#you eventually may find yourself going I'm not a man maybe!! Out of safety and hopefulness that doing so might make people be kind to you

[muu-kun]

Speaking of fashion, I will eventually have the appropriate amount of time to dedicate myself to a proper attire headcanon post. For now, I only have examples for silhouettes pertaining to dresses gathered. Which at this point can ultimately be narrowed down in explanation as Muu holding preference for a bodice that does not require even just a modest breast size.

Although he does wear bralettes (which is not out of gender dysphoria or euphoria on any account actually. Instead, it is more so like a running joke with himself at this point due to the fact he's actually had an infatuation with wearing them since he was a sixteen year old boy that found a bra lying in the street) he doesn't do so with the intent of applying padding to them-- especially when considering the fact he has some minor gynaecomastia due to stubbornly persistent baby fat going on. He can deal with those, but he definitely doesn't want to even so much as imply he has "real breasts."

He also isn't one to gravitate towards those built around the necessity for breasts due to the fact that he does not wish for the attire adorning his body to appear as though something (or somethings) is missing. Which is also the given reason why even in his decision to wear what is considered women's underwear underneath the dresses similar to above, he does not engage in the act of tucking. Yes, that does come within treacherous territory per the fact that he is then advertising himself as a flamboyantly youthful individual with an occasionally visible (and not incredibly well endowed, mind you) genitalia outline in his attire. That's not even to mention the detectability of his disabilities on establishing conversation with him.

Beyond that, he's not too partial to much else. Length and material is otherwise irrelevant as long as he can freely move within it to accommodate an in-between active and sedentary lifestyle. He would also best appreciate those that are not overwhelming to the senses in one manner or another-- this includes itchiness, heaviness, lack of breathability, and so on. Textures usually aren't too worrisome to him, however, as he has been raiding the closet of his female friends (such as Hannah of @kannojo predominantly) for years, so by now he knows what he does and doesn't like with enough ease that even unexpectedly finding something is unappealing to him van be easily remedied without any fit.

The bottom line with all of this is while Muu strictly wears what is primarily marketed as women's clothing, he does not do so out of the desire to be a woman. In fact, he's asked that question within himself many times only to come up with the same conclusion each time: He is simply an aged up boy caught up in having to navigate too many things at once, therefore eccentricities intended to lighten his load have transpired. Being that 99% of abusers have been men throughout the years, and women his sanctuary from them, it became sensible at some point for him to cease one struggle for favor of mirroring his safety while he sources through another. Muu has no idea even how to be a person yet, let alone a gendered one.

That is also not to say he wishes to abolish entirely in favor of utilizing they/them pronouns. In fact, it still remains quite the opposite. At this time in his life, he's not looking to be othered more than he always has acquired for himself. Being gridlocked into a perpetual state of regression in his present has been isolating enough as is that he doesn't wish for more beyond that. It also has intriguingly been almost beneficial in keeping some of his identity centered, though, as being so interwoven with his inner teen provides connection with the perspective of character held back then.

When he was sixteen, he was very self assured in nearly all aspects in life until led to second guessing the bulk of them. Of those is one of which where he was well adamant that he was a boy with a preference for he/him pronouns to demonstrate that. And while he's been able to find appreciation for femininity that he'd have otherwise mocked in his youth, that is as far as it goes for the time being. Working beyond the semantics of that just isn't on the table at this time in his life.

Where he might go with it during Pride Month is still up to him, but, really, his focus is far more centered on fulfilling and answering other aspects of his person at this time. Generalized comfort and safety are of the utmost importance to his emotionally led manner of living. Once that is established, whether or not he opts for reintroducing what is considered men's attire back into his wardrobe is completely up in the air.

[kaerumi]

Hello dear, I was wondering if you can do some yandere for the very infamous OP men shanks, mihawk,ace,and sabo with normal y/n who's younger than them in separate senariors..

Y/N traits : innocent, sweetheart, warm personality, enchanted beauty with extremely cutie pie face and amazing warm and calm voice that melts the snow from its sweetness it's make anyone feel at ease only by hearing it , it's one of the most reasons why those men had gone insane over her ,why they want to possess her at any cost .

TY and have a good day ☺️.

TW/CW: Yandere, Age gap is up to 3 years, obsession, implied murder, implied poisoning, mention of murder & arson, manipulation (for Sabo)

Notes: I'll be honest I have no clue how to do an innocent reader. And it's gonna be GN Sorry I don't particularly do Female readers Also sorry for not writing in so long :^

Shanks

Shanks was a popular Model, he can flirt with anyone without hesitation.

Then there was you, you weren't popular at all. When he saw you he felt the urge to just... Take you.

He felt jealous of the guys around you that soaked in your attention, in your voice and innocence and especially your beauty.

He just needed it. Needed you.

Eventually he started obsessing over you trying to find every photo there was of you, eventually it got worse

Just hope for both your innocence and sanity you don't meet him.

Until you did.

And suddenly you started to notice people around you get killed, you somehow trusted the red bloody haired man with your safety.

"You'll be fine I'm here after all! All you need is me sweetheart."

After all what did you know?

You're innocent after all

And that's what made Shanks' job of getting you to be his more easier.

Mihawk

Mihawk was a famous swordsman and you were always interested in swords so naturally you took interest in Mihawk.

Unfortunately he took a interest in you as well.

You ended always staying behind the classes because of how much trouble you had with sword, you'd have small conversations with Mihawk.

Slowly Mihawk started to know everything about you and wrote of it down in a notebook that was always locked in a case.

When someone annoyed you too much or confessed to you they suddenly would fall ill and be unable to attend.

Due to Mihawk naturally being cold people didn't notice anything different about him and you didn't know better.

Though you slowly started to blame yourself because people around you would get ill and naturally they ended up dying to the illness.

"My dear... It's not your fault, they naturally fell ill. It is not your fault and anyone who is saying such things is a horrible person who is just jealous. It is unfortunate they fell ill yes but there was nothing you could do. My dear..."

You never knew why they fell ill, and you may never know.

Maybe it's better if you never did anyways.

Ace

Ace was Ace, he's a popular play boy in the town but all he did was flirt and play with hearts.

That was before you came along.

He knew he needed you once first meeting your eyes.

You were most certainly more cuter than anyone else's hearts he's played with.

He wasn't gonna break your heart, no. He could never, he was gonna make sure he was the only one in your heart not matter what he had to do.

He would do whatever you wanted to do or needed.

He'd gladly kill with no hesitation.

Want him to stab that guy who catcalled you? Done.

Want him to burn down a place that has bad memories? Done before you could mention it.

No one went near Ace when the missing people news started getting known, knowing how cold he got when it came to that, they tried to warn you how cold he could be.

You always laugh it off and hang out with him anyways.

He'd act like nothing was happening.

Why read the news when you already know it before anyone else?

You wake up from your nap when you started hearing the news "Mmmh?" Ace turns off the Tv "Don't worry about it my love just go back to sleep."

Sabo

Sabo was the second in command of a powerful business.

Once you joined everything changed.

However unlike the other three Sabo wouldn't kill, no. Sabo wouldn't want his hand or gloves dirty and blood stains too.

Sabo would figure out your favorite things to do and food and everything and give it all to you.

He'd spoil you with everything you'd ever wanted.

He'd help you with a lot of things

He sublely manipulates you into being dependent on him and him alone.

No one would dare go near you if they cared for their job or reputation.

No one went near Sabo either, Sabo didn't mind this, it just meant he could give all his attention to you.

He tested it once day by hiding on purpose.

When you realized Sabo wasn't there you got really nervous and got a bit upset, until Sabo popped

 up and helped you again which you immediately calmed down when he did.

Sabo smiled at you, he was glad that his plan was working and working well.

"Please don't leave me alone..." "I promise I won't ever again my angel..." "Thank you Sabo." "Anything for you. My sweet Angel."

[passable-talent]

OMG is it too much to ask for a continuation of the last person's ask request ? Like I loved it so much but was heartbroken at the angst ending. Could you like do where the reader has to adjust to him being there and they work through there feelings them eventually falling hard for zuko as they did for Lee and Zuko tries his best to make things right them and whether or not it works is up to you I'm down for a surprise will they/won't they?

I’m going to... scream

someone, you my friend, loved my fic SO MUCH you want a continuation??????

I owe u my life thank you so much 💕💕💕💕

side bar I watched The Western Air Temple to get the true 👌🏻👌🏻 canon compliance of this ask and I am like, not okay. i would give my life for Zuko and the episode is SUCH a rollercoaster and a masterpiece of the group’s collective opinions of Zuko, I could go off but I’m not gonna. mostly? 18 y/o me cannot handle the resurgence of 6 y/o me that just crushes on Zuko like crazy

this is gonna be another long one because I actually really like this storyline? also ya boi is a sucker for angst

continuation of this post

You’d stalked back into the temple, finding an empty room to sulk in, anger and sadness and betrayal and all sorts of upset wrestling in your heart. You thumped your back against the wall, scowling, and reached up to wipe a tear you weren’t aware had fallen, forcefully, as though you were angry at it.

Maybe you were.

Zuko had betrayed you. He had been given the choice, and he chose poorly. He had no excuse for that. You could’ve even understood if he’d regretted it immediately, but he hadn’t! He had stayed in the fire nation for months!

What had changed? What had rocked his life so deeply that he’d come to the avatar? Was he being honest, or was it a trap? You wouldn’t put a trap past him, not after all of his past treachery.

Though you didn’t want to see him, you did want to know what was going on, in case there was a fight and you needed to intervene. It was as good a time as ever, you decided, to practice seismic senses. You weren’t quite good at it yet, and not nearly as good as Toph, but you’d been learning.

Pushing off of the wall with a motion still angry, you took a step forward and kneeled, settling both knees onto the floor. Already you closed your eyes, regulating your breathing as though deep in meditation.

The touch of your fingertips to the stone floor was light, at first, feathery, but slowly you moved your hands forward and laid the palm down. You stilled, your body not moving even a bit, and slowly a scene began to take form. It wasn’t a picture, and you couldn’t see it exactly, it was like the way that your fingers could find your nose even when your eyes were closed. You just knew, as though the ground itself was an extension of your body.

You could sense Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph, standing together and facing Zuko. You couldn’t quite understand his movements, but you knew they were frantic, whereas Team Avatar stood ready in stances prepared to fight.

The image went fuzzy as your heartbeat sped up, and by the time you could get it to clear up again enough to make sense of it, Zuko was gone. You stood up, and walked back out to the rest of the group, fists clenched at your side.

“So you kicked him out, huh?”

“We had to!” Katara said, a snarl in her voice. “He’s-“

“Don’t defend yourself to me,” you interrupted, “I probably would’ve done something worse.” There was a pause, in which you followed their lead to grab your sleeping bundle from Appa’s saddle. “And even if I hadn’t, my voice will only confuse our decision. I’m not even sure what I think of him, but I know I’m angry.”

“We can’t trust him,” Katara said, and you dropped your bundle so you could use it as a seat.

“I kind of have a confession to make,” Aang said, and the night only got weirder from there.

When Toph came back, you weren’t surprised she’d been burnt. And you weren’t surprised when Combustion Man resurfaced, too. You had the forethought to throw a rock shield from rubble in front of your friends, but very quickly Aang and Katara’s attempts at fighting back made the five of you realize you needed to find an even better place to hide.

What did surprise you was that Zuko swooped in, to try to stop the assassin. Despite everything about yourself, despite everything he’d done, you felt cold dread grip your heart when he was thrown back over the edge of the temple, and may have even tried to save him if it weren’t for Combustion Man’s constant explosions.

But Sokka did what Sokka did best, and soon the assassin was gone, leaving behind a clear view of the fire prince climbing a vine back up to safety.

“Oh. Zuko made it,” you said, your tone halfway between relief and annoyance.

His speech to Aang was everything you expected to hear, and it seemed as though he’d earned Aang’s forgiveness. Your heart still racing, you listened, to Aang’s words. You didn’t dare look at Zuko, and so stood beside Katara, staring at the ground by her feet. You tried to let anger be your shield, because Zuko’s presence made you remember all to easily how much you cared for him, even if it was a different part of him, under a different name.

“Now I know you understand how easy it is to hurt the people you love.” The sentence made you lift your head, and for the first time you let your gaze slide to Zuko. You caught his eye, just for a moment, as though the sentence had had the same effect on him. But he brought his focus back to Aang, to be told that he needed permission from all members of Team Avatar. Toph and Sokka’s answers were affirmative, and you knew yours would be the same- but that didn’t mean that you had to go easy on him.

“Y/N?” Aang asked, and you raised your chin, though still your gaze was on the floor, unfolding your arms from your chest.

“There’s good in him,” you started, and you raised your gaze finally to Aang. “I’ve seen it. And if you think that this is proof that he can let it-“ you slid your eyes to Zuko, a soft glare making up your expression. “-guide his actions,” you looked back to Aang with a small nod, “then I’m okay with it.” You didn’t dare look back at Zuko, you didn’t want to know his reaction. But mostly, you didn’t want to see his face, remind yourself how much you still cared for him.

It was easy, you decided as you laid in bed that night, to hate him when he wasn’t in front of you. It was easy to be angry and talk of how you’d hurt him when you couldn’t see him, hear his voice. But now that he was here, and you’d watched him fight, you knew that that wasn’t the truth of it. You still cared for him. Lee hadn’t been washed away in Ba Sing Se- the aspects of Zuko’s personality that Lee was made of were still there, and very much alive. You saw it in the small smile he’d let himself crack when you glanced back as Team Avatar walked away from him.

The boy you’d almost fallen in love with was very much alive. And though he’d betrayed you, he’d hurt you, he’d betrayed and hurt the people you cared about- it didn’t stop you from wanting to love him again.

“Y/N?” came Zuko’s voice from just outside your door, and your first response was to earthbend a slab from the floor that sealed the door shut. “I know you’re angry, please, just let me in so that I can talk. You don’t need to listen, or look at me, I just want to say things to you. I need to.” Despite yourself, you wanted to hear what he had to say, and so you uncurled just enough to pull your slab through the door, though you didn’t move it far enough to allow him to enter the room.

Reaching down to press your palm to the floor, you used seismic sense to make out that he’d sat down on the other side of the slab.

“Thank you,” were his first words, and you assumed that he meant for moving the slab. You were wrong. “-for saying that about me. You, I feel like I’ve hurt you the most. I know that that’s selfish, or- or ignorant, because I’ve done terrible things to Aang and Sokka and Katara, but-“ he sighed, and you heard what you thought was an impact between palm and forehead.

“But when I did those things to them, I didn’t care about them. I cared about you.” Though you couldn’t see him, through your little wall of rock, his words made you turn, rolling over to face where his body was.

“I cared about you a lot, and still I let Azula-“ once again he cut himself off. “You deserve a proper explanation, Y/N, even if it isn’t a good one.”

“My mom always treated me differently than my sister, I know that. My father did too, but in a different way. He didn’t- he wanted nothing to do with me. I was his eldest, his son, and he didn’t seem to like me at all. He was the one that gave me my scar, you know.” His next sentence was lost on you as you sat up, anger hot as lightning coursing through your veins.

You knew that scar had come from a firebender. But between Ba Sing Se and this moment, you’d been so caught up in your anger that you never stopped to realize that Zuko was a firebender too, and so a firebender must’ve hurt another firebender, and who would’ve done that? His father, the fire lord? If Aang didn’t take him down, you decided that you would.

“I spent years blindly searching for the avatar, not letting anything get in my way. I was so cruel. To Katara and Sokka, to Toph and Aang, I was so cruel because I just wanted to go home. I wanted to earn my honor, but moreso I just wanted to show my father that I could do what he asked.” You heard a tremor in his voice.

“And I was so blind, it made me ignore how important my uncle was to me. I see it now- and I think back on his face right after I betrayed him, and I just feel so ashamed.” He paused, leveling his voice before he said his next words.

“I think about how you looked. When Azula said that you were my enemy, too. I know it’s no excuse, but she’s so manipulative, she’s such a-“ There was quiet as he let out a breath.

“I don’t regret spending my time in Ba Sing Se with you. But I do regret how it ended. You have every reason to be angry with me, you’re right to be. I’m so sorry, Y/N.” You thought, for a moment, that he was done, but still he didn’t move.

“When I went back to the fire nation, I fell back in with an old girlfriend I’d had before I was banished. But it felt wrong. It felt like- like I was just with her to try to regain my life from before, but I wasn’t that person anymore. I wrote her a letter, but I didn’t know what to say, and...” Zuko paused, and sighed. You wondered, with a bit of bitterness, why he would tell you about a girlfriend he’d had between the last time the two of you saw each other. Wasn’t he just giving you more reason to be angry with him?

“I’ll never have enough words to tell you how sorry I am. And I know I don’t deserve a second chance from you. I deserve nothing but hatred and- and anger and everything you can throw at me, because I asked for it when I turned against you.” You stared at your slab, and wondered how long it would be before your eyes bore holes straight through it.

