed between them. Even Pony and Seahorse pitched in, each lifting a leg above the ocean surf, balancing it on their heads as they helped carry the human to safety. Star smiled at each of her friends, touched by their kindness as she and the others much easier followed the dark-haired mermaid, who turned back every few seconds to make sure they were keeping up with her.

Johnny just nervously watched the whole thing a short distance away, his face full of worry as he kept pace with the young group of underwater rescuers and their determined mission to save the poor, unsuspecting human prince.

…

The sun began to rise on the horizon, bathing the world in light once more and casting a beautiful glow off of the water's surface. The gentle sound of the now peaceful waves hit Star's ears as she leaned over the dripping wet boy laying against the sand, his eyes still closed, as she admired his adorable face up close. She gently brushed the hair out of his eyes, as she hummed thoughtfully to herself, glad to see the boy was relatively unharmed despite the traumatic experience not too long ago. He looked so pale and fragile in that moment, nothing like the stories she had been told by other mermaids trying to scare her away from the concept of humans altogether and she felt a surge of pride as she realized she had been right all along about them. They weren't dangerous killers they were just people, capable of either good or evil. And in this moment, Star could easily see the good written all over the boy's face as she studied him closely.

“Star, is he dead?” Jackie asked, out of nowhere, interrupting her thoughts and she looked over to see her and the others watching her waist deep in the waves.

The girl looked back over to Marco, a sudden fear in her chest. How had she forgotten to check that? He was just in an explosion after all and had more than likely swallowed a lot of water. Her voice shook as she replied, “I-I'm not sure how to check.”

“Step aside,” Janna said, as she crawled over to the girl, pushing her out of the way, as she observed the boy. Star waited for her to check his heartbeat or something, but she instead gave him a little smack on the nose and Star let out a scream, grabbing onto the mergirl's arms to keep her from hurting him again. “Janna! Why did you do that?!” she demanded in anger, but a soft groan from below the two brought their attention back to Marco, who shifted a little in his sleep, his eyes scrunching up in the cutest way.

“He's alive,” Janna confirmed, smugly. “You're welcome.”

Star dropped her hold on the girl, letting out a huff as she retorted, “Was there no other way to check that?”

Janna just shrugged. “Thought that would be more effective,” she said with no ounce of remorse in her voice and Star sighed before her eyes returned to the boy's face. She was now able to easily pick up on his breathing, as he began to relax once more and she smiled, her cheeks turning red.

“Well at least he's okay,” she said softly, her hand unknowingly cupping his cheek and she felt him subconsciously move into her touch, letting out a smooth breath. The girl watched him with growing fascination and love as she felt his soft skin beneath her fingertips, making her shiver. She began to hum softly to herself some unknown song coming to her in that moment as the world faded away and all she knew or saw was the boy before her, the human prince who had captivated her from the moment she laid eyes on him and she once again wished this moment lasted forever.

The others didn't say a word or if they did she was unable to hear them as the sun peeked out from behind a cloud lighting up Marco's face as he gently opened his eyes, small and unfocused but still a beautiful shade of brown. He seemed to spot her in that moment, a hand reaching up to touch hers and she smiled at him again, as his eyes began to widen in realization. He opened his mouth to say something but there was a shout from farther down shore and Star whipped her head over to see the same man from before walking toward her, shouting out Marco's name every few seconds as he searched for him.

Star knew she had to go as she cast one last look at the boy, before forcing herself away and back to the water, where she ducked below a second later and now safely out of sight.

To Marco, it was as if she had suddenly disappeared, one second looking into her stunning blue orbs, the next just gone... leaving him blinking in the blinding sunlight. He sat up with a loud groan, his body feeling like it gone through a blender as he looked around for any signs of his rescuer. Had it been Star? he wondered to himself. It had to have been, it was the only thing that made sense. Somehow the stowaway had swam him to shore all on her own. Although it seemed illogical, there was no mistaking that sweet, infectious smile and those bright, startling blue eyes. It had been Star, he was sure of it.

But where was she. He cupped a hand over his eyes to shield them from the burning sun as he stared off toward the horizon, the light reflecting off the waves nearly blinding him again. “Star?” he whispered under his breath, barely hearing a voice calling out his name.

He felt a hand grip his arm, pulling him to his feet, and he let out a groan nearly falling back onto the sandy beach. Hand to his head, trying to alleviate the headache that was beginning to surface, he turned to see Manfred looking quite relieved to see him. “Prince Marco, thank goodness your alright,” the servant said, but Marco was barely paying any attention to him, still looking around for Star. “We've been searching all over for you, many of us feared that you had been lost to the storm.”

“D-Did you see that girl?” Marco asked suddenly, surprising Manfred.

“Girl?” he repeated with concern, his eyebrow raising slightly and Marco knew he must have thought he was crazy.

“Yeah the one who saved me,” the young prince continued. “She- She was just here a moment ago. Did you see where she went?”

“Your Majesty, there was no one with you,” Manfred said slowly.

Marco shook his head, refusing to believe it. “No, no, I know she was here. I saw her.”

“So a young girl just appeared in the middle of the ocean and carried you all the way back to shore, before vanishing into thin air again?”

Marco opened his mouth to retort, but quickly closed it knowing that he still couldn't tell him that he knew for a fact Star had been on the ship with him. So he instead shrugged and said softly, “Yeah, yeah, I must have just imagined her.” But he couldn't keep his eyes from returning to the sea as if hoping she would somehow be there.

Manfred clicked his tongue disapprovingly, before saying, “You probably just swallowed too much sea water.” Marco tried to ignore the man's belittling tone as he hoisted his arm over his shoulder, using his weight to help him walk as they headed back to the castle. “Now come along, Your Majesty, let's get you into some dry clothes.”

Marco said nothing, allowing himself to be led, but keeping his gaze on the water, his thoughts still bouncing around his mind out of control as he tried to make sense of the blond stowaway and her heroic rescue.

…

Star peeked out from the rock she was hiding behind, watching the whole display with a growing sadness and longing unlike anything she had ever felt before. She kept her gaze trained on Marco's form as he was led away, his eyes still clearly searching for her and it took every ounce of self-control she had not to go to him.

Johnny, at this point was hyperventilating, going on and on about how stupid and dangerous all this was, about how they had to keep it a secret, about how no one could know what had gone on, especially the queen, while the others tried futility to calm him down. Star just tried not to roll her eyes. Duh, or course they weren't gonna tell her mom she would have a heart attack if she knew what Star had done. But she didn't regret it though, considering it the right thing to do, despite every merman or mermaid disagreeing with her on that point. Saving Marco had been the right thing, she just couldn't allow him to drown. And as for talking to him beforehand, well...

Star felt her cheeks flush furiously as her eyes remained trained on his figure, being practically dragged by the small man. The burning longing insider her only seemed to be growing more and more intense as she began to crave to see Marco again. She began to hum to herself again, finally recognizing the song as the one that had been playing when she and Marco met.

And at that very moment, like the crashing of a wave, Star came to a decision. She wouldn't let this be the last time she saw Marco. She would find a way to see him again, no matter how long or what she had to give up, she would see the human world in all its glory, with Marco by her side. She didn't know when or how but still she knew she would succeed. She had to. And so from the deepest depths of her soul, she promised both herself and her first human friend she would find a way to become a part of his world, no matter what.

[sincerelymarinette]

A Recorded Life - Miraculous Ladybug (4/50)

Words: 2419 Chapter summary: Marinette has a very busy day and she is not going to let an Akuma get in the way. The busy day entails Alya and Adrien coming to film a video, but she has no idea what the video is going to be about. What could Alya be planning? She is a woman of the people. Author's Note: this was my favorite chapter to write so far! Sooooo much fluff and I love it. Alya! will! give! the! fans! what! they! want!

Prev / Next

If We Were WHAT?

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"Chat, watch out!" Ladybug shouted as she jumped to kick him out of the Akuma's range.

Chat landed with a thump, but quickly got back on his feet. "Not wasting any time today, I see," He laughed and spun his baton to protect him from another hit from the Akuma.

"Nope! I've got a full list of things to do today, and an Akuma was not on the plan!" Ladybug yelled back and tried to catch the Akuma's leg in her yo-yo, but missed. "Lucky Charm!" She called, trying to get this over with before Alya and Adrien would be at her house.

With a laugh, Chat Noir stares at Ladybug. "What are you going to do with a towel?"

Ladybug looked around as she tried to come up with something. "You'd think after all these years your Lucky Charm would just come out and tell you what to do."

"I don't need that; I know what I'm going to do. Let's get closer," She directed, and they both started running down the street to get closer to the Akuma.

Chat Noir was busy distracting the Akuma while Ladybug set up her trap, getting everything into place. And as if on cue, the Aluma fell for it, and they were able to break the akumatized object.

"I think that's our record for fastest Akuma take out yet," Chat Noir nodded, standing before Ladybug as she cleansed the butterfly. "Pound it!" Chat Noir put his fist out to celebrate the win.

"Pound it," Ladybug smiles sweetly. "Now, like a said, I've got a really busy schedule today, so I've got to get going. Good job, Chat, I'll see you tomorrow!" She waved as she swung away.

Normally, Chat Noir would be a little upset about Ladybug leaving so quickly. But he had places to be, too, and almost freaked out when he checked the time. He had to get to Marinette's before Alya hunted him down. Somehow, he managed to free his schedule and sneak away from his father and Nathalie to make another video for Marinette's channel, and Alya was so excited she would kill him if he backed out. She was determined to make this happen...whatever it was.

Ladybug landed on her balcony and jumped through her trap door, de-transforming before she even fell on her bed. She looked at the clock, noting there were only ten minutes until Alya and Adrien were meant to arrive. "Perfect timing, huh Tikki?"

Tikki giggles. "Isn't Alya always early though?"

Marinette climbed down the ladder and shrugged. "She's probably talking to my parents in the bakery. She knows I'm never on time, you know she likes to give me a few extra minutes," Marinette reasoned. "I'll just finish setting up, and she'll be up in a few minutes."

"Marinette, are you ready?" Alya called only a few steps away from the trap door to her room. Tikki quickly flew to her hiding spot just as Alya threw the door open, a big smile on her face and her laptop in her hand. "Great! You're almost set up. Adrien texted the group chat that he's only a few minutes away, so everything will be right on time!" Alya smiled.

Marinette chuckled and shook her head. "Are you still going to keep the video a surprise?"

"Yep! Neither of you will know what it's about until we start recording!"

Rolling her eyes, there was a knock at Marinette's trap door and it opened a second later. "I hope I'm not late," Adrien smiled as he climbed into the room.

"Nope," Marinette said. "Glad the Akuma attack didn't slow either of you down!"

Adrien shook his head. "They're just getting worse and worse these days. But it seemed like Ladybug and Chat Noir took out this Akuma really fast," Adrien mentioned.

"Crazy fast!" Alya nodded. "I don't blame them, though. They've been fighting Hawkmoth for years; I'd be done with fighting these Akumas and just want to be over and done with it."

Marinette nodded as she set the camera to the correct settings. "Okay, I'm all set. You guys ready?"

Both Adrien and Alya nodded, and they all took a seat in front of the camera. With a deep breath, as she mentally changed languages, Marinette began the video. "Hi, guys! I'm Marinette. Today I'm with Adrien and Alya, yet again! And...I have no idea what this video is going to be about."

"Because I kept it a secret!" Alya giggled. "Now, I've read your comments, your tweets, your posts, I know what the people want. I know what I want, and today, I am doing my noble duty to serve the people of Marinette's channel."

"Just spit it out already," Marinette groaned, causing Adrien to burst out laughing.

With a sinister laugh, Alya smirked. "Today we are doing a tag. I'll read the questions, and Marinette and Adrien have to answer. The tag is called..." She paused for dramatic effect. "If we were dating."

Both Marinette and Adrien turned their heads to look at Alya as soon as she the words. "Alya, you can't just spring that on us!" Marinette squealed, obviously surprised as she defaulted back into French.

Adrien sat in silence, letting the girls dish out about it. "Hey! You both said I could choose the video since I was positive it was going to be a good one, and it would get the audience excited!" Alya crossed her arms, still speaking English. "You both agreed before even knowing what it was."

"Exactly!" Marinette sighed. "Isn't that, well, a little personal?"

Alya turned to Adrien with a sweet smile. "Adrien, dear friend, sunshine child, Adrien, would you be okay with doing this video?"

After a second, Adrien nodded. "Yeah, it's all in good fun, right? Just a game between friends. Are you okay with this video, Marinette?" Adrien peered around Alya.

Blocking his view, Alya smiled. "She doesn't get a vote. She knows how much the audience wants this. Besides," Alya looked between the two of them. "I had Nino make us a special track for this video. You know how busy he is; we can't let him down!"

Marinette crossed her arms and looked into the camera like she was on a TV show. "Fine," She grumbled. "Start us off, Alya."

Alya smiled widely. "If Marinette and Adrien were dating, where would the ideal date be?" Alya asked, starting strong. She could tell they were both a little nervous and shy about this video, which is why she forced Adrien to answer first.

"Well," He thought for a second. "I want to say a nice, fancy dinner, but with my schedule, I'm sure the forces of Gabriel Agreste would not allow that to happen and would schedule something right over it. So, naturally, I'd just bring her along, and we would annoy everyone working until they were so fed up that they made us leave!" Adrien smiled. "Then we would eat some of the best pastries from the best bakery in Pairs."

Alya chuckled a little. "Hasn't that happened before?"

"Yeah," Adrien clicked his tongue. "But you and Nino were there too, so that's different."

"You get a pass on that one, pretty boy," Alya narrowed her eyes at him, then turned to Marinette. "And you?"

Marinette sat up and took a deep breath. "Like Adrien, I'm swamped between school, and designing, and YouTube, and just trying to survive in general. Honestly, I'm also really awkward and chill, so I feel like a lot of "dates" would be just sitting around working. Like he would one hundred percent get roped into being a mannequin," Marinette shrugged. "I apologize to my future boyfriends and husband, but it's what you sign up for."

"That's true. I'm pretty sure our whole friend group has been used as a mannequin," Alya confirmed.

Adrien gasped. "How have I missed out on this? I need my own Marinette Dupain-Cheng design."

Marinette giggled. "I'm working on one right now that I'll need help with in the future, I'll check your references and keep you in mind," She joked.

"Wow," Alya interrupted. "Only one question in, but I think I've satisfied the fans for a whole year!" She smirked. "But I'm going to keep asking questions anyway. Next question, you guys always seem to be late to everything, what excuse do you give each other?" Alya smiled widely. "This is my revenge for the two of you never being on time."

This time, Marinette answered first. "Well, my reason is one-hundred-percent because I was stuck on the phone with a certain Alya Cesaire talking about Ladybug and Chat Noir and how she almost died from another Akuma," Marinette answered, looking Alya dead in the eyes. "Seriously, how many Akumas can one girl almost die from?"

Adrien tried to keep his laughter hidden and covered it up with a cough. "I got caught fake practicing piano again and had to start over. Honestly, that happens a lot. It might not even be a lie. It happens on like a monthly basis at this point," Adrien admitted. "Man, I'm so good at piano," He joked.

Alya, staring at Marinette with the same look she was given, asked the next question. "How would you guys get together?"

"Oh, I have a funny one!" Adrien tore the tension away from the girls after he thought for a moment. "Now, I don't know if this would actually happen, but I thought it would be a funny way to start dating someone," He drew out, then realized he was rambling. "Oh right! I have a feeling if Marinette and I were to start dating, we wouldn't even realize it. We're both way too busy. Between me working as a model and doing all the activities planned out for me, plus the last year of school and working to get into university, I've got a more packed schedule than usual. And Marinette mentioned her schedule earlier, but also with school and university, and hell, she's more busy than I am!" Adrien said.

Alya smiled and shook her head slowly as she looked to Marinette for her answer. "We would have gotten trapped in a panther cage to start dating," She confirmed.

"Ooh! That too. That's still my favorite story. Alya and Nino didn't even think they were going to be together, but when Ladybug shoved you guys in there-"

"She obviously knew you were meant to be together!" Marinette finished for Adrien as a blush grew on Alya's cheeks.

Alya covered her face with her clipboard. "This video is not about Nino and me! Now, if you had to choose one person for your partner to leave you for, who would it be?"

"Chat Noir, obviously. The only other man I would trust with my girlfriend, seems legit," Adrien shrugged.

Marinette laughed. "I was going to say Ladybug for you! They're superheroes; you can't go wrong with superheroes and entrusting someone to them," Marinette reasoned.

"You guys are having much more fun with this video than I thought you would," Alya said. "I should up the difficulty. Hmm," She thought for a moment. "My next question is, what would your ship name be?"

Adrien furrowed his eyebrows. "Ship name?"

"Yeah, like when your TV characters get together they have a combined name. What would your name be?" Alya clarified.

With a shrug, Marinette answered. "Madrien or Adrienette. But Madrien sounds like Mandarin, so I like Adrienette more."

Alya giggles slightly. "Have you thought about this before?"

"This is the first time I've thought about it. My comment section on the last video we did together had a lot of debates about our name. And I read...every...comment."

Alya and Adrien stared at Marinette. "What?" She asked, slightly offended by their looks. "I'm committed. A lot of the times, the comments are the best. But guys, that video we did with us designing, it was insane," Marinette said with wide eyes.

Nodding slowly with a sly smile, Alya looked back at her tablet to find more questions. "Ooh!" She squealed. "This one is fun. Where would you get married?"

Marinette shrugged. "Adrien's backyard," she said. "Think about it, his mansion is huge, so why not throw the wedding and the party there? Plus, it'd be private," she finished off.

"That's a good idea; I'll remember that for when I get married," Adrien pointed at her. "I agree with Marinette. That's where we would get married."

"I can see that happening. But I also think you guys would go big," Alya said. "Make sure it upstaged as many people as possible."

With a giggle, Marinette shook her head. "I don't think so."

Alya asked a few more, smaller sized questions to end off the video and satisfy all the viewer's needs. "I'll be honest, that wasn't as horrible as I was expecting it to be," Marinette commented. With agreeing nods from Adrien and Alya, a big smile wiped across Marinette's face. "Thank you all for watching! Make sure to leave a like and a comment, and subscribe for more. You can find my other channel and all our social media on the screen or linked below, as well as the Ladyblog for Alya! We will see you next time," Marinette said and stood up to turn the camera off. With a big sigh, she laid down on the floor. "I was not emotionally prepared for that," She said, already speaking French once again.

Alya burst into a fit of laughter, and Adrien just stared down at her. "What, you wouldn't want to date?" He joked.

Marinette's face turned red. "No! That isn't what I meant! I was just completely prepared for another video, and having to do that all of a sudden, and...um-"

"I'm just messing with you, Marinette," Adrien admitted. "Sometimes it's funny."

