#you’re just starting to see his weary spirit bro

[im-in-andromeda]

i know that people are speculating on how the show is going to explain why five looks so much older in season 4 (i.e. with a time skip etc) but i honestly think it would be hilarious (and on brand tbh) if they just doubled down, made no mention of it, and tried to convince us that 18 year old aidan gallagher is actually 13 guys, trust us

[danger-noodle-uwu]

This is a pretty graphic idea I had but I understand if you don’t want to do it or find it too triggering.

I want to request hc’s of the Brothers + Datables (but if you do the Brothers and Datables separately than just the Brothers please) reacting to MC being summoned but MC’s covered in blood and holding a weapon like a bat or knife, because they massacred their abusive family and they don’t feel bad about it at all. Mc’s pretty emotionally hollow and they don’t show much reaction or fear to dangerous situations either since the Bros do start off threatening and rude but they relate to Mammon since he’s emotionally abused by his Bros and physically punished by Lucifer.

This is only if you feel comfy doing it and I apologize if I broke the rules and making you find it very triggering and disturbing

Trigger warning!

Mentions of blood/murder/abuse

Do not proceed if sensitive

Lucifer

At the summoning part, Lucifer would be merely worried about what type of student has diavolo choosen, pitying his taste. Though he was but a demon, weary and skittish around you.

The Avatar of pride scared of mere human?

(Though he kinda was)

Blood being spilled on the floor was common in devildom yet he was unfazed.

But now, things are different and he can't help to worry about how this weak creature will influence on his brothers.

the fallen-morningstar tried to keep you away from the entire of his brothers including himself.

He also made sure that never was anything that could be used as a potential weapon surround you.

Often the man would receive rather harsh words from you and get somewhat hurt. Yet , not a single cry reach your ears.

(Que enemies to lovers dynamic)

When the pair started dating, the raven-haired demon had already known the past and what it once held for mc...

Oh how much he wishes, he helped you instead of interrogating every movement, to regain the 'you' that your parents killed. So, he will find a solution. To find those rascals in the realm of spirits or demons and put them once again at your mercy.

Prepare yourself Mc. For a whole month of pampering and love as he will never dare repeat the mistake he made.

Mammon

As the story is, Mammon didn't encounter you first but only heard melody of your voice.

The first meet was unforgettable, he was petrified to see the blood dripping off your slender bruised figure.

One thought that he was scared however, No he was anything but scared. He had thought you were the one hurt like--you know h-how Lucifer hurts him.

He rushed towards you but was stopped by the eldest saying " They aren't hurt." And this was the first person tried who befriend you.

When your words were sweetly aimed at him and just HIM. He'd feel his heart beat racing like crazy which made him believe he thought you found him special.

He was never honest with anyone, until you showed up. His biggest fear was snapping because of the mean comments his brothers pass and you had probably done something similar.

He wanted to know. Though dense he may seem, he hoped you'd tell him.

Was it scary? Do you feared this before? Is it still scary? Do you feel emotions after this?

Yet he never asked...

When the greedy Boi and mc started dating, they told everything about their condition. Of how they snapped.

He was the most understanding of his brothers and promised to never let another one harm you. Not even you.

He loved even more since that day. Not to mention 1323433454455686 'I love you's per day.

Leviathan

Blabbering lord knows what, Leviathan had stepped out of his room even if that was to scold mammon and get his money back.

He obviously knew about the exchange program but what he didn't know was that bloody murderer would be part of it!!!

He wasn't moving when he saw the numb expression you wore and the bloody knife you had held.

Inside, he was scared shitless but he didn't know how to show it.

A mere-human had terrified The great admiral of hell's navy. What shame he was.

"Oi cut it out!" Yelled the scummy yet kind demon protectively moving between the two.

In the beginning, he felt unsafe only by your gaze and refusing to make eye contact.

And then, a good day to exit to his room. The true reason being the pearly raindrops that had littered the gardens of HOL.

He saw you... soaking wet smiling and hurting... shining brightly though it felt dim.

That day. That dammed day. He found out who truly were. A beautiful person who was just hurting and breaking.

Since then, he has been a mix of a nagging mother but also shy as if a touch-me-not.

Dating him was heavenly, he wasn't shy with touch yet words were a whole another thing to him.

He always left 'Love you's in the chats and reminders on your phone that were just a bunch of 'eat healthy' 'stay safe', etc.

And this was certain that his love will never end.

Satan

Snatching the bat from your hands, the blonde-man threatened to kill you with your own weapon if you dared to move.

And that's exactly what you wanted... to die... to end the suffering...

And he saw it.

Saw how horribly you were hurting, he knew what it felt however, he couldn't lose his composure not in front of his brothers.

Wrath is a storm which is followed by pain. He knew this. Same in your case except pain knocked the doors first.

He knew it was too early for asking. So, he kept his mouth shut. Not wishing to hurt you any further though he didn't know why he felt this way.

When you finally finished your 2nd month in your new home, things had changed as the Avatar of wrath often talked to you not about how bloody you arrived or you had killed but are you okay now?

His words were soft. So sweet.

Each time he would offer you his shoulder to cry on, you would feel your heart slowly warm up. Slightly more each-time.

Soon enough you started dating the green-eyed pact demon of yours, recalling the long lost feeling of warmth and love.

The knowledgeable one loved to show physical affection especially in front of his brothers.

Oh~ the smell of their burning envy, when he kissed the nape of your neck and complimented you.

Post-its were his favorite though.

He would often write 'Love you, kitten' 'take break,love' 'you look amazing today',etc.

Asmodues

He yelped when he saw a bloodied figure emerge from the purple haze. Are they okay?

He was concerned only till a knife was spotted next your seemingly heartless figure. Now, he was somewhat hiding behind satan in disgusted yet anxious way.

You gaze deeply disturbed him to an extent he even had nightmares of you ripping him open with same knife and had that soul-less expression.

He much like Leviathan refused to see you after the encounter but what was different, was the course of events...

He saw you arguing with Lucifer, for you refused let him hurt Mammon who curled behind you.

Asmo felt pity for you as he knew the outcome of an argument with the eldest.

"Lucifer don't hurt him, please. He already has enough bruises" Asmo says giving his sweet brother Luci the puppy eyes, hoping they would work. (Yeah they didn't)

But nonetheless Luci~ still backed out and left the hallway.

You rush for the poor injured demon, he is crying while thanking you for the save.

And there for one moment, The lustful blond saw emotion in those glassy eyes of yours. It was beautiful and aching at the same time.

Making him greedy for more...

Later the very same day, he approached you finally asking the questions his head was haunted by.

What was weird? He didn't blame you for breaking instead he complimented you for being a survivor of such harsh tortures.

Accepting his confession was the best thing you ever did.

He is open with affection especially when you both are in public to show he is yours. You are his. You belong together.

for his hunger to see those pretty eyes shine with joy is endless, he makes Mc smile with happiness and love

Beelzebub

Famished as always was the sixth born. Especially after smelling human blood.

Little did he know the blood of the now dead parents of mc, the exchange student.

He wasn't even fazed unlike his brothers. He couldn't care any less than he did nor about the blood neither about the weapon clutched in your hands.

Even if you passed insults, he wouldn't mind. Sometimes, he asks why you dislike him? And is fine even if the answer is illogical. (Don't fuckin hate him)

Numb eyes. Tears flowing freely. Cuts. Bruises. Hurting. Dying inside.

The glutton wipes the sweat off his forehead remembering the condition of yours in that horrendous nightmare.

You looked awfully similar to belphi when- when s-she died. He blamed himself and hurt himself for being so useless. Just like you do.

And then realization hits--

YOU ARE HURTING!!

He now knew why your rude words didn't hurt him because you were like belphegor trying to protect your fragile heart.

Why you look numb? because you're trying to hide the pain. Push people away so you don't get hurt when they go away.

The following day, you were gently woken by the huge teddy bear. He held a hand out for you before taking you to his room for the special breakfast.

You teared upon the sight instantly realizing that he recognized your suffering. He apologized for not noticing earlier and from now, he will be there for you.

Never in the three realms did he think he'd fall for you? Maybe he had all along just didn't notice....

Once you begin dating the orange-head, he was ecstasic and cheerful all the time. Encouraging words followed you everywhere.

He would often eat the entire fridge out. So as apology, a cupcake with sorry written on it was placed on the kitchen counter. Other days, when he won't go such extreme, carrot chips or a poison apple etc. Waited for you.

Beely is the opposite of possessive. Protective. He is Protective and supports you through the ups and downs in life. He was your true savior. A savior who never judged you for your past.

His Love is the sky, you learned to fly in.

Belphegor

He had heard the tale of how the human exchange student had shown up covered in blood with a bat in hand.

Never did he believe that it was true until seeing the monotone figure of them.

The way they spoke made them like Lucifer. Emotionless. Heartless. Ruthless. Monster.

He wanted to strangle them on spot but he was stuck within the confines of the attic.

The sloth couldn't help passing comment making mc slowly reveal the aching heart of their own-self.

Expression faultered and he saw it--No, no more like felt it. The way their tears were swallowed. The way their voice turned monotone once again to cover what had already been seen.

However, the seventh born didn't say a word, he just showed affection through body language as they couldn't touch each other yet.

After he was free from the prison of an attic, he ran to you. His star. The one that guided him out to freedom.

It felt weird dating the lazy demon. Afterall, he was doing nothing other than shoving compliments in your face and dozing off here and there.

Few months pass and things become smoother than how they were.

Now, he always compliments you but softly and sweetly. Always willing to listen to whatever you wanna rant about.

"You are my true love, Mc. The star that guides to where I belong when I'm lost."

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

Welp! That was long as hell. Anyway, thank you for the request. It kinda feels like you and my sister share the same brain cell cuz she said the same thing but like- mc ate their organs and more messy. God I hope you like it...

Good day!

[fortuitous-juxtapositions]

Art of Deception Part 6 (Orlo x Reader)

Summary: An Orlo x Reader slow burn. You and your uncle have    just arrived in Peter III’s court from the Colonies. You uncle has    warned you of the debauchery of the court and devises a plan to keep you     safe, but the Emperor has other ideas. You find yourself thrown to  the   wolves and you must keep your secret while while fighting the  growing   feelings you have for the one person in court you who you  would tell the  secrets of the universe to if he would only ask.

Note: Anything in Italics indicates the characters are speaking English as opposed to Russian

Also available to read on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25566277/chapters/63156886

The first thing you became aware of was the debilitating pain in your head that worsened each time your heart beat. You groaned, trying to regulate you breathing in effort to slow your heart rate. You had nearly lowered the speed and intensity of your pulse when you felt a sharp sting at the crook of you left arm. You fought to crack your weary eyes open, blinking a few times against the light. When your eyes finally adjusted you were greeted with the face of a man you had never met before.

His wide, startled eyes met yours for a moment before you retched you arm out of his grasp and pushed yourself against the headboard. You reached under your pillow where you had hid a knife your uncle had gifted you. You raised it at the man, pushing yourself further into the headboard as a means to steady yourself.

“Who the fuck are you?” you growled and brandished the weapon at the strange man.

“Serf!” he cried out and raised his hands. “Serf!”

Vera came rushing into the room and stopped dead still as she took in the sight before her.

“I am not a serf.” Her hands came to her hips as she glared at the man.

“Right, apologies” his hands were still in the air “can you assist? She is in hysterics.”

“Oh, I wonder why,” Vera snarked. “Poor girl just woke up to a strange man hovering over like a right creep.”

“Can you just settle her down?” he glared at the woman of a small pair of spectacles that sat perched on his nose. “I was in the middle of a phlebotomy treatment”

You quickly glanced down, noticing the for the first time the pool of blood that had started to collect on your sheets. You looked to your arm, where you had felt the sharp sting earlier to see a slowly weeping wound.

“(Y/N), love” Vera stepped forward, pushing the man out of the way. “Please, do not stab the doctor, he is the only one we have.”

She held the front of her skirts up and stepped up into the bed. You lowered the knife and she grabbed it from your hand with a wide grin.