“Just... just know that I’m sorry, and I- I’m never going to treat you like that again.” He took a deep breath, as though meditating, or summoning his courage. “Know that I’ve thought about you almost every day. About that time you spilled tea on me and tried to pay for a replacement shirt, and-“ he tapered off, and let out the rest of his breath. “You’re probably asleep.” He was silent, for a moment, as he reached up to press his hand onto the rock keeping him from you.

“Goodnight, Y/N.” You heard him stand up and walk away.

You remembered the night he was talking about. Mushi- Iroh- had let you stay past when the shop closed, before you worked there. Zuko had sat down across from you and closed your textbook whenever you tried to read, and finally you’d gotten frustrated and put it away. You’d tried to put your feet up, but instead kneed the table, and sent his cup rolling, spilling his tea onto his shirt.

Looking back on it, it made sense why the heat of the tea didn’t bother him. He was a firebender, after all.

The part that he’d failed to mention tonight was how he’d walked to a back room to get another shirt, as you followed, insisting on paying for the ‘damages’. But the words had caught in your throat when he took off his shirt because wow, and that was all you could really fathom yourself to think, and you’d stuttered, and he’d just laughed before putting another shirt on.

You wondered, now, if things would have turned out differently if you had kissed him that night, instead of pulling away. Had you called him boyfriend, would he have been so quick to betray you?

Laying down slowly, you reached out to press your palm to the ground again. It took you a moment to get a clear seismic understanding, as your heart was pounding and your breath shaking, but you could sense him in the room he’d taken up as his own. You pulled your hand to your chest, losing the image, and closed your eyes.

Your throat burned the next morning.

ok this bitch got LONG AS FUCK so stay tuned for a pt 3 probably tomorrow

edit: | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8 |

-🦌 Roe

[hang-on-a-mo]

Might of the Manticore

(Or how a dead Witcher meets a very weird bard)

- - -

No Witcher has died in his bed.

A common saying amongst Witchers of all Schools and all walks of life. They grow up hearing it, they walk the Path spouting it, and they die knowing it as an indisputable fact. No Witcher has died in his bed.

Well. Except for the rare unlucky bastard who didn't hear danger coming while he slept, or made the mistake of trusting the wrong warm body in his bed, but that was beside the point.

A Witcher typically died fighting, be it monster or man, they died with sword in hand.

Except for the depressingly common ones who did what they were hired to do, and were paid in betrayal.

He'd ventured into Novigrad for a day or two of rest after several hard months straight on the Path, coin purse heavy with the spoils of his latest contract. He'd yearned for a hot bath in safety instead of a quick wash in a cold stream. He'd craved fresh baked bread and succulent roasted meats instead of dry trail mix and whatever skinny woodland critter he'd managed to burn over a campfire. He'd wanted to quench his parched throat with a good, sweet mead instead of the swill he managed to barter off backwater merchants at exorbitant prices.

All he'd wanted was a gods be damned break. But no. No, he'd had to go and fall for a few tears from a pretty face and a sob story about a creature making off with a spouse in the dead of night. What was this one last small job before he kicked back and recouped for a few days?

One very dead feral Bruxa and an unfortunately expired husband later he'd returned to break the news to the teary eyed client, only to be met with a small army of gods be damned City Guard and a noose. Disturbing the peace they said. Violent and disorderly conduct within city walls they said. What a load of Chort shit. A Witcher kills a dangerous monster when hired to and suddenly he's a menace to society. He wished he was surprised.

At least they didn't put him on a fucking pyre.

They hung him in the Square, and as he choked, his wild eyes had picked out a smug, pretty face in the jeering crowd. His last thought was that he should have just taken that fucking bath.

His next, upon coming too below his own swinging boots, was that no one had ever said anything about sticking around.

After that, he spent some time trying to figure out what had happened. Had he been cursed? Was he unconsciously pissed enough at this injustice to come back as a Penitent? A Wraith?

No to all of the above, as it turned out. He seemed to simply be. A wandering soul? An echo? Bah, who even cared anymore, it's not like he was obligated to do anything about it.

Honestly though. Who'd ever heard of a dead Witcher haunting a city? Certainly not him, and if his brothers ever had they'd not shared it with him in the times they'd Wintered together at the Den.

And he was. Haunting it, that is. He'd quickly discovered that he could affect the world around him to a small degree. Disappointingly small, actually. His 'ghostly powers' were embarrassingly impotent most days, and so he was limited to decidedly petty acts of revenge. Not that he let that stop him.

He'd started with the pretty face that had led to his unfortunate demise. Her confusion and eventual anxiety at the seemingly random displacement of various items in her abode will forever warm the cockles of his black little ghost heart.

The toad in the lavatory was rather inspired, he'd admit.

It didn't take long at all for her to run shrieking from the house, claiming it haunted by demons to whoever would listen. Smug, he'd eventually moved on from his petty revenge before her panicked ramblings attracted something to worry about. Like a Mage. Or a Witcher.

He rather thought that last one would be the height of irony. He'd almost hung around just for that.

Once he'd left to wander the city, he learned very quickly that he wasn't the only one to wander after death. Humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, and one memorable Higher Vampire of all things. They roamed as he did, some seemingly unaffected or simply used to their plight, and others maudlin or mad. The mad ones he steered clear of, especially after he'd born witness to one of them violently changing into a fucking Wraith.

He'd tried talking to some of the stable ones, but he'd been dismayed to find that no matter what he said, or how loudly he said it, they never seemed to hear him. Most of them, he thought, couldn't even see him, their glazed eyes simply passing right over him like he wasn't even there. The ones that did see him usually turned and beat a hasty retreat, which was just rude, he may be a Witcher but he wasn't exactly working anymore, he was very clearly very much dead.

It grew very boring, very quickly after that. Time apparently moved differently in this strange state of limbo; he'd glanced at a notice board out of habit one day and noticed the date on one of the newer listings. He'd been dead for three years, and he hadn't even noticed. He hadn't known how to feel about that.

He'd missed three winters. He wondered if his remaining brothers had noted his absence and come to the correct conclusion. He wondered if they'd mourned him.

He passed his days wandering Novigrad, curiosity and boredom driving him to nose around homes, eavesdrop on conversations and exercise his right to haunt the place.

It was one such day spent shamelessly bouncing small stones off passing city guards helmets that something unusual happened.

A commotion in the tavern he was leaning on drew his attention, and just as he was about to write it off as the usual rowdiness of drunks, the doors were flung open and out was tossed a young man, swiftly followed by a lute, which all but brained the poor bastard on decent. A bard then, and likely a terrible one judging by that rather unceremonious exit.

The bard tossing barkeep spat a few derogatory remarks at the moaning heap of long limbs sprawled on the ground, declared his presence no longer welcome in his fine establishment, swore that if the bard ever touched his niece again certain parts of his anatomy would be severed, and slammed the door shut.

"Tough break, kid." He snorted, paused, took aim, and let loose another stone. The copper sized pebble bounced off a passing guards helmet with a satisfying ping, much to its owners indignity as he whirled around to squint after the perpetrator, only to frown in bewilderment upon finding none. Shrugging, the guard continued on his way. He snorted again- he'd probably have to move on from this street soon; some of them were starting to wise up.

"I'm certainly no expert on the matter, but I do believe that's a very good way to get yourself a cozy corner in the local dungeon."

Maybe he'd pay that vampire a visit today. The man was one of the depressingly few souls who didn't immediately flee at the sight of him. They couldn't hear each other, unfortunately, but they could certainly play a rousing game of charades.

"Well that's just rude. I'm not unfamiliar with poor reviews for the quality of my voice, but I'll say I've never had someone quite so blatantly ignore an attempt at simple conversation before."

Actually, hadn't the vampire hinted at departing the city last time they'd entertained each other with increasingly amusing and sometimes lewd gestures? Shit. He was going to miss that leech.

"Sweet Melitele, you're a Witcher!"

What, where?!

Abruptly abandoning his thoughts, he looked over to see who had made the surprised and unusually gleeful declaration to better track the target of it, only to be met with the unfortunate bard.

Who was staring at him with big, soulful blue eyes. At him. Right at him.

"What." The hell. Surprise apparently rendered him monosyllabic. The bard popped his hands on his hips, quirked a finely sculpted brow and said-

"You truly didn't hear a word I just said, did you? Unbelievable."

Overwhelmed and entirely too confused, he opened his mouth and squeaked-

"I'm… sorry?" Might of the Manticore, hear me roar. Death had ruined him.

[minhoslut]

♡ summary: Reader is traded to a band of pirates in return for the safety of her village because of her plant magic. They are not like she expected, much more like her than she could even imagine in fact. This is a journey through their relationships and the high seas they sail on.

♡ pairing: superm x fem!reader, superm x eachother

♡ chapter: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ? |

♡ series warnings: blood mention, injury mention, swearing, anxiety, death mention, depression, weapons, mxm

♡ series genre: romance, smut, angst

♡ series rating: Mature

♡ word count: 2261

♡ posted on: AO3

♡ chapter four: ice cold

Baekhyun returned with the entirety of the main crew whom you'd met, all of them taking a seat on various lower bunks, avoiding you beside Taemin, while the captain stop at the doorway. "It seems that hiding information was not the correct course of action. It was meant to soothe you rather than cause more harm." Jongin began slowly, watching your reaction carefully. "How could I be happy on a boat like this with a bunch of pirates? You took me from my home!" You huff, what kind of stupid logic was that. "Well, we were looking for you to complete our crew." You stared at him blankly, "What do you mean complete? How am I supposed to fit in here?" Jongin smiled, "Well if you stopped interrupting me, I could tell you." You snapped your mouth shut and he continued, "Good girl, now as I was saying, you were sought after rather than just randomly taken. All of us, in this room, are like you, we each have a power." What? How could that be? You were cursed, did they meet the same fate? You were nearly bursting with questions but you figured he would explain more if you said nothing. "Baekhyun is water, Taeyong is animals, Lucas is metal, Ten is fire, Mark is crafting, Taemin is light, and finally I am weather." You looked at each of them as Jongin listed off their powers, eyes landing back on the man speaking in the end. "Our powers are quite helpful in our trading business, it's the reason we all have such odd hair as well."

Not able to hold it back anymore you blurt out a question, "Ok, but what does that have to do with me? And I'd hardly call you traders your pirates for fucks sake." Jongin smirked. "You are the eighth person with powers such as ours. For many years we were under the impression there were no others until we heard rumour of you. I'm sorry that we took you from your home but I have a feeling that you didn't have many ties there other than, based on your power, a garden." It was annoying how accurate he was in his analysis, and the stupid smirk on his face made it more annoying since he knew you couldn't say anything. "As for trading, we have different ways of going about our trading, but we trade with mostly other pirates anyway, on pirate ports. We simply don't wait to trade for valuable or rare things when we could just take it from those who are not pirates." You narrow your eyes, "So you're looking down on everyone who isn't a pirate? You think you can ruin peoples lives just because?" Jongin shook his head at your words, "We would never steal from a good person or someone without much to give. Think more like kings and palaces that have many jewels for no reason, we simply take them away to be used." You scoffed, it was a stupid excuse, but they were pirates so you didn't expect them to see how wrong it was. "Regardless, I didn't want to come." You snap. Mark rolled his eyes and gave an annoyed sighed, "That's why we just took you dumbass."

"Mark." Jongin shot the smaller man a sharp look, which silenced him immediately, leaving him pouting like a puppy. "It's unfortunate that we had to take you, but there wasn't really a way for us to ask you to join, we have a reputation to uphold." You shook your head in disbelief, they were really going to brush it off just like that. "Y/N, I know it's hard to understand but we all have our reasons..." Taemin said, his hand still rubbing gentle circles on your back. You sighed, at least they were being honest now but you still felt angry about the situation. "It's not home yet, but hopefully you find yourself able to relax here eventually. I'd like to tell you to not go anywhere alone, I trust the men in this room, but the rest of the crew can be, less pleasant." Jongin said, bringing your attention back to him.

"This will never be my home, this is a prison. I still hate my magic and I still hate it here. I still hate all of you." Your sharp words filled the room with ice. "That may be the case, but maybe we can teach you more about your powers and you could hate them less." Baekhyun said, sadness lacing his voice as he looked at you. Regret bubbled in your heart despite your minds protest. "Regardless of everything, you are here now and we will keep you safe and healthy while you're with us." Jongin said firmly, then he called for Mark to leave with him, leaving you with the five other men in a very uncomfortable silence.

"Taemin, could help me up on my bed please?" You asked softly, thoroughly exhausted by your tears and the conversation. Your mind was racing with all the information, trying to process it and sort it out in your head. "Of course." Taemin said, standing and interlocking his hands and offering you a step up onto the bed. Once you are on the bed, you pull the blanket over your body and curl up into a ball in the farthest corner. Everything about this situation is hurting you, and none of them seem to understand that.

You listen to the hushed whispers of the crew after they assume you've fallen asleep, you can tell they are talking about you because you hear the words 'plant' and 'girl.' Tears fell from your eyes as you curled even deeper into yourself, you didn't want to be here anymore, not on this ship, not on this Earth.

~

When you woke up the next morning the cabin was empty save for Ten who was sitting on Marks bed reading a book. You sat up, wrapping yourself in the blanket. "You're up? Do you want to get food?" The maroon haired man asked you, his voice gentle. Shaking your head you laid back down and stared at the ceiling, listening to the door shut behind Ten as he left to get food for himself. After a few moments of quiet, you sat up once more and carefully hopped off the bed. You thought of last night when the captain had told you not to leave alone, but you couldn't stand to be in the room any longer. Pulling the door open you headed to the main deck, finding it almost empty since most of the crew was eating. You walked straight to the edge of the ship and leaned over the side to watch the waves crash against the boat.

The ocean had always scared you, even before you'd been cursed. You avoided it as much as you could when you'd lived on the island, never learning to swim and spending your time as far inland as you could while still doing your work. The ocean was loud and dark and vast, a never-ending abyss of huge waves, dangerous storms, and creatures unknown. And now here you were, in the middle of that horrible ocean, staring into the darkness of the waters and feeling the salty air chill as the clouds ahead turned dark. You leaned farther over the edge stepping on tiptoe, the mist of ocean spray covering your skin. Breathing in deeply you lean even farther, nearly unbalanced as the ocean looms ever closer.

"Y/N!" A voice shouts your name and you are yanked away from the edge of the ship in a hurry. You scramble to pull out of the grip of the person who is holding you, but they simply turn you in their grasp. Lucas' dark brown eyes stared into your own as you relax in his hold now that you know it's not a random crew member. "What were you doing you could have fallen in?" Lucas sounded genuinely worried about your safety and you felt like a small child being chastised. "I was just thinking." You said softly, looking away from his eyes. Lucas sighed, "You aren't supposed to go around alone anyway, you should have come to the dining hall to get one of us. You knew we were there." You huff, "Wouldn't that still be going somewhere alone? Where's the logic in that." Lucas stares at you a moment before he begins to laugh. It's a loud and boisterous laugh that has you trying to conceal the smile that is twitching at your lips. "Well, let's get you to Baekhyun, it's his turn to have you shadow him."

You sighed, not looking forward to it. Baekhyun had sounded so sad last time you'd seen him and you had a feeling that would carry over to today. You shouldn't be so concerned for one of the men who kidnapped you but you couldn't help it. Following the tall man, you reached the captains quarters where Lucas knocked lightly. You heard shuffling in the room and then the door was opened by Baekhyun who was doing up the buttons on his shirt. His eyes flitted to yours for an instance but you saw the sadness that they held. "We are headed to the maps room today, checking our distance for the next port." Baekhyun said plainly, then started walking away quickly, making you run slightly to catch up with him. It was silent as you walked, observing the blue-haired man as he walked ahead of you. He held himself with confidence and a sense of power, his shoulders set and head held high, subtly commanding the respect of those around him.

You soon reached a small room with a large desk in the center, that was covered in many pieces of parchment and some strange objects you didn't recognize. Baekhyun gestured to one of the chairs that were in the room so you sat in it while he moved the things on the desk around. We should be nearing port in the next day or so, so I need to make sure we are where we should be." He explained, but there was no real emotion in his voice. You sat quietly while he used the strange tools and held them against the maps, comparing lengths in ways that made absolutely no sense to you. Baekhyun made no attempts at conversing with you, and it wasn't in the way a person would when they are overly focused. It was an empty drawn-out silence that you hated. He must be really upset about last night... Your heart twinged at the thought. "Baekhyun?" You tried cautiously, but you were ignored. "Baekhyun?" You said again, a bit stronger but still no response. "Baek-" - "Y/N I don't want to talk ok?" You snapped your mouth shut, feeling hurt by the cold words.