"This is why I like him," Alya pointed at Adrien, and Marinette covered her face and rolled over, groaning loudly.

---

tags

@lady-of-the-roses-and-lilies @bookishserendipity03@avatheexceed @gkz10  @coccinellegirl @kat-thatoneweirdo@strawberryblondish @snow-swordswoman

[firebirdtransam68]

Trans Am And Camaro Meets Sonic The Hedgehog (Crossover Fic)

My first crossover fic that I will post feature my original characters, in which are two of my favorite cars, and at least one official character, Sonic The Hedgehog.

Let me know what you think of this prompt.  Constructive criticism is allowed, but please be respectful.

Here it goes:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Trans Am And Camaro Meets Sonic The Hedgehog" by FirebirdTransAm68

"Hey, cousin, what's up?" a 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am asked his cousin, the 1982 Chevrolet Camaro.

The two cars were inside a four-car garage that was mostly used as an art studio, but there were also tools and equipment for vehicles, as well.  Trans Am was facing Camaro, who was playing an old arcade game from the mid-1980's.  The arcade console had two monitors, one on each side, so the two cars can view the monitor when one or the other was playing.

"Err!  This is so frustrating!" Camaro shouted out of exasperation, "I had just finished Level 7, but I couldn't make it up to Level 8, no matter how many ways I can complete the level!"

"How about I try something?" Trans Am offered.

"All right, sure.  Go ahead."

The monitor facing Trans Am switched so Trans Am could operate the console.  The game featured a blue and red Formula One racecar that was supposed to avoid as many obstacles as possible.  From the looks of it, Level 8 was an extremely difficult level, since the freeway was filled with walls, puddles, and towers that were blocking each lane.

"Okay, let's see if I try this..."

The racecar swerved quickly to the center-right part of the freeway where a ramp was located at.  The racecar then climbed up the ramp, and jumped up really high, and then landed on the lane that was now clearer.  A 16-bit fanfare appeared, different colored confetti popped up out of nowhere, and there was a giant blinking caption that read, 'Level Complete.'

"Wow!" Camaro said in pure awe, "how did you do that?!"

"Well, you see, Level 8 was full of obstacles that were blocking each lane, but if you pay close attention, there is a ramp that will allow you to go above obstacles.  The trick is to think fast, and swerve as quickly as possible, so you don't hit any obstacles," Trans Am explained.

"Oh, thank you very much, Trans Am!  I will remember that for the next level, then." Camaro was really thankful that he had a cousin that would always be here to help.

"Don't mention it, Camaro.  And good luck on Level 9," said Trans Am, "I will be heading off to I-6 and Phoenix Boulevard, again.  I am going to need some exercise so I can keep my gears up and running for the future."

"You do that, cuz," said Camaro.

"I will be right back afterwards.  See you!" Trans Am said as he backed up from the garage, and turned towards his destination, and then drove off.

"All right," Camaro said to himself, "on to Level 9..."

                                     ------------------ *^* -------------------

Trans Am dashed off right onto the freeway, so he could see the view.  It was mountainous, full of trees, bushes, and grass, as well as some barren spots.  The floor area was mostly grassy, and had trees and bushes scattered across certain areas; on the ground below the freeway was a river that was thirty feet wide, and made a path that became invisible from a vanishing point towards the mountains.  The sun wasn't yet setting, but it was getting close.

Suddenly, Trans Am screeched to a halt when he saw some obstacle in his way.  He was lucky no one else was in the freeway, otherwise, he would be responsible for a traffic jam.

The obstacle was short, but was the height of a 13-year-old human child (if not shorter), and had many rounded features; it was orange with some black features.  There were unusual looking extremities that were black in the center, but the shoulder and hand and foot areas were orange.  And its facial area was cyan blue, with two circles for eyes, and a grin that would make even Cheshire Cat unnerved.  The obstacle looked to be some kind of robot, since it looked humanlike, yet was not a human.

"Hey!" Trans Am shouted at the orange robot, "get out of my way!"

(You would think Trans Am would be smart enough to switch lanes...)

But the orange robot did not budge.  It just stayed in its place.

"Are you deaf or something?" Trans Am shouted again, "move out of my way, or I will run you over like I would a skunk in the middle of the road!"

The robot still stayed in its place, despite Trans Am's threats.

"Very well, then" Trans Am said with a trace of frustration in his voice, "I will make you move out of my way."

Trans Am revved up his engines, and moved very slowly towards the robot; he stopped for a half second before he revved up his engines, again.

Well, it certainly got the robot's attention, because after Trans Am moved towards it, its blue face turned a bright red, and started to advance at the black sports car.

Tiny machine guns popped out of the robot, and started shooting at Trans Am.

"Whoa!  What the-!" Trans Am was definitely taken by surprise.  He raced off to avoid the ammunition and started to spin in circles in hopes of distracting the robot, or at least throw off its concentration and balance so it would stop shooting; but to no avail.

He turned as fast as he could off the freeway, but the robot was chasing towards him.  Trans Am didn't know how to resolve this situation.

Suddenly, there was a thud, and the robot stopped chasing Trans Am; when he went to see behind him, the robot was starting to shoot off some sparks, and its face was switching between blue and red.  The robot even had some dents in a few areas.

Before Trans Am could see what really happened, there was a blue streak advancing towards the robot, and the robot was becoming even more damaged as the blue object made impact towards it.

After twenty seconds of the beatdown, the orange robot shut down, and fell apart with extra sparks flying off.  The blue object looked as if it was rubbing its hands together to get dust off of them.

"Well, that took care of that Egg Pawn," a young male voice was heard from the blue creature.

The humanoid creature looked to be as tall as the orange robot, but he looked organic; his head was a little bigger than his body, had ears that looked a little more like a cat's, and had long blue quills that curved down behind his head.  He had big eyes that meshed together to look like one eyeball, but there were two green irises present.  He had a peach-colored belly as well as long peach-colored arms that matched his muzzle, and was wearing white gloves, one on each hand.  He also had long blue legs, and was wearing red and white running shoes as well as white socks that stuck out of them.

The blue humanoid creature stopped rubbing himself off of dust, and diverted his attention to the black Trans Am.  Trans Am was confused and shocked, because he had never seen a creature like this before.  But the blue creature wasn't shocked; just curious, or at least seemed curious.  He walked towards the black car.

"Hmm, interesting," he said to himself, "it looks like not only did I destroy one of Eggman's badniks, but I also saved a car from getting shot down.  And he doesn't look like he was one of the badniks I ever come across."

Trans Am was having a hard time finding his words.

"W- wha- what are you saying?" Trans Am said in mild fear and huge confusion, "who's Eggman?  What is that thing that you just destroyed?!  Who are you?  What are you?  And how did you know I was sentient?!  No other humanoid knew I was sentient, except you!  So, how did you know?!"

The creature raised an eyeridge in confusion and mild concern, since the car was panicking.

"Whoa, calm down, buddy," he said with his palms up to the sides of his heads, "is that any way to say 'thank you?' I just saved your life, after all.  I am a friend."

"Friend?  I don't even know you!  Just tell me what is going on!"

"How about this: why don't you calm down and I can explain what happened?  I don't bite."  The creature seemed very happy and easy-going, and didn't even show a sign of fear.  He looked friendly.

Trans Am calmed down a little, since he figured the creature was no threat to him.

"All right, I do not see the problem with conversing with others who are not my kind, but just so happened to understand what I was saying," said Trans Am, "well, anyways, let's start with the introductions.  I am a Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, the first of the third generation.  But you can just call me Trans Am.  And you?"

The creature zipped in front of Trans Am, so he was facing him.  He grinned.

"I'm Sonic," he said, "Sonic The Hedgehog."

"Well, it is nice to meet you, Sonic."

"Same," Sonic said, and chuckled slightly.

Trans Am was feeling comfortable talking to the humanoid hedgehog.

"Anyway, before we can explain, how about you jump in so we can go towards my home?  It is not too far away," offered Trans Am.

"Oh, that's quite all right.  I have these," Sonic said and lifted his feet, showing his running shoes, "some call me the 'Fastest Thing Alive' because of my speed."

Trans Am was intrigued.

"Wow.  Okay, how about we race to my home instead?  And the winner will enter my home, first?"

"On second thought," Sonic said, "I think I have had enough running for now, my feet are starting to get a little sore.  I don't see the problem getting a ride once in a while."

"All right, then," Trans Am said, and opened the driver door so Sonic could get in.  So, he did, and the door closed.

"Cool," Sonic said, as he looked at the interior.

"Thank you," Trans Am said.

Trans Am revved up his engines.  "Let's go!"

"Okay!"

They drove off from the freeway.

                                     ------------------ *^* -------------------

"So, let's see if I got this right: Dr. Ivo 'Eggman' Robotnik is a mad scientist who designs robots and plans to take over the world, so he can build his Eggman Empire.  (Sounds like a huge monopoly, there.)  And you came from some other part of the world with friends a bit like you, (maybe not by speed).  And you obtain golden rings to give your power a boost during the final blow, is that right?" asked Trans Am.

"That's right," said Sonic.

Trans Am just got out of the freeway, and was at his neighborhood where all the other cars were at.  There were plenty of buildings for cars to roam around and have space, as well as many green plants such as trees, shrubs, and grassy patches; there was even a small park for humans to bask into.  The neighborhood looked a lot greener than Sonic's description of the proposed Eggman Empire.  Sonic was intrigued by Trans Am's turf.

"Well, our best bet is to not let Dr. Eggman go towards any territory already occupied by people and cars.  Because who knows what will happen?"

Sonic nodded in agreement.

A gray Toyota Prius stopped in the middle of Trans Am's path, and Trans Am stopped to a soft halt.

"Hey, gaslighter," Prius said in a mocking tone of voice, "where do you think YOU'RE going?"

"None of your business, Prius," Trans Am said in a slight defensive manner, "and when are you going to stop bothering me about being a gas-fueled car?  Aren't cars like you supposed to be 'tolerant' of different cars with different fuel needs?"

"Oh really?  Who died and made YOU judge?  Huh?!" Prius was really getting on Trans Am's nerves.

Although he wanted the Earth to be green and free of pollutants, there was just something about electric cars like Prius that Sonic found quite deceiving.  And it really didn't help that a car was bullying his new friend, who was also a car, just with different fuel needs.

Sonic opened Trans Am's door and stepped out to face Prius.

"Hey, what's going on, here?" Sonic said with his gloved hands on his hips, and a confused frown on his face.  "Is that any way to treat my friends?"

Everything went quite for a few seconds.  Prius didn't say anything, until...

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"

Prius quickly went into reverse, then turned around and dashed away.  Was it Sonic that made him scamper away?

Sonic turned towards Trans Am, and made a gesture that said "oh, well."

Trans Am chucked.  "Looks like you scared him away just by appearing in front of him.  I would be shocked too if I saw something I considered strange."

"Yeah," Sonic said.

They both laughed.

"Well, anyways, let me show you my home.  I have a cousin living here, as well."

Sonic was amazed that even cars had families.

"Okay," Sonic said, and got back in Trans Am, "let's go!"

Trans Am and Sonic went to the huge garage next to an even larger house.  The garage was many different shades of brown, with the exception of the roof and door, which were a metallic gray.  The door opened slowly, and Trans Am and Sonic got in.

"Hey, Camaro, I'm home," Trans Am said.

Camaro was still in his place, and was still playing the video game on the two-monitor arcade.

"Hey, Trans Am," the silvery-gray Camaro said, "guess what?  I had just completed Level 17 with hardly any difficulty, whatsoever!  I think I am getting really good at this game!"

"Well, good for you," Trans Am said.

Camaro paused the game and drove very slowly away from the arcade box, and stopped towards Trans Am nine feet away from each other.

"So, what's new?" asked Camaro, "how did cruising around the freeway go?"

"Very well, thank you very much," Trans Am said, "oh, and I brought a new friend with me, so we can have company for the evening.  Promise not to freak out?"

"Uh, okay," Camaro said.

"All right, Sonic.  You can come out, now."

Trans Am's door opened, and Sonic stepped out of the car.  He was facing towards Camaro, who was slightly lost for words.

"Camaro, this is Sonic The Hedgehog," Trans Am said, "he saved me from a robot that was attacking me on I-6.  Said it was a badnik designed by a mad scientist who wanted to destroy our planet for an empire."

Sonic advanced towards Camaro, and extended a hand.

"Nice to meet you," Sonic said, cheerfully.

"Uh, it's nice to meet you, too," Camaro said, and extended a robotic arm to shake hands.  They did so.

                                     ------------------ *^* -------------------

Ten minutes later, the two cars and one hedgehog were having plenty of fun conversing with each other.  And Camaro and Sonic were playing the racing game, but it was a multiplayer edition, with one player on each side of the two-monitor arcade box.  Sonic was getting a lot more points than Camaro was, and Camaro was rather amazed than disappointed or frustrated.

"Wow!  You are a really excellent player.  I am amazed by that!" Camaro said in awe and admiration.

"Thanks!" Sonic said, and winked.

Even Trans Am was pleased by Sonic's skill.

"Well, have fun, you too.  I am going to visit Tesla and stay in his garage for a bit," Trans Am said, and drove off.

"Okay, have fun, cuz!" Camaro called out.

Trans Am was about to turn to where the garage was until suddenly, he heard screams coming from many feet away.

"What is going on?" Trans Am said to himself.  He drove towards the location of the sound.

Much to his surprise, there was a blue 1968 Ford Mustang that was smashed flat (unfortunately, Mustang died), and above him was a huge machine that looked to be two stories tall, and had seven long metal leg-like appendages.  The machine was round at the top with a similar-looking face picture like the one on the orange robot from earlier, and on top of it was a man of some sort.  He was really round (he looked like he ate way too much food and then sucked on helium to inflate him a little bit), and was wearing a red and white suit of some sort; he was wearing white gloves just like Sonic; he was wearing some kind of goggles on top of his bald head.  He had a long, brown mustache that stood straight, and had a long nose that was slightly darker than his skin; he was also wearing glasses that covered his eyes completely.  He had a really wide grin, much like the orange robot and the machine he was operating.

"Ooooooh-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hooo!" came out the man's laugh that sounded more goofy than menacing.  "I am Dr. Eggman, the most powerful and wonderful scientist in the world!  Surrender to the Eggman Empire, or you will suffer the consequences!"

"So, that's the mad scientist Sonic was talking about," Trans Am said himself, "I have got to call Sonic and Camaro to stop him."

He activated his commlink.

                                     ------------------ *^* -------------------

Camaro answered his commlink, "Hello?"

"Camaro, this is Trans Am.  Is Sonic with you?" a voice asked from the commlink.

"Yes, I'm here too," said Sonic.

"What's going on, cousin?  You sounded a little frantic, there," Camaro asked with a little concern in his tone of voice.

"Uh, I think- Dr. Eggman just arrived..." Trans Am drawled at the last part.

Both Sonic and Camaro were shocked by the response.

Sonic stood up with his hands on his hips, and gave off a wide grin.

"Then, let's stop this Egghead!" Sonic said with confidence in his voice.

Sonic dashed faster than the blue streak behind him could keep up, and Camaro followed quickly behind him out of the four-car garage.

                                     ------------------ *^* -------------------

Trans Am dashed back and forth while the front extremities of the giant machine were bashing the road to try and crush him.  But all it did was make craters on the road.

"Hold still, car!  I want to give you a really good pounding!" Eggman shouted.

"Like you can really do that!" Trans Am shouted back, although the mad scientist wouldn't be able to understand him.

Next to Eggman were two small robots, one taller yellow one, and one shorter gray one.

"Uh, Dr. Eggman, I think the car just spoke," the yellow robot said.

"Yeah, and it didn't sound very happy!" the gray robot piped up.

"Oh, stop that nonsense, you piles of scrapmetal!" Eggman said to the robots, (who are called Decoe and Bocoe) "You know that cars don't talk.  Not even this one!"

The machine advanced towards Trans Am, and before he could make a sudden move, one of the machine's extremities flung over Trans Am and he fell to his side, rendering him immobile.

"...ow..." he said, quietly and monotonously.

Eggman advanced towards the defeated Trans Am, and raised up an extremity to deliver the final blow.

"Ooooohh-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hooo!  Prepare to be turned into scrapmetal!"

Trans Am thought it was the end for him, until…

"Not so fast!  Dr. Eggman!" a cocky voice said.  It was Sonic, and he was advancing towards the evil scientist.

"Sonic The Hedgehog!" Eggman was in complete surprise.  "Ooooh, I will not let you go off that easily, you little blue pest!  Prepare to meet your doom!!"

The fight was intense.  Eggman kept trying to swat away Sonic with the extremities, and Sonic kept performing spin dashes to leave dents and one tiny hole on the machine.

Sonic managed to land behind the doctor by standing on the edge of the machine.

"Yoo-hoo!" Sonic teased, and leapt out of the machine to continue fighting.  He was really getting on Eggman's nerves.

Sonic and Eggman kept on fighting until an extremity swatted Sonic, and he fell next to Trans Am.

"Sonic!  Are you all right?" Trans Am said.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sonic said with a pained smile on his face.

(First Trans Am, now Sonic.  Dr. Eggman was a really tough opponent to defeat.)

"Sonic!  The time has come to meet your fate!  And once I have finally gotten rid of you, I will establish the Eggman Empire and change the world forever!"

Eggman started to raise an extremity to deliver the final blow for the blue hero.

"Sonic!" a voice shouted.

High up in the sky was a blue and yellow biplane with two beings riding it; one golden two-tailed fox kit who was operating the propeller plane, and one red echidna with white mittens who was standing on top of the plane's right wing.  The red being was holding something in one of his hands.

"Don't worry, Sonic," the fox kit said, "we are here!"

"Tails... Knuckles..." Sonic said, weakly.

"Who?" Trans Am asked.  Were those Sonic's friends?

"Sonic!  Catch!" the red echidna shouted, and dropped a golden ring to where Sonic was.

Sonic extended his arm, and caught the ring that fell down towards him.

"Got it!"

Sonic's hand glowed a golden color, and then he got up and performed a spin dash towards Eggman's machine, but not before he made a cocky smile.

Sonic's attacks were stronger than ever, because there were even more holes than dents being made on the machine.  The machine started shutting down and was collapsing.

"Nooooooooo!!" Eggman shouted, as his machine completely fell down.  Dr. Eggman was finally defeated.

Sonic struck a victory pose, and shouted, "all right!"

The blue and yellow plane landed, and Sonic's friends, Tails and Knuckles, ran beside him and struck poses along with him.

"This is the end of your tyranny, Eggman!  If you threaten any more turfs, again, we will defeat you once more!" Tails shouted.