“Oh, Lord help the man who decides to share your bed,” she winked at you and slid the knife back to it’s hiding place “one wrong move and he’ll go from stallion to gelding with a flick of your wrist.”

She helped you to the edge of the bed, a dizzying wave overtook you and the pain in your head increased.

“We must finish the treatment, then make her a drink of cocaine and juniper berries.” The man began to take a step towards you and your hand shot back towards the hidden blade. He froze and held his hands up once again.

“I think that is her subtle way of telling you to ‘fuck off,’ Chekov” you could hear the laugh in Vera’s voice.

The man sniffed and strode quickly over to a case that sat on your vanity. He grumbled to himself as he packed up several glass vials and jars before shutting the case with a resounding snap.

“Well, if she gets worse and decides to take the advice of a well-respected physician” Vera rolled her eyes and mouthed the words as he spoke them. The man glared hard at her and stomped out of the room. Vera held a finger up as a sign for you to wait until a loud bang was heard, the man having exited the apartments with a slam of the doors.

You looked down at your arm and huffed, grabbing the skirt of the ruined white underclothes that you were wearing and pressing firmly to the still seeping wound on your arm.

“Archaic” you muttered as you tried to staunch the flow of blood.

Vera sat next to you and looked you over in concern.

“Are you alright, love?” she asked as she took over the task of applying pressure from you. Your free hand came up to your forehead and rubbed at the temples.

“I don’t know… what happened?”

“Do you remember anything of last night?” her brows were furrowed.

“I remember leaving here, arriving at the dining hall and being immediately scooped up by Elizabeth,” Vera groaned, “She fed me wines and spirits. She tried to force food onto me, but I don’t think I ate much of it. Then Peter” you blanched as the memory of the Emperor forcing you to speak and dance like some trained dog surfaced. You shivered “and that was all I remember.”

The cut on your arm had stopped bleeding and Vera dropped the skirt back to your lap before sighing and running her hands through your hair.

“From what I heard, he forced you to dance with him and then began to spin you around in circles until you nearly tripped over your own feet. That is when the Empress gained his and Elizabeth’s attention, believed to be a deliberate action on her part, and you very wisely made your escape,” she started to braid the hair out of your face. “You were found a short distance from the dining hall and brought back here.”

“Found?” your head jerked over to face her; your eyes wide. “What do you mean found? Who found me?”

Vera bit her lip, “General Velementov and Count Orlo,” you groaned and flung yourself back onto the bed, not caring that you were laying across blood stained sheets. Vera’s eyes followed your movement. “The wear practically carrying you when they arrived here. I had them take you directly to this room-”

“Please, no more,” you moaned in self-pity. “If I hear any more, I fear I may throw myself out the window and be reunited with the gown you tossed out yesterday.”

“You’re being dramatic” very tsked.

“I think I am allowed to be a little dramatic” argued back. “I have just gone and made a fool of myself in front of two of the more powerful people in Orlo’s court.”

“Peter’s” Vera corrected you with a smirk. “Peter’s court.”

“… that’s what I said,” you sat up and blinked owlishly at her.

“No, you said Or-”

“Never mind,” you waved away the conversation as her smirk grew. “I have made myself vulnerable in front of two very powerful people! Whose to say they will not use this against me in the future?” you rested your head on her shoulder.

“Well, then there is nothing else for it,” she rested her head on your own. “You will have to seduce them, invite them into your bed and stab them with that miniature sword you have hidden there.”

You snorted and felt Vera grin against your head.

“And then what? Become and enemy of the state? Disguise myself as a man and runaway from the palace? Catch a boat back to… actually, this might just work.” A loud bark of laughter burst from Vera’s lips and you couldn’t help but chuckle along.

“Well, now that that’s settled, let’s get you some food and then a nice warm bath.”

Vera helped you stand from the bed, steadying you as you stumbled slightly, and escorted you out of the room.

“For what it’s worth,” she led you to your seat at the table were a mass of different breakfast foods were set out. “I do not think Velementov or Orlo will use last night against you.” She piled a plate with eggs, fruit and a breakfast bread. “They both seemed rather distraught at your condition. I practically had to shove the Count out of the door.”

______

You sat in the window seat, having been fed, cleaned, and dressed, the memories of last night had started to fade. The book you had been reading sat on your lap, while your face was turned to the open window, the breeze ruffling your hair as you closed your eyes and soaked in the sun.

A throat cleared.

“Lady (Y/N),” your slowly opened your eyes as Vera spoke your name. Turning, your eyes fell upon the familiar dark-haired man that stood beside her. You felt your heart speed up “Count Orlo is here to see you.”

You nodded a greeting to the man, fighting to keep your face steady and not show the emotions that were toiling beneath the surface.

“I uh-” Orlo stuttered before taking a deep, calming breath. “I wanted to check and see how you are feeling today?”

He took a few uncertain steps towards you. You slid to the side and gestured to the spot beside you on in the window seat. He smiled nervously and took a seat. You smiled at him before dropping your head to your lap in embarrassment.

That’s when you noticed it.

The book you had been reading…

It was written in Russian.

Your hands shot to cover the title of the book, hiding it from Orlo’s sight. You glanced up and sighed in relief, his gaze was firmly on the floor and you were certain he had not seen the title of the book.

… Almost.

You shot a look over to Vera who stood to the side, near your bedroom door. She looked at you confused before you glanced down at the book before looking back to her. Her eyes widened and she realized the point you were trying to make.

“I’m sorry,” Orlo started and looked back up to you. You met his gaze and smiled brightly at him, hoping he would not take notice of the stupid little red book. “I-I should have h-helped you sooner.” He turned his back to you with a sigh of frustration.

You shot a look over to Vera who nodded to you. Making sure the Count was still turned away from you. You took the chance and threw the book to Vera, noticing too late that Vera was right within his line of sight now. You held your breath; certain you would be caught.

Orlo groaned and turned back towards you as the book flew over his head. Vera caught the book with wide eyes and quickly hid it behind her back.

“I’m such an idiot,” Orlo finally look back up to your face and you quickly molded your face into a mask of confusion. “I should have done something to help you, I’m such a dick.”

He placed his hand over his forehead, blocking your view of his eyes.

“I always balls these things up.” He brought his other hand to his head and held firm. Your mind drifted back to that first night he had escorted you back to your rooms, how he had held your small hands within his larger ones and attempted to warm them. A smile slowly started to creep its way across your face at the memory.

“I was just, so shook up after you-” he turned to you and your smile fell back to the quizzical expression before he could see it. “You hugged me.”

It was spoken in a near whisper. It was as if he were awed at the gesture, amazed that anyone would want to hug him.

“You hugged me,” he reached for your hand and you felt yourself drifting in the sea of deep, silky chocolate that matched the shades you saw in his eyes. “You hugged me.”

His eyes dropped to your hand that he held softly cradled in his own. He rubbed his thumb across the top of your fingers, and you felt what was almost an itch, a need for him to hold your hand tighter, to feel more of his skin against your own.

“You hugged me and I stood there like a fucking moron,” he dropped your hand and brought it to his head, smacking himself with the heel. “I’m such an idiot, I am not well versed with… this.”

He was again speaking his private thoughts aloud and your breathing sped up, knowing you should not be listing to what he was saying, that you should stop him from saying anything further.

You quickly grabbed the hand, stopping him from hitting himself in the head again. He remained deathly still as you pulled his hand down, brining it to his knee and holding it tight to keep him from his self-flagellation. You could hear his breathing as it started to speed up, but the rest of him remained staring at the floor. You patiently waited until you felt his hand tighten around your own as his eyes slowly met yours. The concern you had for him dropped and you felt a warm smile crossing you face. His face, screwed up in self-hatred, lightened and a smile slowly curved his cheeks upward, his eyes glistening with and unsaid emotion you couldn’t quite place. It gave you a glint of the man you had seen yesterday. The confident man that strode next to the Empress like he had always belonged there.

A lead weight dropped in your stomach as your remembered. He was the Empress’s lover.

You quickly pulled your hand from his and stood up, taking a quick step back from the man. How could you be so stupid? You could not afford to have such a powerful enemy as his lover was sure to be. You already had the Emperor and his aunt tearing at your heels, you didn’t want the whole match set!

“I’m-I’m so sorry!” Orlo quickly stood up at the same time you turned to face him. You nearly collided with him, but you both reached out to each other to steady yourselves. You gulped as you felt his warm breath blow across your face, a searing heat started where his hands had gripped your arms and spread up to your neck and cheeks. You were eye level with his chin and you couldn’t help yourself from tilting your head up. His already dark eyes seemed to darken further as they met yours. You could feel your breath start to speed up, a pressure in your chest formed and you knew, if you would just raise yourself slightly on your tip toes and press your lips to his that the pressure would explode into a glorious heat that would consume you both.

“Ahem,” Vera cleared her throat from her post by your door and you were immediately brought back to reality. You hastily stepped out of the Counts grasp, putting space between your bodies.

What were you thinking?

You weren’t thinking.

At least not with your head.

The precipice between you and the Count felt so much bigger than the two steps it would have taken him to meet you once more. You mentally begged for him to take those steps, willing him to show you that what you felt was felt by him as well.

“I… I should go,” the Count skidded around you like you diseased and dashed through the doors, not even bothering to close them completely in his rush to get away from you.

Vera quickly ran over and closed the doors firmly before turning towards you and leaning throwing her weight against the doors.

“Fuck!” You slapped your forehead and threw yourself into one of the highbacked chairs. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fucking fuck!”

“Agreed.”

______

You and Vera sat drinking spirits and discussing what had transpired between you and the Count.

“Whew!” a fairly tipsy Vera exclaimed. “That was so… woah!” She took another shot. “I mean, I felt it. I really felt that, in here” she gestured sloppily to her abdomen. You groaned and raised you glass, frowning when you noticed it was empty.

“I mean… what the fuck?” You grabbed the bottle whiskey and poured another glass, nearly overfilling it in the process. “What the fuck was that?”

“Hot.” Vera refilled her vodka. “That was hot.”

“But,” you groaned and took a drink. “But, he is off limits.”

“Says who?” Vera nearly yelled. “A man who is off limits does not look at a woman the way the Count was looking at you!”

“He is!” You threw back the rest of your whiskey. “He’s fucking the Empress!” Vera gasped.

“He is?” she refilled your glass. “Well fuck.”

“Indeed!” You sighed and slunk down in your chair. “You are an idiot (Y/F/N) (Y/L/N). You had to go and fall for the one person who you cannot have!”

“Love is a fucking cunt.” Vera growled as she leaned forward.

“I will simply have to keep a respectable distance from him and hope to whatever deity that is out there that the war ends soon so we can go home.” You felt tears welling up at the thought.

“Huzzah!” Vera tossed back her drink.

“Huzzah,” your voice did not match the intensity of the word, it was somber as you felt something within you crack.

You shook yourself from your misery and threw back the rest of your whiskey.

The sound of shattering glass faded into the night.

------

Taglist: @startrekkingaroundasgard​ @aryn-the-bearheart​

[thelastspeecher]

Spirit Touched - Chapter 6: Refugee

Chapter 1   Chapter 2   Chapter 3   Chapter 4   Chapter 5   Chapter 6   AO3

Uhhh I actually updated on AO3 like two weeks ago, I just procrastinated putting it up here on Tumblr for some reason.  But here it is.  Angst, Zuko doing serious soul searching, and Toph continuing to just be the best Toph she can be.  Enjoy.

Again, this fic is inspired by @muffinlance‘s fic Salvage and fanart that @agent-jaselin did of it.

——————————————————————————————

              Water sloshed over the rim of the bucket Zuko was carrying.  The tribesman Zuko was following stopped to look back at him.

              “Nuktuk, if this is too difficult for you, you can go back to your tent and play,” the tribesman said.  Zuko scowled.  The troops at Chameleon Bay had accepted him with open arms, though they didn’t know his proper age, and as such, tended to talk down to him and refuse to let him help with chores.