The rest of the day was spent watching Baekhyun check the map and then following him out onto the main deck while he made sure everyone was doing what was needed to prepare for docking the next day. He hadn't spoken a word to you since he'd said not to talk, and you'd given up on trying since the silence hurt less than the words did at least. In the evening it was mealtime again, but you still didn't want anything, the day with Baekhyun had only added to the turmoil inside of you and made your appetite disappear. You tried to go to the room but Baekhyun had given a stern look before nodding his head towards the table so in the end you were sitting at the table beside Taeyong and Jongin at the head as usual. Taeyong had apparently lost at seat picking since he ended up beside you, you could hear him mumbling under his breath when he'd sat down.

You focused on your hands in your lap during the meal, picking at the skin around your nails. "/N? Y/N!" You looked up at the person saying your name and found Ten waving his hand in front of you. "You haven't eaten today." He stated plainly, "Not hungry." You answered simply, returning your gaze to your now bleeding cuticles. "Come back to the room with me then, we have an early morning together." Ten said, standing up and walking towards the door. You must be shadowing him tomorrow, so you got up and went after him. He led you to a room you hadn't been in yet that was filled with bandages and had a simple cot in it. "Hands." He said and you held them out to him. Ten made a clicking noise with his tongue then grabbed a roll of cloth and wrapped each of your fingers with it. "There, now you won't make them any worse." He said returning the leftover cloth to a shelf. "Thanks..." You said softly, feeling embarrassed by having someone care for your injury

Ten turned on his heel and exited the room, so you did as well, making your way back to the bunks. Ten gave you a step up onto your bed before heading over to his, but before he got up he removed his shirt putting the smooth expanse of his skin on display to you. You felt your cheeks warm as you watched the muscles in his back move, quickly turning your head when Ten had jumped up on his bed and turned to face you. "Sleep well." You heard him say softly before the room was enveloped in silence.

[jimjamthehorrorman]

Hi!! Is there any chance I could get a match up? I'm 18+, barely scrape 5"4 and I'm pretty pale and have long, super curly ginger hair with green eyes! I'm female, and I'm bi (but I do often prefer men). I'm super quiet, shy and get nervous real easily, and I'm also kinda fragile?? Don't know if that helps. I'm scared of affection to begin with but then I c r aaave it owo If your matchups aren't open please feel free to ignore this! Sorry for bothering you, please have a nice day!

Darling you aren't bothering anyone, and you have a wonderful day as well!

Because I'm on a non-movie slasher kick and this fits far too well... I give you the stoic:

Evan MacMillan (Trapper Killer in Dead By Daylight)

Running through the Entity's realm, you find the other three survivors have fallen to the hands of a killer you haven't seen yet. The more violence you hear the more you feel a Mori coming and the more careless you get. As the third survivor dies at the hands of the killer, you trip and fall while quietly vaulting through a window.

"Shit. I'm DONE FOR!"

The usual heartbeat comes close, and you feel the heated breath of a killer on your back. You brace yourself for the feeling of a knife or some other awful way to die making contact with your skin. Instead you find the bloody fingertips of a killer pulling you off the ground.

Maybe it's a Michael who ran out of tier three. He's carrying you over his shoulder and you see the hooks and metal protruding from his shoulder.

Trapper.

He can't Mori you because you haven't been hooked, you thought to yourself. At this point you give up, no need to struggle when you feel the inevitable coming.

He stomps closed the hatch. Typical. You keep waiting for the hook to be buried into your shoulder and the wait feels like forever. Eventually he makes his way to the door.

"Come here to gloat, big guy?" You're tired of this cat and mouse game and just wishing for it to end.

He slams open the door.

"Go."

You've never heard him speak before. You struggle and jump down, self heal and start to walk towards the exit.. and you see him sitting cross legged in the grass at the doorway.

"Why aren't you stopping me? This isn't fair to the other survivors. They deserved to live too!" At this point you're pissed! Why is he letting you live after all of this.

He stays quiet, so you flash your light in his eyes to blind him. He just sits there. For a moment, your eyes are clouded by the entity.

You see a younger man, drawing on a long piece of paper. He winks at you before someone calls his name.

"EVAN, GET OVER HERE!"

And then it fades back to the killer before you. He's standing now, gently pushing you towards the exit.

You fight back, throwing small punches at his massive chest.

"I'M NOT LEAVING HERE WITHOUT AN ANSWER, EVAN!" You can't believe that just escaped your lips.

He stumbles. He's confused. You can barely make out watery eyes in the void of his mask as he shifts downward toward you. He grabs your hands softly, holding on with a high level of tenderness and looks at you for a few minutes before pushing you gently into the safety behind the Entity's wall.

~~~

It's been about a week since you've encountered the Trapper. Everyone's been so interested in this Oni guy because he's new to the party that they've avoided who you now know as Evan.

Sitting around the campfire, you hear a bunch of the other girls talking about how brutally they were killed by Evan, there was nothing stopping him from hurting them. Even a girl who looks similar to you named Meg.

Wait, SHE WAS IN THE MATCH WITH YOU WHEN HE SPARED YOU!

"Oh yeah I saw everything. He must like you or something. He kills LITERALLY everyone else."

Once you heard that you knew you had to go back.

Re-entering the Entity's void, no hope left of seeing him again as it's been nearly a month, another cloudy vision strikes you.

A handsome younger man, the same as the one from the previous dream calls out to you.

"Y/N, pull me out of here. Bring me back from the grip of that horrible man!"

And the vision ends. Does he mean the man collecting information in the archives? You've been there, you've read a lot about all of them before... but now you have a new mission before you.

And there he is. Three murders down and a gate open, he's standing before you. The red stain of all killers is bright, but you've never stood in it without being hit. A crimson glow emits from his gaze, covering you like a velvet blanket. Instead of a heavy weapon, you're greeted with a gentle scarred hand running through your long hair, landing softly on your neck and down to your waist.

"Evan... escape with me?" You say as his other hand makes it's way to your cheek, gently caressing your face with soft touch.

No words were said, as he wrapped his large calloused fingers around yours. You reach out to touch his face, knowing a handsome one lie behind his poor tortured facade and he melts into your touch, holding you tight to him as he cuts his way out of the grasp of the entity. He's free and he has you to thank. And thank you he will.

~~~

•You return to your home and tend to his wounds, his muscular body riddled with scars and cuts. He climbs into the bath for the first time in forever and whines each time you pull a hook from his skin. You may be fragile, but you're stronger than he is. Googling how to place stitches, you shakily sew him up with the kit you found on the way in.

•Once you've pieced this man back together, he cleans up, towels off and gets dressed before coming out to greet you.

•He comes out shirtless and maskless, revealing the same handsome face that you'd seen before in visions.

He pulls you into his embrace, looking down at you for a moment before kissing your forehead.

He doesn't belong to the entity any longer.

He's all yours.

♧♧♧♧

HOPE YOU ENJOY!

[aintnouseofpretending]

But My Love, This Cannot Be pt. 1

Mr M (Brian May) x Tomboy!Reader x Mr R (Roger Taylor) Time Travelling reader AU imagine

>>The continuation of Many Years Away. I strongly encourage new readers to read the previous Imagine and fully immerse yourself first before continuing because the story is escalating. Also, yes, this is a two-parter as I got too carried away explaining some details ._.

Tagging peeps that want the continuation~; @ohmygoditsanthonyedwardstark @tini-monster

ENJOY!

Small recap; you’re a college student from twenty thirty-nine. Worked in a guitar store and as a session musician in a big recording studio near your flat. You have an odd dream of being in nineteen seventy-three and becomes May and Deacon’s best friend, which are your guitar heroes from the legendary rock band, Queen. But when you wake up, you actually have to work with Brian May. After showing your guitar and bass skills to him, he says; “Perfect. Sounds just like yesterday…”

Your days were never been more perfect than today. “Thank you, sir. You’re a very big influence on my entire career.”

“Just call me, May. We’re going to work together again anyway.”

“I’m sorry, I’m afraid I respect you too much to just call you like an old friend, sir.” You say, purposely ignoring the last bit of his sentence. Although you have some suspicion,

“But we are.”

“Whatever do you mean—?”

“Were you not to told me you’re from twenty thirty-nine, how would I be here? Specifically picking you? Let alone wrote ‘39? You even play, dress, and worked as a session musician, exactly like that day. It’s already impossible to forget, now it feels like we’re still in that awful studio, taping, the way you cannot seems to stop calling it. Annoyed Rog so much he throws his sticks at you. How many times was it?”

“… May?”

“You’ve missed many of our plays. John misses you, y/n. And so am I. Much more than you can imagine.”

Both of you catching up right after you got the chance to talk in private. At first, May cannot stop telling you how much he missed you, how much he cannot believe when the producer recommended you as a backup, the fact that you are indeed a time traveller. He’s trying his best to fulfil your last wish before you disintegrated; to be happy and live his life. “And to always remember you,”

You still don’t believe it, neither did he. But what for you was in a blink of an eye, for him it was almost sixty-five years. Whilst you wonder why are you time travelling, do the others know? How is Deacon? You can’t help but notice that May has been fidgeting, and when you mentioned Deacon or Taylor or Mercury, he looks a bit displeased, but he answered anyway,

“To stop the questions on your whereabouts, I simply told them that you might be too caught up in family issues and cannot come back.” At first, they’re looking for you whenever they got the time; especially Deacon, to the point that it depresses him greatly. Deacon doesn’t know you’re actually no longer existed, but May does, and it destroys him daily. Eventually, they accepted that they’re forever lost contact with you,

But things still don’t add up. How do you do that? To time travel? “You should know better than I do, May. You’re an actual scientist. Even in sixty-five years, it shouldn’t be possible to time travel yet, undoubtedly?” You wondered after both of you finally get the chance to talk again post-recording. “That’s a good question,”

He promises that the two of you will meet again to discuss it, for, unfortunately, his schedule was full this month. He said that he has dinner with his family, a birthday party; much it is to break your heart alone that you remember, he has a wife, kids, and grandkids. “Understood. Be careful on your way home, May. I will be right here,”

You pondered; do May still see you the same way? Surely he has moved on from your departure. And just thinking about that fact makes you a bit sad, how you stuck in time all by your lonesome. Why does that have to happen to you? What is actually going on? What did you do? … It was the cassette. You remembered you are listening to it before you're asleep last week, and then woke up in nineteen seventy-three. That cassette also the reason why you're back here. You’re uncertain whether you should listen to it again, but you made sure to tell May about it,

You’re still not unsure how listening to the cassette could make you travel back and forth in time. You go back to the music store from where you bought it. The clerk says that a man sold it there for a cheap price and later on the same day you buy it. The clerk—an acquaintance of yours, only knows that the man is middle-aged and since haven’t been seen. He can’t remember how the man looks, his memories are weirdly blurred when that happens. “Maybe I was hungover still. Don't tell my manager,”

After recording the next month, May inspects the cassette. He remembered that cassette, it’s Queen’s debut album after all, and one of the first few copies. He’s still quite happy when you come to him and ask him to be the first one to sign your copy. Although you never told him that Taylor was actually the one received the honour, but the bastard returns it to the sender with a note; only going sign it after you introduce him to this pretty bombshell that works in the same music store with you—the gal that already has a girlfriend. He ended up signing it from the peer-pressure given by his bandmates six months later,

“The process was unbelievably slow and painful. The hallucination becomes very vivid to the point that I might’ve been just in two different worlds at once, but stuck in the middle,” you explained. “I’m afraid I will be time travelling again if I listened to it.” “It looks like a normal cassette,” May noted, “although I haven’t seen that many cassettes for a long time. Highly probable that there’s difference cannot be seen with naked eyes,”

“Perhaps I should try and listen to it?” You suggested, “you can see how it works on me.” At first, he’s pretty much against it due to safety. But you reason that the process most likely won't escalate if you didn't tell him about it, someone that's correlated directly with the cassette You wish to gain as many information as possible to help the research later. Also to further prove that you are indeed could time travel. “My first priority will be getting this cassette to travel back here. Make it as short of a trip as possible,”

“Is that all?” He asks, but you only shrug. “Yes. I shan’t try to change things. Instead, I'll collect photographs, tapes, and some other legit proves about my existence in that year that you—or someone—could keep until exactly today. Look for more clues and blends in. Maybe there's more to this cassette when I first bought it in the seventies.” “Why?” “Because we should stop and hide this time travelling business that could potentially harm many people,"

“No. Why don’t you want to change things?”

“Why, May, I don’t belong in seven-thirties, I belong today. Before this trainwreck happens, my life is just a store clerk and a musician and a college student. Idolizing and to be like you. But you shouldn’t know about me at all; we’ve never met.”

“Yes, that’s how it is, before. But now that you have the power to change the history, why don’t you change it?”

“Why should I? What if that’s the cause in the first place? That someone has done it before and sold the cassette to forget about it, and now it happens to me? Besides, I am content with what I am today.”

“Surely?” He pleaded. That’s when you realised what he meant. There might be a huge doubt in your heart, but you have made up your mind. You know there’s no use to lie in front of the smart May, still, you did, and explained that you have no right to change things, whatever causes you to have such power. He respects your decision in the end. “What matters right now is finding how this works. We can stress about that later.” You closed the discussion,

Back to the cassette, you bought your priced vintage portable cassette player. You put on the headphone, waiting for May as he prepares the papers and pen, and making sure the camera is recording; so he can see and deduce how it works based on your reactions later. Unfortunately, by the time the music start, you passed out in an instant. When you are awake, however, you feel incredibly dizzy,

You don't remember what you've been dreaming, but it's something very real… Of someone. You promised someone that you'll buy… Something to go back? To buy them something? It's about music—perhaps a record? A cassette… It was a cassette! But for whom? And what cassette? You promised someone that you'll buy them a cassette—oh! Now you remember! You're supposed to bring your demo cassette to the new recording studio so that you can be a permanent session musician with Jordan!

You saw the clock on the wall and realised you're awfully late already! You quickly change your clothes and ran to the new recording studio. You're in so much hurry that you flung yourself out of the way of someone that's coming in your direction; nearly breaks your cassettes but magnificently hurt your own arse in the process—at least you didn't hurt whomever passerby you almost shouldered out the Earth,

“I'm so sorry! I didn't see there was someone around the corner!” A man profusely apologizing as he reached down and help gather your belongings. “Not to worry! I will be the one beaten by my boss! Have a good day, sir!” You told him whilst you put everything as fast as you can in your arm, although you can't help but notice that the man is a bit striking with his kinky brunette hair and a tall, skinny body. A familiar sight, you have to say, though you have no time to confirm it and simply continue running past his blonde girlfriend,

No matter whether the band wasn't ever here yet or to witness his glorious cracking voice, the producer took the liberty to be as loud and as merciless as he could when he yelled at you. He even pointed at your cracked cassette as you, apparently, left the good copy by the road; a disgraceful sign of the shit he and Jukebox—the band—has to listen to today. “You're lucky Jordan recommended you, or I might fire you on the spot,”

You try your best to hide the smug smile you had when Jukebox is visibly impressed by your skills, completely ignored the producer biased opinions. Despite witnessing your win, you're not ringed on the day where Jukebox supposedly taping. “Yeah. But you don't have to come. In the end, I didn’t do anything.” Jordan answered after you ask if he was ringed. That's odd. Not being ringed today… Weirdly doesn't feel right. As if you're supposed to get ringed in as a backup even though you're not doing anything. You later simply shrug it off, thinking maybe you're still quite upset the producer is so against you,

But it doesn't end there; once you did get ringed, you feel that odd tug again in the bottom of your heart. Relieved as though this indeed supposed to happen, that things are going back on track. When you've arrived, however, new curious thing hits you like a truck and tops every gut feelings you've felt these past weeks—you saw that tall man with the kinky hair again, in the studio, with his blonde girlfriend… Wait, the blue-eyed gal is a man! He's the drummer,

“They're the new band that had been using the studio past the taping schedule,” Jordan explained. “Name is Queen.” That's it! When you heard that name, you don't know why you instantly recognize them; vocalist Freddie Mercury, bassist John Deacon, drummer Roger Taylor, and… Guitarist Brian May. “You might've heard of them when we're out hanging in the clubs.” Oh, alright. Now that makes sense, but still, that fact doesn't satisfy you, there's supposed to be more to it, but again, you didn't bother…

In your mind you thought; “Alright, what the fuck is going on? Why did I have been feeling endless déjà vu since this morning?”. That reaction immediately sparked after you play both your guitar and bass since Dorian—Jukebox’s guitarist—broken his fingers from partying too hard, and the fact that Loui—the vocalist, told you to just straight up play the bass as well since you’re obviously skilled enough. And then come May and Taylor forward; they practically approach you straight up to comment on your skills after Jukebox taping is over,

That feeling like things doesn’t go right now is much clearer for you to identify; the fact that you expect May and another Queen member to came to you, but Taylor isn’t supposed to be the other one. Or that Taylor is the one that gives comment and praises your skills instead of May. Rather, May only apologizes about the previous incident and mostly listens to your answer for Taylor’s barrage of questions,

“We would like for you to watch us taping,” May insisted, desperately. “You should watch them taping, yes. They’re good.” Jordan agrees. “If the three of you said that word again, I will deck all of ya’,” shouted Taylor from behind his drum set. “What? Taping?” You received two sticks directly at your shoulder; thrown at full speed. Whilst Jordan and Deacon scolded Taylor for being rude to a woman—Taylor thought you were a guy with “uniquely progressive” fashion choice up until that point. Instead of anger, you, Taylor, and May laugh. There’s this familiar humour that tingles you and made you question why you find it funny instead of rude?