"And we will never give up!" Knuckles shouted, and raised his fist in the air.

"Hey, that's my line!" Sonic said.  He looked like he was about to pout.

Out of the defeated machine, a hovercraft appeared with Eggman operating it, and his two servant robots followed him and climbed on top of the vehicle.

"Ooooh, I hate that hedgehog!  I will come back, Sonic, and next time, I won't go easy on you!"

He flew off with the two robots shouting "BYYYEEE!!!" and they completely disappeared into the sky with a twinkle that appeared where they vanished.

"Heh.  He won't be coming back for a long time," Sonic said and crossed his arms.

"Let's hope so," Knuckles said.

Camaro raced towards the area where a battle occurred, followed by a dark gray self-driving Tesla car, who was Camaro and Trans Am's friend.

"Wow!  That was amazing!" Camaro said in pure awe, "now the mad scientist will never bother us for now."

"Not on my watch will he be back soon," Tesla said.

Their attention was diverted to Trans Am, who was still on his side.  They were shocked.

"Trans Am!" Camaro shouted and raced towards the black car.

"Trans Am!  Are you all right?" Tesla said, and went beside him.

"Yes, I'm fine.  Just a scratch," Trans Am said, "can you help me back up?  I can't move if I am on my side."

"We will get a tow truck to help you up.  Do not worry, Trans Am, help is--"

But before Tesla could finish his sentence, Trans Am was suddenly lifted slightly from the ground, and then placed back on his four wheels.  Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles got Trans Am back on his wheels.  They knew this car needed help, and they did it the faster way.  So, there was no need for a tow truck.

"Thank you very much," Trans Am said.

"Don't mention it," Tails said.

Sonic walked towards Trans Am, Camaro, and Tesla, and faced towards Tails and Knuckles.

"This is my new friend, Trans Am; I met him while I was fighting one of Eggman's badniks.  And this is his cousin, Camaro, and his friend, uh..."

"Tesla," the self-driving car said.

"Right.  Tesla," Sonic said and turned to face the three cars, "these are my buddies, Miles Prower (but please call him Tails), and Knuckles The Echidna."

While Tails and Knuckles were taking turns greeting Trans Am and Camaro, Sonic greeted Tesla, since he never met him before.  Tesla extended a robotic hand, and Sonic took it.  They shook hands.

"It is really nice to meet you, Sonic," Tesla said, "I'm sorry we never got the chance to meet each other sooner."

"No problem," Sonic said and winked.

The cars and Sonic and his friends spent a few minutes talking to each other, until the organics decided it was time for them go home.

"Well, it's time for us to leave.  We had fun today," Sonic said, as Tails and Knuckles already got on the biplane, called the Tornado.

"Will we get to see each other again?" Camaro asked.

"Of course!" Sonic said and gave a thumbs up.

Sonic went to the Tornado and got on top of its left wing.

"We will always remember you.  And remember, never give up!" Sonic said, and the Tornado took off.

"Goodbye!" Trans Am, Camaro, and Tesla said, simultaneously.

Sonic and his friends flew off towards the sky, and disappeared.

"I wish they would have stayed a little longer," Camaro said with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"Do not worry, Camaro.  They won't be gone forever," Tesla said.

"And Sonic said he and his friends will always remember us, as well.  So, we will never be forgotten," Trans Am said.

Suddenly, they realized it got dark.

"Well, I have to get back home.  I do not want my owner to worry about me thinking I was stolen.  Goodnight, Trans Am and Camaro," Tesla said.

"Goodnight, Tesla," Trans Am and Camaro said.

Tesla drove off.

"Let's go back to the garage, Camaro," Trans Am said and started to drive off.

"All right," Camaro said, and followed him.

"I wonder if Sonic and his friends are not too far away?" Camaro asked.  "It wouldn't be too hard to visit them if we could."

"I'm sure we would," Trans Am said.

Up in the night sky, a golden shooting star dashed off into the horizon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All characters except for my car characters belong to SEGA (Sonic X belongs to TMS Entertainment) and Sonic Team.

[crusherthedoctor]

Sonic & Tails: Beyond the Stars - Prologue

Prologue: Adieu, Vacation

“...zzz...”

“Sonic.”

“...zzz...zzz...”

“Sonic...”

“Zzz... zzz... zzz...”

“Hey. Sonic.”

“Urgh... what?”

“We’re nearly here.”

“Oh! Great!”

Awakening from his deep slumber... on the wing of the Tornado... Sonic the Hedgehog slowly opened his eyes and wiped them, and when he could see more clearly, he was dazzled by what he saw.

The sea below their flight was just as faintly green as it was blue, making for a shimmering spectacle of colour. But what was up ahead was even greater: An island of truly impressive scope, far greater in size than South Island and Westside Island combined. Some would say it’s even larger than the floating Angel Island. All sorts of sights and geography could be seen to the naked eye even from afar. And if you looked at it from above, you would notice its shape was perfectly circular, like a smooth gemstone.

This island, known to the world at large as Viridonia, was where Sonic and his best friend Tails were planning to take a well-needed vacation. Saving the world was hard work, and after all the trials these two have faced, you couldn’t say they didn’t deserve it. But is it possible that malicious intentions could come along to make a mess of their intended vacation time...?

Well... we’ll get to that when we get to that.

“Looks stunning, doesn’t it?” Sonic asked out loud, with a massive grin on his face.

“It sure does,” answered Tails with a smile, as he took in the pleasant view. “I’ve heard great things about this place, but seeing it is another story. I can’t even begin to think of where to start with somewhere so big!”

“We have all the time in the world for that, so what’s the rush?” Sonic glanced at the island once again, this time with a more thoughtful expression. “I just hope there’s no trouble from Eggman this time around. We never get a break from him, do we?”

“Actually,” Tails pointed out with a raised finger. “You told me there was no Eggman in those books that were lent to you. Well, technically there was a guy who looked like Eggman in the first one, but...”

“Alright, don’t get technical with me,” Sonic poked his tongue out in light jest. He then motioned towards the ground. “Okay, we’re getting real close, let’s find a spot to land.”

“Right away,” the fox obeyed, before adding “And uh... don’t worry, I made sure to install the landing gear this time.”

“Oh. Nice.”

——

They landed on an empty stretch of sand by the sea, having made sure they wouldn’t land in a place that would cause too much interference. The little beach was peppered with turquoise rocks that looked and shined like real gems, and the sand itself was more white than it was yellow. Despite being by the sea, the town nearby had a very modern appearance, full of elegant buildings teeming with a glassy sheen. As Tails spent a little more time fiddling around with the Tornado, Sonic wasted no time in admiring the setting, glancing at the many species of citizens walking around, minding their own business.

“Heh heh... just look at all this,” Sonic said to himself as he marveled at the shining buildings, hands on his hips. He was definitely liking the look of his vacation spot. “So much to see, so much to do. And it’s just me and Tails.”

“~Soniiiiiic!~”

“And... Amy?”

Sonic turned to his right to find none other than Amy Rose, who was currently sprinting over to him with a big grin. Her younger friend, Cream, was tagging along behind her.

“Fancy seeing you here!” Amy beamed. Her tail was unashamedly wagging away in excitement.

“Oh uh, hey Amy...” Sonic muttered out of surprise. “Didn’t know you’d be here... Why ARE you here?”

“Isn’t it obvious? We wanted to go on a vacation of our own! And we just HAD to come here when we read all about it.” She looked over to Cream, who simply nodded. “We haven’t seen much of the place yet, but there’s no hurry, right?”

Sonic looked over at Cream, as if he was expecting something from her.

“She’s telling the truth, Mr. Sonic,” the rabbit assured.

“Okay, good.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” The pink hedgehog frowned as she crossed her arms. “You didn’t think I just followed you here like some creepy weirdo, did you?”

“No, of course not,” Sonic chuckled. “I’m sure you wouldn’t do that... probably.”

“Good! We didn’t know you would be here, but how lucky for us that you are! Maybe we can go to the little park in Cosmic City together... maybe find the perfect spot for the two of us, ~hmm~?” She winked playfully, complete with a little spin.

“...Maybe. Maybe. We’ll see,” Sonic said in a very neutral manner, although he couldn’t help but smirk at his friend’s ever present determination. As he walked off to see how Tails was doing, Amy turned and noticed that Cream looked uncomfortable, despite the lack of any apparent danger.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Amy asked out of concern. “You still feeling a little anxious?”

The rabbit just nodded silently. Her hands were mildly fidgeting.

“Well, that’s okay, you know.” She put her hand on Cream’s shoulder. “But your mother wouldn’t have let you come with me if she felt it would be a bad idea... Although then again... she didn’t mind you taking on evil monsters... or evil robots... and going through all sorts of dangerous places...” She shook her head and hoped her friend didn’t hear that part. “This is meant to be a good time for both of us, Cream. It’s why I brought you along, after all.”

“I know, and I appreciate that very much, Amy,” the girl thanked her politely. “Maybe I could have a little look around... but I won’t go too far away from you, okay?”

“I know you won’t,” Amy smiled.

Meanwhile, Sonic was busy conversing with Tails. “I guess it won't just be us two after all while we're over here...”

“Is that really a bad thing?” Tails asked, as he skimmed through the pages of his Viridonia guidebook. “I mean, it's just Amy and Cream. They’re not likely to cause trouble.”

“True,” Sonic shrugged as he looked to the side. He followed it up with a smile. “It's been a while since I hanged out with them anyway, so maybe this is a good opportuni-”

“OH MY GOD, IT'S SONIC THE HEDGEHOG!!!!”

“Sonic the Hedgehog!?!? Wow, it really IS Sonic the Hedgehog!!!!”

“Sonic? And Tails? SONIC AND TAILS!?”

Within seconds, a bunch of guys and gals had surrounded the two friends, rapidly shaking hands with them and asking for autographs. Sonic, clearly used to this routine, handled it all very smoothly. Tails was considerably more flustered about getting so much sudden attention. They both received their share of emotionally-charged questions from the crowd.

“What's it like being the fastest thing alive!?”

“How do you make all those cool machines!?”

“What's the toughest battle you've ever been in...?”

“How fluffy are those tails?”

“WHEN WILL YOU AND AMY KISS???”

“Wait, did Amy tell you to ask that one?” Sonic inquired accusingly.

“OH MY GOD, AMY'S HERE TOO???”

“Uh... sorry Amy!” Sonic called out in his friend's direction, with the knowledge that she would soon get overwhelmed with fans of her own.

——

In an effort to get herself acquainted with where she’ll be staying for the next few days, Cream had wandered into a nearby forest, accompanied by her loyal pet, Cheese. She took her time looking around, making sure she didn’t get too lost in the place. The leaves were of an autumnal flavor, and fireflies could be seen lighting the place up, even during the daytime. The young rabbit was impressed with the scene, an innocent smile having planted itself on her face the whole time.

“It’s so pretty, isn’t it Cheese?” Her Chao friend nodded. “Maybe it was a little silly of me to get so tense. It’s just a new experience for us, you know? I wonder if Amy would like this... Maybe Mr. Sonic would like it too? ...Cheese? What’s the matter?”

Noticing her friend was distracted by something, Cream turned her head in the same direction to see what had caught his attention. To her surprise, in front of them was a massive castle, much like the ones she had seen in many a fairytale as read by her mother. Its structures, made of solid stone, were all impeccably smooth, as were its dark green rooftops. The scene was complimented with a magnificent view of the distant hills from behind, as well as a gorgeous view of the clouds above. There was a small waterfall and lake close by to the right, and directly in front of the castle was an impressive little garden, filled with a colorful variety of flowers and plants.

The young rabbit was amazed by this unexpected sight. Who did this castle belong to? A king? A queen? She couldn’t know for sure, but the healthy status of the garden indicated that someone definitely lived there even in the present time.

“This is so cool! We’ve got to tell the others about this!” Cream bounced up and down giddily. With an approving nod from Cheese, she turned to the opposite direction as she prepared to make her way back to the beach... only to be greeted with a pair of glowing red eyes staring down at her.

“What the-” Cream gasped as she looked up at the rather ominous entity that was towering over her. It didn’t appear to have a fully solid form, as its body was made up of a misty black substance that occasionally gave off a sickly dark green hue. And yet, the girl could recognise prominent reptilian features, most notably a long tongue and a wide row of sharp, saliva-dripped teeth that were currently preparing to take a bite out of her. The top of its vaguely-shaped head appeared to be armored.

Cream slowly stepped back in horror. Even someone her age knew right away that this thing wasn’t going to be friendly. Without thinking, without saying anything, she grabbed Cheese for dear life and ran off into the forest. She didn’t know where she was headed, as the only thing on her mind was to get away from that monster as soon as possible.

Unfortunately for her, the monster was faster than she anticipated, for it didn’t take long for it to block her path with its sizable mass.

Shaken, but unwilling to give up, she made a sharp turn towards an alternate direction, but the monster blocked her path in seconds once again. The third time was no luckier. Neither was the fourth time. Or the fifth time. Or the time after that. No matter how tricky Cream tried to be in her attempts to escape from the beast, it successfully countered and tracked her down each and every time, until at last, an especially large tree blocked the girl’s path. She turned to the beast out of panicked frustration, and her whole body was shaking. She didn’t even bother trying to fly away, as she knew it was too fast for her to escape that way. Contrasting her own fear, she hid Cheese behind her back, defending her beloved friend from its clutches. The monster opened its jaws, ready to make a meal out of the poor girl...

When suddenly, it threw its head back in what could be interpreted as a mix of confusion and anger. It turned its head violently in every direction possible, as if it were looking for something... as if it were distracted by something. With a mighty roar, its misty form escaped to the skies above, leaving the forest as quickly as it appeared.

Cream took a few seconds to check her heartbeat as she attempted to calm herself down from what just happened. She didn’t know what that thing was, but she was glad it was gone. After checking that Cheese was safe and sound, she noticed there was a single arrow on the ground near where the monster was. She crouched down to closely examine the arrow, and she couldn’t help but feel intrigued by the elegant patterns that she found on it.

“You okay there?”

Cream jumped a little upon being startled by the voice that was in very close proximity. The voice was unmistakably feminine, yet its pitch was low. She turned her head left only to find nothing, but when she turned to the right, she was greeted with a pair of knee-high boots standing tall, which were completely flat at the heels. She slowly glanced upwards to analyse the rest of the female figure before her, observing such details as brown pants, a thick tail, a light tank top, and a pair of gloves that reached up to the elbows, one of which was holding onto a maroon bow. They were also wearing a backpack containing a number of arrows similar to the one that was currently in Cream’s hand. The figure itself had a mature build, her fur a gentle mint green, and with the exception of her pants, all of her clothes were different shades of blue. Finally, the rabbit looked up at the head, but all she could see was a pair of cool brown eyes, for the rest of the woman’s face was obscured by a bandana from the bottom, and a headscarf from the top. Two arched ears poked out of the headscarf, as did a ponytail as large as her head, its shape being strikingly similar to that of her actual tail.

The young girl wordlessly offered the arrow to the woman, not knowing what else to do. The woman in turn took a hold of it, and placed it back in with the rest of her arrows.

“Sorry you had to bear witness to that repulsive fiend,” the woman said as she held her nose up high as a sign of contempt in reference to the beast, not that you could see it when her bandana was covering it. She then casually glanced at the surrounding trees with her hands on her hips. “I’m afraid we’ve been troubled by this thing for a short while now. Been causing all sorts of strife, so it has.” She paused to flutter a gloved hand in front of her masked face in disgust. “Stinks quite offensively as well, for that matter... Are you alright?”

Though Cream could safely assume this person meant no harm - they just saved her life, after all - she was still a little bit intimidated and anxious. It didn’t take long for the woman to sense this, as she walked closer to the girl and slowly kneeled down to match her height. Upon getting a closer look at the figure’s eyes, Cream could see that there was a faint, light blue tint to her sclera. Yet, they didn’t show any sign of malice. On the contrary in fact, they brought her own mother to mind.

“It’s okay, sweetie,” the older one assured in a comforting tone. She pulled down her bandana to reveal her soft muzzle, which was a rather pale shade of tan. The two slits that formed her nostrils confirmed that she was a horse.

“You’re safe now,” she added as she slowly rubbed Cream’s hand. “You don’t need to be afraid of me.”

“I...” Cream took a moment to gather her thoughts. This little experience was all very sudden for her. “Thank you for saving me, but... I shouldn’t be talking to strangers...”

“I suppose not.” The woman couldn’t help but chuckle a little at the rabbit’s innocence. “But the least I could do is make sure you’re safe around here. Where’s your mother?”

“Oh, I didn’t come here with my mother,” Cream explained. “I came here with my friend, Amy. I told her that I wanted to get familiar with this place, because I’m not used to being this far away without my mother for so long, and...”

She stopped upon making the dreaded realisation that with all the directions she had went to escape the beast, she now had no idea whereabouts in the forest she was.

“Oh no...” she panicked, looking down at the ground worriedly. “I told Amy I wouldn’t get lost here... She’s going to wonder where I went...”

“I can take you back to her if you want,” the horse offered with a soft smile. “I live around here, you know. I know this forest like the back of my hand.”

Cream looked at Cheese, who in turn glanced at the horse, as if he were silently coming to his own conclusion on whether she could be trusted. He nodded, and the girl felt at ease. “Okay... If you’re sure that would be alright, Miss... Miss...”

“Lutrudis,” the woman answered for her. “The name’s Lutrudis.” Still holding her hand, she slowly stood up once more. Cream couldn’t help but notice that she looked somewhat exhausted just by doing this simple motion, but she put it to the back of her mind, figuring it wasn’t a big deal. As they began walking out of the forest together, Cream decided to continue their conversation.

“Miss Lutrudis, can I ask what your surname is?”

“My surname is Hadeer. Why do you ask?”

“It’s so that I can call you Miss Hadeer. I don’t like being rude.”

“Oh, you’re hardly being rude at all,” the horse looked down at her with content amusement. “You don’t need to be so formal with me, Cream. Just Lutrudis will do.”

“Wait a minute... You know who I am?”

“I know who Amy is too,” the horse shrugged. “Why wouldn’t I know who you two are? You don’t go on all those adventures without the rest of the world catching word of them. Especially not when they involve a certain friend of yours called...” She paused deliberately with a knowing smirk as she touched her cheek with her index finger in faux-thought. “...Sonic, I think his name is?”

“Well, Mr. Sonic is pretty famous,” Cream giggled, which was quickly replaced with her excitedly coming up with an idea. “I can’t wait for him to meet you!”

Lutrudis’ smirk slowly faded, and in its place was a look of mild shock, as she gradually realised what she meant. “...He’s here?”