              “No, I’ve got it,” he insisted.  The tribesman shrugged.

              “All right, if you say so.”  There was a commotion off in the distance. “Huh.  I wonder what’s-”  Tuluk came running over.  “Tuluk, is something going on?”

              “Yes.  The Chief is handling it, but Nuktuk needs to go back to his tent for now,” Tuluk said.

              “What’s happening?” Zuko asked.

              “We have a visitor,” Tuluk replied.  Zuko frowned.

              “What kind of visitor?”

              “You’ll find out once things calm down.”

              “But-”

              “No buts.”  Tuluk handed Zuko’s bucket of water to the tribesman, then took Zuko’s hand and led him away.  Zuko looked over his shoulder.  He couldn’t see much in the chaos, but caught a glimpse of red.

----- 

              Zuko didn’t find out what had happened until much later, when Toklo came to his tent to bring him to dinner.

              “Something happened earlier.  What?” Zuko asked immediately.

              “It was crazy, little bro.  A Fire Nation soldier walked into camp and asked to join our side.”

              “Who?”

              “That’s the craziest part!  General Iroh!  The Dragon of the West!”  Toklo shook his head.  “Can you believe it?”

              “Yes.  Uncle said he would meet up with me again,” Zuko said matter-of-factly.  Toklo facepalmed.

              “That’s right!  He’s your uncle!  Okay, it’s a bit less crazy now.  But how did he know where we were?”  He paused. “What do you mean, he said he would meet up with you?”

              “When Hakoda and Kustaa took me to see a healer, Uncle spotted us.  He asked to come aboard the Akhlut.  The Chief turned him down, but at told Uncle where we were headed, so that he could meet us,” Zuko rattled off.

              “Why didn’t you tell me before?” Toklo demanded.

              “I was sick.”

              “Fair enough.”  Toklo took Zuko’s hand.  “Time for dinner!”

              “No, I want to see Uncle first,” Zuko said, yanking his hand free of Toklo’s hold.

              “I don’t think-” Toklo started.  Before he could finish the sentence, Zuko bolted out of the tent.  “Hey!”

              Zuko made a beeline for the largest tent, which served as a command center.  Uncle might not be there, but Hakoda or Bato should be, and they would take him to Uncle. Right?  The moment he ducked inside the tent, Zuko’s eyes landed on Uncle.

              “Uncle!” Zuko shrieked happily.  He ran over to the retired general.  Uncle scooped him into a tight embrace.

              “Nephew, it is so good to see you again.”  Uncle held Zuko at arm’s distance.  “You look much healthier now.”  Zuko beamed.  Uncle set him back on the ground.  “This was not the best move to make, however.”

              “What?”

              “Chief Hakoda informed me before of your cover as a Water Tribe war child.  The way you just behaved, while very heartwarming, was not in character for Nuktuk.”

              “I don’t care.”

              “You should, nephew.  Keeping up appearances is very important, particularly in your situation,” Uncle said patiently.

              “Luckily, I’m the only other person in the tent,” Hakoda spoke up.  Zuko looked over, realizing he was there for the first time.

              “Where is Uncle going to stay?” Zuko asked.

              “Eventually, with you,” Uncle replied.  “Chief Hakoda and I were just discussing our plans.”

              “The story we’ll be telling is that General Iroh, devastated by the loss of his nephew, had his eyes opened to the reality of the war.  As such, he has arrived at the camp to switch sides and offer his help.”

              “Like the best of lies, it contains some truth,” Uncle said, nodding.  “I won’t be allowed to be around you until Chief Hakoda’s men trust me.  So I am very glad you sought me out on your own.”

              “Toklo told me you were here.”

              “Toklo would be…?”

              “My friend.”

              “Ah.”  Uncle’s face creased with a broad, warm smile.  “What a wonderful thing you hear you say.  You should go find this friend of yours and have dinner with him.”

              “But-” Zuko started.

              “Don’t worry,” Hakoda said.  “General Iroh will be here for a while.”

----- 

              “You’re very articulate for your age, Nuktuk,” gushed one of the Southern tribesmen that Zuko had yet to know by name.  Zuko smiled politely.  He bowed.

              “Thank you,” he said.  The tribesman chuckled and ruffled his hair.

              “Keep up your firebending practice, kiddo.  Who knows, maybe you’ll be the first Water Tribe firebending Master.”  Zuko’s smile became more forced.  He didn’t mean to be caught firebending, but Uncle had begun to teach him firebending again, and someone had witnessed one of the lessons.  Since then, tribesmen approached him near constantly, curious about the firebending Water Tribe toddler.

              “You should probably get back to work, Kenai,” Panuk said.  Ah, the man’s name was Kenai.  “Otherwise, you’ll get your ass beat for slacking.”

              “Watch your language around the kid!” Kenai said in shock.  Panuk laughed.  He gave Zuko an affectionate noogie.

              “The kid spent months on a ship.  He knows just about every swear under the sun,” Panuk said.  Kenai shook his head disapprovingly.

              “Geez.  Well, see you later, Nuktuk.  And you too, Panuk.”  Kenai walked away, whistling.  Zuko smirked at Panuk.

              “You’re an afterthought,” he teased.  Panuk laughed.

              “Only because Kenai’s a big brother.  He can’t resist cute little kids.”

              “That explains why he felt the need to talk to me,” Zuko said thoughtfully.  “I thought word had spread about me.”

              “Oh, it definitely has.  There’s no one who doesn’t know who you are.”  Panuk poked Zuko playfully.  Zuko slapped the hand away, laughing.               “Wait…you guys have a kid here?” a voice said.  The hairs on the back of Zuko’s neck rose.  That voice…  He turned his head ever so slightly.  His eyes widened.  It was him.

              “Huh, I guess someone doesn’t know who you are,” Panuk remarked, looking as well.  He frowned.  “He must be new.”

              “Sokka,” Zuko ground out.  Panuk’s head whipped around to stare at Zuko.

              “That’s the Chief’s son?” he asked.  Zuko nodded, his jaw clenched.  “I see it now.  They look pretty similar.”

              “Why is he here?” Zuko snarled.

              “Probably because, like I said, he’s the Chief’s son,” Panuk drawled.  “I wonder if the Avatar’s with him.”

              “That’s Nuktuk,” Hakoda informed Sokka.  They were far enough away that there was no chance Sokka could recognize Zuko, but Zuko’s heart still pounded in his chest. His fingers twitched.  He couldn’t decide whether he wanted to run at Sokka or away from him.  “We found him in a destroyed village on our way out of the South Pole.  He’s been with us ever since.”

              “Really?  He’s just a kid!  How old is he, two?”

              “Four,” Hakoda said calmly.  Panuk reached for Zuko’s hand.

              “I think it’s time to take you somewhere else, little warrior.”  The moment his hand touched Zuko’s, he let out a soft yelp of pain.  “What was that about?”  Zuko looked up at Panuk.

              “What?”

              “You burned me, squirt.”

              “Oh.  Whoops.” Zuko resumed glaring at Sokka, who was still arguing with Hakoda.

              “Wh- you’d take a four-year-old on your ship, but not your own son?  Who, I’ll remind you, was a lot older than four when you left?”

              “Sokka…”  Hakoda’s voice was weary.  “You don’t want to be in that kid’s boots.  He’s seen things no child should ever see.”

              “Oh, you think I haven’t?  I traveled with the Avatar!”  Sokka’s shouts were beginning to attract attention.  Zuko could feel the control he’d worked so hard to cultivate slipping; droplets of flame fell off his fingers, lighting the grass on fire.

----- 

              Iroh, while relaxing in the tent he shared with Zuko, heard bickering outside.  Curious, he exited the tent.  He took in the scene.  Panuk and Zuko stood nearby, Zuko staring at something and Panuk stomping on smoking grass. Small flames were dancing around Zuko’s fingers, his good eye squinting in a glare to match his bad one.  It didn’t take a genius to figure out the cause of Zuko’s irritation.  Some distance away, but growing closer, were the people he had heard bickering: Chief Hakoda and Sokka, the Water Tribe boy that had accompanied the Avatar.

              The Water Tribe boy who, in his first encounter with Zuko, had hit him in the head with a boomerang.

              “It’s wonderful to see a familiar face,” Iroh said warmly, walking over to Sokka and Hakoda.  Behind him, he could hear Panuk finally ushering Zuko away, out of sight of the chief’s son.  Sokka stared at him.

              “Hang on, you’re that one guy!” he said, eloquently. Iroh smiled.

              “Yes, I am.”

              “What are you doing at a Water Tribe camp?”

              “After what happened at the North Pole, I could no longer stand by and allow my nation’s war to continue,” Iroh said simply. Sokka crossed his arms.

              “Really,” he said flatly.  “After everything the Fire Nation’s done, killing a fish was what made you realize they were evil?”  Something in his voice quivered a bit, like he didn’t believe the loss of the Moon Spirit was as minimal as he was trying to make it sound.  Iroh bowed his head slightly.

              “Yes.  I spent some time traveling the Earth Kingdom and eventually came to join this encampment, with the blessing of none other than your father,” Iroh said.  His words were technically true, but left out important details.  The kind of lying Iroh preferred to do.

              “You trusted him, Dad?” Sokka asked.  Chief Hakoda nodded.  “Why?”

              “People I trust spoke for him,” Chief Hakoda said simply.

              “Like who?”

              “Master Pakku of the Northern Water Tribe, for one.”

              “Wait.”  Sokka stared at Iroh.  “You know Master Sourpuss?”  Iroh chuckled.  Sourpuss was certainly an apt description for his old friend.

              “Yes.  I have for some time.”

              “How?”

              “That’s a rather long story, and not important,” Iroh said smoothly.  “Let me guess, you, your friends, and the Avatar have arrived at Ba Sing Se?”

              “Yeah…”

              “Would you be so kind as to allow me to walk with you? I would like to hear the wonderful stories of your adventures.”  Sokka looked uncertain, but after a moment, nodded.

              “Sure.  But you better not be sending information back to the Fire Lord!” Sokka snapped. Hakoda rolled his eyes.  Iroh merely smiled and nodded.

              “Of course.”

----- 

              Bato found Zuko wandering around the camp, peering into tents with a confused expression.

              “Are you looking for something, little warrior?” he asked.  Zuko looked up at him, brow furrowed.

              “Where’s Uncle?”

              “He went with Sokka and Aang to Ba Sing Se,” Bato replied.  Zuko crossed his arms.

              “Stupid Avatar.  He’s my uncle,” Zuko muttered.  Bato covered his mouth, poorly smothering a snicker at the firebender’s immature behavior.  Zuko stomped his foot.  “Don’t laugh!”

              “Relax.  Come on, it’s time for your nap, anyways.”  Bato took Zuko’s hand and led him back to the tent Zuko shared with Iroh. Toklo was already there, looking for Zuko.

              “Where’d you run off to, little brother?” Toklo teased.

              “I was looking for Uncle,” Zuko mumbled.  He let out a small yawn.

              “When Iroh gets back, I’ll send him your way,” Bato promised.  Zuko nodded. Toklo led him into the tent for his nap.

              Zuko was still napping when chaos erupted at the encampment.  Bato and Hakoda were in the midst of going over battle plans, only for Katara to burst in the head tent.  The excitement Hakoda felt at seeing his daughter was quickly subdued when Sokka came in close behind, carrying the unnervingly still body of the Avatar.

              “What…happened?” Hakoda croaked, staring at Aang.

              “Lightning,” huffed a short girl, who, judging by her milky eyes, was blind.  Katara laid Aang on the ground and held glowing water over his body.  Her forehead was drenched in sweat, her hands shaking.  Sokka didn’t seem to be doing much better.  “The Fire Princess struck Aang with lightning.”  A man in extravagant, expensive clothes poked his head into the tent curiously.

              “What should I do?” he asked.  The short girl huffed again.

              “Could someone entertain the Earth King?” she asked, turning her sightless eyes in the direction of Hakoda and Bato.

              “…Earth King?” Hakoda and Bato said simultaneously.