You try your best to convince yourself that you are indeed, perhaps, watched them play on a stage in one of the college gigs you attended or in any music clubs. But no. Their play is far too familiar—in a sense that as if you've been stalking them since the day they made Queen. The fact that you’re supposed to listen to them the day you’re not ringed when Jordan does makes you very upset—again for no reason; as to why you know you should have listened to them already despite finding them as familiar as the palm of your left hand, and for the fact that you think things have been nothing but a line of wrongness,

“Yeah, I really can’t. This is the third Saturday of the month, I have dinner with grandma.” You told the musicians when Jordan and May ask you to have dinner with them at the nearest pub. Jordan immediately put you into his hug that at first surprised you, but then he said; “Mate, your grandma’s been dead for two years. Let go.” “What the bloody hell are you—she’s alive!” Then it hits you. What he’s saying is right, you even remembered crying your eyes out as he hugs your shoulder. You think; “No. This is far too wrong. Something isn’t right. My mind and memory are fucking me up.”

“You’re right. Maybe that’s why I need to go home.” You resigned weakly, “have fun boys. You will be taping again tomorrow, correct? I will come and see if you don’t mind.” You could hear a subtle worried whisper asking “Is she alright?” which you presumed came from May,

Once you’ve locked the door, you quickly discard your coat away and sat on the cold floor. You try to think so very hard about the madness you’ve been through, that your stomach is swirling by itself trying to tell you what is right what is wrong without further made clear where it steers you to. Then you grab a pen and crumpled paper, write down the right-wrong things your own body trying to tell you; One, when you bumped with May and you felt like he’s your old middle school friend that lost contact with you. Two, you know that even Jordan doesn’t do anything when ringed in, but the fact you’re not even ringed upsets you greatly. Three, when you’re finally ringed; it feels so right. Four, the fact that there’s Queen and you feels like you’ve known them since their first debut gig. Five, that May and Taylor came to you and complimented your skills. And Six, your grandma. Your heart and gut declared that she’s indeed still alive, but your brain emotionlessly tells you that you attended her funeral shitfaced and simply still can’t get over it in two years straight,

After listing all of them and that particularly peculiar day ends, you decided that if you feel it again, you will investigate it further. One more to the list; Seven, the cassette. The cassette your brain trying to remember was not your demo cassette, it was something else—precisely about buying it, but for whom you still have no clue,

Since the day you met Queen, you have been watching and aid them taping. The weird feeling is gone, and you’re very grateful. You, May, and Taylor quickly becoming a best friend; you don't know why you're best friend with Taylor, though. Taylor occasionally casually chipping in—mostly because he throws his sticks at you for you seems to cannot stop using the wrong term; plays for gigs, taping for recording, at this point you continue doing it because you know it pisses him off,

“You’re going back to the campus after this, y/n?” Ask Deacon, you nodded in response. “Why, aren’t you model student? Be cool, hang with us more. Maybe you can hook with one of us.” Mocked Taylor as he sits next to Deacon. You happen to have lunch with them since they’re finally back in London after their debut album tour. “I have to be a model student for myself. Thesis incoming. That’s why I can’t help you with your next album.” You explained, completely ignoring Taylor's suggestion. “Never crossed my mind to ask you about it, but what’s your major?” May inquired. “Astro—,” you scrunch your nose as you think, “music.” You answered, finally. There it is, the weird feeling is back,

“Bri was Astrophysics. Never knew there's another major, what? Astromusic? That sounds cool. And how come you forget about it?” Taylor jokes again. “Wait, so that means you can’t tag long for our next tour?” You shake your head, continue eating. “That’s very unfortunate,” May sighed deeply, you can only shrug. "Listen to our cassettes if you miss us, love. Don’t worry, I will miss ya.” He said with a wink. Your spoon stopped mid-way as you quickly look at Taylor that’s being smacked by May and Deacon for some reason,

“What? You’ve forgotten to hook me with the shag? Don’t you want me to sign your cassette? Or you instead want to hook with me?” Your eyes widened as you dropped your spoon, which causes a confused reaction from the boys. “What cassette?” You queried, now this makes both Taylor and May shows expression of a sudden realization for something. “Didn’t you… Didn’t I say I will sign your copy of our debut cassette once you introduce me with the gal from your music store?”

“What are you talking about? I haven’t buy your debut cassette, I’m busy helping Jukebox and jamming with Jordan.” “Hold on. Wasn’t I the first one to sign it?” May adds, but just as unsure. “No?” “Bri was right! I saw him signed it with John!” Taylor nudges Deacon. The man was completely lost as to what happened with the three of you. “Y/n never come to me to sign anything.” “Exactly—,”

It’s like getting your head hit with a giant dictionary book, you finally remembered! Both your mouth and eyes were as wide as they can be. You are indeed from the future and—, “fucking shit! I forgot completely!” You screamed and jump from the chair, ran outside and to the store where you’re supposed to buy the cassette. It was almost on the other side of the city, but you’re glad you brought your bike with you,

“Have—,” you cough like crazy before you could even talk, scaring the store clerk, which are your friend. The same exact friend that sold you the cassette in the future. “What on earth is happening to you?” “The Queen! Queen debut cassette! Have you sold any?” “No—?” You immediately go to the rack. It’s there, what you assume is the same one from your first run in the past. You immediately fall down the floor, trying to calm yourself whilst inspecting the cassette; it was exactly the one you bought on the first time you’re in the past, because it’s a wee bit misprinted by half a centimetre which bothers the hell out of you, but it’s already signed when you notice it,

“You got the cassette?” Someone squatted right next to you. “May? Wait, what?” The man only nodded, “you should pay for it. Let’s talk outside,”

“I should’ve taken a taxi like you. I feel like dying,” you’re still wheezing, glad the air is much better than it was in the future. “But how?” You questioned, May folded his hands on his chest and contemplate. “I’m not sure. Do you remember when you throw yourself into the pavement just to avoid bumping that night? I have felt since then that you looked familiar. I thought you were my old school mates I might’ve forgotten. But then I remembered things we’ve done on your first time in the past—the fact that Rog said exactly the same thing despite everything was completely different… Perhaps he is affected too? But the memories of after your first disintegration was… Much more blurry. Same with when before you’re disintegrated in front of my eyes in twenty thirty-nine. I think my brain thought it was false memories and simply decided they're not important,”

As interesting as they sound, unfortunately, you really can’t be bothered about that much, so you told him to write it down. Now your objectives are to get as many proofs as you can and May will keep them safe until twenty thirty-nine, and go back to the future. “I’m terribly sorry that you have to go through another sixty-five years whilst I can travel back and forth as if the year thirty-nine was in Wales.” “About that, uhh... Should we really hurry?”

“May. Don’t. I have made up my mind. It’s far too dangerous if this fall on someone else’s hand. God knows they have certain things in mind on how to use this.” He closed his eyes and nods, “thank you.” He catches your arm. “Why I’m back here too is perhaps because I listened to the cassette. It was a week after you’re gone, and you haven’t come back. I was worried and helpless. Please understand.” “Well, at least there’s a silver lining to it—that you don’t have to live another sixty-five years to got to thirty-nine! And I’m awfully glad that I know I’m no longer have to do this alone,”

Both you and May bought a Polaroid camera and cassette recorder. The two of you jams together and taped the session, take pictures with the band and Jordan and Jukebox. In your flat, as you put the “proofs” of your existence in 1973, you saw the pic of you with May, Freddie, and Taylor jamming, the one that Deacon took. Something inside of you crumbles. “What happened, y/n? Are you okay?” You didn’t notice you’ve shed tears and it falls on the picture. “No. Nothing happened,”

May sat next to you and grab your hand. You stared at his hazel eyes. “I will miss you and Taylor. I will miss everyone living in this year.” You whisper as you hug him. “You’re a dear friend of mine.” You tighten your hug, and he does the same. You let go and wipe your tears. Before May could say anything you both will regret, you cut him, “we will study this cassette. Promise me you will.” He reaches for your hand one last time, give it a quick squeeze before he stands up and sits somewhere else,

“Ready?” He asks. You nodded. Your eyes never leave his, same goes for him. You both took a deep breath when he clicked the play button...

To be continued...

[askfreddiemercury]

Freeside is a slum that surrounds New Vegas, it’s inhabited by junkies and drunk people almost all the time. Some points of interest are The King’s School of Impersonation, the Atomic Wrangler casino, and Silver Rush, a place for all your energy weapon needs.

But we decide to visit the Old Mormon Fort first, this is the home of The Followers of the Apocalypse, these people try and help those in need in and around Freeside with what they can. And someone I need to be on good terms with.

Boone: What are we doing here?

Freddie: I’m just exploring, Boone, I want to get a feel for Freeside before we find a way into the strip to find Benny.

Boone: We’re gonna help the people here, right?

Freddie: Yes, absolutely.

But not long after we get attacked by muggers! They don’t last very long against us so after dealing with them we can continue to make our way to the oldest place standing in Freeside.

~~~~~

Walking inside the walled fort there’s a pretty large camp set up inside, a flag with the Follower’s logo on it a cross inside a circle, tents all around the camp, and a sandbag barricade in front. We all take a look around and greet the people, I make my way to the southwestern tent to greet a man with blonde hair.

Freddie: Hello.

He turns around, holy moly.

Arcade: Hi. If you're looking for medical help, try the other doctors. I'm just a researcher. Not even a particularly good one.

I shake my head and focus.

Freddie: What kind of research?

Arcade: Oh, you know. Finding alternative treatments for common illnesses and injuries. Stimpaks out of barrel cacti and other fantastic improbabilities. As far as fruitless wastes of time go, it's quite noble in its aims.

Freddie: What’s the goal?

Arcade: For the past hundred years or so, the Followers have managed to get by using salvaged medical supplies from the Old World. But the side effect of medical success is that more people live longer. Funny how that works.

He then looks sad.

Arcade: Eventually, we'll run out of hospitals to loot. We need new ways to produce those supplies. Or maybe old ways, if this research goes anywhere.

Freddie: What kinds of illnesses and injuries?

Arcade: Cuts, lacerations, broken bones. Infections resulting from all of the above. Common cold, influenza. Take your pick. There are plenty of ways to die out here, and most of them, surprisingly, don't have anything to do with war. Just common human fragility.

Freddie: You don't sound too enthusiastic about it.

I tilt my head as he pushes up his glasses.

Arcade: I'm enthusiastic about helping people, but nihil novi sub sole.

Freddie: Nihi-what?

Arcade: Oh. Sorry. "There is nothing new under the sun." If agave and mesquite were that miraculous, the locals would have figured it out a few thousand years ago.

This guy is starting to sound like someone in the Legion.

Freddie: Isn't that the language that Caesar's Legion speaks?

Arcade: Caesar can cite Cato to suit his purpose. Many people have spoken Latin. Some of them were quite pleasant. It's unfortunate that the language is now associated with the gentlemen across the river.

Wow, this guy is so smart and so handsome. No wait, I have to be serious here. Ahem.

Freddie: Where did you learn that?

Arcade: Not from the Legion, if that's what you're getting at. Books. Sheet music. Gladiator movie holotapes. Bits and pieces here and there. The Followers have extensive libraries, but we all draw water from the same old well. Even Caesar.

Freddie: So why do you do research instead of providing medical assistance?

Arcade: Not all Followers are "people persons." Besides, someone needs to do research. I have no problem with Julie sticking me back here. Out of sight, out of mind. There are worse things one can be, though I do admit, it is a bit boring. Though it has a noble goal, I don't think this research will yield much fruit. No pun intended.

Freddie: Well Arcade, do you and the Followers need any help?

Arcade: Me, specifically? No. I'm sure Julie Farkas does, though. Lab coat, pointy hair. Answers to the name "Julie Farkas," strangely enough.

Freddie: Why don't you come with me?

Arcade: No offense intended, but why should I go anywhere with you?

Time to work your magic, Freddie.

[Confirmed Bachelor] Freddie: I need a good-looking doctor to help take care of me in the big, bad wasteland.

With that, he laughs and places a hand over his glasses. I got him.

Arcade: Overt flirtation will get you everywhere, you know. On a slightly more serious note, if you're interested in helping out with the troubles plaguing Freeside, I can come with you. Just don't do anything obnoxious, like trying to help Caesar's Legion, and we should be fine. Understood?

Freddie: I’d never help the Legion, my other companion would have my head if I did especially after everything I did for him. After I get what was taken from me back from some guy on the strip, I plan on terrorizing the Legion just like they do us.

Arcade: Heh, I don’t think the Legion is going to be scared of you. Unless you take out Caesar and his legate, Lanius. But seeing as you’re asking me to come with you. You aren’t going to be doing that any time soon. Don’t get too cocky now.

When I go tell Boone the good news about Arcade, I can’t help but notice that he’s staring down ED-E. Does he have a problem with him? Maybe he’s seen ED-E before.

Freddie: Hey, Arcade, I can’t help notice that you seem to have a problem with ED-E here, what’s up?

Arcade: it just seems a bit twitchy. Some of these robots, you look at them the wrong way, don’t screw in a vacuum tube right… The next thing you know you’re a pile of ash on the floor and someone’s stepping out of a vertibird to sweep your remains into a Nuka-Cola bottle.

Freddie: Oooo-kay, I’ll keep my eye on him.

Arcade: Safety first. That’s all I’m saying.

Freddie: Let’s get going then.

~~~~~

We all head southwest towards the gate until an old man stops us.

Old Ben: You look new to Freeside, so here’s a little advice, friend. Don’t go past the South Gate greeter without talking to it first.

Freddie: Going past it seems rude, why wouldn’t I want to go past the greeter?

Old Ben: Those bots are programmed to vaporize anyone who enters the fenced-in area without authorization from the greeter.

Freddie: Thanks for the advice.

He smiles and walks away towards a campfire near the gate. Let’s see what this robot says. I walk to the Securitron Gatekeeper.

Securitron Gatekeeper: Submit to a credit check or present your passport before proceeding to the gate. Trespassers will be shot.

Freddie: Credit check? What’s that for?

Securitron Gatekeeper: Admission to the Strip requires an official passport or proof that you are carrying the required minimum balance.

Freddie: What’s the minimum balance?

Securitron Gatekeeper: 2,000 caps.

Freddie: 2,000 caps?! I don’t have that kind of cash! Uh, what else can I do?

Securitron Gatekeeper: If you are unable to meet the minimum balance requirement, an official passport is an acceptable alternative.

But after telling me about the passport he doesn’t say where I can get one, wow thanks robot. The gang takes a step back.

Arcade: I heard of a shop called “Mick and Ralph’s” who sells things you can’t buy anywhere else.

Freddie: You think I can buy an unofficial official passport from them?

Arcade: Who’s to say?

Arcade tries to act very sly about it, after all, I did flirt with him so he could join my team because he wasn’t convinced I was good enough to travel with. Guess I must just have a thing for doctors. Or researchers, whatever he is. Lab coat people.

~~~~~

Ralph: If you’re looking for guns, talk to Mick. Otherwise, I’ve got a nice selection of general supplies.

Freddie: Do you offer any other services?

Ralph: I only offer services if The King gives the okay. Impress him and we can talk.

I’ll do whatever the King’s have in store for me another time, maybe I can get the passport out of this guy in a different way.

[Speech 50] Freddie: A resource fellow such as yourself must have something on the side.

[Succeeded] Ralph: All right. Yeah, I’ve got a little side business going, but what I am about to share with you does not leave this room, eh? Over the years, I’ve gradually perfected my craft to the point of perfection. No one can distinguish between my work and the real thing. What I am referring to is a passport. If you’ve got the caps, I can whip up a Strip passport which will fool even the most well-trained eye.

Freddie: Ah, now I see why you want to keep this low key.

Ralph: Hey, if you’re interested and have the caps, they go for 500. Any less and it ain’t worth the risk of getting caught. What do you say? You game?

You’ve gotta be kidding me… Looks like I’ll have to barter with him.

[Barter 50] Freddie: No way your material and expenses require that. How about half?

[Succeeded] Ralph: Hah! I like your style, kid, but the best I can do is meet you halfway. 375 caps, and we can call it a deal.

He says with much enthusiasm.

Freddie: 375 works great. Okay, I’ll take one.

I hand over the caps and he hands over the passport. Sweet! I bid Mick and Ralph goodbye and make the way back to gate.

[Passport] Freddie: I’ve got a passport.

Securitron Gatekeeper: Thank you, sir. You may proceed.

With that, we can finally open the main gate to New Vegas.