“Yeah! He came here for a vacation! So did Tails!”

“Chao!” Cheese helpfully added.

“I see...” Lutrudis slowly muttered as she mentally processed the realisation. She never thought Sonic the Hedgehog, the fastest thing alive, the saviour of the world a hundred times over, would ever show his face in Viridonia. And yet against all expectations, he apparently has. And now she’s being offered to meet him? To meet Sonic the Hedgehog?

“Would you like to see him?” Cream asked politely.

Snapping out of the sudden rush in her mind, Lutrudis looked down at her new friend with an impressive amount of restraint, but with an obvious hint of excitement. “Well... if it would be no inconvenience to him...”

“Not at all! He loves meeting new people!... As long as they’re not bad people, hee hee.” She grabbed Lutrudis’ hand tighter as she prepared to make a dash. “Let’s go find them! I think they’ll like you!”

“Slower, please,” the horse gently requested. She had a look of strain on her face that appeared to be caused by the brief moment of running, but she quickly tried to disguise it so as to not alert her friend. “I know you guys are fast on your feet, but my endurance kind of stinks... It’s not like we’re in a hurry anyway, right?”

“Yes, you’re right. Sorry, Miss Hadee-” The girl was quick to fix her verbal error. “...Sorry, Lutrudis.” She giggled again.

Lutrudis could only smile to herself once again in return.

——

“There you are, Cream! I was starting to wonder where you went.”

“Sorry for worrying you, Amy,” Cream replied. “But I got lost in the forest when this big monster attacked me!”

“Monster...?” Amy inquired out of concern. Wasn’t this supposed to be their vacation destination? Yet they only just arrived, and already there’s a villain running around?

“Yes, it was really scary...” The young rabbit closed her eyes tightly at the memory of the beast. “I don’t think it’s anything that Mr. Sonic faced before either...”

“Well, well! What’s this about me and a monster?” asked Sonic, having finally finished dealing with the crowd of enthusiastic fans along with Tails. He sounded more than just casually curious about the subject.

“The monster who was chasing me in the forest,” Cream explained to him. “It was big, and it was fast, and it had really large teeth! And big red eyes too!”

“There’s a lot of monsters who fit that description...” Sonic lightly snarked to himself, before rubbing the rabbit’s head affectionately. “Don’t worry about it, Cream. We’ll send it packing in no time! Am I right, Tails?”

“Sure,” Tails answered, sighing to himself. “But of course this had to happen when we were supposed to be taking a vacation. We're never gonna get a break, are we?”

“Aw, c'mon Tails,” Sonic put his arm around the fox. “The sooner we get rid of them, the sooner we can get to that. Nothing we can’t handle, eh?” He gently nudged his friend repeatedly. “Eh? Eh? Eh?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Tails smiled as he rolled his eyes light-heartedly at his friend’s eager attitude for adventure. “So uh... who’s the lady with the bow and arrows?”

He gathered everyone’s attention by pointing at Lutrudis, who had been standing there the whole time without saying a word. Her hands were clasped tightly behind her back, and her eyes were pointing to the ground. Her feet were mildly fidgeting.

“That’s Lutrudis Hadeer!” Cream beamed excitedly. “She saved me from the monster!”

“Is that so?” Sonic smiled as he walked over to Lutrudis, stretching his arm out to offer a hand shake. “Pleased to meet ya! I’m Sonic!”

Lutrudis glanced at Sonic’s hand, then looked up at Sonic’s smiling face, then looked back down at his hand again. Her facial expression was calm, but her mind was busy. Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends are here. Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends are here. And now they’re talking to her. Her. What was she to say? What was she to do? How could she talk to Sonic the Hedgehog without making a fool of herself...?

“Hi...” Lutrudis muttered shyly, finally breaking her silence. She slowly shook Sonic’s hand. “Please excuse me, I’m a... really big fan of you guys... truly honored to meet you all.”

“You know who we are?” Amy asked.

“Well, you guys save the world all the time, do you not?” Lutrudis shrugged sheepishly, her hands once again clasped behind her back. “Yeah... I know a lot about you lot...”

“Really now...?” Sonic smirked as he rubbed his hands together fiendishly. “How about a little trivia quiz! Where does the Master Emerald dwell?”

“On Angel Island, of course.” Lutrudis waved her right hand at nothing in particular. “Everyone knows that.”

“Alright. And where do, say... the Sol Emeralds stay?”

“In the Sol Dimension, obviously.”

“Not bad, not bad...”

“I’ve got one!” Amy giddily announced. “Where did I first meet my one true love?”

“At Never Lake, on the way to the Little Planet,” Lutrudis answered, not bothering to acknowledge Sonic rolling his eyes at what Amy referred to him as.

“My turn,” Tails grinned. “What colour of Chaos Emerald did I use to power up the Tornado?”

“The red one,” the horse replied, without skipping a beat.

“Nice!” Tails complimented.

“She really knows her stuff!” Cream added.

“Okay, here’s the big one!” Sonic dramatically waved his hands in the air for a few seconds before pointing directly at the mare. “...What’s my weight?”

Lutrudis blinked in response to the unexpectedly personal nature of the question. The lack of an immediate response briefly convinced Sonic that he had her on the ropes, but it didn’t take long for Lutrudis to casually cross her arms, with a smirk of her own. She slowly tilted her head back as she looked at Sonic, still smirking.

“35 kilograms.”

Sonic paused. He stared at her for a few seconds before turning his head to his friends, who were similarly shocked. He turned it back to Lutrudis.

“...You’re scary.”

“Heh,” the woman politely curtsied. “I guess I won that little questionnaire then?”

“You bet!” Sonic grinned. “Your know-how is awesome!...And slightly terrifying when you really think about it...But awesome!”

“See?” Cream laughed. “I told you they would like you!”

Lutrudis smiled nervously as she kept darting her eyes between Sonic, Tails, Amy and Cream. It was still very surreal and nerve-wracking for someone like her to be chatting away with such famous heroes, but if she hadn’t screwed up her introduction just yet, then maybe she didn’t have anything to worry about.

“Oh god, there it is again!” a random cheetah passerby commented out loud in a frightened tone. “Run for your lives!”

As if on cue, the majority of citizens started bolting out of the area in a panicked frenzy. Sonic could only watch in confusion as everyone left the scene, bar his own little group.

“That's it!” Cream cried with a pointed finger. “That was the monster that chased me!”

Sonic immediately turned his head to look behind himself, and sure enough, the shadowy beast was hovering right there in the plaza. Curiously, it didn't seem to be doing much damage in the area, nor did it bother going for any of the escaping citizens. But as far as Sonic was concerned, if it's a monster that needed to be dealt with, then it's a monster that needed to be dealt with... As long as Amy didn't get rid of it first.

“Hey, you think you can scare away my friend?” Amy asked angrily as she took out her trusty hammer. “Not on my watch, buddy!”

The demon could only respond by roaring aggressively in Amy's direction. The pink hedgehog actually had to focus on keeping her footing, lest she fall over from the sheer force of the roar. Frustrated, she opted to just throw her hammer right in the monster's face, scoring a direct hit. As the beast shook its head in a rage, Amy grabbed Cream and called out to the Blue Blur.

“Sonic! I'll get Cream out of here before it notices her again!”

“But Amy!” Sonic called out in return. “What about your hammer?”

“It's okay, I've got hundreds of those!” Amy ran off with her rabbit friend. “Give it a good socking for me!”

“I'd give it one regardless...” Sonic muttered to himself resignedly, before turning his attention to Tails. “Think you can handle this, buddy?”

Tails simply nodded as he continued glaring at the beast.

The blue hedgehog then turned to Lutrudis, who was taken aback by having to see the monster again so soon after the previous time. “Hey! Are you good with those arrows of yours?”

“I, uh...” Lutrudis darted her eyes between Sonic and the beast, quite obviously a little distracted by the situation she was suddenly thrown into. “I'm still learning with them, but I've landed a hit on it before...”

“Great,” Sonic snapped his fingers. “Help us out if you can, will ya?”

“I'll... I'll try.”

“That's the spirit.” Sonic prepared himself as the monster roared once again in fury. “Alright Mr. Cloudy, show us what you’ve got!”

——

BOSS: ???

Yes, like Chaos Zero in Sonic Adventure, we start things off with a boss fight. The plaza near the beach makes up the arena. The ground is completely flat, but that won't be a problem here. This is basically just an early way of getting the player acquainted with the controls, without needing to bother with all that pesky “tutorial” nonsense.

Anyhow, Mr. Cloudy - presumably not his real name - only has a few attacks to subdue you with. Its favourite attack is spewing a pillar of dark mist from its mouth, as though it were breathing fire. Somewhat cunningly for such an early boss, it likes to aim at you when it does this, but it's nothing that can't be foiled with a spin dash if you're Sonic, or simply flying if you're Tails. It also likes to summon a shadowy tentacle with a clawed hand at its tip, to which it attempts to swipe you with. Just jump over this, it's no big deal.

While you're fighting it, Lutrudis is carefully walking around the perimeter of the arena. Always walking mind you, never running. Don't worry, she doesn't need to be protected. What you want to do is attack the monster's head three times. How you do it or how long it takes you to do it doesn't matter, hitting it thrice at all is the only required criteria. When this happens, Lutrudis will use the beast's extreme focus on your character as an opportunity to fire one of her arrows at it. This doesn't hurt the beast, but it will snarl and turn towards her direction in response. It's at this point that a peculiar spot on the back of its neck starts glowing wildly. Yes, this is the weakpoint, if you hadn't guessed before I even started this sentence. Give that a whack, and its health meter will at last go down just a bit.

It doesn't get any more complicated than this, though it does add one more attack to its arsenal after you've damaged it twice, and thus brought it down to half its health. It floats above the arena for a few seconds, before slamming the ground with a mighty crash, creating a dark shockwave in the process. The shockwave's speed might throw you off guard, but again, nothing to worry about. Just hit it where it counts two more times, and the job is done. Don't expect future boss encounters to be this easy, hero.

——

In response to the beating it just received, the beast roared violently yet again, before taking to the skies like it did before. Sonic dusted himself off as he checked to make sure Tails and Lutrudis were okay.

“Yep, that was a bad guy alright,” Sonic commented, glancing up at the sky with a raised eyebrow. “Ran away like a bad guy too. We better track that thing down before it causes more trouble... What even IS that thing anyway? It doesn’t scream ‘local wildlife’ to me...”

“I wish I knew,” Lutrudis replied as she gathered her arrows. “The only thing I DO know is that it’s been here for... about over a week, I believe. I think it’s been getting stronger during that time, but I don’t know for sure...”

“Well, whatever the deal is with it, we’re gonna get it straight outta here,” Sonic cracked his knuckles with confidence. “Right, Tails?”

“Right,” the fox confirmed as he stretched his titular tails as well as his arms.

“I’m so sorry about this,” Lutrudis rubbed the back of her head meekly. “Cream told me you guys came here for vacation’s sake, and now this happens.”

“Why apologise?” Sonic checked carefully for marks on his sneakers, going from one sneaker to the other, then back again. “It’s not like you were the bad guy.”

“Well, no, but...” She sighed. “You shouldn’t need to get involved with this. You guys are always busy as it is...”

“Hey now! That’s the way I like it!” The hedgehog winked with a toothy grin.

“...I’m not entirely opposed to it either,” Tails shrugged half-jokingly.

“Well, if you’re sure...” The horse pointed in the left direction of the plaza. “I think it was headed for that way. That’s where the meadows are. Maybe it has a hideout there...?”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Sonic asked rhetorically as he hit the palm of his hand with his fist. “No use standing around here chatting idly! Let’s go after ‘em!”

“You guys go on ahead,” Lutrudis muttered while she rubbed her arm. She looked notably dejected. “I’ll only slow you two down... literally. I can’t run that fast.”

“Let me help with that,” Tails gladly suggested as he used his twin tails to perform his signature form of flight, before clasping his hands with Lutrudis’ own as he picked her gently off the ground. With Lutrudis in tow, Tails floated not too high above the land as Sonic started jogging below them.

“...You’re not acrophobic, are you?” Tails suddenly asked in a sheepish tone.

“This height is fine,” Lutrudis assured him. “But like I was saying, I can’t run much because... ...” She paused before going through with her explanation, and she tilted her head slightly to and fro as if she was mentally arguing with herself. She decided to to change course instead. “Well anyway, why bother taking me with you guys? What good will I do?”

Sonic could only chuckle to himself. “Maybe we just wanna hang out with a friend!”

“...F-Friend...?” Lutrudis seemed genuinely astonished by the hedgehog’s simple statement.

“Yeah! You’re our friend now, right?”

“But... you only just met me...?”

“Hasn’t stopped him before,” Tails smiled knowingly, clearly talking from experience.

“Besides,” Sonic added. “We’ve never been here before! We could use a handy tour guide! AND you did pretty good back there too! So what makes you think you’ll slow us down?”

Lutrudis had nothing to say to that, in part because she was still shocked by the revelation that Sonic the Hedgehog now considered her a friend. She looked down at him, then she glanced up at Tails. She slowly moved her eyes to the side as she let out a bashful smile, and her ears drooped ever so slightly.

As they moved closer and closer towards the meadows in Viridonia, the horse concluded that the next few days were most likely going to be very eventful for her.

------

To Chapter 1...

[undinefin]

Champion - BNHA/MHA

wow its been like 6 years. uuuuhhhhhhh hope you enjoy???? this is part 3 Genre: fantasy word count: 5590 author: @undinefin​

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“What’s that supposed to mean!? You don’t ‘technically have a plan’ you clearly–”

“Iida-kun save your breath until after!” Uraraka was ahead of the group, her abilities as a mage allowing her to float a few feet above the ground and as a result move much faster. Her pink dress fluttered behind her, though the mage ensured that the fabric wouldn’t be caught on any branches.

Midoriya was at the back of the group. Despite the amount of armour Iida wore, his speed was ridiculous. The knight was arguably the fastest running man in the kingdom.

Heat radiated from behind Midoriya, the Cherufe the party had angered was gaining on him, it’s fiery being lighting the plants around it. The beast was at least the size of an inn, maybe two.

The freckled boy scrambled over a fallen log, one of the fingers on his gloves being caught on a sharp twig sticking out from it. “I was expecting fire! I wasn’t expecting speed!” his voice came out shrill and breathless.

“Why wouldn't you expect speed!?” Iida asked incredulously. “That thing’s from Hell, it’s the worst of the worst!”

Uraraka, while gliding away, finally gathered enough magic to send a jet of water behind her. Midoriya just barely dodged the concentrated magic. He turned to watch the Cherufe be hardly buffered by the element.

“Well,” Midoriya swallowed. They had finally reached a clearing where they’d have to face the Cherufe properly. “It’s big right? Look at the magma on it! You’d think that it’d be slow when he’s that heavy,” he tried to reason. Midoriya didn’t expect the beast to get down onto all fours like a cat and bound through the forest at the speed of a buggy.

“This isn’t a videogame Midoriya-kun! Anyone can be anything!” Iida continued to lecture. He circled the opening looking for anything in the terrain that would help or hinder, then letting the rest of the party know.

“So, do you have your plan ready?” Uraraka was unsure of the situation. “Why did we engage in battle with this thing anyways?”

“We have yet to fight anything of great difficulty together – actually we’ve yet to fight anything together at all. Our team was hastily put together, we need to improve our dynamic,” Iida replied.

“Money,” Uraraka added. Midoriya nodded sheepishly.

Ignoring the physical benefit, the knight turned to his partner, “And Midoriya-kun, yes, do you have a plan?”

The thumping of the Cherufe grew close. Midoriya could see the smoke from the burning trees flying off into the air, some of them falling over. “Okay so, the lake at the end of the clearing there is our goal. The beast is from Hell, so there’s no guarantee that it’ll shut down from there, but Uraraka-san’s jets of water seemed to do something, so I think it’ll at least be weakened.

“Uraraka-san will blast it with water as much as she can, the lake has a lot of magic so you should be okay. Don’t get too tired, me and Iida-kun will attack as much as we can. This thing came from the North Mountains, and we’re not sacrificing anyone here to it despite the legends. The heart should be weak, we just need to,” Midoriya gestured ambiguously, “get to it.”

The three got into position just as the Cherufe broke through the tree barrier. It howled, standing back onto its hind legs. The ground began to shake from its voice, sending pebbles and dirt flying. Magma melted to his fingers, and a simple flick sent the fluid flying. The beast waited for the three to move first.

The Cherufe’s body was composed of rock that melted to magma, with a few details simply on fire, shaped vaguely like a human. Its torso was always shifting, the rocks moving within the magma and changing places. The appendages on the hands wisped into fire at the tips, though the bulk of its arm was rock. Magma dripped from its feet, making it look as though it was gliding on the fluid rather than moving with his legs. The eyes and mouth were holes created through melted rock, making the beast look as though it was crying, and drooling.

Uraraka sent a jet of water from her position behind the lake. The stream of water grew thin as it travelled further away from her. Iida circled the beast and struck its calf, though the only thing that happened was his sword softening due to the heat.

Instead of charging towards the lake, the Cherufe swooped down to block Iida’s path. The knight was running fast, but the beast began secreting more magma from its body and spouting it around him. One glob landed in front of Iida, splattering onto his armor.

“Iida-kun!” Midoriya shouted, rushing towards his newly-made friend. The iron could withstand the magma, but the heat transferred fast, and Iida could feel his arm, legs, and torso burning up from the sheer heat of the magma.

Uraraka apologized, then shot out another stream of water to the Cherufe. “Iida-kun, to the lake!”

Midoriya wasn’t wearing armour like the knight did, but he still stupidly helped Iida away from the beast. The magma was dripping onto the ground from Iida, hissing as it made contact with the grass. The pair were dodging flying rocks, and lava, as well as trying to not lose their balance from the Cherufe’s mighty roars.

Uraraka began using more of her energy, creating blobs of water that would float over to the Cherufe and pop, resulting in more contact with the beast. She noticed that every place on its body that was covered with water would harden, creating rock before melting again into magma.

The creature chased after the two boys, deciding that it was finished playing. The Cherufe sent down one hand, swatting the two directly off their feet.

“Iida-kun, run to the lake! Get his attention and go!” Midoriya instructed. Iida nodded, quickly standing up and literally zooming over to the lake. His back grew hot. The fabric of his vest was on fire.

Uraraka shrieked, impulsively concentrating all of her magic into one entity. Midoriya lay helplessly on the ground, struggling to lift himself up. Iida appeared to be making circles around the beast, and successfully got its attention.