              “Kids, what happened?” Hakoda repeated.

              “I told you, lightning.”

              “I need more information than that.”

              “After I’ve stabilized Aang, we can talk, Dad, but right now, I need to focus,” Katara snapped.  Hakoda bit back an instinct to scold her for her tone.  She was under an immense amount of stress; it was more than understandable she’d be on edge.  Sokka got up from where he was crouching at Aang’s side.

              “I can explain.  It’s better if we leave the tent while Katara heals Aang.  Toph, stay here.”  The blind girl, apparently named Toph, nodded.  Sokka, Hakoda, and Bato left the tent.

              “What in the world is that thing?” Bato asked, staring at the strange creature before them.

              “It’s a bear,” Sokka answered.

              “Platypus-bear?”

              “No, just a bear.  Weird, I know.”  Sokka sighed. “He’s the Earth King’s best friend or something like that, so the bear came with us when Ba Sing Se fell.”

              “Ba Sing Se fell?” Hakoda asked in an undertone. Sokka’s head drooped.

              “Yeah.  Princess Azula staged a coup.  We got out with the Earth King and his bear, but during the fight, Aang was struck by lightning.”

              “What about Iroh?” Bato pried.  Sokka slumped further.

              “He was taken prisoner.  We had the one good firebender in the world on our side, and we let him get caught.”

              “I’m sure Iroh isn’t the only good firebender,” Hakoda said, resting a hand on Sokka’s shoulder.  His gaze fell on Zuko and Iroh’s tent, where the toddler was, presumably, still fast asleep.

              “I don’t know, Dad.  It really seems like he is.”  Sokka rubbed his eyes, drawing Hakoda’s attention to just how tired his son seemed.  Hakoda yearned to just tell Sokka to go to bed.  But if Ba Sing Se had truly fallen, they had no time to waste.  They needed to abandon the encampment and set sail immediately.  Hakoda squeezed Sokka’s shoulder.

              “Stay here with your sister.  Bato, spread the word that we need to leave now. I’ll take care of Nuktuk.”  Bato’s eyes widened.

              “The kid is not going to be happy.”

              “That’s why I’ll be breaking the news to him.” Hakoda squeezed Sokka’s shoulder one more time and set off for Zuko and Iroh’s tent.

----- 

              The tent didn’t burn down.  But only barely.  Zuko’s initial, destructive meltdown upon hearing what had happened to Iroh exhausted him so much that he passed out soon after.  It was easy enough to smuggle the sleeping toddler aboard the Akhlut without Hakoda’s children or his children’s friends noticing.  Keeping up the secrecy was far more difficult.

              “Why won’t you let them see you?” Hakoda asked. Weary from stress, his voice came out harsher than he intended.  Zuko flinched slightly.  “I’m sorry, Zuko, I didn’t mean to say it that way.  But you know they won’t recognize you, right?”

              “They might,” Zuko mumbled.  “I can’t risk it.  I’ll be humiliated.”

              “…Fine.  But you’ll have to ask Toklo or Panuk to help you move around the ship without being seen. I’m busy.”  The Akhlut, though beloved, would need to be abandoned. There were too many Fire Navy ships now. As such, they had plans to take a Fire Nation ship themselves.  Hakoda had been working on those very plans when Zuko entered his cabin, wanting attention.

              Of course he wants attention, his life has been upheaved and he’s lost his uncle again.  Hakoda pinched the bridge of his nose and took a calming breath.  He could hear Kya’s voice, scolding him for not explaining why he was saying “no” to a toddler.  Young children will cooperate more if they have an explanation. Zuko is no exception.  Explain things to him.

              “Once we’ve captured a new ship, I might be able to spend some more time with you.  At the very least, you won’t have to hide.  I imagine we can find you your own room.”  Hakoda forced a smile.  “Would you like that?”

              “Maybe,” Zuko mumbled.  He cocked his head curiously.  “We’re capturing a ship?”

              “You aren’t.  But the rest of us are.  The Fire Nation is sending their Navy to Ba Sing Se, to prevent any early uprisings. The Akhlut stands out. It’s best if we blend in.”  Zuko nodded slowly.  “I understand if you feel uncomfortable with this, but it’s our only option.”  Zuko nodded again.

              “Can I…stay in here?” he asked.  Hakoda stifled a sigh.

              He’s a lonely child.  He’s always been. Hakoda nodded.

              “If you stay quiet, yes.”  Zuko beamed.  He walked over to Hakoda and climbed onto the chief’s lap.  As Hakoda worked on the plans, Zuko occasionally piped up with a comment about Fire Navy ships.  The intermittent inputs became further and further apart.  When it had been some time since Zuko last spoke, Hakoda looked down at his lap.

              The former Fire Nation Prince had fallen asleep, lulled by the late hour, gentle swaying of the boat, and Hakoda’s body heat.

----- 

              They were having another awkwardly silent meal when Toph finally said something she’d had on her mind the minute they all boarded a metal ship, allowing her to “see” again.

              “What’s the deal with the kid?” she asked. Hakoda casually set his chopsticks down. To someone who could see, no doubt he appeared untroubled.  But to someone who could see, he was nervous.  The chief’s heartrate had sped up immediately.

              “There are a lot of children on board,” Hakoda said calmly.  “Namely, the three of you and Aang.”

              “No, there’s someone here even younger than us,” Toph said.  “They’re running around on the deck right now.”  Katara rose from her seat, presumably to glance out the window that opened onto the deck.

              “Toph’s right,” Katara said.

              “No need to sound so surprised,” Toph grumbled, pretending to be offended.

              “I wasn’t-”  Katara huffed.  She sat back down.  “That looked like a little boy, younger than some of the kids were when we left the village.”  Hakoda sighed.

              “I was hoping to keep him hidden from you.”

              “Why?” Katara asked.

              “You shouldn’t be distracted from your current mission.”

              Lie.

              “Not to mention, he’s rather shy.”

              Truth.

              “What’s his name?” Toph asked.

              “Nuktuk.”

              Lie.

              “We found him in a mostly destroyed village as we were leaving the South Pole.”

              Lie.

              “Wait, that’s the kid that I saw in camp that one day,” Sokka said suddenly.

              “Yes.”

              Truth.

              “How old is he?” Katara asked.

              “Four,” Hakoda replied.  Toph’s eyes widened slightly.  That hadn’t felt like a full lie nor a full truth.  She settled her expression to be neutral again.  “Please don’t seek him out.  I know you might want to spend time with him, particularly you, Katara, but like I said, he’s shy.  And he’s going through some things.”

              “Like what?” Toph asked.  She picked up her chopsticks.

              “Well, he lost his uncle during the fall of Ba Sing Se.  He’s been very upset about it.”

              “Poor thing,” Katara murmured.  Toph picked at her food idly.

              Truth.

----- 

              The ocean was boring for a blind earthbender. Toph didn’t spend any time on deck if she could avoid it.  Not when sudden gusts of wind might try to blow her away.  Their only airbender was out of commission, so it wouldn’t be easy to bring her back.

              At the casual reminder of Aang’s state, Toph felt a twinge of sadness.  She shook it off, refocusing on her mission.  There was a toddler on this ship using a fake name and a fake backstory. Sure, it wasn’t as fun to investigate as the mysteries of Ba Sing Se, but it was better than staring at water she couldn’t see.

              Toph made her way belowdeck, past the mess hall and infirmary, finally coming to a stop outside of a small cabin.  Inside the room, sitting cross-legged on the floor, was “Nuktuk”.  She opened the door.  The boy sprang to his feet instantly.  A wave of heat washed over Toph.  She cocked her head curiously, recognizing the sensation as that of fire.

              “That’s why the chief doesn’t want anyone to know about you,” she said calmly.  “You’re a firebender.”  The boy’s heartrate doubled.

              “How- you- but you’re blind!” he finally squeaked. Toph entered the room and closed the door behind her.

              “Yeah, but I can still probably see better than you, Sparky.”  The boy let out another squeak of protest at the nickname.  “Who are you, really?”

              “I’m- I’m Nuktuk.”

              Lie.

              “Who are you?” the boy asked.  Toph sat on the floor, her feet flush against the metal so she could keep track of the kid’s heartbeat.

              “You know what?  I’ll tell you the truth if you tell me the truth,” she said.  “That seems like a fair trade to me.”  The boy wavered.  After a moment, he sat across from her.  The heat faded, presumably because he had put out whatever flames he’d created.

              “How’d you know I lied?” he asked quietly.

              “That’s for me to know, not you.”

              “Hmph.”

              “What’s your real name?” Toph asked again.

              “…I can’t tell you.”

              “Can’t or don’t want to?”

              “The- the second one.”

              Truth.

              “I’ll tell you the truth now.  I’m Toph.  Why don’t you want to tell me your real name?”

              “Then you’ll know who I am.  And that’s embarrassing.  Also…you wouldn’t like me.”

              Truth.

              “All right.  Since you told the truth again, here’s another from me.  I knew you lied because I’m an earthbender.”  The boy huffed quietly, like he didn’t believe her. “Why wouldn’t I like you if I knew who you were?  I already figured out that you were a firebender, and I’m not exactly trying to attack you or anything.”  The boy stayed silent, but fidgeted slightly.  The temperature in the room rose.

              All right, touchy subject.  Moving on.

              “The Chief said you lost your uncle when Ba Sing Se fell.”

              “…Yeah.”

              “Was he in the city or something?  How’d you know you lost him?”

              “People- people saw it happen.  And they told other people.  And the other people told me.”

              “Who?  The only people that I know of who were able to escape to the camp were the people on Appa. Appa is-”

              “I know who Appa is,” the boy groused.

              Truth.

              “Well, like I said, only the people on Appa made it to the camp.  And none of us would have known some random firebender’s uncle.”  Something clicked into place.  “Unless…”  The boy’s heartrate, which had slowed somewhat, picked up again.  “Was your uncle Iroh?”

              “No!” the boy blurted out immediately.

              Lie.

              “Iroh said he had a nephew,” Toph said, thinking out loud.  The boy’s heart sped even faster.  “I never met his nephew, but Katara and Sokka and Aang did.  Apparently, he chased them around the world for a long time, before he disappeared without a trace.  The only problem is, they said he was sixteen.  How old are you?”

              “Four.”

              Again, that weird “not a full lie, not a full truth” thing.  But the boy seemed to think it was more of a lie than the Chief did.  Not to mention, Toph hadn’t met a lot of children, but she felt like someone who was actually four wouldn’t be more eloquent than Sokka.

              “…Zuko?” Toph asked quietly.  The boy sprung to his feet, his heart beating so fast, Toph was surprised he didn’t keel over then and there.

              “How- you-” he spluttered.

              “So you are Zuko,” Toph said.  The boy – Zuko – stayed standing.  “Spirits, what happened to you, if you’re-”  Toph made a vague gesture in Zuko’s direction. “-this?”

              “You answered it,” Zuko said.  He sat down again.  “Spirits.”  A scowl shone through his irritated tone.

              “Spirits turned you into a little kid?”

              “Yes.”

              “Huh.  That stinks,” Toph said casually.  Zuko let out a soft snort.

              “It does.”  He fidgeted.  “You- you can’t tell anyone about it, okay?  I’ll die if that Water Tribe boy finds out what I’ve been reduced to.”

              Truth.  Man, he is really embarrassed by this.

              “Why are you so embarrassed?” Toph asked.  “I mean, you didn’t do it.  The spirits did it.”

              “It’s still- it’s-” Zuko was spluttering again. “You’re what, ten?”

              “Twelve.”

              “Does the Water Tribe boy treat you like a kid, even though you’re younger than him?”

              “No.”  Toph grinned viciously.  “He knows I’d kick his ass.”

              “I don’t have that luxury.  He might be a non-bender, but I’m…”  Zuko cleared his throat.  “I don’t have access to my full abilities currently, and I’m much smaller than usual.  Both the Water Tribe children would harass me for it, but the boy would never let me live it down.”

              “I getcha.”  Toph got up.  “No worries, Sparky, your secret’s safe with me.”