~~~~~

Before I can stare at New Vegas in awe, I’m approached by a familiar face.

Victor: Howdy, pardner! You’ve come a far piece, haven’t you? Welcome to New Vegas!

What the hell is this guy’s deal?! Why is he everywhere I go?!

Boone: Why is this robot following us?

Freddie: He’s the one who dug me out of my grave after all. What are you doing here?

Victor: Consider me your personal welcome wagon! Now hear this - the head honcho of New Vegas, Mr. House, is itching to make your acquaintance.

Arcade: Did he just say Mr. House?

Freddie: It seems like you pop up everywhere.

Victor: Aw shucks, pardner. I suppose it can’t hurt to let you in on my little secret! Old Victor wouldn’t be much use stuck inside just one Securitron! No, I can move from one to another with the snap of a finger! Pretty nice trick, ain’t it? Just don’t ask me how I do it, because I don’t know!

Freddie: All right, I’ll go meet Mr. House right now.

Victor: Yeehaw, pardner! That’s the spirit. He’ll be waiting for you.

He quickly makes his way to the front of the Lucky 38 casino and I follow behind him.

Victor: Boss is waiting for ya upstairs, so get a move on!

A massive gate behind him opens up and we all walk on inside.

[technicallyoneofakind]

Running Away

Author's Note:

We're back with the group during the events of the game! Woot! This time I wanted to write one where Swaine and Esther have a friendly chat. They never really just talk to each other, it seems. I mean there is that one scene late in the game, but otherwise… yeah. They just argue like siblings…

Again, shout out to moonbird for inspiration here- at least for the first portion. As for those of you who have been just as generous to favorite, review, comment, or- hell- even read this mess, I thank you greatly. I mean it.

Anyway, on with the show!

Disclaimer: While I may own a copy of this game and wish I owned Swaine… I don't own the rights to it or Swaine. I do own the ideas I use for my fics, though… I think.

~.~.~

A peaceful sleep did not find him that night. He thought the nightmares would have ceased since he joined the three since they destroyed that thing that plagued his heart. No. As it turned out, nightmares, especially his, had many sources.

He dreamed he was in a world of darkness. He wasn't alone- the two kids in the group, a young Al Mamoonian girl and a boy from another world, were there as well. They weren't standing by his side as they always did when things looked serious. Instead, they had been taken, ensnared by an unseen adversary. They were being dragged under, reaching out for help.

He froze. Part of him wanted to run away, the instinct of self-preservation screaming at him. Part of him wanted to pull the two out of danger, to pull them to safety. Part of him knew, that despite whatever choice he made, it was already too late.

He ran toward them, an overwhelming urge to protect his friends overtaking him. When he reached toward them, the blond girl was quickly dragged under. He cursed himself for being to slow. Instead, he reached for the young wizard.

He hesitated when the face he saw shifted to that of his brother's, the sage's eyes possessed by the shadows. He froze, out of shock.

"Why try? Just run away. That's all you're ever good for," it mocked, the voice distorted. It sounded like multiple people, especially his own, speaking in unison. He grimaced, hesitating further.

When he withdrew his hand, it cackled at him. It almost sounded like an anguished cry.

"Stop it," he shouted. "Just stop!" He gripped his hair, pulling at it. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry," he repeated, backing away. The cackling grew louder. When he looked up, he found its source. Possessed faces of the two he had just tried to save as well as his own father's and brother's hovered over and surrounded him. He lowered his gaze again to avoid the horrid sight.

The cackling suddenly stopped. "You call yourself a prince?! You're barely even a man. Coward," the voices sneered.

"Just, shut up, would you! Leave me alone," he cried, falling to his knees. They roared with laughter at his suffering. He could feel them converging in on him.

"No," he shouted. "Don't-," he began to protest.

"Swaine, wake up," a familiar voice called. He found himself being shaken awake. He opened his eyes to find Esther, the blond. She sighed tiredly and rubbed an eye. "You were thrashing around and shouting in your sleep," she began to explain to him. "You woke me up."

"Huh," he found himself only able to groan. He rolled over, frowning. "Sorry. Go back to sleep," he groggily ordered despite the fear of that dream coming back to haunt him again.

"Are you okay," Esther asked the thief. "You sounded like you were having a really bad nightmare."

Silence. Perhaps he hoped she would think he fell back asleep if he didn't answer.

"D-do you want to talk about it," she prodded, seemingly wide awake now. That trick would have never worked on her. He tended to snore rather loudly when he did fall asleep.

"Go to bed, Esther," he growled, looking over his left shoulder. He knew sleeping on her side of the fire was a bad idea from the start. The other two took the other side so if any wandering creature approached they would know to alert the rest. He was left with the familiar tamer- the girl who he'd come wager as someone who'd poke a sleeping bear if it snored too loudly.

"I'm not going to bed until I know what's going on, Swaine," she demanded, huffing.

He rolled over to face her quickly, scowling. "I had a nightmare. The end. Now, will you kindly: Go. To. Sleep," he snapped in a vain attempt to keep his personal dilemma quiet.

"That's the part I want to help you with, though. The nightmare," she persisted, oddly concerned about his wellbeing.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Since when do you care? Here's a bit of knowledge you seemed to have missed, Esther: everyone has a bad dream every now and again. Everyone."

She sighed and finally returned to her sleeping bag. "Fine," she grumpily adhered, snuggling down into the purple sack. "Wake me when you need to talk."

An hour seemed to pass. He couldn't go back to sleep, he quickly found. He dreaded to think if what horrors would await him. He sat up and rubbed his forehead. He looked around and recalled their location. They were on No Isle of Mine, a rocky island near the shores of Autumnia. He could wander off and return by the time everyone got up. No one would miss him.

Something told him otherwise. He shook his head, closing his eyes and remained there in thought. What did it mean, he pondered. Why am I so shaken up about it? It was just a dream, he argued in his head.

He looked at the sleeping familiar tamer and considered her offer. He didn't want to disturb her… but maybe the girl was right, for once. Maybe this was something he needed to talk to someone to work out.

He crawled down to her sleeping bag and shook her awake. "Esther, hey."

She turned her head, her eyes squeezing shut even more so before they finally opened. She looked up to see a tired thief smirking down at her. "Hmm? What is it," she yawned at him.

"About that chat. I could use some help working that nightmare out after all...," he sheepishly admitted. "Sorry for pushing you away, earlier. I was just being stubborn." He looked away and rubbed the back of his neck.

She giggled and sat up, flashing him a reassuring smile. "It's alright. Tell me about this nightmare..."

"Oh, wow… that sounds horrifying," the blond gasped. She had her hands over her mouth and her eyes wide. "Do you think it's guilt? Of running away when… well… you know."

The man shook his head. "I'm not sure. The demon called me a coward, too…," he admitted. "And I couldn't save you or Oliver." At that, he winced and looked out to the ocean. "In the end, I couldn't even save myself." He held his hands up in front of him and looked down at them.

"Maybe you're worried you'll let us down," Esther proposed, confused herself.

"Well, now I am. If you lot get in a bind, who's to say I won't hesitate," he asked her, though it was more to himself. "Who's to say I won't just…" He threw his hands down in a fit of frustration.

"…run away," Esther finished. "But… You wouldn't. You haven't before. You've pulled through for us when we needed it so many times," she recounted, recalling countless battles where, if it hadn't been for the thief, they would have been done for.

He locked his eyes with hers for a moment. He turned his head away slowly, pensively. He sighed through his nose and closed his eyes and slowly nodded. "I know. But still…" He opened his eyes again, glancing down. "I really am a coward, Esther. I'm always afraid. It wouldn't matter who I'm with, or where I'm at. I'm always going to be afraid." He shook his head, chuckling. "I don't know how you and Oliver can just plunge into danger without a single doubt in your mind. I kind of admire that, really."

Silence fell on them for a moment. Esther looked down, contemplating his words.

"You're not a coward," she stated.

His attention snapped back to her. He looked at the blonde, surprised. "I'm sorry… what did you say?"

"You. Are not. A coward," she spelled out for him. She looked up at the man with that usual headstrong look in her eye. "It takes courage still stand up and fight, even when you're afraid. A coward really would just run away. You can't be a coward!"

He let out a sigh, shaking his head. "I can't believe what I'm hearing… Esther…" He looked at the girl with an incredulous expression. "I think if you lot weren't there, I'd be running for the hills. I really do."

"Then that makes you even less of a coward, doesn't it? A coward would just abandon his friends," she argued, glaring up at Swaine.

"Hah! You're confusing courage with responsibility, aren't you?" He looked back out at sea, avoiding her glare. "I'm just doing what I think is right, that's all…" There was a tinge of disappointment and longing in his voice. He eventually turned his entire person towards the view of the distant shore, hoping to end the conversation

Another wave of silence passed over them. The sound of the sea and distant mechanical creatures moving around kept them in a soothing company.

"Then it's your sense of responsibility that gives you your courage…," she finally answered. "It gives you a reason to fight!" She placed her right hand over her heart, gripping the fabric of her top. "All of us… we all have our own reasons for enduring what we have. It's what gives us our strength, our fearlessness."

The man didn't respond. He continued to stubbornly look out at the moonlit sea.

Esther sighed, her hand loosening its grip as she looked down. "I'm… I'm always scared, too…," she divulged quietly.

The thief's eyes widened, unseen by the familiar tamer. He turned his head to glance at her. "How?"

She looked up, turning her gaze to the lanky form next to her. "Huh," was all she offered.

Turning quickly so he could directly face her he clarified, "How are you, of all people, scared? I mean, we are going up against the Dark Djinn- but honestly… You always seem so… Agh…" He shut his eyes and looked away before looking back at her. "You don't seem to worry about it at all, is what I'm trying to say." He motioned with his hand, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm… I'm actually terrified of facing the Dark Djinn," she muttered. "I'm always a little worried that we won't make it when we fight something big." She looked up, sporting a fierce strongminded expression the thief had seen many a time. "I know, though, that I can't let it get the best of me. I won't be intimidated! What kind of person would I be if I didn't at least try?"

He smirked and then laughed. "So, you're running away, too?"

The girl tilted her head, confused. "What do you mean?"

He motioned around himself, a nonchalant attitude about him. "We're both running away… from ourselves."

She raised an eyebrow. "'From ourselves'?" He wasn't making a bit of sense. "What does that even mean?"

"Think of it as a metaphor. We're both trying to avoid things about ourselves we don't want to acknowledge." He wasn't exactly sure if his analogy would take. Giving motivational speeches on a limited amount of sleep wasn't exactly his forte.

She paused for a moment. "But… if I'm running away from my fear, then… what are you running from, Swaine?"

"There's quite a bit, really. The biggest one being my own sense of identity. I've been trying to work that one out for a while now." He collapsed down on the ground, his arms spread over his head. "Even now, I don't know who I am, Esther…" He looked up at the sky.

"You seem pretty confident in being a thief," she noted coyly.

"But I'm a prince, too. What do you make of that?" He studied the stars, admiring their beauty in the clear night sky. Swaine the pickpocket and Gascon the prince seemed sometimes polar opposites of each other. "I can't be both, you know."

"Of course you can! Just don't act like a common criminal," she suggested. "You're both the same person. And just because you happen to be a prince, that shouldn't change anything. You're still you, aren't you," she noted while leaning on her arms, bent over from her cross-legged position on her sleeping bag. "Why don't you just focus on that?"

"Am I, now? I wouldn't exactly call myself princely material, Esther, especially in my current state." He lied there in thought. I guess, though… she has a point- maybe there really is no point separating the two, now.

Another hour seemed to pass.

"Swaine," she started, observing the man. He had closed his eyes in silent contemplation earlier. She started to think he'd fallen asleep when he didn't answer. She sat back up, an unsure face taking over. "I'm actually kind of envious of you… I can't be my self- not really. There's probably still so much you hide from everyone, too but…" She hesitated. "Even if you aren't sure of who you are, you always seem so confident in your abilities. I'm always worried I'll mess up." She let out a nervous laugh. "I guess that's a pretty common fear. I just never felt brave enough to admit it."

"I can't just say I'm scared either like you can." The blond looked at the thief, his facial expression unchanged. "I've got to be strong, right? That means putting on a brave face, righting wrongs, and helping people, doesn't it? I-," she faltered, her words were full of doubt. "I shouldn't be scared- not of anything." She swallowed, a lump of anxiety forming in her throat.

"It's alright to be afraid, you know," a voice from beside the girl consoled. "You don't always have to be so headstrong."

She looked at Swaine. The man had his eyes closed, still. "I…," she started. There it was again, the proud attitude of a former prince.

He sat up again, massaging his temple. "Gees. What did we just talk about? You're just running away from it again." He crossed his arms, analyzing the situation. It seemed she had built this up for quite some time. He leaned forward. "Don't bottle it up… It will eventually explode, your worries, I mean," he advised softly.

She smiled, grateful for his support. "You mean like you were doing earlier," she joked, elbowing him.

He winced, holding his abdomen and leaning away. "Yeah, I'm no saint," he coughed. He looked at the giggling teen. "I wouldn't mind lending an ear, you know."

"Alright, but don't fuss if I wake you for a midnight chat," she warned, wagging a finger.

The thief huffed and rolled his eyes. "I make no promises."

The two couldn't go back to sleep after that. They kind of just sat in awe of the night sky and the large moon that hung overhead. For once, they sat in silent agreement with each other. When morning finally came, things finally went back to normal.

"You guys are up early," Oliver observed groggily, not noticing what was really going on for a moment. They seemed to be leaning on each other for support, the lack of sleep caught up with them. "Umm… Swaine, Esther- you two okay?"

The fairy walked in front of them and snapped his fingers in front of their content faces, unaware of the awkward position they were in. "Flippin' heck, mun. They're out like a light! No wonder they ent pushing each other away right now!"

Oliver walked over to the pair and gripped the familiar tamer's shoulder, shaking it, figuring he could survive a magic harp attack to the face better than a gunshot. "Hey, Esther. Esther, it's time to wake up."

The girl blearily opened her eyes. It took a moment for her to register where she was. She felt her cheek rub against the sleeve of the man's coat, causing her to look up slightly. She quickly woke up, straightening herself and scrambling a couple feet from Swaine. "Agh," she yelped. She punched the man she had accidentally used as a pillow.

"Ouch! Hey! What was that for," the thief snapped, instantly wide awake and rubbing his arm.

"For letting me lean on you like that!" She scowled at him.

The thief looked at her, though his focus was on what had exactly happened. He stayed silent for a moment.

"Honestly… I don't remember even turning in for the night, Esther. Do you," he wisely asked, having put the pieces together. Honestly, he thought. I have more of a thing for the ground than anyone here, considering that's where everyone usually sleeps. The hell, Esther?

The girl thought for a moment herself. She realized she didn't. "…Yeah… Sorry for jumping to such a silly conclusion, Swaine," She apologized to the rugged mess of a man who still held his arm. He looked back at the boy by now, blearily taking in an explanation of the day's plans.

"Oi, we better get goin'! Sun's already up," the fairy shouted at the group. All in agreement, they packed up camp and prepared to be whisked away by a purple dragon.

Oliver sounded the horn. As they waited, Esther nudged Swaine gently. "Hey."

"Hmm," he nonchalantly responded, not bothering to look at her.

"Thanks for the chat." It was kind of funny, in a way. She felt as if he had helped her more than she helped him.

Tengri landed in front of them and they were off, flying where the wind would take them on their adventure to save the world.

~.~.~

A/N:

Tried to keep it platonic with some fluffy humor at the end. I actually don't pair those two together. Really. They really do come off as siblings that bicker more than anything to me. We need more platonic Swaine and Esther fics where they just talk or do stuff together as friends. I feel that's kind of lacking in the fanbase.

Fun fact, I actually wrote part of this staying over at a friend's place. We stayed up late and talked about stuff. She even showed me this cool comic she found! I find it funny: I think it affected how I approached this one-shot in a positive manner. Like the part where Swaine lays back on the ground while he's sitting next to Esther? Yeah. I did that a couple of times while sitting on her bed with my laptop in my lap. I took small little breaks when I found it hard to come up with reasonable reactions between these two- that's when we chatted and had fun.

In any case. Please, do review. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

[pokefanbri]

1st I have to say this b4 I repeat the post from fb. This is a place where I can speak my mind freely without judgement, speak my peace even. Which is exactly what im gonna do so prepare for a read. So think what u want idc, but the last thing I wanna do is tick some1 I know off cause on some level there's a mutual appreciation & respect regardless of my impression. And anyone that reads this isn't obligated to understand my opinion & I dont expect u to. With my brain its my thought process to let information out of my head so I can put things aside, observe & absorb more lol. Writing is another tool or coping mechanism for my anxieties & other psych ailments, treatment for my mental health depends on it & other hobbies in other words, especially during shutdown, something to focus on. Heck even youtube is recommended by my doctor if it keeps me happy lol. But because ill be working again, I may not have time to do alot of things I like sadly..idk i just wouldnt want to be burnt out & focus on more important things. I have a high respect for anyone working around people during this time & it must worrisome for u too, means I have to keep on my toes as well soon..its a scary world out there for an introvert but I was killin it in NY too. It was just a slow steady process with all the limitations & moving my life up there wasn't easy to begin with but I pulled through & did it all...only for it to be taken away.