A grey cloud appeared above the Cherufe, Midoriya laying on the cusp of it. Uraraka was visibly struggling to keep the cloud fabricated. In a swift motion of her staff, rain began pouring down from the cloud. The specks of water seemed to only mildly annoy the Cherufe, but it motivated the beast to move towards the lake. Iida lead the way, running for his dear life towards the water, his body burning from the heat of his armour.

The rain allowed Midoriya to cool down, though the fire and his swelling back did not stop. The young man rolled in the damp dirt, his back screaming from the friction, but the fire quelling. He forced himself onto his feet, wearily chasing after the beast. The cloud followed him and the Cherufe.

Iida finally reached the lake, dipping the extremely hot parts of his armour into the water to cool them down. Uraraka rose him out with her magic when the Cherufe drew near. It almost looked like it would dash into the lake, but it stopped just before.

“It’s smart huh,” Uraraka sighed. She took the cloud away, seeing that rain wouldn’t have much more effect. The mage fell to her knees, gasping.

The knight rushed to the other side of the lake. “Uraraka-kun, can you stand? Do you need my help? Should we retreat for now?” his mouth was running almost as fast as his feet.

The mage didn’t have the chance to reply before Midoriya ran up to the beast, leaped, and struck its calf with his sword. The iron sunk into the magma, and though Midoriya could feel his gloves and hand growing hot, when he torqued his wrist the young man felt the iron hit a squishy substance within. The Cherufe screeched, kicking the leg back and successfully flinging Midoriya meters away, though also falling straight into the lake.

Uraraka didn’t stand, but she began willing the water to raise. Making things float was her specialty, the lake was already filled with lots of magic, and it is easier to control water already present rather than produce your own. As a result, the mage was able to make a cage of water surrounding the beast. Steam funneled out the top of the prism.

Midoriya raised himself from the ground, this time his right arm and stomach on fire. Rushing to the lake, he jumped in with the Cherufe, feeling the boiling water prickle his skin. The beast was not dead, though the fingers that no longer flickered with fire, and the dimming eyes seemed to hint at a weakened state.

The feet of the beast kept hardening and melting, before the water mixed with the fluid, evaporating, and then turning the magma back into rock. Midoriya watched the prism of water fluctuate around the Cherufe, the occasional fiery arm sticking out, only to retract back with a hiss, either from the mouth of the beast, or the contact of opposing elements.

“This is an awful idea,” Midoriya whispered to himself.

Iida quickly realized his companion’s plan. He lingered with Uraraka before dashing through the water. “Will there be enough time?”

“There will be for you, if Uraraka-san can maintain the water then I think it’ll go better.”

“The last plan didn’t work out,” Iida pointed out.

Midoriya readied his sword, “I know.”

Iida walked to the right leg, approaching the foot. “Uraraka-kun, please lower the water! And then send two jets of water up the beast starting from the foot! Thank you!” he commanded. His arm was stretched straight into the air, hand flat.

With reluctance, Uraraka quickly lowered the prism of water. The Cherufe immediately broke out, lashing and trying to lift its legs.

The three acted simultaneously. Uraraka sent two streams of water up the beast in a line, controlling where it started and ended. The one on Midoriya’s side was slightly delayed. The two boys ran up the path of rock left by the water on the Cherufe, stepping onto the burning material before it melted.

“Iida-kun, please aim for his eye! Even if your sword begins to melt, until you hit something solid keep attacking!” Midoriya cried.

He stepped onto the shoulder and flung himself up onto the cheek of the Cherufe. His leather boots felt as though they were melting off his feet, but the young man plunged his sword into the melted opening. At first there was nothing, and Midoriya could feel the soles of his shoes melding with the magma. He was slowly sliding down the face.

Uraraka concentrated the water on the Cherufe’s face, causing the arms to instinctively rise and wipe it off. Iida dodged a fiery hand and had to dig his sword into the eye in order to stay on the face of the beast. This elicited a loud cry from the beast, and the Cherufe began shaking its head violently.

Once he gained his bearings, Iida extracted his sword, and at the end was a small red bunch of flesh. The contents seemed to bleed back into the eye, the blood being a fitting golden goop.

“This is it!” Iida shouted. Uraraka gave a cry of relief and continued to support the boys on top of the Cherufe with her magic.

The beast was visibly weakened by the blow. Its right side shut down almost completely, no longer as hot as it was before. Iida could stand on the beast without his boots transferring the fiery heat to him.

Midoriya quickly followed up, thrusting the sword until the Cherufe growled again, it’s left side shutting down as well. It stumbled back, tripping over the small bank between the lake and the land. Midoriya went down with the beast and landed a few feet away.

“Is it...?” Uraraka approached hesitantly.

Iida waited a few moments. “No. Beasts from Hell should disintegrate and return to its origins. Even though it’s no longer on fire, the magma is still flowing,” Iida explained, gesturing to the body of the Cherufe, “There’s something keeping it alive.”

The monster sprung to life. The fire returned everywhere except it’s eyes, which were now dim holes in its face. Iida drew his sword, but the Cherufe had already chosen its victim. It rolled to the side, dodging the jet of water that Uraraka had summoned from the lake.

It pushed its body onto the young man lying beside it, blowing boiling air into Midoriya’s face. The green-haired hero screamed, struggling to grasp onto his sword properly.

“Deku-kun!” Uraraka shouted.

The beast raised into its forearms, then with no warning, dropped all of its weight onto Midoriya.

The two companions were sent into shock as the creature completely fell limp. Uraraka shrieked and rushed towards the beast. She watched the Cherufe stir, its fire dimming, and the magma coming to a stop.

“It’s dead,” she mumbled.

The disgusting sound of flesh tearing came from the point of contact between Midoriya and the Cherufe. At first, the mage thought it was Midoriya’s pitiful end, but then she noticed the shining metal sticking into the Cherufe.

Midoriya had used the weight of the beast to puncture the heart. The three watched as the Cherufe disintegrated into nearly nothing, true to Iida’s words. All that was left of the beast were two fiery red stones.

Uraraka threw her arms around Midoriya, “Deku-kun, thank goodness! I thought that...you...”

Despite the swelled skin around his body, and the drained feeling left after adrenaline faded, Midoriya returned the hug. “I wouldn’t just go out like that!” he laughed.

“What are those?” Uraraka noticed the red stones next to her feet.

“All that’s left of the Cherufe,” Iida replied. “Should we take them?”

The stones seemed to mimic the body of the Cherufe, the rockier parts of them melting away to magma before reforming. Midoriya placed a finger on the rocks, they weren’t burning hot like the beast they came from, but instead a calming warmth.

“I don’t see why not,” Midoriya shrugged.

Uraraka looked hesitant, fumbling with the rim of her pointed hat. “What if we get cursed?”

“A Priest or Shadow can help if that happens.”  

“Preferably a Priest,” Uraraka shuddered. With the confirmation, Midoriya picked up the stones and placed them in the small brown pouch on his belt.

“We should get you healed,” Iida said. He inspected the burnt arm. The skin was bubbling, and extremely red. Parts of his forearm were peeling, and others were beginning to bleed. The three began walking out of the clearing towards the town they had come from.

Iida kept the conversation going, “I think our teamwork today was quite amazing for a party that was formed a few days ago.”

“We’re still going to need more experience, but with this quest finished, we can earn some more Nik!” Uraraka shouted. Her eyes seemed to go green at the mention of currency. The reason the party had gone after the Cherufe was a request from the town of Kigen.

The beast had hailed from the North Mountains, but after the path was blocked off, the town responsible for quelling it was unable to fulfill their duty. Soon enough, the Cherufe grew angry and tore down the mountain, causing a landslide which only made the path between the town and the North Mountains worse. It began travelling towards civilization, eventually reaching the outskirts of the Pierce Kingdom.

Upon coming to Kigen alone, it was impossible for Uraraka to not notice the buzz around the quest. It was expected to be far too difficult. But the hefty reward of 1,500 Nik, seemed to drive Uraraka, an aspiring mage to take on the quest despite the S Rank.

“You know,” a young man had said. Uraraka jumped turning towards the face of the unknown person. The glasses on his face gleamed under the sunlight. “Many people from the Piece Kingdom have attempted that quest, yet none have completed it.”

Uraraka grew concerned, “Is it really that difficult?” She noticed the man wore a nearly full suit of armour. The crest on his chest plate was that of the royal family. Uraraka had grown up in a small town that bordered kingdom’s territory, she barely recognized the symbol.

“Truthfully, I don’t know, especially since I do not know you personally. However, the beast is an old one, surely it will be strong. Will you be alright by yourself?” his tone was genuine. He was earnestly carrying out his position as a knight. Uraraka admired his perfect posture.

She held out a hand, “Why don’t I buy you a drink, and we can talk about the monster? Perhaps it’ll be easier to take it down as a team.”

Iida gladly took the offer, and her invitation to join up as a team. The bartender had a hard time believing Uraraka was old enough to drink due to her youthful face, though the mage held out her Casting License which did indeed state she was twenty years old.

Midoriya had simply been in the right place at the right time, overhearing the worries of the other two regarding the quest. He sat a few seats down the bar from the pair and was staring into his drink. The young man had been wearing the same clothes for nearly two weeks while he’d traveled to the town and being robbed on the way didn’t help his situation.

“But it pays a lot,” Uraraka raised her voice. When she noticed Iida and the bartender eyeing her with both suspicion and concern, she turned red and hid her face.

Iida coughed, “That’s true, but it pays so much because the quest is so difficult. There’s no telling what it can do because no one’s lived to see it all.”

The bartender took orders from a few more people who wandered in before brewing. “The only thing we know is that it’s a Hellbeast from the telltale fire that doesn't go out, and the natural habitat being a volcano,” Iida stated.

“I’ve heard that it is only quelled through sacrifice,” Uraraka mumbled. “Is that true? Did the village that takes care of the Cherufe really...sacrifice people?”

Iida stared blankly for a moment. “All the more reason I believe the beast should be stopped. However, I don’t want you or another citizen going after such a dangerous quest alone.”

Midoriya internally debated joining the conversation. On the one hand, he’d love to go and see the mysterious Hellbeast to get information on it. The young man had, since a young age, taken note of all the mystical creatures he’d come across from woodland nymphs, to lesser demons. But, aside from the rather suicidal nature of the quest, this would also involve talking to a very kind and pretty woman, which was possibly Midoriya’s weakest asset.

He eventually gave into his curiosity. Midoriya awkwardly shifted his place on the bar to be beside the two. A part of him realized that he must’ve looked like a creep, and suddenly joining a conversation that didn’t initially include him would make that image worse. Though it was too late, he’d already opened his mouth.

“Is it a humanoid?”

The two were surprised by the third voice, Iida slightly suspicious. “I believe it is, why do you ask?” the knight responded cautiously.

“Well, all monsters have a weakness. Humanoid typed like the Cherufe are usually like us, so you can try to target areas that are also vital to us. Well,” his voice picked up speed as he began to ramble on, “there’s no guarantee that it’ll die from that, but so long as it’s regenerative powers aren’t strong, then at least dismemberment can hold it down long enough to find out the weakness. That being said, Cherufe are volcanic beasts, dismembering it would be a difficult feat.”

Uraraka stared in awe. “How do you know all that? Do you fight monsters all the time?”

“I uh...” his cheeks grew hot. “I sort of collect information on them so it’s easier for other people to fight them, I suppose? There’ve been a few books by me...the Analysis for the Future series? If you’ve heard of it.”

“You’re Deku!” the mage gasped, again, a little too loudly. Midoriya nodded. “It’s your books that’ve helped me and my village so much! Nymph Analysis for the Future, and of course Ave Analysis for the Future!” she took a breath, “Can I call you Deku-kun?”

“Oh sure!”

“What if you came with us? That way, you can gather information on the Cherufe so we know how to deal with them if they terrorize people,” she suggested. “Iida-kun, don’t you think it’d be a good idea?”

“Are you confident in combat?”

Midoriya coughed, “Well, there aren’t a lot of things I’d say I’m confident in,” an understatement, “though, I’m determined,” sometimes to a fault, “and I know my way around a sword. If I can help you then I’d be glad to tag along.”

After another round of drinks Iida had become ballsy enough to go up to the quest board and grab the sheet of paper that had been plastered everywhere in town. The bartender warned them again about the many who had come back charred and unsuccessful. Though the three made their way out of the bar and to a small inn. They had spent a few days getting used to each other’s abilities before heading out to the forest where the Cherufe was rumoured to be.

***

They approached Kigen, making a beeline for the local healer’s house. The town was small, so they were hoping that prices wouldn’t be extremely expensive. The house was quaint, it rested on the east border of town and was obscured by the greenery outside which presumably produced healing goods.

The roof was a mixture of straw and shingles, the person who owned the building seemed too busy to actually change over the materials. A few straws had come loose from the thatching and were falling onto the ground. The skeletal structure of the building looked far sturdier than the roof, the stones so old that moving from their position would take immense effort.

A scraggily written sign hung on the doorknob that read, ‘Open’ in what Midoriya hoped was vivid red ink. Before he even grasped the door knob, it was opened from the other side. A short girl with vibrant green hair and large eyes stood there in a tea-length peasant dress. The shirt was a cream colour instead of white, which might have been due to a working in the large garden that surrounded the house.

“May I help you?” her voice seemed to croak. It wasn’t unpleasant or hard on the ears, but rather strangely complimented her disposition. Her eyes scanned the three, unblinking.

Iida spoke up, “If you’re available, may we buy some remedies?”

The girl turned her head back into the shack and shouted something in a language the trio didn’t understand. Another voice responded in the same language, and with that she stepped back to let them in. The three sat in some chairs just left of the entrance and waited.

The young girl quickly threw on a green apron over herself.  With one hand, she tied back a red ribbon around her waist, and began collecting herbs from the shelves with the other. Midoriya watched as she opened her mouth and let her tongue extend to the top shelf to grab a jar.

“You’re an Anuruas!”Midoriya exclaimed.

The girl let her tongue out again, this time extending to her right to grab a pestle. “Yep,” her voice croaked again. “You know us?” She began putting the herbs into the mortar.

Midoriya nodded, “I’ve only seen an Anuraus once or twice. Though their skin was much greener.”

“We’re a niche but diverse race.”

Aside from her tongue, and rather bulging eyes, Uraraka couldn’t notice much more about the girl that made her an Anuraus. The mage figured her family line had more human blood in it than it did amphibian.

The girl poured a liquid into the mortar, ground the now crushed herbs just a little bit more, before handing it to Uraraka. “Please drink this, it’ll restore your Vis.”

The drink didn’t smell like anything, though the flavour was less than desirable. At first there was no effect, just a bad taste in her mouth. Though, after she’d given the cup back and leaned back into the creaky wooden chair, she noticed her veins humming with energy. Holding out her hands, Uraraka began fixing the wood on her staff.

“Woah! Uraraka-san, magic even without your staff,” Midoriya looked in wonder as the wood that had chipped or burned from their fight with the Cherufe slowly grew back, like a tree branch. It wasn’t as smooth as it originally was, but it made gripping easier.

“I’m just...overflowing with magic. Was it from the drink?” she asked.

The girl nodded, “Yep! The dose was a bit strong, but you three seem to be off somewhere soon.”

“We do?” Iida replied, rather confused. The only place they were going was back to the bar to find the person who’d put out the quest to gain their reward.

Before he could get a response, another door in the hut opened, and an old woman walked in. “Ah Tsuyu, how is the situation over here?”

She walked on a metal cane and was about half of Midoriya’s size. She wore a white dress, and a pink apron. On her face were glasses that were quite clean despite the location.

“Burns, scars, and some bleeding Shuzenji-san,” Tsuyu briefly explained. She pointed to Midoriya and Iida’s hands that had been licked by the magma and fire of the Hellbeast. “I’ve already given the mage a VisG.”

The elderly woman nodded, walking closer to the trio. Her stare was intense as she inspected the two boys. After an awkward silence, Shuzenji asked Midoriya to take off his shirt and vest so she could inspect the burns. Uraraka blushed at the words and turned her head to face the other direction.

“They’re quite serious, was it direct?” Her fingers traced beside the burn scars, Midoriya occasionally flinching when she touched near an extremely sensitive spot. Parts of his skin were bubbling, and flushed red, parts of them browning. Some of it had peeled off, either from the movement or just from the fire itself. Shuzenji continued to inspect the burn, mumbling words in another language to Tsuyu, who began gathering things from the shelf, either with her tongue or hands.

The doctor moved on to Iida, though his burns were less severe due to the armour. The two quickly gathered and mixed herbs, spices, liquids, and other substances from the shelves that filled most of the room. Midoriya noticed a stairwell that lead to another floor, which he assumed was where the two slept, and a door on the right wall, that was just barely hanging onto its hinges.

“Tsuyu, can you please check on the other patient?” she asked. Tsuyu nodded and exited through the door to the right. The elderly woman began applying the blue mixture to Midoriya’s burns. He bit his lip to hold back his whines from the contact. The substance left his skin in a cold burn.

Shuzenji let the substance sit before washing it off. “I’ll give you a bit of the gel, so please apply it to your burns every night, then wash it off. Your burns should fade in about three-”

“You know!” a voice boomed from the other room. “Even though I was able to weaken the beast so much, it managed to get me in the end. I really thought that I could take proper responsibility for this.”

“Oh, he’s always so loud,” Shuzenji grumbled.

“Putting it onto the citizens of the kingdom, it doesn’t feel right. As the Champion, I should be able to do this much. I guess my time really is ending...” the deep voice sighed.

Tsuyu opened the door briefly, just for Midoriya to catch a glimpse of the vibrant blond hair. At first, the hair seemed to shoot straight up, forming a gravity-defying V on the person’s head. Though the second Midoriya blinked, it seemed to deflate, the V forming a triangle with the head and messy strands flying haphazardly.

The door closed and Tsuyu faced the main waiting room. “His arm is recovered ma’am, though his skin is still terribly burnt; would you like to check over him one last time?”

The doctor handed Midoriya the gel. Not turning to face the door, she waved her hand, “Let’s keep him for a few more days. He’ll be back in no time though, I’m sure.”

Not a second after Shuzenji finished her statementthe door bust open, andthere stood the Champion of the Piece Kingdom in all his blinding positivity. The man seemed to constantly have a smile on his face, unfaltering even during battle. His deeds were well known throughout the land, an immeasurably strong knight of the Piece Kingdom who couldn’t be defeated by monster or man.

“A...All Might!?” Midoriya’s voice shook with disbelief. The man had been a shining ray of hope for him all his life, especially during his fatherless childhood. Seeing the legend himself standing in front of him – in a small medical hut no less – was more than a shock.

The Champion made three strong strides towards Midoriya, his large stature and grand presence filling up the room. “Young man, did you successfully defeat the Cherufe?”

Midoriya was rather overwhelmed having the man he had always idolized a few feet in front of him. All that came out of his mouth were gurgles.