              “…Really?” Zuko asked.  Toph nodded.

              “I get it.  I’ve been treated like shit for things I can’t control.  I’m not about doing that to others.”

              “I’ve heard you teasing your teammates,” Zuko said doubtfully.

              “Yeah, over things they can control, like their terrible jokes.  You can’t control what the spirits did to you.  You don’t deserve to be messed with for it.  Especially since you seem like a nice enough kid.”

              Zuko spluttered again.

              Toph grinned.                  

              “Good luck turning back into a teenager.”  Toph headed for the door.  Just as she opened it, Zuko mumbled something, quiet enough that she barely heard.

              “Thanks.”

----- 

              Running footsteps sounded in the hall.  Curious, Zuko cracked open the door to his room and peered out.  His eyes widened.

              The Avatar was awake.

              And judging by his clumsiness, either disoriented from how long he spent asleep or drunk.  After the Avatar had stumbled out of Zuko’s view, he closed the door again.

----- 

              The door to Zuko’s room slowly creaked open. Zuko jumped to his feet, abandoning the Pai Sho board he was practicing with.  The intruder blinked at Zuko owlishly.

              “…This isn’t my room.”

              “No.  It’s mine,” Zuko said firmly.  The intruder stepped inside.  A shiver ran down Zuko’s spine.  It was the Avatar.  The Avatar approached Zuko and crouched down, smiling warmly at him.

              “I didn’t know there was a kid on this ship.”

              “I’m not a kid,” Zuko retorted.  The Avatar chuckled.  The serious, uncertain demeanor he’d had when entering seemed to have lessened.

              Good.  It’s weird if he’s not annoyingly upbeat.

              “I’m Aang.  What’s your name?”

              “…Nuktuk.”

              “Nuktuk.  That’s a really tough name!  I bet you’ll be a great Water Tribe warrior someday!” the Avatar said cheerfully. “Why are you on the ship?”

              “I…”  Zuko looked away.  The Avatar let out a soft gasp.  Zuko bit back a curse.  The shadows in the room must have obscured his scar, only for it to become obvious when he’d turned his head.  Surely, the Avatar would figure out who he was.

              “Nuktuk, how did you get that scar?” the Avatar asked gently.  Zuko looked at him, surprised.

              He…doesn’t recognize me?

              “A…”  Zuko fumbled for a response, then remembered his cover story.  “A bad man.”

              “A bad man,” the Avatar repeated.  Zuko nodded.  “Is the bad man why you’re on the ship?”  Zuko nodded again.  “Is your family on the ship?”

              “No.  The bad man hurt them.”  Zuko shrugged.  “I’m alone.” The Avatar sat back, horror etched on his face.  Zuko worked furiously to control his own facial expression.  But rather than horrified, he felt indignant.

              Really?  The Avatar’s own people were killed.  Is he actually still moved by the tragedies of war, even after witnessing so many? Despite his best attempts to doubt the Avatar’s sincerity, Zuko knew the answer to that question.

              The Avatar was deeply affected by every reminder of what war wrought.

              “Nuktuk, I’m sorry,” the Avatar said softly.  Zuko blinked, startled.  “It’s- it’s my fault the bad man hurt you and your family, leaving you all alone.  I’m the Avatar.  My responsibility is to prevent innocent people from being hurt, especially innocent little kids like you.”  The Avatar got to his feet, determination shining in his weary gray eyes.  “Don’t worry, I’m going to bring that bad man, and all the other bad men, to justice.”

              “Y-you are?” Zuko squeaked.

              Is a literal twelve-year-old going to confront my father?  The Avatar nodded.

              “I am.”  The Avatar managed a small smile.  “And just so you know…”  The Avatar trailed off.  He cleared his throat.  “I was the only one left, too.  We’ve got that in common.  And if we’ve got something in common, then we aren’t really alone.”  He ruffled Zuko’s hair.  “Good night, Nuktuk.”  The Avatar left, closing the door gently behind him.

              When Panuk checked on Zuko later, to make sure he’d actually gone to bed, the former prince was still staring silently at the door.

----- 

              The Avatar’s allies were saying their goodbyes to the crew during the night.  It was the best way to avoid detection.  

              For some reason, Zuko had been brought on deck for the farewell, though he had to be woken up.  He stood next to Bato, still bleary from sleep, hiding the scarred side of his face behind the crewman’s leg.  Even if they saw his scar, it wasn’t likely he’d be recognized, but he didn’t want to risk it.

              Toph punched Toklo and Panuk’s shoulders; she had gotten along well with them.  The only other thing she did before boarding the Avatar’s sky bison was look in Zuko’s direction.  She nodded silently.  Zuko returned the gesture, then held himself still as the Water Tribe girl – Katara – walked over to him.  She crouched down to his eye-height and gently stroked his hair.

              “It was nice to finally meet you, Nuktuk,” she said sweetly.  Zuko looked away, part of him reeling with how tender her voice could be.

              Of course, the only other times she’s spoken with me, we weren’t exactly on good terms.

              “Don’t worry, we’re going to get the Avatar and help him take down the Fire Lord.  You’ll be reunited with your uncle before you know it.”

              “…Thanks,” Zuko mumbled into Bato’s leg.  Katara’s eyes softened further.

              “Katara, come on, stop fussing over the baby,” Sokka shouted from the Avatar’s sky bison.  He had made his goodbyes first.  Katara stood to her full height and embraced her father.

              “Be careful, sweetie,” Hakoda said.

              “I’ll do my best.”  Katara broke off the hug.  “We’ll see you on the Day of Black Sun.”  Zuko’s eyes widened.

              The solar eclipse? They know about that?

              “Yes.  Remember what I told you.”

              “Take care of each other,” Katara intoned solemnly. Hakoda smiled and stroked Katara’s cheek.

              “That’s right.”

----- 

              Zuko watched the sky bison fly away, an uncomfortable churning in his gut.  Without the constant fear of being discovered by the Water Tribe children in the back of his mind, the enormity of his situation came crashing down upon him.

              Things had improved for a while, but now?  Now, he was back to square one.  No, even worse than square one.  Uncle wasn’t captured before.  There was at least one holdout in the entire Earth Kingdom before. Zuko could pretend the Avatar was continuing his streak of avoiding real harm before.

              None of those were true now.

              Zuko slowly sat down on the deck, staring at the metal silently.

              “Are you all right?” Hakoda asked.  Zuko shrugged.  “It’s a yes or no answer.”  The boy remained silent.  Hakoda sighed.  “Well, in that case, why don’t you-”

              “We know about the solar eclipse,” Zuko blurted out.  The crew, which had begun to resume regular duties after the bison’s departure, froze. Hakoda crouched next to Zuko.

              “By ‘we’, you mean…”

              “The Fire Nation.”  Someone swore softly.  “Of course the Fire Nation knows about the solar eclipse!  Firebenders have a vested interest in their ability to firebend!”

              “Zuko.”  Zuko looked up at Hakoda.  “Thank you for telling me this.”

              “You’re welcome,” Zuko mumbled.  Hakoda got to his feet.

              “We’ll need to send a bird immediately to our allies. If the Fire Nation knows about the eclipse, they’ll have prepared for it.”  Hakoda looked at Zuko.  “Right?” Zuko nodded.

              “This is going to mess up our plans,” Bato said. Hakoda grinned.

              “No, it’s going to make them better.”

              “We don’t know what the Fire Nation’s preparations will be like,” Tuluk argued.

              “We don’t.”  Hakoda looked at Zuko again.  “But we’ve got someone on board who does.”

              “I don’t know if the kid’s willing to turn against his people,” Aake rumbled.  Zuko crossed his arms.

              “The kid is right here,” he snapped.  Aake raised an eyebrow.

              “Are you willing to turn against your people?” he asked.  The churning in Zuko’s stomach amplified.

              My people. Yue had told him not to turn his back on his people.  But if he told the crew how the Fire Nation prepared for the eclipse, he would be doing just that.  Although…would I?  His people weren’t just the Fire Nation anymore.  He’d been helped by all the nations.  Even the Avatar had promised to bring justice to those who had hurt him.

              Zuko touched his scar.

              He thought of the 41st Division, the soldiers sent to their deaths as canon fodder.  Surely, ending the war wouldn’t help just the Water Tribes and Earth Kingdom.  The people of the Fire Nation were suffering, too.

              Zuko’s hand fell from his face.  The churning in his stomach quieted.  He looked up at Hakoda, his eyes meeting the Chief’s squarely.

              “I’m not turning against my people,” he said. “I’m doing my part to end a war that has hurt us all.  I’ll tell you everything I know.”  A proud smile slowly spread across Hakoda’s face.

              “Thank you, son.”

              …Son?

              “You can tell me in the morning.  For now, you should go back to sleep,” Hakoda said. Zuko nodded as tiredness abruptly hit him over the head.  He allowed Kustaa to lead him to the infirmary, where his furs were waiting.

              The full moon shining down brightened.  Just a bit.

[mccarricks]

( brittany o’grady / demi woman ) WESLEY McCARRICK is 23 years old and is a SENIOR at thales university. SHE is majoring in FILM and is known for being THE MAVERICK as THEY can be HUMOROUS and OPEN-MINDED as well as DITZY and IMPULSIVE. every time i see HER/THEM, THEY remind me of PURPLE SKY IN THE DESERT, SKATING AS FAST AS YOU CAN TO FEEL THE WIND ON YOU, A JOKE TOLD WITH A TOOTHY GRIN.

hero’s back w character no. 2 and yet......

full name: wesley ‘wes’ elaine mccarrick

birthdate: february 2, 1997

age: 23

gender: demi woman

pronouns: she/her/they/them

zodiac: aquarius

nationality: american

ethnicity: black (louisiana creole) and white (irish)

hometown: santa fe, nm

languages: english, intermediate spanish

family:

theodore mccarrick, father

elaine barlow, mother

ruby mccarrick, older brother

delphine mccarrick, older sister

sherri barlow, maternal grandmother

many cousins

orientation: bisexual biromantic, pref. towards women/nb people but will date men

religion: agnostic

height: 5 ft 4 in

distinguishing features: eyebrows, hair, lips

character inspo: ilana wexler (broad city), harley quinn (dc comics), phoebe buffay (friends), prob more

𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃

TRIGGERS: divorce, mentions of crime, drug and alcohol use

the youngest child of ted and elaine mccarrick, wes was a kid who is full of life. she’s the kind of kid who did things to make you smile, and it usually worked. she was warm and inviting, a little naive, but she had a strong support system.

her parents divorce when she’s six, she doesn’t quite understand it but her dad moves out, and her grandma and multiple cousins move in. it’s a lively household, between her mom, who works as a nurse, and her siblings, and her cousins, it was never really quiet and there was never a lot of room.

despite the split, her parents maintain that their children have a relationship with both of them, and truthfully, wes is a daddy’s girl. she and her dad were cut from the same cloth, happy go lucky, fun loving, a bit silly, he’s the one who introduces her to movies. it’s their thing, watching and critiquing them together, and it’s not whatever is in theatres either. they went for all times of filmmaking, new wave, surrealist, and more.

it really stuck with wes, who herself had begun making movies, mostly horror/fantasy/scifi stuff with her friends-- she writes and directs and occasionally, she’ll don a costume and star in them. they’re silly little things, but her family always sat down for her “premieres.”

her formative years are marked with plenty of things, sports, deaths of distant family members, a cousin or two who gets caught in the wrong crowd and ends up in jail, and throughout this, wes remains a rock for her family.

she’s in high school, and she gets into the eclectic crowd, the outcasts, the weirdos, the ones who smoked under the bridge, and partied out in an abandoned trailer near the desert. these freaks were her freaks. they accepted her with open arms, as she them.  

she chooses thales because she always wants to see the east coast, and frankly, as much as she loves her family, she wants to be free of them. and they have a fantastic film program. so!

she meets steven in their first film class together, and they’re fast friends, despite her usual weariness of YET another film bro, steven proves to be a good egg. so she thinks. she finds out through him talking that he might not be the most faithful to his girlfriend, and as much as she doesn’t like meddling, she thinks it’s only right to let clarissa, who she doesn’t really know well, know. however, before there’s a chance, everything happens-- now she’s stuck wondering if she should reveal the truth, or let sleeping dogs lie.

nana is different, nana and her dated her sophomore year, nana’s freshman year. it wasn’t serious. but they were fond of each other. they eventually break up, but they stay friendly, waving to each other in the halls, chatting at parties.

both the disappearance and the murder is weird for wes, who by all accounts, isn’t great at dealing with bad shit. she prefers to laugh about things. laugh about everything. because if she doesn’t laugh, she’ll cry.