So, I'm an Irish, German, Canadian,British Mut from tucson. Maternal & paternal immidiate families lineage mixed made me, including my NY blood from my bio dad. The rest is all over Europe but u get the idea. Tucson may be where i was born & my 1st home without a father & raised not knowing (were mardi gras babies btw 😒)

But NY is & will forever be my 2nd home i dont care what any1 says, I felt I belonged there. Its the other half of me quite literally.Theres a memory that's really been bugging me. Last day b4 i left it, a bald eagle flew across my path in the sky no joke going NE & I was departing back to the SW. I chose the eagle years ago cause I identify with it. including the background symbolism in different phases of my life that included them lol, but to actually see one was just amazing.

They symbolize strength+freedom in general despite it standing for the country from sea to shining sea lol. Also Braviary was always in my pokemon team besides pikachu since its gen came out lol. I've always been strong, whether some believe it to be true or not is their problem, only I know the things I've gone through. Point is different ends of the spectrum its always been with me throughout in some way & im glad i got to share it with someone that gave me the freedom I needed.

But yea I experienced what its like to be there & got to know that part of me even if I didn't find him & maybe didnt care...I feel I was meant to be there. I was in touch with my roots, lower Temps & above sea level rather than high temps & below sea level 🤣 I loved everything about my time up there. It'll always be a part of me, & I hope to see it again. But I digress.

But in regards to the relationship itself, emphasizing on what i said b4. Just as it i got "settled" in it was gone & I had no clue what was happening without my knowledge, the whole plan to bring me back, all of it, the whole chain of events that unfolded the way it did starting with leaving a marriage in the 1st place to be with him i mean come on lol. Chasing a dream that didn't play out the way we had hoped. I took leap of faith & I ended up starting over twice in 1 year with no benefit of the doubt. I still have my ny health insurance for the rest of the yr, I have to add it to my list to apply again in az. Ive been wearing the wrong prescription glasses for 6 months under quarantine & they're just now getting to stage 4 of opening lol. Just understand how frustrating that actually is for someone like me & u totally get it 😅 U want to take care of business but sometimes you're limited & gotta work around it. had all that covered there & then was told I settled, wrong thing to say & its no wonder I didn't blow up in his face right there & then 😒. But I have retraint & can control myself. Though it was out of my hands the new relationship didn't have to go sour, been just as long if not more, could've actually thrived given the proper balance with room to grow. Idk, Sometimes I honestly don't think anyone believed in me. I mean I have no debt, no record, no kids, im a clean slate type of girl lol. Yes I did end up feeling unappreciated, underestimated, a bit neglected, insecure about my body, ashamed for being myself, & I shouldn't have to feel that way at all & if that happens there obviously something off. I just didnt know what it is he wanted & needed, i wanted to help & be a good partner to this dude but why is it bad to ask the same in return? I shouldn't have to drastically change myself to fit someones standard i know, but...i needed the old him back, I missed the old us & wanted to get back to that.. Was always so closed off & probably ended up in his own head who knows, maybe there was guilt for some of the things he did & didnt want to hurt me anymore, spare my feelings any more than it did b4 it was too late.idk whatever the excuse i still don't know what triggered it all to fail so easily & i don't think i ever will. But ending up with the conclusion that I was the problem, its narcissistic to even believe that & i won't accept it. Not when he can't confront his own issuse & put blame onto himself too.. it was a low blow & literally felt like my heart was pierced at the sound of it. If im to blame its the other way around as well. My point of view wasn't acknowledged so this is my take & experiences of happened so plz dont hate me for speaking my truth.

But yea I can tell when somethings not right & feel strong empathy for others emotions. I knew something was different, there were signs everywhere since the mistrust started & during the last half of that time with him I questioned everything but sat in my own headspace as well as he did just thinking about it. If anything we failed eachother, the blame is on us both but idk what else i could've done to get through to him. That's the stubbornness, he wouldn't budge. Despite how things went down..Leaves me to think, what was the point of having me there in the 1st place, to not follow through with our shared hopes & dreams but instead spiral into such resentment for me that the interest faded. But at the at the same time...even if it ended early for him, I didn't give up & I fought to keep us okay which it was for the most part. Hindsight is 20/20, it definitely wasn't negative all the time. In fact things were great between us & acted like goofballs together, that right there is a friend despite if the stronger feelings weren't mutual. Nobody with hate in their heart acts like that, he was good, the best, cheered me up when I was down, shared interests & did things for eachother. But that alone makes me question what was truth & what was fiction sometimes ever since the trust between us started to fade. Am I in the right to feel what im feeling right now? Im angry & upset yes very, but the kindness he had throughout..he did care in his own way...which makes things so much harder.

Tripadoodle if some way you're listening, I hope u know now where im coming from. For your own benefit & quest to be a better man like you always wanted...actually try. Head my advice. Making yourself better shouldn't be put on a womans shoulders to do for u without her getting lifted in return...its alot of weight to handle for 1 person to carry lol. Get off your ass & build on yourself, learn from everything that happened & become better for yourself & the sake of others, Because it starts with u. Go to church if possible or watch them, it really does help. Even from across the country I still want u to do just as good & help u as a friend. You promised we could remain friends & im holding my end of the bargain whether u like it or not lol it was your idea during the ride here. All I wanted in the end was to not lose u in my life completely...but i should be patient i know.. Theres more space, im not contacting u directly & respecting that, eventually ill stfu lol but I feel I need this rn. I should hate u,but I cant hate u, I do still care, u had that affect on me so much that I can't really listen to others when they say ur a douchbag lol, u were still my rock the whole time even if u didn't feel the same after a while & u did help me alot as well. I see the good in people & u are good, with well balanced snarkiness & humorous sass to boot. light a fire under ur own ass & ull be okay lol. Never stopped believing in u. Ive seen what you can do, you're very smart & know your sh*t, u will go far lol. And as a friend I'd lend u my strength if I could but the most I can do is pray for things like safety/protection, healing, forgiveness, guidance, etc. Leave it to God if u feel compelled to. Give zanabell a hug for me.

God i talk way too much 😅 No im not doing any of this for attention, I want my voice to be heard as well as a possible learning experience if it had that effect on anyone. The things we learn build character & help us understand a little more about ourselves. Probably shouldn't share cuz its nobody's business, yea ive thought of that too.. But its a blog lol, Tumblr allowed it to be that space, opinions and rants are allowed & encouraged. Nothing wrong with that 🤷‍♀️ so who gives a crap.

These are pictures of the NY sunrise & AZ sunset. Clouds always get me cuz of the shapes, used to to take pics of them all the time. once saw mario holding a hammer when I was a kid 😂 3rd & 4th pic is a split rainbow, never seen that b4...either someone found the gold or its deciding whether or not to connect. Probably was connected but I missed it lol. But then I looked behind me after the split 1 disappeared & a double rainbow was forming. Nature can be scary but also beautiful

[overdrivels]

could we get a continuation to "change of plans?" like genji's s/o eventually caves to his persistence and joins blackwatch. maybe explore what his s/o's time is like in the organization and how they get along with mccree? (i imagine genji was kinda snippy with him when they first met; i'm curious how their relationship developed over the years.)

A continuation to “Change of Plans”? I can’t say I’ve ever really thought of one, so this one took a little while. But I also very much like exploring character development, so I’mma play around with this a little. At this point, tensions between Blackwatch and Overwatch are starting to plateau. It turned into less of a Genji x Reader and more of a general story that went off on a weird tangent. 

The stress was mounting, and it was coming on fast.

The screens that surrounded you had different articles from varying news sources of the decay of Overwatch, and the dark underbelly known as Blackwatch. Topographical maps for the next mission are also up, enemy posts and potential points of interests such as chokepoints and strongholds are all highlighted by blips of red and green, connected by lines that illustrated theoretical attack and escape routes.

You work tirelessly into the night for your first mission plan in Blackwatch. It took Genji roughly four months, a mock proposal, several handwritten letters, several more stunts (some which may or may not have involved the usage of his shurikens), and long conversation after the failure of a Blackwatch mission to get you to join.

Even now, you don’t know if this is what you should be doing. More than once in the past, you found yourself glad to have been in Overwatch and Genji in Blackwatch. Your missions and his would never intersect, at least, not directly. And it was a boon you both, despite Genji’s insistence to the contrary.

Even now as you continue to study the map, bringing up holograms of buildings, you can’t be sure you belong here.

“Huh. So you’re the newbie.”

Genji steps in front of you defensively before you even have a chance to open your mouth. “What do you need, McCree.” It is much closer to a threat than an actual question, and the sudden change in demeanor makes your head spin just once around. You’re barely able to take a breath, the tension thick.

“Can’t a guy just introduce himself to a new member?” The man says all too casually.

You look at the man Genji calls ‘McCree’ carefully. If he finds him to be dubious, then there’s no reason on your end to doubt that. He meets your gaze and nods at you, then at Genji. “Awfully cute. I hope that’s not their only redeeming feature?”

“McCree!” Genji drops to his stance, and McCree’s hand swings down to his holster, a triumphant grin spreading on his face.

“Hey! Get out of here, you’re blocking up the halls.” Both Genji and McCree jump to attention at once. You yourself take a moment before you realize it’s Gabriel Reyes, your new commander. He stands there impatiently, waiting for all of you to disperse.

McCree takes off his hat for moment, and holds it to his chest. “‘scuse me, boss. Just practicin’ my manners.”

“I didn’t employ for your manners. Don’t you have a mission to prepare for?”

McCree’s eyes fall on you, and places his hat back, his drawl becoming languid but purposeful. “I’ll prepare once th’mission plan’s complete. Wouldn’t want to charge in without one now, would I?”

“What did you say?” There is no mistaking the sharp ‘kshink’ of shuriken slipping out from Genji’s mechanical arm.

“Genji.” Reyes’s voice is stern, and even Genji knows to step back. “Now quit standing here, you all have work to do.”

McCree tips his hat at the commander and gives you a wonk before departing whereas Genji takes you by the arm and hurries you both away. But before you can get completely out of earshot, Reyes says, “I expect results good things from you.”

That was about a week ago. Gabriel has since given you further details on the mission you were to conduct the research for. A factory building omnics needs to be shut down, but as the factory itself builds consumer robots as well, there is a strong opposition against Overwatch’s ‘help’. And so, this mission must be completed with the utmost secrecy and care as to not pin the blame on Overwatch or Blackwatch.

You don’t sleep even when Genji urges you to do so. He will be carrying this plan out along with a small team of two others. You have to get this right. The pages of your carefully crafted plans laid out on the screens before you, and tab after tab of contingencies wait quietly. Profiles of each agent is on a different screen, meticulously gathered statistics fill the space underneath their pictures. The office space (more of a control center) was still bustling with other agents who were trying to perfect the last of their operation plans.

The sun is already rising when you have your plan fully compiled and ready to be presented. When you arrive at your new boss’s door, your nerves rattle. Perhaps you should have asked Genji to accompany you, but quickly shake it from your mind. No, you need to be proud of your plan and sure of it. Some other members have already given it a once-over and approved of it, so there was only the final hurdle.

You won’t disappoint.

“Come in.”

“Good morning, Commander Reyes. I’m here to present my plans for Operation Garm.”

Gabriel looks through the file he’s been presented, mouth drawn in a hard line. It didn’t even take a minute for him to put it down, and tap a finger against it. You straighten your back in attention. You were going to get questioned. This is normal. You are ready. You believe in your plan.

“This,” he says slowly, “is built from your concern for their safety.”

You hold your head high. You can’t falter when it comes to presenting your ideas. “Yes.”

He laces his fingers together, regarding you with a casual expression, but his eyes are shrewd. “It’s good, but your plan is not suited for my men.”

Your brain sinks straight to the ground, and you utter a shaky, “…excuse me?”

“My men can take care of themselves; they don’t need a plan that gets them back safely. They need a plan that will complete the mission.”

You take a step forward, weariness stripping you of your filter. “But sir, with all due respect, if we don’t take the necessary precautions, our agents wi–”

“We need a plan that will stop the production of these omnics before someone uses them for something they’re not meant for, agent, not a plan that forces my men to drop out at the first sign of trouble.”

Your mind splutters for a moment. Didn’t he realize that this factory was also outfitted with state-of-the-art security bots? If the agents engaged them in a fire fight, they’d lose. Heck, if they engaged any of them in any sort of skirmish, they’d immediately alert everyone in the vicinity–the whole city will converge on them and trap them and then Blackwatch will be implicated. Among these agents were Genji, and if he suffered any more than he already has then…

“I can’t compromise the safety of our agents for any reason,” you say breathlessly.

“You are compromising the mission.”

His word ignites your anger. The mission? Did he care at all about how his men acted? About securing points for them to rest? Their equipment? Nothing? Just the mission itself? Frustration eats at you in relentless chucks, and you try to get the impassive man in front of your to understand.

“I know I’m out of line, but because of that sort of thinking, Blackwatch is getting into more and more trouble! Our plans need to have our agents carefully consider their actions and take them carefully.”

“Because of your thinking, we’re going to end up with more casualties. We don’t do things half-assed here.” The words ‘like Overwatch’ hung unspoken in the air.

Embers inside you become a flame. How dare he.

“I didn’t know you were this sort of man,” you hiss, patience long evaporated.

“And I didn’t know you had so little faith in our agents,” he responds coolly.  

“I have faith in them! That’s why–”

“–that’s why you created a plan that forsakes the mission. That is not faith.” He takes a dramatic pause to look you in the eye and whispers, “That’s fear.”

Perhaps it’s because he’s absolutely right and he dug straight to the core of it and yanked it out without regard, or perhaps it’s because he’s entirely wrong and there’s nothing cowardly about prioritizing the survival of your teammates, but you shout, “I CARE about our agents, I’m not going to send them off to die!”

“Cool your head,” Gabriel orders, unfazed by your outburst having dealt with much, much worse. “Come back to me with a new plan with the mission as priority. I want it on my desk by the end of day, tomorrow.”

You salute half-heartedly and turn your heel, instantly more angry as the door slides open instead of granting you the satisfaction of slamming it behind you. The silence you leave behind in Gabriel’s room is tense even without your presence, but from a blind spot in the room, hidden behind a cabinet and a wall, McCree emerges, a low whistle escaping his lips.

Gabriel remains motionless, face still hidden behind crossed fingers.

“Ain’t that a lil’ too harsh, boss? First plan ‘n all.” There is little sympathy in his voice however.

“I already said it: I have faith in my men.”

Jesse skims over the plans strewn over Gabriel’s desk with mild interest, and scoffs after the first few bullet points. “Genji’s nabbed a sweetie, but sweetness ain’t got anyone nowhere; Blackwatch ain’t for bleedin’ hearts.” Again, he looks over the papers. “Awfully nice of ‘em though,” he adds as an afterthought.

Gabriel does not agree, but he does not refute it either, getting up from his chair, your plans in hand.

Zenyatta catches you storming out of Gabriel’s office. It is strange to see the omnic walking around Blackwatch territory, but then again, it isn’t as though you knew exactly where he goes all the time.

The omnic waves at you. “Greetings.”

“Agent Zenyatta,” you politely nod in his direction which he returns in kind. You have worked with him before, arranging for reinforcements and protection whenever he goes on his trips to negotiate on behalf of Overwatch. However, with the recent troubles Overwatch seems to have gotten into, Zenyatta’s job was becoming more and more difficult to handle–no protection meant an easy target, but more protection meant bringing in hostilities to any diplomatic meetings. It was a horrid paradox.

“You seem distressed. Is something the matter?”

An immediate ‘no’ comes to your mouth on the account of your pride, but remains there. Of course something was the matter, but how could you even begin to tell someone unrelated to the situation that ‘oh, it’s no big deal, it’s just that one of my plans that I slaved many nights over just got rejected when I’ve been doing the same damn thing for YEARS and isn’t good enough because apparently I care too much’. The frustration that gnaws at you is beyond words.

Zenyatta, sensing your trepidation, says, “Perhaps elsewhere then.”

It doesn’t take long before you unleash your torrent of grievances and insecurities on Zenyatta, who pries them out of you with practiced ease. You both talk and talk–other rather, you talk and he listens, an occasional nod of his head or a helpful quip to show he is listening.

It’s late into the afternoon by the time you both part ways, your chest already lighter without the burden of your troubles.

“I heard about what happened with Reyes,” is the first thing Genji says when he sees you in the canteen. He doesn’t normally eat, at least not a lot, but he needs the structure of pretending by ordering it anyway.