“We did, Sir All Might,” Iida responded.

The smile on his face grew brighter, “Then I’ll personally give you the reward here!” The Champoin disappeared into the other room for a few moments before returning with a brown sack filled with Nik.

Uraraka joined Midoriya’s speechless state as she opened the bag to see the full sum inside. Iida bowed for the three of them.

“Truly, you’re all very strong. Now that he’s been taken out, I can continue to investigate the mystery of the North Mountains, and of course help the town out there,” All Might turned and began making his way to the door.

“I think not,” Shuzenji declared. She made her way to the door, her small body blocking the exit. “You are in no condition to travel to the North Mountains of all locations, much less move some heavy boulders, and possibly face whatever beast resides atop the mountain! Not with your charred hands!”

The man was about to protest, but she slammed her cane into the floor before he could get a word out. “If you go out like that, you’ll return with worse wounds, and only waste more time,” Shuzenji hardened her stare until All Might’s back seemed to shrink. “Especially with your current condition. Tsuyu, please take him back to the bed and give him a dose of his regular medicine.”

The assistant began forcefully leading him back to his room. “But...the people there, they need help! What if they get attacked because of-”

“I can do it!”

Uraraka turned to see Midoriya’s face scrunched, his fists balled, and his head bowed. “All Might, if you need anything I would be more than honoured to help you! Please let me go to the North Mountains while you recover!” he shouted. His voice was shrill, and shaky.

All Might looked hesitant, “Sending you there alone would be dangerous young man! I see great ability in you, and your enthusiasm is applaudable, but if I can help it, I would not like to see you hurt as well.”

“W-we would go with him!” Uraraka declared. Midoriya looked at her with shock.

Iida bowed his head as well. “We were able to defeat the Cherufe. In addition, as a knight of the Royal Guard I cannot let innocent people be troubled. Surely you understand these feelings Sir All Might.”

The man stood there for a moment, studying the trio. He ran a hand through his hair before walking towards them again. “Very well then.” He pointed to freckled man, who’s head was still bowed, “What is your name?”

“Me?” he yelped. “Midoriya...Midoriya Izuku. Th-these are my teammates! Iida-kun, and Uraraka-san,” he gestured towards them respectively.

“Midoriya, my boy, you are to venture into the North Mountains and find a town called Fulmen. Help those who need it, and ensure they are under no threat. I’ll call a legion over to help rid the boulders and foliage that blocks them from the Wyrm Forest.

“Do not take on anything more than that. The North Mountains are dangerous! If you need anything else, I implore that you retreat and call for help. Sometimes, the heroic thing to do is ask for help, rather than throw yourself in the face of merciless danger.”

“Yes sir!” the three cried.

Shuzenji coughed, “Twilight is upon us, it’s best if you leave in the morning, no? Why don’t you use some of that Nik to buy remedies as well? I’m sure you’ll need them.”

hh thats it!!! i really wanna try and continue this series~ if you like it let me know!

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[houseofwhalien]

Break

Jeon Jungkook x reader, Park Jimin x reader

A/N: So, I’m aware that we haven’t been updating lately and I greatly apologize. Most of us are quite busy since a majority of the admins have final exams coming up this January. The updates will hopefully come more frequently after exams. Thank you for staying patient. Requests are always open if you have a scenario/reaction idea or just wanna talk :) Thank you.

Category: Smut, angst

{Word Count: 1.9K}

Warnings: Cursing, some angst, an unhealthy relationship

“Just fuck off Jimin! I’m sick of always arguing with you about stupid shit. Leave me alone.” You say as you whip around and angrily stomp to your bedroom. Jimin’s hand firmly wraps around your upper arm and pulls you toward him. 

“Don’t walk away from me when I’m talking to you,” Jimin said through gritted teeth as he squeezed your arm harder.

“Get your hands off of me.” You said but he would not let go. You struggled to pull your arm out. You panicked and then punched his arm fiercely. At that, he let go but his eyes filled with rage. You quickly ran towards the bedroom once more and slammed the door in his face. You were so mad at Jimin that it almost felt like a daily occurrence at this point. He opened the door and glared at you. He walked up to you and pinned you against the wall. “You’re such a bitch,” He said in your ear. He held your hands above your head and you tried to get him to release them. “I’ll make you regret it.” He said. His plump lips immediately attached to your sensitive neck. He bit down hard and sucked on the exposed skin causing you to gasp at the slightly painful but pleasurable feeling. Jimin connects his lips with yours roughly and lets go of your hands to squeeze your ass. You kissed back equally as rough and wrapped a leg around him. 

“Fuck you, Park Jimin.” You muttered. He pulled your skirt up, your panties to the side and inserted a slick finger inside of you. A moan escaped your mouth at the familiar feeling. The past few months of having sex were usually either angry sex or make-up sex. You knew that your relationship was unhealthy. You knew you wanted to end it just as much as Jimin did and but neither of you knew how. 

Jimin’s finger pumped as fast as he could manage to release the built up steam inside of him. He added another finger and you screamed out. 

“Jimin!” You moaned out. “I fucking hate you- Oh my god!” You continued to scream. “Say my name louder, baby.” Jimin requested. “Jimin-ah!” You yelled out. You felt your stomach twist as your climax was soon approaching. 

“I’m going to cum-oh!” 

“Cum for me.” Jimin panted. His fingers still working his fastest pace. 

You screamed out in pleasure as you released your juices. Jimin slowed his fingers down and then pulled them out after and placed his fingers in your mouth. “Suck.” He ordered. You did as you were told and sucked on his fingers to rid your juices. Jimin gave you one last kiss before standing back from you and taking off his clothes and got into bed without a word. You pulled your skirt down and took a shower and went to bed next to your boyfriend.

You woke up the next morning to the same scene as you do everyday. An empty bed. Jimin wakes up quite early every morning to go to dance practice. You had the same routine everyday after you woke up. You would make yourself look presentable, eat breakfast, go shopping for groceries if needed, clean and then waste time until Jimin got home from work and that’s what you did today. Jimin walked through the front door later than usual today. You gave him a quick kiss when you saw him but he brushed it off and went straight to his office room. You furrowed your eyebrows at the odd situation but decided to push it to the side for a couple hours. You finished your TV show episode and still haven’t seen Jimin come out of the office since he returned home. You were curious since he usually talks to you about his day when he gets home. You carefully and quietly opened the door to the office. “Jimin?”

“What?” Jimin said not even looking up at you. 

“Are you okay?” You asked in a soft voice. He finally looked up at you.

“...Why wouldn’t I be?” Jimin glared.

“You haven’t really talked to me yet today.” You shrugged.

“Sorry, I didn’t know I had to monitor my life with you,” Jimin said as he looked back at his computer.

“I was just making sure you were feeling okay, why are you getting so mad?” You began to raise your voice.

“Because I’m too busy to be putting up with your shit.”

“Oh. Well, sorry for bothering you.” You said sadly and started to walk away.

“Can you just stop?” Jimin looked up from his computer again.

“Stop what?” You yelled.

“Stop annoying me! Stop getting all up in my business! Why can’t I just sit here and write my lyrics in peace?” Jimin yelled back.

“Why are you being such an asshole? I’m sorry for being a caring girlfriend.” You scoffed.

“Maybe you shouldn’t be my girlfriend,” Jimin Muttered.

“W-what?” You stuttered at his sudden burst of words.

“Maybe we should take a break,” Jimin suggested.

“Okay, maybe we should. Maybe I’ll just leave.” 

“Please do.”

“You’ll rot, Park Jimin. Stay away from me for a long time!” The tears were spilling out of your eyes but you felt more rage than sadness.

You grabbed your phone and marched out of your place. You knew exactly where you were going and what you were doing. Jungkook lived just a few blocks away and you needed revenge. Jungkook always had a major crush on you since he first was introduced to you by Jimin and you were going to you that as an advantage. You didn’t bother to knock because you didn’t have the patience to wait for him to crawl out of bed. You dug for Jungkook’s hidden key in the plant near the door and unlocked the door quickly. You marched up to his bedroom door and knocked before barging in. Jungkook gasped out and stood up. 

“(Y/N)! What are you doing? You scared me!” Jungkook sighed. You wasted no time to quickly walk up to him and kiss him. He kissed back immediately but then paused and pulled away.

“Wait, what is going on? What about Jimin?” 

“He’s an ass. Just kiss me.” You begged.

“I need an explanation.” 

“We broke up.” You said but didn’t give him time to reply. You wrapped your hands around the back of his neck and pulled him towards you while reconnecting your lips with his. Shortly after, your tongue was incorporated into the kiss. You backed Jungkook onto the bed and you straddled him and slowly began to grind your hips against his. Jungkook let out a grunt. 

“Woah, (Y/N), what has gotten into you?” Jungkook smirked.

You reached down and rubbed Jungkook’s clothed member. Jungkook released a strangled moaned from his throat. 

“W-wait,” Jungkook stuttered. You stopped all of your movements and looked at him. “Are you sure about this? I mean, I don’t want to just be the revenge fuck unless you actually want this.” 

“I want this.” You confessed. You really didn’t know if this was just a revenge fuck for you, if you needed a release or you actually do have hidden feelings for Jungkook. You were too wet to focus on the true answer. You felt Jungkook’s cock get harder and harder when you continued your hand movements. You stopped your movements once again when you decided to take off your shirt and throw it somewhere on the bedroom floor. To Jungkook’s surprise, you weren’t wearing a bra. Jungkook’s wide eyes were glued to your chest. You grabbed his hand and placed it on one of your boobs since he was so stunned at your appearance. He squeezed it roughly and you bit your lip. Jungkook flipped you over so he was now the one straddling you. He pulled off his own shirt and his sweatpants and you removed your shorts and underwear whilst he did so. 

“Wow. You’re so beautiful.” Jungkook said in awe. You reached your hand down and slipped it under the band of his boxers and teasingly and slowly stroked his hard length. Jungkook also reached down and rubbed your clit. Your breath got hitched in your throat at the feeling. Jungkook’s hips bucked up into your hand since you were going so slow. You let go and pulled Jungkook’s boxers down. His dick sprang up and you gripped it firmly. You were surprised at how big he really was.

“Show me what your mouth can do, baby.” Jungkook moaned. You ran your thumb over his tip to spread his pre-cum around and then licked a strip up his shaft before taking his entire length in your mouth. You quickly bobbed your head up and down and Jungkook squeezed his eyes shut and left his mouth open slightly. He sat up and lifted your face up by your cheeks and kissed you sweetly before whispering “I want to fuck you.” 

You sat up and Jungkook patted the spot on the bed so you laid down on your back beside him. Jungkook got on top of you in a missionary position and kissed you sloppily before slowly sliding himself into your entrance. You gasped at the sudden feeling of pleasure and he began thrusting at a steady and fast pace. 

“You’re so tight- fuck!” Jungkook threw his head back. You wrapped your legs around his waist so that he could reach deeper inside of you. The sound of skin slapping together and moaning filled the room. 

“Faster Jungkook.” You gasped. 

“Beg for it.” He ordered.

“Fuck me faster, please. Oh my god, Please Jungkook- ah!” You whined.

Jungkook obeyed and fucked you harder like you begged for. You felt your walls clench around Jungkook. 

“I’m gonna-ohhh!” You moaned out as you came around Jungkook’s thick cock. Jungkook thrust faster to catch his climax causing you over-stimulation. Jungkook began to slow down as his climax was about to erupt. You felt his dick twitch inside of you and he quickly pulled out and came on your stomach and boobs. 

“That was so fucking hot.” Jungkook breathed out and flopped down beside you. You got up and walked to the bathroom to clean yourself up before going back to Jungkook’s bedroom and laying back down beside him and passing out almost immediately. 

The next morning you were woken up by a loud bang on Jungkook’s bedroom door. You and Jungkook both jumped in fear and Jungkook stood up and put on his sweatpants and a white T-Shirt. He opened the door and you could instantly hear Jimin’s angry voice. Your eyes widened at the situation and panicked. You heard Jimin ask if you were here and Jungkook protested but Jimin didn’t believe him. He pushed past Jungkook and looked at you with a sad look. 

“(Y/N). Why?” Jimin shook his head at the sight of you laying in Jungkook’s bed and your clothes scattered around the room. “Jimin I-” You started but was interrupted by him. “I can’t believe that the first thing you do after being broken up for fifteen minutes is fuck my best friend.” 

“We aren’t dating anymore, I can do whatever I want!” You said angrily.

“Don’t bother coming back to me, we are done forever. Have fun with Jungkook.” He said and began to walk out of the room but Jungkook tried to stop him. 

Jimin ripped Jungkook’s hand off of him and pushes him away before leaving for good. Jungkook sighed at the fucked up situation that just happened.

“I don’t regret what we did.” You stated whilst getting dressed.

“Me either.” Jungkook smiled. 

[allenmendezsr]

Save Your Leopard Gecko

New Post has been published on https://autotraffixpro.app/allenmendezsr/save-your-leopard-gecko/

Save Your Leopard Gecko

 Buy Now

    An open letter to Leopard Gecko owners everywhere:

It’s an alarming fact…

“86.5% of Leopard Geckos Will Die Within 2 Years Of Captivity”

Why is it that the average Leopard Geckos lifespan is 10-20 years in the wild….. and only TWO years and captivity?

It’s simple.

People have been extremely misinformed on how to raise Leopard Geckos… it’s become almost ludicrous…

You need to understand that the ultimate factor in YOUR leopard gecko’s lifespan is…

YOU

It’s really urgent that you hear what I have to say it you want to stop making the very critical mistakes 90% of Leopard Gecko owners are making…

In a short moment — I’m going to show you the basic yet CRITICAL MISTAKES 90% of Leopard Gecko owners make as well as quick-fix tips you can use INSTANTLY to get your Leopard Gecko “back on track” and back to its optimal health!

But before we begin…

Who Am I And Why Should You Listen To Me?

Hey, my name is Chris Johnson and I’m a Leopard Gecko expert.

I’ve been raising Leopard Geckos for over 30 years. (I currently own 9 perfectly healthy specimens as we speak—one being nearly 14 years old!)

IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT!

Listen — it’s not your fault… maybe you’re a first time Leopard Gecko owner or maybe you’ve owned a few and even had one pass away…

It’s not your fault.

You’ve just been misinformed.

See… there’s a lot of TERRIBLE advice out there… some so called ‘experts’ just don’t know what they’re talking about…

Or even worse… God forbid maybe you may have visited a website that could very well be telling you to do things that are harming your Leopard Gecko…

Don’t always trust what you read on the internet!

Luckily — you’ve found this website.

There is a real danger of getting your information from a bad source– you may think you’re doing everything right… (I mean why wouldn’t you… some ‘expert’ told you to do it)…

When in reality — (and excuse me if I offend anyone but it needs to be said)…

You May Be Harming Your Own Leopard Gecko!

Again it’s NOT your fault… and in a moment I’m going to show you exactly how to COMPLETELY UNDO the critical mistakes you and 90% of Leopard Gecko owners make…

But let’s quickly look at an example:

This is a fundamental mistake I see MANY first-time owners make…

Using sand for substrate!

(if you don’t already know what a substrate is—it’s the bedding used on the floor of your enclosure)

If Your Gecko Is Under One Year Old Or Less Than Six Inches Long…

AVOID USING FINE SAND AT ALL COSTS!

This is a huge ‘NO-NO’ when it comes to picking a good substrate for your Leopard Gecko… yet I see it used time and time again…

Honestly it’s a little safer to use sand as a substrate with older Geckos but even then I still don’t recommend it.

And why?

Using Sand As A Substrate Causes 
Ingestion Which Can Become Fatal.

See… Leopard Geckos are not always accurate when they strike their food (especially younger ones!).

Over time — small amounts of ingested sand build up and actually block the intestines and bowels.

It may be ok to start with… but in the long run it will eventually kill your Leopard Gecko and that’s just a fact.

When I saw many Leopard Gecko owners making this mistake as well as DOZENS of other fundamental mistakes that cause premature death… I realised there was a real problem with how owners were caring for their Leopard Geckos.

That’s When I Decided I Had To Do Something About It.

Introducing my brand-new book…

“Secrets To Save Your Leopard Gecko”

I can say with COMPLETE confidence that…

This Book Is The SINGLE Best Resource You Will EVER FIND For Raising, Caring And Increasing The Life-Span Of Your Leopard Gecko…

In fact LeopardGeckoCare.net (the #1 ranked site on Google for Leopard Gecko) is affiliated with our site and recommends it to ANY Leopard Gecko owner.

I will give you ALL of my ‘insider secrets’ that I’ve learnt in over 30 years of caring and breeding Leopard Geckos…

Here’s a personal letter from Patrick Golden… a guy who’s been raising Leopard Geckos for 9 years…

“In this book you’ve tought me EVERYTHING I need to know about how to raise a perfectly healthy gecko and undo the damage you may have done to a Leopard Gecko you currently own…”

Simple fact is…

If you have a Leopard Gecko or are wanting to get one… you absolutely NEED this book.

Here’s The SNEAK-PEEK Of What You’ll Find On The Inside:

90% OF LEOPARD GECKO OWNERS MAKE THESE 7 CRITICAL MISTAKES!

The Leopard Gecko Owner’s CARDINAL SIN…this is the number one cause of Leopard Gecko deaths in captivity… find out what it is inside the book! (HINT: it’s got nothing to do with diet, temperature or how you handle your Gecko but it’s SURROUNDINGS)

A unique “trick” you can use to GUARANTEE your Gecko NEVER loses its tail …(if you know anything about Geckos you know how bad for their health to lose a tail!)

Around HALF of all Leopard Gecko owners have this one item in their Leopard Gecko enclosures… what if I told you that at certain times this one item literally COOKS your gecko and can severely burn or even kill it… FIND OUT IF YOU HAVE THIS ITEM AND GET RID OF IT IF YOU DO… pg. 18

Why you should NEVER listen to pet store clerks. (half of them DO NOT know what they are talking about and just want to make the sale… sadly, they are sometimes the worst people to get advice from)

How To Pick The Perfect Gecko — 20 tell-tale signs that PROVE if the Gecko you pick is perfectly healthy or not.

What Enclosures Leopard Geckos LOVE! – it’s not what you think… PLUS! The single best substrate your Gecko can have (it’s also extremely easy to clean too!)

What the REAL ideal temperature for a Leopard Gecko is (don’t always believe what the Pet Store clerk tells you!) PLUS… the best heater/bulb you can use.

The PERFECT Diet For Leopard Geckos… these foods are not only very tasty for your Gecko but will keep your Gecko extremely healthy and in pristine condition!