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘

wes is a mess, a free-spirit, a walking contradiction. she’s very independent minded, the kind of person who does things without thinking so much about the consequences, this leads her into trouble sometimes. like nicking something from a convenience store, or stealing a stop sign as a prank. she’s definitely the kind to goof off and not exactly dedicate her full attention to something. and while she’s in genuinely good spirits on most occasions, she has a staunch ‘no asshole’ policy. the type to defend the underdogs, and go after bullies. she’ll punch you with a smile on her face, and yet it ends up being more unnerving than you realize. she’s a bit of a ditz, as well, never the best at school, but can talk your ear off about the going ons of the world. she’s a lovable dumbass, for sure, and loyal to a tee once you get her as a friend.

𝐓𝐈𝐃𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐒

horror movie fan! her favorites are some of the oldies, like dracula and  the bride of frankenstein! and some new ones! big fan of jordan peele’s work, as well as ari aster’s! but mostly really advocates for women directors and directors of color!

also does roller derby! she picked this up her first year at thales and fell in love with it, i can’t think of a name for her yet, but she’s a blocker, won’t hesitate to elbow some dick at the bar

kinda a tomboy? she’s always been! she’s rough and tumble and not afraid to get down and dirty with someone, i.e. will join those football games on the quad or crawl through the mud for a scene to shoot

doesn’t know if she wants to be a director/writer or a cinematographer honestly.... she loves the technical aspects of film as much as the making the stories

definition of a bruh girl, says it a whole lot, but also just if you tell her you love her, she’ll just roll her eyes and be like you’re an idiot (which means she loves you too) she’ll be affectionate if she’s close to you

kinda a wh*re oops....... texts multiple girls at a time and doesn’t want to hurt any of their feelings she doesn’t know how she keeps ending up in these situations... also a bisexual disaster

a stoner as well..... always has a massive jar of weed

unclear whether she lives on campus or off campus but if she does live off campus she has a pet turtle named elsa lanchester after the bride of frankenstein actress

a drummer! she’s in a band (name tbd) she started drumming at a young age and found it was a good way to manage her aggression

doesn’t really do well with emotions, so she’ll either be like there, there, or try to make jokes.... she really said kids can you lighten up

walking meme... such a walking meme... doesn’t know so many things she’s like a cute puppy with no thoughts head empty but she’s so fun to be around

life of the party.... nana she came fr ur spot and she took it and she’s not sorry but she does miss u a lot

doesn’t rly feel like she’s allowed to be upset anyways bc some people have it...... way worse.... can u say Imposter syndrome

kind of an enabler...... will be that person to push u to try things but not in a peer pressurey way, more like if u are unsure abt sending a text she says do it

wears fun earrings and socks! think lollipops or gummy bears or found objects like she collects that shit it’s her lifeline

boxes! she’s been boxing since she was abt 12, courtesy of her older brother (who is now a doctor thx ruby) and it’s a good way to exercise and release stress

𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒

best friend -- two of a feather, cut from the same cloth, or complete opposites it doesnt matter to her (the abbi to her ilana)

roller derby friends -- she’s p close to the team, margs on her

makeup artist pal -- i think it would be neat fr someone to try and teach her makeup whether its normal or sfx bc she wants to look like a monster or smthn

she’s gullible, u take advantage of that -- u just tell her lies p much and she’s like yeah ok that sounds right

party friends

classmates

fwbs (f/m/nb) -- tbh she might have one or two of these but they literally are the def of pals who bone sometimes... like v good abt being like you good? u dont want more? cool me too

exes (f/m/nb) -- mostly dated women or nb people but def cld have had a guy

she smokes you out -- p much the only reason u hang out w her is bc she has good weed

someone she’s fought -- like fully decked in the face, prob said something that rubbed her the wrong way and it just devolved from there

people who dislike her -- she could definitely be seen as annoying bc shes loud and dorky and funny so ??

breaks someone out of their shell -- p self explanatory, pushes them to have fun, w everything happening shes rly like lifes too short to not take the opportunities around u

cousins! probably on her dad’s side! i figure she has some east coast fam 

anything? truly?

[darkkitsuneprincess]

I Love You, Dummy - Part 1 [Yukimura x MC (Mai)]

First: 220 FOLLOWERS!!! OMG!!! YOU GUYS ROCK SO HARD!!! 

Second, somebody mentioned one day last week that there’s not enough Yuki content and I happen to agree. Since the rest of these fools still aren’t talking to me, I went back to this silliness. Yukimura is such an idiot and I adore him. Part 2 will be along shortly, will be full of more fluff, and may or may not be NSFW.

Title: I Love You, Dummy Pairing: Yukimura x MC (Mai) Rating: F (for Fluff) Warnings: Idiots in love. The dumbest angst ever angsted. Tooth-rotting sweetness. Description: Something is up with Yukimura. He’s been avoiding Mai for days. Kenshin spoils the surprise and romantic shenanigans ensue. People Who Need Tagging:  @choi-jiyu @nad-zeta -- hit me up if you want me to add you.

~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~

Whatever it was, it had been bothering him for days. From the minute we arrived at Kasugayama, it was like a switch had flipped and my adoringly-sweet-yet-m oderately-awkward boyfriend became a totally different person. I wondered if I’d inadvertently said or done something to upset him on the trip in, but I couldn’t think of a thing. And since we arrived, I’d barely even seen him.

He hadn’t mentioned it. Hadn’t said anything at all, as a matter of fact. It wasn’t like Yukimura to not speak at all. He always had something to say, even if it was just snark. But the fact that he’d not only not talked to me, but gone out of his way to avoid me told me something was definitely up…

…which was exactly why I was standing in the garden with Shingen, waiting for him to answer my question.

“He was so excited to come back to Kasugayama for the festival,” I added after explaining my dilemma to Yukimura’s surrogate father. “But since we got here, he’s been so…weird. I mean, he’s always an awkward idiot, but this goes way beyond that.”

“If there were a problem, surely Yuki would come to you first,” Shingen told me after several long, agonizing moments of pretending to ponder my question. I could see the lie in his eyes. Shingen knew something. I mean, he was only feudal Japan’s greatest master of information…second maybe to Mitsuhide…so I knew he knew what was going on. And he knew that I knew that he knew. I could see that too. I hadn’t spent the last year with these knuckleheads without learning how to read them the same way they did me.

“Okay,” I responded with a curt nod. “If you don’t want to tell me, fine.”

I turned and left, ignoring Shingen’s calls for me to come back. He might not be willing to help me, but I knew there was one person in Kasugayama who would.

***

“I would, but you know the saying—bros before—”

“I would not finish that statement if I were you, Sasuke. He may be your bro, but I am certainly not the other.” My moderately awesome ninja friend swallowed with an audible gulp and took two steps back from me. I didn’t blame him; if I looked anything like I felt, then I looked like I wanted to wring his neck. “This routine is starting to get old, you know. Yukimura hasn’t said a word to me in three days. He’s avoiding me since we got here. He didn’t come to bed last night until…well, I don’t know when, and he was gone again when I woke up. Shingen is being his usual, obnoxious self, and even you aren’t willing to tell me what’s going on even though despite your weak facial muscles, you have a terrible poker face!” I threw my hands up in the air and groaned. “If I wanted to be left in the dark with everyone I know plotting against me, I’d have just stayed in Azuchi!”

“Mai…”

“NO.” I held up a hand. “You’re not going to betray Yukimura’s confidence and I don’t want to hear anymore excuses. You tell that idiot that when he’s ready to apologize for being such a moron, he can come find me. I might still be here.”

My voice cracked on the last word right alongside my heart and for the second time that day, I stormed away from one of my friends, though this time I did it so nobody would see me cry.

***

If I’d thought for one second someone might find me hiding behind a sakura tree in the most remote, well-hidden corner of the garden, I wouldn’t have gone there to have my little pity party. And if I had thought someone would find me, I certainly wouldn’t have expected it to be who it was.

“This is why I find women so tiresome,” Kenshin said, scaring a shriek out of me. I’d been so absorbed in my own silliness and the absurd plot to steal a horse and ride back to Azuchi to be with the other half of my Sengoku family that I hadn’t even heard him approach. I wiped my face on my sleeve and looked up to find a hard scowl marring the ethereal beauty of his face. Those mismatched eyes, though… they were full of concern.

“Sorry to bother you, Kenshin,” I said through my sniffles. “I’ll just go.” I started to rise but he placed a cold hand on top of my head.

“Stay,” he said, his touch softening as he stroked my hair with almost brotherly affection. “You are clearly upset about something and came here to hide.”

“I did.”

He surprised me by sitting down beside me. I’d grown used to his weird mood swings even if I’d not grown entirely used to the man himself. Even in repose, Kenshin was still the most intimidating thing I’d ever seen. Disarmingly beautiful…but decidedly lethal. I knew full well he could take my head from my shoulders if the spirit moved him to and there wasn’t a thing I could do about it. I’d already be dead before I could even think to react.

“I assume the cause of your distress is your lover,” he said, raising one thin eyebrow at me. I nodded and hid my face in my sleeves so she couldn’t see just how much of a mess I was. “I am not surprised. Since the two of you arrived, he has been quite…obnoxious. More so than usual.”

“He’s avoiding me,” I said, my voice crackling like dry tinder from the torrents of tears. “We argue all the time. It’s kind of our thing. But even when we were supposed to be enemies, he never went out of his way to hide from me.”

“That boy is a fool,” Kenshin answered. His tone was harsher than usual and when I glanced up at him, I may as well have been staring down a pair of knives for all the sharpness in his gaze. “You would think, having been in Shingen’s service nearly his whole life, he’d have at least learned something about women.”

I snorted. “That’s pretty funny coming from you, you know.”

“I know a great deal about women,” Kenshin replied defensively, his lips pressed into a thin line to hide the smile teasing them. “I am no monk, Mai. However, I choose not to waste my time with frivolities.”

“Then why are you talking to me?”

“Because you were crying. Women should never cry.”

That time I did laugh. “Then if you know so much about us, tell me…why are women so emotional?”

“That, little one, is one of life’s great mysteries.” He smirked then turned his gaze away from me, looking out over the garden. He heaved a sigh, as if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders. “If you must know, Yukimura wishes to marry you,” Kenshin said, and my heart stuttered to a shocked halt.

Say what now?

“But…”

“You didn’t know?” he asked, though he knew full well I didn’t know. “I would apologize for ruining that surprise, but I am not sorry in the slightest. I am weary of you moping about my castle and his frantic idiocy.”

“How did you find out?” I asked, hoping to wrap my mind around this. His initial statement rang through my mind again and again, but it seemed no more real than a daydream.

“I am actually surprised you didn’t know before now. That fool has interrogated every person in his path for three days seeking guidance in the matter. He sent letters weeks ago informing both Nobunaga and myself of his plan to ask for your hand during the festival. As it seems I inherited care of you in that alliance,” his nose wrinkled as he thought of the Alliance between Echigo and Azuchi and the resulting custody arrangement between himself and Nobunaga, “it was up to me to provide the blessing for this upcoming union.”

“So you’re saying Yukimura wrote to you and Nobunaga and asked permission?”

“Yes. Now that you have arrived, he and Sasuke have cobbled together some elaborate nonsense for the occasion that involves Shingen escorting you to the festival. I find this whole affair a waste of my ninja’s time.”