“He went over it with us,” he continues as you shovel another forkful of food into your mouth. “I told him we should do it.”

You almost choke. “You wha–”

“I believe in your plans, that’s why I asked for you to transfer here. I believe in you.” His words are resolute, even more so than you are about your own ideas. There is a fire in his voice that transfers over, warming you.

“Genji…”

“I trust your plans. I made that clear to Reyes today.”

You immediately perk up. “Is he…”

“He says he will think on it more, but still wants another plan. He was just…hesitant because it is not Blackwatch’s way of doing things.” Genji says slowly, his human hand resting reassuringly on your thigh.

You grumble slightly. “Then what is Blackwatch’s way?”

The cybernetic robot does not answer for a long while, but when he does, you nearly drop your drink. “Perhaps not the right way.”

In the end, you go see Commander Reyes again, and with some slight modifications to the original one, he begrudgingly accepts it with a warning that follows you throughout the whole time you await the results of the mission. “Your intentions are good, but they’re going to come bite you.”

You tell him with unwavering confidence that they won’t. You’ve designed many plans and spearheaded several projects for Overwatch, and this should not be any different. The only difference is your faction and the fact you’re sending someone you’re intimately close to on a mission of your design.

“I trust you, so you better come back safely,” you say to Genji just before he leaves.

He gives your hand a squeeze, and you realize just how cold yours are in comparison to his. “And I trust your plans, so I will. Do not doubt that I won’t.”

You let him go reluctantly, and watch as he joins the other members of the team who then shortly disappear into the dead of the night. You can only hope it goes well.

But hope by itself does not manage to put a damper on Murphy’s Law. The mission goes terribly. The three-man team was forced to abort almost immediately upon reaching the target, unable to execute any contingencies while under siege by the city’s police force which you had not anticipated to be so deeply entangled in this mess.

The agents managed to have their lives spared, a bloodless escape that was long calculated into the plan coupled by Commander Reyes’s supervision, but the mission itself–

Plastered all over the news in another smear campaign against the tyranny of Overwatch and Blackwatch, who in their words, are attempting to make themselves relevant by now interfering with the daily lives of civilians. Some even suspect that Overwatch sends Blackwatch to create havoc so that Overwatch themselves may come in to ‘rescue’ everyone, securing their position in the world as peace-keepers while secretly doling out evil deeds.

The stories becomes unbearably ridiculous, and is reported suspiciously quick.

However, you were deaf to all of this, rushing desperately to the medical bay, Gabriel hot on your heels. Genji. He sits in one of the offices alongside the other two agents who accompanied him, clearly agitated but uninjured–just like your plan dictated. But when he catches sight of you, breathless and wide-eyed, he immediately gets up.

“I’m sorry. Your plan–”

You don’t bother letting him finish, flinging your arms around his shoulders, still mindful of the tubes and wires that protrude from his back. Relief and anguish tumble inside you, fighting their way out at once. “Thank god–thank god you’re okay, I’m just so glad you’re not hurt, I’m so sorry, Genji–”

You babble on and on, Genji’s touches and reassurances unable to soothe you. You fell into the exact trap that you yourself had spoken against prior to joining Blackwatch. How could it have gone so badly? It wasn’t supposed to be this way–it was supposed to be simple, an in-and-out mission with all factors accounted for.

“That’s enough, good to see you all still alive,” says Gabriel, stepping forward. Genji untangles himself from you, and joins the other two agents in rigid salute.

“Thank you. sir,” they all say in unison.

“Gabriel Reyes.” All of you jump, except the man in question, jumps at the irritable and booming voice.

“Jack.”

“The hell was that? Operation Garm. Not even Zenyatta is going to be able to put out this fire you’ve caused.” The blond commander was practically seething, angrier and more exhausted than you’ve ever seen him. You meekly step forward, a growing dread in your stomach.

“I’m sorry, sir, that–”

“Yeah, I sanctioned it. Got a problem with that?” Gabriel practically shields you with his body without actually seeming to do so. Sharp blue eyes turn toward your new commander.

“Let’s take in this my office.”

There is no room for argument in Commander Morrison’s order, and he turns tail, fully expecting Gabriel to follow. Gabriel gives you something of a sympathetic look, he pats your shoulder with a heavy hand and squeezes, a slight resemblance of comfort and reassurance, before he dismisses everyone with a nod of his chin and follows after Jack.

Genji and yourself stand there for several long moments, and you try to wrap your head around what’s just happened and what you have gotten yourself into.

[nighttimelights-prompted]

UF!Sans x reader arguing because Red has feelings towards the reader, but refuses to act out on it because he's afraid that he'll ruin/taint them, therefore trying to distance himself from the reader (who he was once close with), although the reader doesn't know why Red's pushing them away, therefore starting an argument. (I'm really sorry if there's anything about this that doesn't make sense, I worded it oddly)

(not to worry, i think it made perfect sense! though i suppose we’ll see if i interpreted the way you meant it. i’ve also got a couple more prompts in my inbox now, so thank you so much for those sweet people who sent in something! still open and accepting prompts and imagines, so let me know if you’d like something, ya cuties.)

(… and i suppose i would be remiss if i didn’t give a head’s up: prepare for at least a few feelings ahead. though perhaps someone would like to send in a follow up prompt with a way to continue/wrap this~?)

The low revving of your motorcycle was a purr compared to the gutteral roar that Red’s always held, but you still felt the blow of its noise in its loss when you cut off the engine.

Even when you tugged off your helmet, shaking your hair free quickly as you scanned the line of the rooftop above, the silence suffocated you. It was wrong, and every fiber of your being felt it; even in the dead of night, if you were here, your motorcycle parked alongside Red’s as it was now, the hilltop should be ringing with his brash, low laughter, curving around your own until the tears pooled at the corners of your eyes.

Heat prickled wetness at the corners now, but you blinked them away harshly as you caught sight of the bulky silhouette on a distant corner of the rooftop. You slung your leg over and dismounted, leaving your helmet propped on your bike. No one would steal it - there wasn’t another soul around for miles.

It was the quick work of minutes to find your way to the roof access ladder, grappling the side of it for the first 10 feet where the rungs were blocked by a locked safety panel. Your leather gloves gripped the edge of the building as you hauled yourself over, boot meeting concrete edging with the same confidence and anger you hoped you could hold up until he could get an earful from you.

Or a skull-full, you guessed.

It was naturally the opposite side of the building he was standing at. The bastard would’ve heard you coming for a mile, could’ve left if he wanted, but damn if he wasn’t still going to be just that much farther. You vaulted over the varying heights of the roof, easily avoiding the enormous dome of glass that sat over the gazing room. You let your anger fuel you, trying to focus on those roiling feelings and not the way you could feel your phone burning awareness in your mind from deep in your pocket, smoking figuratively with the echoing shots of your cracking heart.

“OY, RED!”

That’s it, let the anger keep your voice steady-

“WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?”

You were almost on him now, the gentle light of the half-moon and stars silhouetting him and the roof in washed-out tones. The absurd fluff of his hood was spiked around his skull, his hands tucked into his pockets. The jacket actually looked… zipped up, for once. A small line of smoke drifted upwards from the line of fur.

“WHO- Wh-who do you think you are, sending me a goddamn text like that?” You reached his side at last, but quickly looked down to try and grasp at the anger draining out of you. “What kind of asshole leaves a text like that - ‘don’t bother textin me again, i’m done with this’? Out of fucking nowhere?” You resisted the urge to stomp your foot, but just barely. Instead you quickly grabbed at your phone, the leather of your gloves catching on your tight pocket for just a moment. You didn’t even bother unlocking it, but waved it towards him for extra effect. “You gonna give me some kinda explanation, or what?”

Sure, try and reason, that may hold back the prickling feeling in your chest. Your fingers gripped a little tighter at your phone as you waited for something from him.

You got a shrug.

“The fuck,” you said.

You got another shrug. The fluff seemed to stay a little higher this time at the end of the motion. Or was his head a little lower?

You bit down your inclination to swear again. “Red, c’mon man, give me something. If I did fuck up, fine, but I can’t figure it out or make it right on my own. Or is something going down? Why’re you pushing me away, after all the shit we’ve stuck through together?” Your voice cracked. Your mouth twisted in a grimace, but you didn’t try to restate it.

The twisting in your chest was only worsening with his silence.

It was a quick gambit you ran through some dark labyrinth in your mind in the next few moments. That stark first memory hit you - coming across him beat to hell and back in that alleyway almost a year ago, cornered by a handful of supremacist asswipes wielding knives and spiked bats, waving what you immediately recognized as a “Anti-Magic Security Affective Field of Energy” - AMSAFE, the shit had been named - and drawing closer, one of them raising their bat above their head. Red had wiped a line of glowing red liquid from his mouth and stood a little taller, and had grunted out a goddamned pun - “guess ‘m up to bat, huh?” - before you had slammed a stray pipe into the side of the bat wielder’s kneecaps. The chaos that had ensued ended with you slinging Red’s arm over your shoulders and hauling him to his favorite bar despite your judgement, the alley behind you echoing with “i’d offer to lend ya a hand, doll, but ya’ve got my whole arm already.” Fast forward to the next week, finding him in another alleyway, surrounded by a bigger group - then another week, again, before the next day you tracked him down through his flaming friend of a bartender and tried to get some answers. None of which you got, of course, but it ended in you getting his number, and vice versa - soon you were getting him human intel on the supremacists no monster could easily come across, which eventually spun into late nights spent trading jokes and stories, then meeting his terrifying and hilariously secret-sweet edgelord of a brother, then getting looped into movie nights with his handful of friends, and races under the rising moon through the hillside, and slow but growing insights into the hell they had all been through Underground as you leaned against his side, both your legs dangling off this very building, smoke drifting lazily between you-

“Give me… give me something, Red,” you said quietly, your voice strained.

He remained quiet and still for a few more moments, before shrugging again and twisting just a little further away from you.

“meant what i said, that’s fuckin’ all.”

You snapped.

In a blink, your hands were fisted in the fur of his coat. Your mind registered the plastic clatter of your phone striking the rooftop as you stepped to get in front of him.

“That’s fucking bullshit!”

Heat spiked at the corners of your eyes, but you ignored it.

He was taller than you by at least a few inches, something that normally made you feel a strange kind of safe and comforted, but right now it was just pissing you off as you tried to drag him down to no avail. “You’ve been acting weird for a few days now, and all I goddamn did earlier was send you a message asking if you wanted me to grab you a burger from Grillbz - and then, then you send me that-! After nothing, no signs! Hell, we just hung out this past goddamn weekend-!” Your face was already red, but you weren’t sure if you would’ve flushed further or drawn up tears faster if you lingered on the memory, on the way you had woken up on his couch, your head resting in his lap with one of his hands tangled gently in your hair, having slumped over at some point while watching Edge’s robot friend on TV. You refused to linger there though - no, your words were furious, but you were worried, the moment striking harsh and cold in contrast to your burning eyes, your reddened skin.

Not that you didn’t want to shake sense into him regardless of your concern, but if he would just explain, maybe you could knock that bit of sense into him and then end up laughing this off-

“finally got some time to think, that’s all. really was a bonehead to not acknowledge it sooner. we’re just different, too different.” His words were gravelly and plain. A clove cigarette, the same kind he had switched to some six months ago, hung from his teeth. The smell was almost nostalgic; coupled with the setting and the way his hood caught the distant light of the night sky, it dropped stones into your gut as you better caught his expression.

The twist to his mouth wasn’t the usual cocky smirk you had come to love more than you’d ever admitted. No, there was a wry sneer pulling his mouth to the side, just barely there.

It stabbed through you harder than his words.

“we had some alright times, i guess. but i’m done with it. done with ya gettin’ into tr- into knowing monsters an’ shit, shit that ain’t ever gonna work out. ain’t worth losin’ my head over.”

You finally registered the dead, dull light to his normally shining eyelights. Rather than a bright crimson, they were dimmed to a cruel crimson. Your grip slackened, but you refused to let go yet.

“Red, you’re - you’re full of shit. More than usual. Seriously, what the fuck is going on?” You tilted your head just slightly, your fists managing to grip a little again. Your brows had drawn down, and you swallowed to push away the rawness building in you.

One of his hands, broad and boney, swept upwards and brushed one of your arms away with frustrating ease. “i don’t wanna keep repeatin’ myself, here.” He closed his eyes and turned from you, wresting your other hand free as he pocketed his once more.

“I can protect myself, if that’s what you’re worried about,” you said, your voice scratching as the anger bubbled desperately in you.

He made a strange sound - you couldn’t quite see his face, and you couldn’t find the way to move your feet to get in front of him again. “yeah, sure. ya sure proved it.”

“... I know you’re better than this.”

The sound this time was a scoff, clear but for the muffle of his hood. “like i said, too different. ya won’t - wouldn’t understand.”

Your hands balled into fists at your side. Your cheeks chilled with a breeze that passed by, the line of tears running down them drying cold and tight.

“Yeah, I won’t lie. I don’t understand this, Red. I thought I got you, and I thought you got me… and y’know?” You laughed, once, short, choked. “I still think I do. So yeah, alright.”

You turned on your heel, the moonlight a gentle glow on one half of your face.

“We’re done, then, I guess.”

You didn’t wait for another response as you strode back across the rooftop.

Your motorcycle was alone in the parking lot by the time you reached it.

(... well, i warned you.)

(... anybody want me to continue this one? i might do a part two, leave me an ask if you’ve got something in mind or just a desire to find out what happens

[theworldofyaltra-blog]

The World of Yaltra Parts 1-10

Yaltra, a world filled with magic gods and special abilities, a world of kingdoms and Queendoms. Light fills the world, but where light resides darkness is sure to appear.

In the queendom of Ceark, a warrior legend resides, a man named Dae Vol he was 14 and a tall boy standing at 6'3" with light brown hair and steel gray eyes, he prefers to wear red and gray robes. Dae had moved to Ceark when he was young. He went straight to the castle that day and demanded to be Chief of the Order of Knights. He was put through a test to see his power, they made a wager that if he was able to beat the top ten of the Order of Knights he would be given the title he wished. Dae was skilled, being born of a warrior and trained since he was a young boy. Dae got through nine of the ten, but when he reached the leader of the knights he was defeated. The leader of the Order of Knights recognized the boys potential and took him under his wing. Dae trained with the leader for 3 years when one day he was instructed by his mentor that to become physically stronger he had to become mentally strong. Dae was sent to Vertul School of Magic. At first Dae hated school, he disliked most people at the school, being an orphan back in his birth town only knowing his father was a warrior, and growing up in the slums. He disliked their aristocratic aura, he could tell that most looked down upon him. But one day after class he was approached by two people. He was approached by Phay Meloa a girl around 16 years old and her best friend Zould Akia a 17 year old half elf boy. Other than the staff of the school these were the first people to be nice to him at this school, they looked at him like a peer, like a friend. For a long time they were inseparable, and eventually they graduated the school. Zould left to his homeland, Phay was headed home too, but coincidentally Phay's home country is Ceark. Dae and Phay decided to travel home together. Phay asked what Dae was going to do. He tells her of his mentor and discovers that Phay is the daughter of his mentor.So Dae keeps training with Phay's father. Dae and Phay spend much more time together, growing closer and closer. Speed forward a bit and Dae confesses his love for Phay she feels the same. Dae and Phay get married 5 years later. A year after Dae is successful in fighting his now father in law becoming the leader of the Order of Knights. Zould then moves to Ceark and works as the High Wizard in place of his late uncle. Phay gets pregnant and gives birth to a boy, he is named Ty. A year later a war breaks out between Ceark and the kingdom of Anot. This war lasts for 4 years, and Phay's father passes on the battlefield. During the 3rd year of the war Phay gets pregnant again but dies in child birth. The child is a girl which Dae names Saia. Now it is 12 years after the war, this is where the story will truly begin.

"Hey you! Stop right there!" The guard commanded.

"Make me!" I replied confidently. But my confidence quickly faded as more guards appeared from the ally ways.

"You won't get away from us again Bo Asden!" This is not the first time I was in this type of pickle, especially with that particular guard. I never learned his name though, all I know is that he's getting faster.

Finally I found my favorite mode of escape, one of the many ally ways in this dump of a country. Ever since the last queen died and her bitch of a sister took the throne things have been hard on us poor folk. But enough history we have a problem at hand, that being-

"It's a dead end."

"And the end of the line for you thief!" Exclaimed the guard."You'll finally get your comeuppance."

"Hey there pal. Can't we work something out here?" I doubt this will work but I gotta try.

"No."

"Damn." Well I guess prison won't be that bad, I could work on my people skills. Plus free housing and food, but then again they would be alone.

"Seize him!" Exclaimed another guard. I guess I'll go out in a blaze of glory. As the first one came at me I swept gracefully past him and punched him in the back of the head, he was out cold.