The easiest and most comfortable way to pick up your Leopard Gecko… PLUS! How to keep your Gecko healthy through these simple daily exercises… (Leopard Geckos love this!)

If you HEAR your Gecko doing THIS… take it to a Vet IMMEDIATELY… pg. 34

The fastest and easiest way to fully tame a Leopard Gecko in just 14 days! PLUS –a ‘handling’ trick you can use to gain trust and make your Gecko feel comfortable instantly…

As you can see “Secrets To Save Your Leopard Gecko” covers EVERYTHING you will ever need to know about raising and looking after Leopard Geckos…

And you can have peace of mind knowing you are getting the RIGHT information from someone who has been raising and breeding Leopard Geckos for over 30 years…

Like I said before…

This Book Is The SINGLE Best Resource You Will EVER FIND For Raising, Caring And Increasing The Life-Span Of Your Leopard Gecko…

And that’s a fact.

You WILL NOT Find A Better Resource On Leopard Geckos Anywhere…

Here’s why:

It’s Easy To Understand And Use Unlike other guides that are often written with scientific dialogue and very dry to read… my book is written as if I was talking to you in your own home! It’s laid out in a very easy to understand, logical order… in fact most people read it in one sitting!

It WORKS You are getting TOP information from someone who has been personally caring for Leopard Geckos for 30 years… I’m not some person just trying to make a quick buck… I have a genuine passion for Leopard Geckos… you won’t find a more qualified person to teach you what I teach in my book!

It’s 100% Safe Everything in my book has been tested and used extensively to ensure it is COMPLETELY safe for your Leopard Gecko… unlike other guides or so called ‘experts’ that may give you information or ‘theories’ I give you REAL advice that I have been using for DECADES… You don’t need to worry about your Leopard Gecko being harmed by trying out what’s in my book!

Again, you really will not find a better resource to help you care for your Leopard Gecko… but don’t believe me…

Here are what others say about my book:

“You Went Into Minute Details In Your Guide…”

Wow! That’s what I can say Chris.

Your Save Your Leopard Gecko guide is really an eye opener for me. All this while I thought taking care of my leopard gecko is just like taking of another pet.

Boy I was so wrong!

You went into very minute details in your guide about how to take care of my gecko that I suddenly realized there are so much more I need to know!

Thanks, Chris!

James Fox Michigan, USA

“You’ve Covered Everything A Gecko Owner Needs to Know..”

You’ve covered everything a gecko owner needs to know; from gecko selection, housing, feeding, breeding/raising geckos and the problems and diseases that an owner may encounter.

If you only read one book on leopard geckos, this would be your best overall choice. 

Andrew Lee San Diego, USA

“Really An Eye Opener For Me…”

Wow! That’s what I can say Chris.

Your Save Your Leopard Gecko guide is really an eye opener for me. All this while I thought taking care of my leopard gecko is just like taking of another pet.

You went into very minute details in your guide about how to take care of my gecko that I suddenly realized there are so much more I need to know!

My hats off to you Chris for this great guide!

Tommy Lynch Leeds, England

“Clear Practical Guidelines…”

Your guide has served me very well with clear practical guidelines from setting up a gecko-friendly environment to providing a good day to day care and identifying and dealing with health problems.

The book also provides interesting background information about geckos. The content is well-written and nicely structured to cater for gecko owners, both beginners and experienced ones.

You definitely have a great book here Chris!

Amrit Ali Washington, USA

“I Won’t Even Think Twice to Recommend Your Guide to Them…”

If any gecko owner asked me to recommend a guide to them, I would tell them to get your Save Your Leopard Gecko guide.

I won’t even think twice to recommend your guide to them.

It’s just about the best gecko guide available out there!

Pedro Monzales Arizona, USA

“This Book Is Definitely A Must Have!”

This is really a great book for anyone who owns leopard geckos!

There are a lot of information into one little book and it covers what you would need to know to take care of your gecko.

If you have, or are planning to get gecko, then this book is definitely a must have!

Matthew Cook North Carolina, USA

How Much Would You Pay For A Leopard Gecko Expert To Teach You All Of The Little-Known Secrets He’s Learnt In 30 Years Of Experience With Leopard Geckos?

This book is like having me in your own living room telling you everything I’ve ever learnt about Leopard Geckos!

Think about how much it costs for just ONE visit to the Vet…

$69?

$200? (not even half of that!)

My book will ensure your Gecko will almost NEVER have to visit a Vet!

The fact is… you’re NOT going to find the information I share with you on the internet… because it’s coming from a highly specialised source…

You need to realise that this is highly valuable information that if learnt in classes would cost you as much as $500+ to learn in classes…

But I’m not going to charge you THAT much…

Thanks to the internet, I am able to give you a HUGE DISCOUNT…

Because I am able to send you my book DIGITALLY (which means you’ll receive a digital copy of my book, which you can read from your computer instantly) you save massively on shipping and production costs!

Today You’ll Pay Just $39 For ‘Secrets To Save Your Leopard Gecko’

WAIT!

3-DAYS LIMITED TIME OFFER 50% OFF!

I’m doing a marketing test at the moment…

I am going to let you have my book (as well as 5 separate bonuses, more on this in a sec!) for just $19!

But it isn’t going to be at $19 for too long… 3 days later, I’m going to increase the price to $39 again… Sooner or later, next price I’m going to test will be $69, then $99 and so on, just to cover my advertising costs (I’m sorry for this)…

Whichever one is more effective for recouping my advertising costs is the one I will keep… but I just want to let you know that this is the LOWEST price point I will be testing…

So if you’d like to take advantage of the super-low price of just $19… you need to order now!

Just a friendly heads up 🙂

— Chris

When You Order Today You’ll Receive 5 AMAZING Bonuses!

Just to make this offer even MORE irresistible I’ve decided to create 5 separate bonuses that I know you’ll absolutely LOVE…

BONUS #1 – How to Prevent Your Leopard Gecko From Climbing Out

Ever went back home and realized your leopard gecko is no longer in the enclosure? It must have climbed it’s way out when you were away!

Here, I’ll show you the 5 things you need to do (they’re quite simple actually!) so that your gecko won’t climb out of the enclosure again!

BONUS #2 – How to Find a Missing Leopard Gecko

So your gecko went missing again. How long did you spend to find it the last time it went missing? Probably hours.

This checklist contains a list of common place at home that your gecko will most likely be hiding.

Search through these places in this checklist and 90% of the time you’ll find your gecko!

BONUS #3 – Leopard Gecko Beginner Guide

This compact guide will be very handy if you’re a beginner or first time leopard gecko owner.

You’ll get a checklist of what to lookout for, and buy when you’re at the pet shop. Don’t just follow the pet shop’s advise blindly!

BONUS #4 – Top 50 Leopard Gecko FAQ

Over the past year, I’ve received hundreds of questions about leopard geckos; from gecko selection to housing, feeding and even breeding/raising geckos and beyond.

In this FAQ compilation, you’ll find answers to the majority of the questions you’ll most likely have about your leopard gecko.

BONUS #5 – Leopard Gecko Weekly Routine

Do you have a plan for your gecko? What should you do each day?

This short report provides you with a daily & weekly routine to-do list; from changing the water, checking the temperature, dust preys, remove uneaten food and lots more!

My 100% Money-Back Guarantee!

I’m so confident you’ll be absolutely blown away with the quality of information you receive, both from the book and bonuses…

That I’m willing to offer you a 100% Money-Back Guarantee…

But let’s take it one step further…

MY CHALLENGE TO YOU:

Buy my package… read it… go through all of it… use the information in it to help your Leopard Gecko have a healthy and happy life… for a WHOLE 60 DAYS…

And even then… if you are unhappy with ANY aspect of the product for ANY reason at all…

Simply let me know and I’ll give you an IMMEDIATE refund.

NO QUESTIONS ASKED!

In all the time that I’ve sold this book I’ve had only ONE single refund (probably because the guy just wanted the money)… that’s how much people LOVE this book!

And as a sign of good will I’ll even let you keep the book and ALL of the bonuses free of charge…

Sound Fair?

-Chris 🙂

Would You Like To Give Your Leopard Gecko The Perfect Life?

I have 9 Leopard Geckos…

All who are perfectly healthy… (and one which is nearly 14 years old! UNHEARD OF—in captivity years)

If you want to give your Leopard Gecko the best chance of having a happy, healthy and LONG life…

Then getting the information I have to offer you is the best way to do so…

Remember – over 86% of Leopard Geckos die within their first two years in captivity…

With my book you’ll be able to CHANGE that.

You can either raise your Leopard Gecko the right way… where it can enjoy life, be healthy and live a very long time…

Or… you can raise your Leopard Gecko the WRONG way… in which it will not be happy, it will live an unhealthy life (possibly suffering) and not live past two years… 

It’s your choice.

INVEST IN YOUR LEOPARD GECKO’S WELL-BEING TODAY!

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR DIGITAL DOWNLOAD OF ‘SECRETS TO SAVE YOUR LEOPARD GECKO’ NOW!

Thanks and Good Luck,

Your Trusted Leopard Gecko Adviser http://www.SaveYourLeopardGecko.com

For any inquires regarding these materials, feel free to email me at Contact Us.

P.S – Remember you can get my book plus the 5 bonuses for just $19 if you order today… however the price will raise to $69, then $99 and eventually $129, as I test which price point best recoups my advertising costs… this is the lowest price point I will ever test, so ORDER NOW to avoid paying more later on!

P.P.S – You are back by a 100% money back guarantee… you can get your money back anytime within 60 days… for any reason at all… I’ll even let you keep everything as a way of saying “Thanks For Trying It Out”!

Reserve Your Copy Right Now!

You have nothing to lose; your satisfaction is GUARANTEED.

By visiting our site, you agree to our privacy policy regarding cookies, tracking statistics, etc. Read more

[broadwayrealtalk-blog]

Hit or Miss? ~ 2017 Tony Winners

It’s been a while since the last post...blame Broadway.com for not having any new weekly roundups for a while. I guess you can’t get too mad though, because everybody’s been gearing up for the Tonys. Clearly. That show was fantastic. Now I’m here to give my thoughts on the complete list of Tony winners. Before I get started, let me just say that this is the absolute most inspiring day of the year for me and many other theatre people, and there are few things quite as blissful as curling up on the couch with ice cream and cheering on my favorite shows.

BEST MUSICAL: DEAR EVAN HANSEN. Best show I’ve ever seen in my life (and I’ve seen a lot of damn shows). I can’t imagine this award going to any other musical. Much respect to the wonderful season on Broadway, but DEH has been so life-changing to so many people. HIT.

BEST PLAY: OSLO BY J.T. ROGERS. I haven’t seen Oslo (much to my dismay), but have heard absolutely wonderful things. The only one in this category I’ve seen is Sweat, which I adored, but it’s hard to be upset it didn’t win since I have no frame of comparison. I’m happy for the Oslo company; they’re covering a heavy topic and seem to be doing it gracefully and profoundly. HIT.

BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL: HELLO, DOLLY! This show holds a very special place in my heart and although I’m pissed about the whole Bette-not-performing-on-the-Tonys-stage debacle, I am so thrilled about this win. Y’all know I’m obsessed with Falsettos, and of course sad it didn’t get the honor, but if it had to lose to something I’m quite alright with it being Dolly. HIT.

BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY: AUGUST WILSON’S JITNEY. Didn’t get a chance to see this, but heard wonderful things. Hoping to sneak into the Broadway archives someday and get a peek. HIT.

BEST LEADING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL: BEN PLATT - DEAR EVAN HANSEN. Ben gave the single best performance I have EVER seen by any person on stage or screen. That is not even an exaggeration. I can’t put into words the unbelievable work he has done in this role. Not to mention, he is sort of the first person of our generation of YouTube-watching, obsession-craving fangirls/fanboys to win a Tony Award. It feels like a win for all of us youngsters dreaming of one day standing on that stage. HIT HIT HIT.

BEST LEADING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL: BETTE MIDLER - HELLO, DOLLY! She’s a legend. As mad as I am at her for refusing to perform at Radio City, that woman could sing the phone book and probably deserve a Grammy. Her speech will forever go down in history as the most cringe/hilarious/badass of all time. If you haven’t seen it yet, grab a snack and get comfortable. It took a LOOOOONG time. But again, she’s a legend. HIT.

BEST LEADING ACTOR IN A PLAY: KEVIN KLINE - PRESENT LAUGHTER. If only I had gotten a chance to see this show. Kevin Kline is such a fantastic actor, I have no doubt this Tony was well-deserved. Speech was slightly dry and unemotional, but you can leave that to the shock factor he probably experienced after hearing his name called. HIT.

BEST LEADING ACTRESS IN A PLAY: LAURIE METCALF - A DOLL’S HOUSE, PART 2. The race between her and Laura Linney was quite a debate among the theatre community. Both nominated 4 times with no wins, and tonight it was almost certain one of them would come out victorious. Hard to say without seeing either performance who deserved it, but I do tend to be more of a Linney gal myself. Hard not to be happy for Metcalf, though, who beamed. HIT.

BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL: GAVIN CREEL - HELLO, DOLLY! It’s about damn time this man won a Tony. One of the most talented people on the Great White Way, in my opinion. A voice like silk and one of the most charming personalities, Gavin is the total package of a star. A tear or two may have been shed as I watched his dreams come true. And Gavin, don’t think I didn’t see you #dying as your hero Patti LuPone sang in your face at the end. I see you dude, I see you. HIT.

BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL: RACHEL BAY JONES - DEAR EVAN HANSEN. Stephanie J. Block was unreal in Falsettos and I’ve heard nothing but great things about Jenn Colella, but as soon as “So Big/So Small” was sung by Rachel in the second act of DEH when I saw it, I knew this award was inevitable. Couldn’t be happier for this well-deserved and long overdue win. HIT.

BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY: MICHAEL ARONOV - OSLO. First plot twist of the night when Danny DeVito didn’t win. I know nothing about Michael’s performance, but as I said, I’ve heard great things about Oslo. So... hit I guess? HIT.

BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY: CYNTHIA NIXON - LILLIAN HELLMAN’S THE LITTLE FOXES. Yeah. HIT.

BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL: CHRISTOPHER ASHLEY - COME FROM AWAY. Well wow, that was a shocker. That was probably my third guess! I hate to be judgmental since I haven’t even seen CFA, but the fact that Great Comet didn’t win is a travesty. That show may not have blown me away content-wise, but it was brilliantly directed. BRILLIANTLY. Sorry about it. MISS.

BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY: REBECCA TAICHMAN - INDECENT. Haven’t seen it. Heard it’s fantastic. HIT.

BEST SCORE: BENJ PASEK AND JUSTIN PAUL - DEAR EVAN HANSEN. Um, yes. Fastest EGOT ever on its way? Let’s hope. HIT.

BEST BOOK: STEVEN LEVENSON - DEAR EVAN HANSEN. Brilliantly crafted story. Heartbreaking. Gorgeous. Steven is a visionary. HIT.

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY: ANDY BLANKENBUEHLER - BANDSTAND. I’m happy this show got something. It wasn’t the greatest show, but has a lot of heart behind it and some wonderful talents. The choreography is stunning as are Corey and Laura’s under-appreciated performances. HIT.

BEST SCENIC DESIGN: MIMI LIEN - NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812. Yeah, that’s right. HIT.

BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY: NIGEL HOOK - THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG. Literally no idea if this was deserved or not, I have seen nothing of the set. ???

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL: SANTO LOQUASTO - HELLO, DOLLY! Sounds about right. Special s/o to Great Comet, also gorgeously costumed. HIT.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY: JANE GREENWOOD - LILLIAN HELLMAN’S THE LITTLE FOXES. No idea, once again. ???

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL: BRADLEY KING - NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812. Beautiful work was done, so I approve. Had Sunday in the Park been eligible, however, this may have gone a different way. Alas, it was not. HIT.

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY: CHRISTOPHER AKERLIND - INDECENT. Wow, I feel like I should’ve seen more theatre. Really feel bad that I’m so clueless about some of these plays. ???

BEST ORCHESTRATIONS: ALEX LACAMOIRE - DEAR EVAN HANSEN. Another upset as Dolly was the favorite to win, but Lackety Lac has been on quite the lucky streak the past couple years with Broadway’s two biggest hits, so it’s no surprise he won his second Tony in a row. No denying he’s a genius. HIT.

I have to say this was a pretty fantastic year for the Tony Awards. So many brilliant shows and stunning performances. The happiest day of the theatre year did not disappoint. Thank you to the American Theater Wing for making so many dreams come true each June, and inspiring the new generation of theatre actors with each ceremony.