I laughed at that. “I do too. I don’t need anything elaborate. I thought Yukimura knew that.”

Kenshin shook his head. “The boy is daft. If I understand correctly, Sasuke has commissioned fireworks from the artisans in Oshu.”

My jaw fell slack. “Sasuke went to Masamune for fireworks? What on earth are they planning?”

Kenshin shrugged one shoulder as if he’d grown bored with the conversation. “How many people know?”

Kenshin chuckled. “It appears you are the only person in all of Japan that didn’t. I suspect you will have quite the audience this evening.”

Excitement replaced my shock. I’d never known Kenshin to lie. But one thing still didn’t make sense to me. Here I’d begun to think I’d done something to upset Yukimura, and that wasn’t the case at all. I’d wracked my brain for the memory of even the tiniest transgression, but there was nothing. And now this bombshell…

“But—but why is he avoiding me?”

Kenshin fixed me with a hard, impatient stare. “You already know the answer to that question. You, yourself have said more than once today that he is an idiot.”

“Because he is.”

“I agree.” Kenshin rose in a fluid, graceful motion, then took my hands and pulled me to my feet. I felt like a tromping elephant beside a gazelle as I rose. Even after I stood, Kenshin held onto my hands. “He intends to ask at the festival tonight.” Kenshin reached up an smoothed a lock of my hair back into place. “I suggest you pull yourself together and go get ready. I shall send the maids to assist you.”

Kenshin gave me one last, lingering look before turning away and leaving me alone in the garden with a head full of bubbles.

Yukimura wants to marry me…

***

Every bit of anxiety was washed away as I turned and ran back to our shared room. Our first “date” had been at a festival. My insides still fluttered when I remembered our first kiss under the fireworks. My heart skipped a beat at the memory of the fire in his eyes when he looked down at me, the way the bright colors in the sky reflected in his gaze. I remembered the feel of his hands on my waist and how I’d clung so desperately to him, not wanting to leave his side. I remembered the sweetness and innocence in that moment, before the world saw fit to try and tear us apart.

Yet we’d survived, we’d come through it all together. And now, a year after my return to this time and the man I’d fallen desperately in love with, we were on the cusp of this grand, new adventure. He was, in his own ridiculous way, trying to make this night special for me. And I…I wanted to do my part.

In all the excitement, I’d forgotten that I had something for him until that moment. Since I was now in on his secret and I knew he wasn’t going to come back before tonight, I dug through my bag until I found the two wrapped packages at the bottom. I set one off to the side and went to the desk with the other, prepared to write a letter to Yukimura when the door slid open and he appeared.

My heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. His clothes were rumpled and his hair windblown, as if he’d just spent the last fifteen minutes either sparring with or running from Kenshin. Either was possible, except that I’d been with Kenshin until about five minutes ago. Whatever the reason for his huffing breath and disheveled state, it must have had something to do with his “surprise”.

“Oh, um…I’ll come back,” he stammered, breathless, and started to close the door.

“Yukimura, wait!” I shouted, rising with the package still clutched to my chest. He hesitated, panic flashing across his face, and I could see him consider just closing the door and running again. Now that I knew what was going on, his awkwardness was adorable. “I, um, have something for you. For tonight.”

Fear. Blind, bald fear flashed across his face. “Why?”

I closed the distance between us, noting how he stiffened as I neared. When I reached out and took his hand, he froze, the urge to bolt even more evident in his posture. Though when I tugged his hand, pulling him inside, he came willingly.

“Do I have to have a reason to give you a gift?”

“No, but…”

“But what?” I pushed. Yukimura began to sweat, tiny beads of perspiration appearing at his hairline. “You give me gifts all the time.”

“That’s different,” he replied, turning his hand to lace his fingers through mine.

“How so? It’s only fair that I do things for you once in awhile.” Before he could escape, I closed the distance between us and laid my head on his chest. Despite the weird gurgling noise he made in his chest, Yukimura’s arms went around me. My heartbeat jumped into high gear as I inhaled the scents of incense and woodsmoke lingering on his clothes. He was definitely up to something. “I made something for you,” I said against his chest. “Since our first official date was at a festival a lot like this one, I wanted to give you something to make it extra special.”

“Mai…”

Yukimura hooked a finger under my chin and tipped my head back to kiss me. His cheeks, ears, and nose glowed with embarrassment, which only made him more adorable. Though when his tongue swept between my parted lips to tangle with mine, all thoughts of sweetness evaporated. His arms tightened around my waist and the package I was holding thumped to the floor so that I could wrap my arms around his neck. He poured all of his love and affection into that kiss. His hands roamed over my sides and back, pulling me impossibly closer while I threaded my hands through his messy hair. It would take nothing at all to drag him across the room to our futon, but we both had plans now. Both had roles to play in tonight’s little drama.

When we parted, we did so breathless and clinging to each other for support. “Gods…I love you.”

“I love you, too.” I pressed my cheek to his chest and listened to his hammering heart.

“You said you had something for me?” he asked, his usual cheeky tone returning as his breathing slowed.

We sank to the floor together and I placed the package in his hands, watching with a mixture of excitement and nervousness as he unwrapped the bundle to reveal the haori I’d made for him.

“Mai…you…you made this?” he asked, his eyes going wide as he unfolded the garment and laid it out for inspection. His fingers traced over the black coin-crests embroidered into the shoulders of the deep, red garment—the Sanada family crest—and over the fine gold threads woven through the decorations along the neck.  “This is amazing…”

“I’m glad you like it. I thought you might want to wear it to the festival tonight.”

“You bet!” he chirped, then as if remembering the festival, his nervous energy returned. His shoulders tensed and the anxiety returned to his eyes. “But, uh, I have some stuff to—er—do before then. I’ll, um, be back in a little bit.” Yukimura leaned in like would kiss me again then thought better of it, placed a quick peck on my forehead, and all but ran from the room, nearly bowling over the two maids Kenshin sent to help me get ready.

“Silly boy,” I muttered, shaking my head as I rose from the floor and ushered the maids inside.

[valmerappreciationhours]

Ain’t No Lie (Baby I’m Bi Bi Bi)

Clenny Week Day 1--Fake Dating

Clyde's fake-dating plan needs a boy for it to work. Kenny McCormick seems like the best option. There's no way this could go off course.

(or read on Ao3 here)

how down wud u b 4 pretendng 2 dte me

               Clyde gave the almighty message a nod and folded the ripped notebook paper into a sloppy airplane. He aimed when the teacher’s back was turned, sending the paper careening across the room. Clyde caught Craig’s eye and flashed a toothy grin alongside a big thumbs up. Success! Craig leaned over the gap between their desks and whispered, “You remembered to sign it, right?”

               Best friends as they may be, Craig had always been one to bring down the mood.

               The comment had the desired effect of Clyde straining across his desk to try and see the location of his airplane on the other end of the room, knocking off a flurry of papers in the process. Vaguely, Clyde could hear Craig and Token’s simultaneous sighs, Tweek’s startled yelp, and Jimmy’s chuckling. None of that was what he was looking for, though. That was being picked up off the floor by bandaged fingers in frayed gloves.

               The airplane was examined just long enough to read the name scrawled out in pencil before being unfolded. The reader gave no visible reaction before tucking the sheet inside a beat-up parka and critically glancing around the class. Tired eyes raked over the crowd of faces and-

               Kenny saw Clyde.

               They made eye contact. The teacher droned on. Kenny rose an eyebrow; Clyde nodded as the answer to the unspoken question, grinning just a little sheepishly. Kenny pulled the crumpled paper back out and reread it, then grabbed the nearest pen (which happened to be on Kyle’s desk) and made a few marks. The paper was sent back by airplane, and Clyde tore the paper with the speed in which it was unfolded.

               Y

               Clyde blinked down at the paper. He tapped his pencil to his chin, thinking what to add. What could he say here that would wow the fabled Kenny McCormick? He passed the sheet over to Craig to see as well, whispering, “what would you say are some of my best qualities?”

               Craig glanced back up with a deadpan expression. “He’s asking why you want to pretend date.”

               One could practically see the lightbulb flick on above Clyde’s head. “Oh! That’s way easier to answer!” Before he could turn back to the paper with newfound spark, it was whisked off the desk. Clyde looked up to see the teacher looming with the note, a dark shadow of doom cast over the desk.

               “I must kindly ask you not to pass notes in my class, Mr. Donovan. Last warning.” The paper was promptly tossed out and the lesson returned to, leaving a very distressed jock and a poor kid with a little more interest than he walked into class with.

--

 When the bell rang and students hastily pushed their way out, Clyde was a man with a mission. He and Craig shared a nod and went separate directions, one with the goal to distract an inquisitive friend group, and the other to find a blob of orange in the dense crowd. Clyde fought his way through, sights trained on the orange coat he’d spotted. Almost there—

               “Hi, Clyde.”

               Clyde stared at the boy. That couldn’t be right. “Wait, Kyle, since when do you wear orange?”

               Kyle gave back a funny look. “Since always?”

               “Cut him some slack, Kahl.” One of Eric Cartman’s more prominent skills was surely butting into conversations uninvited. “He’s been playing sports with Stan; you can’t expect him to stay smart.” Cartman cleared his throat and dramatically turned, ignoring Stan’s protest. “What. Do. You. Neeeed?” He blatantly overenunciated, and was happy to do so loudly.

Clyde’s cheeks reddened, but he pressed forward. “Isn’t Kenny usually with you guys?” Cartman was quick to make a wisecrack about Clyde and Kenny, and Stan answered while his friends argued.

“Dude, he’s just in the bathroom. He can’t afford a vape so we know it won’t be too long.”

Not too long, huh. Clyde adjusted his varsity jacket, leaning against the wall in a futile attempt to look cool and chill next to Stan’s infamous gang. The sacrifice would be worth it if he could just get Kenny’s response.

True to Stan’s word, Kenny stepped out after a moment, wiping his hands on dirty, ripped pants. When he looked up and saw Clyde intermingled with his group, his body language lit up. Smooth as anything, he sidestepped his usual crowd and held out a hand to Clyde, who was simply a little confused, but had the spirit and took the hand. Kenny confidently stepped off with Clyde in tow, flashing back a finger-gun and a wink, leaving Stan, Kyle, and Cartman in varying states of shock.

“I totally knew they were gay, you guys! I totally said it!”

The resulting shouts reverberated around the hall, but they were easy enough to tune out. Besides, it just meant the plan was already kicking into gear.

As for the pair, Kenny had yet to put his gloves back on, and Clyde could feel the ridges of every bandage on his hand. The skin was cool to the touch, but surprisingly gentle. If pressed, Clyde would claim that any embarrassment he felt in that moment was simply because Kenny grabbing his hand was out of the blue. Still, he was quick to snap back to the cool-guy demeanor he so desperately wanted to achieve.

“So. Class.” Maybe not as cool as he might’ve been in his imagination.

“Mhm,” Kenny hummed behind his coat. “I was actually thinking we should skip.”

Clyde grinned. “Cool.” His math homework lay unfinished in his folder, so a little postponement would be beneficial on all fronts here. He’d take Kenny over algebra any day. Clyde swung their joined hands aimlessly between them, smile still dancing on his features. “Where were you thinking of going?”

Kenny looked over, eyes twinkling. “Well I don’t take cute boys to the Goth hangout.”

Led by Kenny, the two dashed out a forgotten exit at the end of an abandoned hall. From there, it was a short walk through overgrown weeds and unshoveled snow to a weary-looking shed. Clyde eyed the building warily; the hinges creaked when Kenny pried open the door, and the thing seemed to sway with the wind. Besides, the whole structure was grimy and rotten. Clearly forgotten, it was the perfect place for sneaking away to, at least.

Inside, Kenny had already plopped onto the floor. He waited for Clyde to join in the dirt before starting the conversation with about as much taste as one could expect from the most troublesome gang in school. “Trying to impress the Asian girls or what?”

“Huh?”

Kenny leaned back, casual. “Creek was a big hit; my first guess is that you wanted a piece of that attention. Guy and guy, people eat it up.”