"Gary!" So that's his name, good to know. They stopped playing fairly at this point and rushed me. I got overwhelmed and was thrown to the ground, it seemed they wanted to repay me for Gary.

"Stand down soldiers!" Boomed a large man behind the pile of people on top of me. He was a large man around 6'3" with graying brown hair and steel gray eyes. But it seems he is something to the guards because they got off me with fear in their eyes.

"I will take care of the thief, take Heads to the infirmary." This made me loose any feeling of safety. After the guards left with Gary he came closer and began to speak. "So tell me boy, why are you stealing from people, what is your motive?"

"I doubt YOU would understand"

"Try me kid, you'd be surprised"

"Believe it or not, some kids don't have parents to take care of them. All those kids have is me, so I get them food this way."

"How old are you son?"

"Sixteen, why?"

"Well, since you're sixteen you can work for their food, plus even if you're too old the orphanage will take the children your looking after."

"But I can't just-"

"You can, it's safer for them."

I'm sick of this asshole preaching about something he doesn't understand. I'm going to teach this old guy a lesson then he'll think twice about ordering people around. I ran towards him fists ready, then I was on they ground.

"What just happened?"

"Your predictable, but I plan on fixing that."

"What?"

"Get up and follow me, I'm gonna make you stronger."

"Yes sir." As we left I saw something. It was a man in red and gold robes, just silently watching me, as if he were waiting for something.

"Something wrong boy?"

"No and I have a name, I'm Bo."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Dae."

After the whole 'come with me' thing, Dae lead me past the slums to the more suburban part of the kingdom. It was sorta weird though because he didn't talk the whole way, just odd silence between us. Finally he stopped at a medium sized Dutch style house. He walked in the house prompting me to follow him. I had guessed at this point that it was his house. When I walked in I was greeted by a warm, loving atmosphere, just like I thought a home would feel, maybe it was just my imagination though.

"Father who is this boy?" Said a boy that seemed to be around 17, and looked like a slim young version on Dae. Not so far behind him a girl lingered, unsure if she should trust me.

"Tsun this is Bo, he will be trained here from today on." Dae said with his seemingly endless confidence. There was one thing wrong with this though, not once was I told that I would be staying here and being trained, I guess that's what he meant by 'make me stronger' but I had things to do, people to feed.

"What!? Why?" Said Tsun with rage. Never mind, I need to find someone to take care of the kids, because now my sole purpose in life is to antagonize this boy.

"I did not say it was a matter of discussion. He will be here so deal with it." I think it's time for me to step in.

"Well I'm lookin-"

"Be quiet boy, you need to prove yourself if I am to accept this!"

"Someone's cranky."

"Well if you're so apposed just fight him, he took on Gary." Hmm Gary's more popular than I previously thought. But also fight him? Why not? It'll be fun, he can't be too good if Gary is their frame of reference.

"Fine, if I win he shall leave, and if he wins he can stay." Dae didn't respond. "Follow me boy." He led me to a door in the back of the house with Dae and the girl trailing behind. Then the door led out to a grassy field.

"Might I ask how?" I said.

"To simply put it, magic." Dae replied. What a convenient excuse for an otherwise impossible situation.

"Come at be boy."

"It's Bo son."

"You know it's Tsun."

"And you know it's Bo." I wonder how stupid he'll look when he looses. Dae and the girl were whispering, catching my curiosity I tried listening to them and caught 'He isn't too bright though, huh' from the girl. What made her think that? That is what I found out. I turned back and we officially 'started' the fight. At first we just walked in circles, but then in a second he was in front of me, trying to connect his fist to my face. Lucky I dodged the attack and backed up.

"You're fast." I prepared a punch.

"Thanks." With that once again he jumped right to me, just as planned. He might be fast, but he seems to think with his head, not his mind. Wait, that doesn't make sense. Or does it? Fuck it, I'll go with it. What I was trying to say though was, i had expected another jump so I had prepared that punch and that plus his speed.

"HMF"

"That's a strange noise, I didn't expect that." I replied snidely.

"I take that back." Whispered the girl to Dae.

"Damn right!"

"Language!" Responded Dae. Also it seemed the girl was embarrassed to have been heard.

"Alright he can stay." Tsun groaned from the ground.

After the short battle with Tsun, I returned inside to explore a bit. I came across a shelf filled with pictures of times long ago. One depicted a younger Dae along with an elf and some girl that resembled the whisper girl, but this seemed too old for that to be her.

"Hey Dae!"

"What?"

"Who are these people with you in this picture?"

"The girl was my wife before we married, and the elf is my friend Zould."

"Where is your wife anyways?"

"Sadly she passed years ago, and Zould vanished during the Few year war."

"I've always hated the name of that war."

"Yes, it isn't very imaginative, like it was thought of on the spot. Anyway, we have to find a place to put the children you care for, and tomorrow morning we start your training!"

"Alright." I said. Something still felt off though, like a storm was coming.

"M'lord, the time has come. We may never have a chance such as great as this to invade Ceark."

"Prepare the fleet, we leave next week."

"Yes lord Ziao Tae."

I'm in a scorched field, one day the grass will grow but for now it's burnt dirt, burnt by battle mage fires. Dad is on the ground, but not the same dad i know. He was younger with full brown hair lacking the bits of gray without his short beard. In front of him stood an elf, one I've seen only in pictures. Dad once told me his name was Zould and his best friend, someone he trusted with his life and secrets. Zould was speaking, that's when I noticed the dark smoke cloud in front of him, i could feel the dark magic in the cloud. This cloud could only hurt.

"If I do this you will let him live, is that right?" Zould said looking to my father.

"Yes young elf, if you do this I will spare this boy and he will not fall like the rest." Uttered the evil thing. I realized the bodies scattered everywhere, some parts were removed from the bodies, it was sickening. "Just wound yourself and don't resist me." With that Zould cut his palm and the cloud seeped into it. He screamed from the painful experience.

"Take care Dae." He said. Then he started to change. He looked different now but his back was turned to me and as he started to turn I was surrounded in darkness. I was fearful at first, but then a calming voice told me.

"Find the book, save the elf, save the world." Then I awoke. I was in my room again. I was still just Victoria Vol, the 16 year old daughter of the "Great" Dae Vol.I've been having this dream for a month, but the calming voice was new. I was filled with questions from his words. What book was I to find? How do I save the elf? Is the cloud a danger to the world? But I couldn't find these answers on my own, but maybe dad could help me. It was around seven thirty so dad should be worshipping the "Forgotten God", the first god but also least know to the point that he is majorly unknown to most. Usually people will pray to more popular gods like Nekatio the god of cats, personally I like to worship the goddess of light Samantha. Dad likes to say that Samantha and the goddess of darkness Wendy are in a romantic relationship, but that's just ridiculous. Why would a girl go out with another girl? Dad also tells me it's not a big deal, I'm sure I just don't understand. I entered my fathers room but he wasn't there, something important must have come up. I decided to go down stairs to make some breakfast. Down in the kitchen I saw the boy dad brought back home a week ago as a student. He had hair that was a sandy yellow color and dark blue eyes, he was around 5'8 which I liked seeing as though I'm 5'4 and live with two giants standing at 6'3 and 6'2. He's kinda cute. "Do you know where my father is?" I asked Bo hopeful that he knew.

"Not specifically but he said it was important." Drat I wanted to ask him about the dream. But a voice cut through my thoughts. "Why is Gary your standard for strength?"

"Well Gary is a werewolf, plus he is considerably strong as just a human too."

"Did you say werewolf?"

"Yes and if anyone ever killed him it would mean big trouble."

"Who did this." I said to Dr.Sandra Bouls.

"Who ever did this used black magic to kill him, its potent even now though Mr. Gary Heads was killed around 48 hours ago."

"This is a problem, only one person could kill Gary with such powerful dark magic."

"Do you mean-"

"Zaio Tae."

It was a quarter past eight now and Victoria was leaving once again, she left at this time every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Where was she going though? I don't know much of Victoria except basic knowledge like age and gender.

"Where do you go on these days?" I decided to ask.

"Nothing to worry yourself about." Oh wow that really helps me. I guess it was supposed to be like that. So since she won't tell me I'll have to find out for myself. And by that I mean while I have free time let's follow Victoria. After a few seconds after her departure I left the house and followed the small black haired girl from a safe distance of two or three yards. We went a mile or two when she stopped and went to enter a small house on the outskirts of the city, I had closed the distance and decided now was a good time to reveal myself.

"Who lives here?" I said, startling Victoria. She saw it was me and calmed just long enough for her surprise to become anger. She slapped me.

"Why did you follow me, douche!"

"Language Vic. Also, ow."

"One, you deserved it. Two, I don't want you here. And three, who said you could call me 'Vic'."

"Well I'm not leaving now Vic, I want to know who this person is."

"I don't care! Just go back ho-"

"Oh, Victoria you brought your boyfriend to lessons today!" Said a friendly looking old lady cutting off Vic's sentence.

"He is not my boyfriend, he is a boneheaded fool."

"Such harsh words Vic." I feel that I'm starting to bother her, I'm glad I came.

"Well come on in, both of you." Said the old lady gesturing us to come inside.

"I'm looking forward to this."

"I hate you."

"Ha."

Inside the house was a room with a table to the left, a sitting area to the right and two doors. The old lady had us sit down and Vic explained my current situation.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I'm Matilda, a witch and Victoria's grandmother."

"Nice to meet you Matilda, why does Vic come here so often?"

"I can't just visit my grandmother?" Vic said with a cold tone.

"She comes to learn, just like my daughter learned."

"Learn what? Witchcraft?"

"No carpentry, of course it's witchcraft." Then a knock came from the door. "Well aren't I popular today." With that Matilda went and answered the door, and at the door was Dae.

"Matilda we have a big problem." Dae said sounding genuinely concerned.

"Nice to see you too, come in son."

"Oh I guess Bo joined you today, but you may stay it concerns all of us." What is going on that has him so worried? Nothing much ever really happens in Ceark, the only thing we really ever have to worry about is the magic haters of Takacia.

"Matilda, Victoria you've been having a certain dream lately right?"

"Yes I was hoping I was just going senile but he has returned hasn't he."

"What? Who's back? What does this have to do with my dreams?" Victoria looked scared, what in the fire realms is going on?

"I will tell you in due time but for now head home, and Matilda its time for you to abandon ship. I have to do something now, Victoria and Bo, go home for now."

"But what is all thi-" but before I could finish that sentence he was gone.

"Queen Aldraea, I have come as asked."

"Ah yes Knight Dae Vol, I have been informed of the dangers that loom and I have a task of utmost importance for you." Man she sucks, I'm just waiting for an assassin to come along. "I need you too look after my daughter, I'm having her go undercover as one of you plebeians so she may stay out of deaths grasp. And what's worse is she takes after her late father, such a weak man." This is music to my ears, her daughter takes after Borjor the kind. This is the best possible outcome, Borjor died a martyr. He was said to save any person, he would go to battlefields and save both friend and foe. Sadly he was 'mysteriously' poisoned. "Cassidy! Come here girl." A young teen girl then entered the room, she had long golden locks and jade green eyes although I could barely see them since she stared at the floor in submission.

"Y-yes mother."

"This is Knight Vol you shall live with his family while danger is high. I expect no problems with this."

"Yes mother."

"Now leave me, both of you."

"Yes my queen." With that I left with the shy princess.

It was eight in the evening when Dae opened the door and behind him was a girl around 19 and timid looking.

"Hey Tsun, I know I'm new myself but is this something he just does? Bring people home?"

"No actually, you two are the firsts. Also may I ask your name?" Tsun asked. A good question too but I doubt she will answer herself, she looks too uncomfortable for questions.

"This is Cassidy and she will be staying with us for a while." He told us nothing more of girl and lead her to the fifth and last bedroom of the house. He then went to Vic and lead her to the room, she entered, he left.

"Well that sure was 'enlightening', I really learn a lot about her." I said sarcastically.

Father had come to my room and filled me in on the princess and her situation, then lead me to her hopeful that I could calm the nervous girl. She sat on her bed and stroked her long golden hair, which is kinda weird because neither her mother or father have/had black hair.

"The queen isn't your real mother is she." I said bluntly, and now that I think about it that was rude of me.

"No, my real mother was a maid. She died in child birth." She replied unexpectedly. "My father didn't like 'mother' though and she didn't like him, which is why he had the affair. We would bond over our hatred of her, but then she." Cassidy stopped at that point realizing that she was saying very personal things to a stranger. "I-I'm sorry, I'd like to sleep now if that's ok."

"Of course, you can come to me if you need to talk again." Then I left. She seemed sad now, but she seemed a lot more comfortable. Maybe one day she will finish her talk with me.

It's been two months since Dae took me in. My days have been mostly routine; wake up, pray, eat breakfast, train, eat lunch, study, eat dinner, pray, sleep. The only diversions from said routine are my off days. For training we mostly just workout, sometimes Dae will teach me things like sword techniques. He's brought up magic infusion before, a skill in which something can be infused with magic, it's usually just for swords and armor though. I can't infuse anything because of my weak magic though, that's what studying is for. I've been practicing out of a thick spell book for beginners and have some basic magic down like 'Ignis Creare' a simple spell for making fire. Then there's 'Pruinae Creare' which is just the opposite of Ignis Creare. But enough of that, I'm currently at dinner and Dae has bequeathed some information upon us.

"I'm sending you all to Virtul Magic Academy." Dae stated.

"Excuse me? Why might I ask are we being sent to a school." I asked.

"Reasons."

"Do you have to be so vague?"

"Nope."

"I don't want to go. I'd rather stay here." Vic and Tsun agreed.

"It's not up for debate, I'm not answering any questions either. You four are going and that's it, you might want to pack your luggage because you leave in the morning."

"This is bullshit." Tsun claimed. Huh usually he's not one to argue, maybe I'm rubbing off on him, I felt happy from this thought.

"Just accept it, it's not like he's going to change his mind." Vic cut in. Tsun seemed rather peeved because his next course of action was to head to his room, drama queen. I was about to complain again but Dae sent me a glare, and the next thing I new I was headed to my room to pack. I'm not sure entirely what made me back off but I know it wasn't magic, that made it all the more terrifying.

It was evening when we arrived at the school, but it looked more like a fortress than a school. The whole campus was enclosed by a 12' stone wall in the shape of an octagon. At each point of the octagon was a tower, 4 were class buildings and the other 4 were dormitories, 2 for boys and 2 for girls. In the center was a larger tower which held the cafeteria, a ballroom, teacher housing, and at the top was the headmasters office. When we arrived we were shown to our respective rooms and someone was to pick us up and show us the around campus. A portly guy a year or two older than I showed me around, he seemed nice I should have listened to him. I didn't see the others till morning classes the next day. First class was Magic History with Ms.Uerosa she looked around in her mid to late twenties and... tried. She is too nice for her own good, the other students walked all over her, the ones who didn't and listened were few and seemed respectable, like they earned their right to learn here. The ones who couldn't be bothered to listen to poor Ms.Uerosa were, obviously, the children of 'important' nobles. Sadly a lot of the people here were those types. I did meet some good people, like Bruce, he has copper hair and glasses and schemes, which is always a plus in my book. I found him the most likable of the people here, luckily he's also my roommate. In my next class I finally got back together with Vic and Tsun, the other girl was in a different class. This class was Magical Practice with Mr.Dawnbreak, first task was summoning a familiar.

"Ok class, a familiar is the most important part of a magician, they can symbolize your magical strength and will be your companions till the end of your days." Mr.Dawnbreak boomed. He then mumbled some chant and a dwarf troll appeared next to him. "You can summon familiars at will with a simple chant, you can have multiple familiars depending on your magical strength. Now who's ready!" He's a very interesting teacher, very eager. Vic had summoned a black cat she named Simon, which was a sign of her strong affinity to potion magic. Tsun summoned a dog, to show his physical strength. Bruce summoned a Phoenix and everybody was too awed to ask what that meant. Now it was my turn. "Alright Bo, give it a try!"

"hoc est maximus ut custodiant lectione nunc." I chanted. And a figure started to appear. Now I'm not sure exactly what was going on, or why but when the summoning smoke cleared all that was there was, a girl. She was, different though, that meaning she had wings hand sharp teeth. She opened her mouth and spoke.

"Hilsener mester." She said. We looked upon her in both confusion and awe. "Min heter er Drakaina, har jeg kommet til å tjene deg." She spoke this time, but still we just gazed upon her. "Du kan ikke forstå meg he. Is this better, master?" Holy crap she spoke something comprehensive. "I am Drakaina." Drakaina said.

"Hey Mr.Dawnbreak, has this happened before?"

"No Bo, I can say it has not."

"Drakaina? What are you?"

"I am a drage, dragon, my master."

"I'd perfer if you called me Bo."

"Yes mas-, Bo."

"I'm going to fetch the headmaster, you students stay here, bond with your familiars." And with that Mr.Dawnbreak was gone. What would happen now? Only the gods know. This is going to be interesting though, that I knew for sure.