“Feels like we could go on for forever this way -- two friends on a perfect day.” -Dear Evan Hansen,”For Forever” 

[tirsaroundtheworld]

Sri Lanka

Wow, so much happened during the past three weeks in Sri Lanka! Not only in terms of all the beautiful sights, great adventures and lovely connections that we experienced, but also in terms of events and emotions. Here's what all happened: # Our lovely friends that we met in the gers of Mongolia were awaiting us in Negombo for a few more nice days together before their trip would end. It was great to see them again and to share experiences, laugh about our adventures, indulge in the delicious food and just to spend some more time together! It is great to have met such nice people, looking forward to the moment we will meet again! # Then it was time for another reunion: with papa and mama! 😍 It was so good to see them again, even at that crazy early time in the morning! We took some time to catch up on updates and sleep before we left Negombo for a week of crashing Sri Lanka's main sights - starting with the local train towards the South. In the 7 days we had together we visited 7 different places, experiencing the Dutch influence on Galle, the tropical weather and crazy waves in Mirissa, the inland beauty of ricefields, farmlands and local life by scooter around Matara, the 'wild' elephants, birds and reptiles on safari through Uda Walawe, the amazing view at Horton Plain's World's End, the new year's festival at Nuwara Eliya, the most sacred Buddhist places impressive botanical gardens of Kandy and the absolutely impressive ancient city on top of Sigiriya's Lion Rock. We even visited the local hospital in Negombo, when I was stung by a stingray during our last swim in the ocean (note to all readers: try to avoid stingrays, their sting is really NOT funny⚡️💥). The absolute highlight was our visit to a local turtle hatchery close to Galle, where the family that runs the place first explained us about the different turtles, their injuries and treatment methods and then got us to release two little, mega cute baby turtles into the great wide ocean to find their freedom! 🐢 It was wonderful! And all along the way we met the most amazing, smiling and loving people, truly making this week's trip an unforgettable one! Thanks to the bestest parents! 💖 # Luckily we had two more weeks of Sri Lanka left to recover from our intense schedule. Our first stop for intending to take it slow was Kalpitiya, where we stayed in a perfect bungalow with amazing carpentry and outside shower, run by a cool Spanish guy. We chose to come here because it is famous for its kitesurfing, but as our kitesurfing luck continued; there wasn't really a lot of wind. Though having fun, after two days on the water Lodewijk had seen enough and we moved on. 😂 # Our journey continued to Anuradhapura, but at our transfer half way we were stranded as we literally could not fit in the crowded local bus. We decided to add yet another form of local transportation to our list that already included the slow, all-doors-are-always-open trains, the either immensely slow or death-wish crazy local buses, the pimped motorbikes, the private vans and the personal drivers: the tuk tuk. Somewhat surprisingly, this form of traveling turned out to be the fastest and most comfortable.👌 # From Anuradhapura, where we visited the oldest tree in the country but which we did not really like so much in terms of vibe and architecture (our dislike may be encouraged by our shitty shitty hostel), we continued our trip to Polonnaruwa, which we liked a lot more. Per bike we explored its wonderful ancient city that impressed us with its many detailed ruins and large structures. We took the bikes for a spin around the town and its country land around as well, which was so very beautiful and peaceful. We cycled along a small river feeling like royals, every 10 meters waving at a family or group of kids bathing and having fun, waving and enthusiastically screaming "hello!" at us. Such a good day! # Our next stop was Ella, where we spent a good 3 days exploring its surroundings. Ella, which itself really is just a small, touristy main street with Western cafes and bars, is located in the middle of lushy, green mountains filled with tea plantations and terraced farmlands. We climbed Ella Rock and the well-known Little Adam's Peak, where we got caught in a mega tropical rainstorm and got soaked to the bone. Had to happen at least once after spending so much time in the tropics right?! 😂 Our favourite sight of Ella was Lipton's Seat, a high peak located at about 25 km from the center with the most beautiful road to get there. The view from the top was unfortunately completely blocked with clouds, but the road snaking all the way up the hill through countless tea bushes, friendly workers and amazing views was eye popping enough! # We looove Sri Lankan food, and the perfect place to learn some trade secrets happened to be in Ella. This place, called Matey Hut, really nothing more than a perfect and nicely located hut, is run by the most enthusiastic and happy family who seem to just be doing it for fun judging by their attitude and prices. Together with one other very nice guy from Singapore, we joined the wife in their nice outdoor kitchen a bit further up the hill where we learnt how to prepare 6, yes 6, different curries and coconut sambal - all vegetarian. And afterwards we tasted. All of it. 👌Sooooo good! We went back the next day to also try the husband's version of the traditional Kottu, a dish with sliced roti and vegetables as main ingredients, and it was just as good. Omnomnom. At the end of the wonderful weeks we came back to Negombo again, this time to say goodbye to Sri Lanka ourselves. And to each other, as our ways split here. Still very very much in love, not to worry about that, we both want something else for now. Lodewijk went on his way to his favourite place in all the world: home. And I remained to really really miss my favourite travelbuddy and partner in everything really... But with so many amazing plans ahead of me and his possible return in a few months in perspective, I am ready to continue this already life-changing trip on my own. 💪 Wish me luck, next up: Kuala Lumpur! 🇲🇾

[aeyolia]

Chapter 5 - Anya

After finishing lunch with Jess and Xander, Anya’s day flew by pretty quickly. Finally, she was on her way to the swimming pool.  Swimming was the one thing she had always just been naturally good at. Back home she was ranked number one in the state. She was a shoe in to go to regionals, before the move that was.

She was hoping to get onto another team here, even if it was a little late, since the season hadn't technically started yet. After giving a stellar recommendation letter to school, as well as plenty of begging, she was allowed a late tryout. She walked out of the locker room into the pool, the oddly calming smell of chlorine washing over her. She was in her element now.

“Hey Sterling!” she looked up to see Landon, sitting in the stands.

“Hey! What are you doing here?” she asked walking up to him.

“I came to cheer you on of course! That and my sister is running the tryouts so I wanted to make sure you'd be okay.... she can be a bit....”

“Bitchy.” a feminine voice answered from behind her. Anya turned facing the new addition to the conversation. It was clear the two were related. Wisps of bright red hair peeked out from the girl's swim cap and her eyes were the same shade of emerald green. But unlike Landon’s, which were genuine and warm when he smiled, her eyes held a glint of mischief and mystery. “You must be the girl he was going on about earlier. I'm Kaitlyn. And by the way, Lanny is a taken man. ”

Anya fumbled over her words, taken aback by the girl’s…. abrasiveness.

“Kaitlyn, I already told you it's not like that.” Landon sighed.

“Whatever. I just had to let it be known. My twin has a thing for charity cases.” Kaitlyn shrugged. “Anyway, let's see what you got new girl.” Kaitlyn snapped her fingers and walked over to the pool's edge. “It's already pretty late to do sign ups, so simple. Beat me in a race and you're in.”

“Kaitlyn that's not..”

“Not what, Lanny? Fair? You’re right. But neither is getting to try out right before the season starts. She wants in on the team, she has to show she’s ready.”

“Fine.” Anya clenched her fist, determined not to let Kaitlyn get under her skin. The rest of the team took a seat on the bleachers, the excitement radiating off them.

Is she really going to go head to head with Kaitlyn?

I heard her say she was a good swimmer at her old school.

So? Kait is our fastest swimmer. She's gonna destroy her.

Anya closed her eyes, blocking out the whispers. She could do this.

“On my whistle” The coach spoke. “1...2...”

The shrill sound of the whistle echoed and Anya dove into the pool, the water enveloping her body. She cut through the water with each stroke but was still seconds behind Kaitlyn. Seconds that were valuable.

“MOVE IT ANYA!!” she heard Landon cheer from the stands. They both turned as they reached one end of the pool. One more lap to go. She pushed herself harder, feeling the water as it moved around her. She began to catch up to Kaitlyn.

‘Come on Anya.’ Her inner self pushed. She and Kaitlyn were neck and neck. ‘...there...just a little bit...faster.’

Everything around her took on a blue tint. The water between her hands felt different but whatever it was it gave her the edge she needed. She shot past Kaitlyn with the last of her strength, hand smacking against the concrete.

“YEAH!” Landon cheered from the stands. Some clapping came from the doors and there stood Jess, Erik, and Xander cheering for her as well. Well, Jess and Erik were cheering. Xander clapped at a steady pace. But the gesture made her smile.

She looked down in the water and for a moment her hands looked like they were webbed. She lifted them out, only to see they were normal. It was only her imagination,again. Kaitlyn lifted herself out the pool and made her way to the rest of the team. They spoke quietly for a moment before she turned, pulling her cap off. Long locks of fire red hair cascaded around her porcelain face.

“I give credit where credit is due. You’re fast, so you're on the team.” she sighed and stalked off into the locker room. The rest of the team came over congratulating Anya as she climbed out the pool. Jess and the boys pushed through them to get to her. Erik wrapped a towel around her shoulders. Anya turned to search for Landon but he was nowhere to be seen. She looked down at her hands, thinking back to that feeling when she was swimming. Was she really imagining all these things?

“You did really great out there.” Erik smiled at her. Anya went to thank him but was cut short by Jess bear hugging her.

“You totally rocked that water girl!” the petite blonde exclaimed. “You were lagging and then it was like a torpedo!”

“Thanks, but what are you guys doing here?” she smiled, hugging Jess back.

“Tatertot made us come. But honestly it was worth it to see Kaitlyn demolished like that.” Xander chuckled.

“I told you! It’s not everyday someone makes that girl eat her words. We should celebrate!” Jess offered.

“I’ll have to pass. If I'm late to practice MY coach will kill me. But you did a great job Anya, seriously.” Erik said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She blushed, biting on the inside of her lip to stop from smiling. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow!”

The coach blew a whistle, beckoning her over.

“Yeah, looks like I've got to go too. Raincheck on that celebrating. Thanks for coming guys!” Anya waved her new friends off. The coach sat her down and began going over schedules and requirements to stay on the team, but she was only half listening. She was too focused on the emerald green daggers, staring her down from Kaitlyn.

 After practice Anya dragged herself across campus. She had never been so exhausted after just one race. 'I really must have let myself go in the off-season' she thought to herself. She stood on the curb of the road, phone in hand as she considered asking her mom to come get her. It was only a few blocks, but with the way her muscles ached it might as well have been miles. A black Range Rover pulled up in front of her and she instinctively took a step back. The window rolled down revealing a grinning Landon. She let out a sigh of relief.

“There’s little Miss Phelps.” He smiled. “Need a ride?”

“Actually, yeah. That be great.” Landon got out, throwing her duffle bag into the trunk while she slid in to the passenger seat. “You're a life saver. My body feels like jelly.”

“I bet. That was some race you had back there. Kaitlyn was not happy.” He said pulling off down the road.

“Is she ever?” Anya teased looking over at him. Landon laughed in return.

“I know she comes off rough. But my sister and I…. we’ve been through a lot. She doesn’t like letting anyone in. But she has a good heart I swear. Unfortunately, it’s just deep, deep down. She really only lets me in. Well me and Alyce.”

“Is Alyce that girlfriend she was referring to?”

“That she is...” he trailed off. Anya cupped her chin and fluttered her eyes at him. “What are you doing?” he laughed.

“Details! Does she go to school with us? What’s she look like? OH! Do you have pictures?” Anya egged on.

“Okay, just stop doing that thing with your eyes. You look like you’re about to seize.” He shook his head. “Well you know her name’s Alyce and no she doesn’t. She’s...hours away from here.”

“Oh, so you’re long distance?”

“Yeah…” he sighed.

“How long have you two been dating?”

“A few years now.”

“Wow Really? You must really love her then.”

“Yeah she’s great. Really great.” He said softly. He was silent for a few moments and then cleared his throat” Hey, aren’t you supposed to be giving me directions? We've sort of just been driving without a destination.” Landon changed the subject. Anya took the hint and dropped it. For now, anyway.

“Turn right here. Go down until the corner of Fremont. Then stop at that yellow house.”

The rest of the ride was silent aside of the crooning of Michael Buble on the radio. But it wasn't awkward.  If anything, it was comforting.

“You weren't kidding when you said it wasn't far.” Landon spoke as they pulled into the drive way. Her mom still wasn’t home yet, nothing unusual.

“Thanks for the ride Landon. I owe you.” She smiled.

“Don’t mention it Anya. It was literally a five-minute drive.” He said, walking around and grabbing her things out the trunk. He nodded for her to make her way to the door as he carried her things. “Plus...I don’t live far.”

“Still it was nice of you considering you just met me.”

“Yeah well, I have a really good feeling about us. Being friends, I mean.”

“Yeah? Me too.” She smiled, taking her things from him.

“I can pick you up on my way tomorrow? We both don't have class until 11.” He offered her.

“Yeah sounds great. Thanks! ”

She gave one last wave to Landon before stepping inside and closing the door. She listened to his truck drive off and made her way up the stairs to her room. She let her bags fall onto the ground with a loud thump. Stanley lifted his head in the enclosure, watching her.

“Hey Stan. Did you miss me?” she asked taking him out and letting him slither across her shoulders. “You would not believe how great of a day I had...”

[lupinandre665-blog]

Why You should be a role model of your child ?

It was a beautiful day and I was riding my bike with my 7-year-old. We were both having fun. No one was whining.

The next moment, Kaarina's bike smashed into the back bumper of a parked car and she fell onto the pavement with a thud. I flung my bike down and ran to her. Miraculously, she had barely scraped her knee. The parked car, however, was another story. The front tire of the bike had pulled off a large swath of paint. Wasn't this just my luck? In the past few months, our water heater had conked out. So had the dishwasher. The ice maker in the fridge no longer worked either. I'd been driving around in a car with lots of scratches and dents of its own. Now I was going to pay to have someone else's back bumper painted? Really? I sighed. This was just great.

I glanced up and down the block. "We could just ... leave," I thought. I looked at the car again. Really, it wasn't a huge scratch. The longer I looked at it, the smaller it seemed.

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"Let's just go," my daughter begged.

That's when I realized that we absolutely could not leave. We'd have to find the owner of this car and fess up. Thankfully, I did the right thing that day, but I'm embarrassed to admit that there have been other times when I didn't. I teach my daughter to be honest, yet I hear myself lying. I discipline her when she lashes out in anger, but I sometimes lose my own temper in the process. This concerns me, and for good reason. "Your children are watching every single thing you do, and they're absorbing it," says Susan Newman, Ph.D., a social psychologist in the New York City area. Want a kid who eats her vegetables? Eat your own. Expect her to be polite? Always say please and thank you. Modeling is the fastest and easiest way for a parent to teach good behavior--or bad. These are five critical areas where many of us fail to walk our own talk, and advice for how to set a better example.

Tell the Truth

Nearly three-quarters of parents say they teach their children that "lying is unacceptable," but almost all admit to lying to their own children at one time or another, according to one study by researchers at the University of Toronto and University of California, San Diego. Parents lie for various reasons, ranging from a desire for compliance ("If you don't wear your seat belt, I'll press a special button that ejects you from the car!") to a desire to please ("That's the best drawing I've ever seen!"). Although some lies might make our lives easier in the moment, they often backfire in the long run.

Lies also rob us of important teaching opportunities. For instance, instead of saying, "I don't have any money" when there is, in fact, money in your wallet, you could offer a lesson on money management by saying, "There are many things I don't buy for myself. If I buy whatever you want, we won't be able to go on fun vacations." Similarly, by praising kids when they don't deserve it, we lose the chance to help them deal with being average.

One common lie that experts say is the exception to the rule is the one we tell about Santa and the Tooth Fairy. This type of folklore can enrich a child's imagination, as long as you're honest when she truly starts to doubt and asks, "Is there really a Santa Claus?"

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• What's your parenting style? Take our quiz to find out. Put on Your Listening Ears How often have you complained, "My kids don't listen?" I know I have. Yet many of us don't really listen to our kids. Pay attention to how often you say things like, "Not now" or "Let's talk about that later." Also notice when your kids are talking but your mind is somewhere else. They can tell. "Listen when your child is telling you something," says Dr. Newman. "That way, when you talk he'll listen to you."

It makes sense, but it's not necessarily easy to put into practice. Our deafness often stems from fatigue, trying to do too much, and distraction, says Dr. Newman. I've noticed that I tune my daughter out when I'm driving and when I'm on the computer. In the car, I've now started to drive without listening to the radio so I can focus on what she's saying. At home, I try to stay off Facebook during family time because I'm painfully aware that my mind can't be in both places. It's especially important to make listening a priority when your child is upset. Kids often talk slowly, so you may be tempted to guess what they're trying to say and to jump in with advice. Instead, give your child a chance to finish and then ask questions such as, "What do you think about___?" or "What is another way you think you could have___?" Positive, or authoritative, parents value mutual respect and being a good listener.

Follow the Rules

Have you ever dropped your kids off for school in the area designated for buses only? Or have you used your cell phone while driving, despite the fact that it's now illegal where you live? Or how about this one: Have you ever seen a list of beach rules--no drinking, no dogs, no kites--only to realize that you and your family were breaking several? Such infractions may seem harmless at the time, but you're teaching your child that it's okay to break the rules and even the law, especially if no one is looking, says Christine Carter, Ph.D., a sociologist at UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center and author of Raising Happiness. Is that a message you want to send? It's not one I want to send. Yet, it wasn't until after I began writing this article that I realized how many rules I was breaking. For example, whenever we eat at a certain restaurant, I park in a space reserved for customers at a nearby bank.

In a word, "Oops."

Not only does following the rules help you raise a future law-abiding citizen, it can also help you enforce rules at home. "Kids are more likely to go along with a rule when they see it's something that affects everyone," says Patti Cancellier, education director for the Parent Encouragement Program in Kensington, Maryland.

For instance, for years I've told my daughter, "What isn't cleaned up within the next hour will go into toy time-out." Yet none of my stuff, or my husband's, ever ended up in time-out. On Cancellier's advice, I've now extended the rule to the entire family. Now my daughter actually enjoys cleanup time because, occasionally, my shoes or my husband's bike helmet end up in time-out too.

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Use Your Indoor Voice

I don't know about you, but I've caught myself screaming the following: "Stop screaming this instant!" It's humbling when my daughter says, "But you're yelling too!"

Anger is contagious and few parents are immune. To model the calm, rational qualities you want to instill in your child in the midst of angry chaos, Cancellier suggests that you first try "square breathing," which shifts you from using the emotional part of your brain back into rational-thinking mode. Inhale for a count of two, hold for a count of two, exhale for a count of two, pause for a count of two, and then repeat as many times as needed.

It's also important to get enough rest. A lack of sleep is to anger as a lack of hand-washing is to the common cold. Stress and hunger can also breed grumpiness. Of course, sleeping more and simplifying your life is easier said than done. So when you do find yourself tired and stressed, use it as a teaching moment with your child. You might say, "Wow, I went to bed an hour after my usual bedtime last night and now look how grouchy I am."

When a situation is about to spiral out of control, you can sometimes quarantine yourself. Just say, "I'm feeling angry right now and I don't want to say something hurtful, so I'm putting myself in time-out until I can calm down." That's not an option when you're out in public and frustrated with your child's behavior. If he's small, just pick up his screaming, writhing body and walk away from the crowd.

Say You're Sorry

Jason Anthony, of Pittsburgh, was one-upping his brother in a jovial game of wits. Eventually, they began yelling. "It wasn't until I saw my son watching us that I realized I was behaving in a way that completely contradicted what I'd been trying to teach him," says Anthony. The brothers apologized to each other and also to 7-year-old Riley. Anthony told his son, "It's okay to get upset. It's what you do about it afterward that counts."

Although it's tempting to hide our mistakes or to blame others for them, neither strategy teaches our kids how to recover from a blunder, says Parents advisor Michele Borba, Ed.D., author of The Big Book of Parenting Solutions. That's why she suggests encouraging them to point out your mistakes in a respectful way. You might explain that you're working on your listening or anger-management skills and then say, "I'd like you to help me work on this." My own family makes a game out of it: I tell my daughter to charge me or her grandma a quarter whenever either one of us curses. "Kids love it when we can acknowledge that they're right and we're wrong," says Dr. Borba. Being a super role model is easier than it seems. If you own your mistakes, you can turn any slip-up into a teaching moment. To prevent slipups, make a mental habit of asking yourself, "What am I about to teach my child?"

It was that question that gave me the courage I needed on the day of the bike accident to search for the owner of that parked car. I knocked on the door of the nearest house. A man answered, and I explained the situation.

"Is your daughter okay?" he asked.

"Yes, but your car isn't," I said. "I'm so sorry. Can I give you my phone number so we can arrange for me to pay for the repair?" "As long as your daughter is all right, that's all that matters," he said. As I got back on my bike, I felt happy--both because the man had let me off the hook and because I'd found the courage to do the right thing.