“Well—actually, I hadn’t thought about that…but no! No one believes I’m bi.” Clyde paused, waiting for a reaction—there was always a reaction—but his companion was living up to his reputation of being the quiet type. “Token thinks it’s the jacket, but Jimmy thought it was a joke when I told him I like dudes!” It had been upsetting at the time, but remembering his friend laughing and snorting chocolate milk out of his nose helped. “I thought, if I showed people I could date guys, then they would be lining up after we stage a break-up!” It was a fool-proof plan, if he did say so himself.

Kenny nodded. “Solid. So what brought you to Kenneth McCormick?”

“Aside from being one of the only out guys in school, come on! You’re Kenny McCormick!” Clyde gestured to his friend, voice loud and excited. “Everyone knows you’re basically a relationship god! Besides, it won’t be as much of a big deal, because, uh…” Clyde’s spark fizzled out awkwardly, one hand rubbing his neck.

Kenny’s expression remained unchanged. “Because I get around.”

“Which is like, so cool.” Clyde said quietly, afraid of disturbing the tense atmosphere. The awe, however, was genuine to its core.

Kenny’s right eye crinkled ever so slightly. “Yeah. ‘Cept the dying from syphilis.”

The cold air that filled the shed didn’t seem to matter at all in that moment, nor the dilapidated and disgusting wood they were sat on. What did matter was that the atmosphere between them was warm, just two bros hanging out and skipping class. Clyde watched the small puffs of warm air drift up out of Kenny’s parka and watched the way those blue eyes shone with mischief. This was gonna be such a great idea.

 --

 “Hey, babe!”

               Token, Tweek, and Jimmy watched with wide eyes as Clyde hailed Kenny over to their lunch table, draping an arm around him. Clyde’s round face was lit up with a grin.

               “The m-m-madman actually did it.” Jimmy’s mouth hung open, braces glinting in the light.

               “Oh my god.” Token’s salad lay forgotten in the wake of this much more important news.

               “Gah!” Tweek grabbed onto his boyfriend’s sleeve. “Did you know about this? Has this always been happening? Kenny?”

               Craig continued to poke at his mashed potatoes. His voice maintained its flat nature, but those who knew him well could notice the small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Clyde’s my best friend; I knew. They’re kind of perfect for each other.”

               Kenny continued to hover at Clyde’s side, the two of them deep in conversation. Kenny was laughing, Clyde looking insanely proud of himself. It was Token who recovered from the sheer shock first.

               “Uh, why don’t you sit down, Kenny?”

               A pleased noise made its way out of the thick orange parka, and Kenny slid onto the bench next to Clyde. His arms were noticeably empty, but he used that as an opportunity to sling one around Clyde’s shoulders.

               Tweek stared, eyes as large as saucers. “How long?”

               “A whole week,” Clyde proudly announced, spraying half-chewed food across the table.

               “I g-gotta hand it to—to you, Clyde. I didn’t think you could get a b—bo—a bo--, I didn’t think you could s-snag a man.” Jimmy leaned on the table, soaking up the news.

               “Yeah, man,” Token smiled, ever the diplomat, “Congratulations!”

               Tweek tapped his fingers anxiously on his thermos, continuing to stare directly at the new duo. Jimmy leaned farther across the table, stage-whispering to Clyde, “h-how much did you p-p-pay for that one?”

               Kenny leaned onto the table, matching the other, calm. “You couldn’t afford me.”

               That sent the table into a fit of laughs, save for Tweek, who only produced a weak chuckle and narrowed his eyes at Kenny. When the object of scrutiny looked over, Tweek mouthed a small “I don’t trust you,” and twitched. If a member of Stan’s gang thought he could just waltz into their clique and manipulate Clyde’s heart, he was sorely mistaken. Tweek would be cautious. He’d protect his friends.

               Tweek was startled out of his thoughts, yelping when he felt a sudden hand on his arm, but looked over into the concerned face of his boyfriend. “Are you okay?”

               “It’s Kenny,” Tweek whispered, agonized.

               “Clyde’s happy,” Craig responded casually.

               Tweek nervously glanced back to the intruder. Clyde was leaning on Kenny, waving his hands as he told a story. Kenny watched with passive interest, blue eyes alight. The two looked so comfortable next to each other, bright and content. Tweek twitched. “Clyde’s happy,” he had to admit. “But if Kenny turns out to be an evil monster from another dimension, it’s—gah! —it’s not my fault when all our souls get stolen!”

               Across the table, Kenny snorted.

 --

 “Do you want Doritos or barbeque chips?” Clyde called out from his perch on the kitchen counter. His arms were already laden with food, but chips were mandatory to complete the hangout.

               “Barbeque!” Kenny yelled back from the other room. Clyde added the red bag to his collection and climbed down to head back. He rounded the corner into the living room and dumped his snack spoils into a heap on the ground. Kenny’s blue eyes were wide as he took in the size of the pile.

               “Just grab whatever, I don’t know what you like.” Clyde plopped himself down on the carpet and extracted a soda. It hissed as he cracked it open and took a sip. Kenny scooted over, abandoning his notebook, hand hovering over the snacks. He finally grabbed a packaged cupcake and eagerly tore in.

The weather may have been getting colder, but the inside of the Donovan household was plenty warm. Clyde had ditched his varsity jacket for a t-shirt and some old sweats, while Kenny still donned his heavy parka. It was making Clyde sweat just looking at the faux fur trim and heavy fabric. “You wanna lose the coat, dude? My dad’s got lots of heaters.”

Kenny looked up from his food and shook his head. “Nah,” and his eyes crinkled, “you couldn’t handle all the looks I’m packing.”

“Maybe I should get a parka then,” Clyde mused. “It would help from having to fend the ladies off with a stick. This beauty is a curse.”

Kenny raised an eyebrow at the last comment, but didn’t say anything. Clyde was getting used to that; after hanging out with his group who always had something to say, the silence was a bizarre shift. He supposed it balanced out the constant screaming and arguing by the people Kenny hung out with.

Kenny happily moved to grab the bag of chips, and Clyde slid him a soda and juice as well. Kenny opted for the juice box, maneuvering the straw through the zipper of his mouth guard. Clyde stared down the fabric, curiosity ebbing at his thoughts. Maybe Kenny was right; maybe he was unspeakably attractive behind that coat. Kenny caught his eye, and Clyde quickly glanced away.

The snack pile slowly wore down, no match for their combined appetites. Clyde led the conversation between mouthfuls of food, from video games to the latest drama to why Red Racer was actually cool and not a nerd show, and no, Craig did not have him brainwashed. Clyde was happy to blabber on, and the jokes Kenny intercepted with were of the utmost quality. Indeed, Kenneth, that is what she said.

Clyde swallowed his chewed cheese snacks, and made the spur of the moment decision to drag Kenny into the current topic. “How would you rate the guys in our class?”

Kenny wiped his mouth. “Stoley’s a zero. Don’t like that he has the same name as my brother.”

“You have a brother?” The little Karen McCormick he knew about, but another sibling was a surprise. “How come I haven’t seen him?”

Kenny shrugged, leaning back on his hands. “He dropped out. Kev’s working at a car garage now.”

The pieces fit together in Clyde’s head. “Oh! Because your family’s poor!” He felt proud of his innocent realization, but that soon dwindled. Kenny’s tired eyes stared him down, and Clyde was suddenly struck with the sheer number of wrappers that surrounded his friend on the floor. “But cars are cool!” he tried. “I can’t wait to drive!” The wind in his hair, a shiny new vehicle, impressing everyone around; it was a dream.

“I’ve already driven,” Kenny proclaimed, happy to share his accomplishment. “And I didn’t even die once.” Of course, Stan’s gang would’ve gotten into that. Nothing stood between those guys and doing whatever they wanted.

“I hope you didn’t die,” Clyde shot back, smile tugging at his lips as he climbed up onto the couch. He grabbed the remote from where it was wedged between two cushions.

“You’d be surprised.” Kenny laid back on the carpet, arms crossed behind his head and eyes closed.

“It would suck so bad if you died, dude.” The noise of various channels filled the room as Clyde flipped through, but things were weirdly quiet in Kenny’s corner. When Clyde looked over, his companion had a strange look on his face.

“Yeah,” he finally responded, gaining humor in his voice, “you’d have to find some other sorry guy to fake date you.”

“Hey! You suck!”

“I didn’t know we were at that stage of our relationship,” Kenny taunted, waggling his eyebrows.

“Shut up, dude!” Block it out, Donovan, block it out. This is just some temporary stuff, chilling with a homie. Grabbing the attention of some cute guys in the school while casually respecting the cute guy in front of him platonically. Still a good plan. “Wanna pick a movie? My dad gets home in like three hours.”

Kenny gave an enthusiastic thumbs up and leaned against the couch as the film played. Clyde had to keep himself from inviting his friend up to the couch as well. Cuddling during movies is not a bro activity, he reminded himself. Kenny’s parka would be stifling pressed against his skin anyway.

 --

 “No, he’s dating Kenny McCormick.”

               “Yeah, he’s hella bi.”

               Clyde strolled through the halls, head held high, confidence levels way up. Being a topic of hallway conversation made his heart swell and put a little skip in his step. His eyes caught on a poster hanging on the wall, and it only made his grin spread.

               Art Club Wednesdays, the sheet announced. Beneath the colorful lettering was a drawing, bursting with oranges and reds. The shading was bold, and the fabric folds boasted a level of artistic expertise. The limbs may have looked a little wonky, but it got the point across.

               Clyde raised his phone to take a quick picture. He’d say they captured his roguish handsomeness pretty well.

 --

 “You guys are so cute!” Bebe had gushed in the back row of Home Ec. In the seat beside her, Kenny poked a needle and thread through his project, making a noise of agreement. “I think it’s good he’s found someone, I felt so bad for the guy after we broke up.” She pressed another pink sequin to her own swatch of fabric and set to stitching it on.

“I’d say he’s pretty satisfied right now.” Kenny winked at Bebe, who bumped him on the arm, careful not to disrupt their stitching.

“You’re a dog, McCormick.” Bebe’s eyeroll was betrayed by the smile playing at her painted lips.

“Maybe so.” Kenny shrugged, slipping the needle through again. “No complaints so far.”

“Hey,” Bebe prompted, “Has he fallen asleep on you yet?” Her eyes were bright, and the lift of her mouth just a tad mischievous.

Kenny raised an eyebrow and leaned closer. “Oh?”

Bebe adjusted her project on the table. “When we were dating, he would always be so affectionate. It’s like moving a cat.” When she finished her current loop stitch, she fished out her phone and unlocked it. “I think I still have pictures of him drooling everywhere. It’s always important to have blackmail material.”

Kenny bit the end of his thread off with his teeth, and began threading a new one. “But he’s real soft for cuddling,” he provided, “like a built-in pillow.”

“That was top-tier snuggling,” she admitted, sliding her phone over. “Check out these pictures.”

“Holy shit.” Now that was the good stuff. Equal parts adorable and terribly embarrassing. Bebe Stevens was truly an artist.

Caught up in the photos, Kenny’s hand and needle slipped, effectively intercepting his other arm at an angle that tore open a line of skin. The blood gushed out, and he hissed, covering as much of the wound as he could. His glove and fingers quickly stained red. Bebe yelped at the sight, but reacted fast, grabbing both of their projects out of the splash zone. “You’re a real one,” Kenny smiled at her, albeit weakly. He shot off a quick and earnest finger gun before falling out of his stool.

 --

 Bebe was right in the statement that Clyde was affectionate. He was always pressing his knee against Kenny’s at lunch, or swinging their hands together when they walked. Kenny had made an educated guess in saying that Clyde was like a pillow, and he was indubitably pleased to find that it was true.

               Kenny was finding a lot of things about Clyde pretty great, actually.

 --

 “—but Craig doesn’t like coffee at all so I wonder how he kisses Tweek so often, you know?” Clyde prattled on, breath forming puffs in the cool Colorado air. The layer of snow left on the sidewalk crunched as the duo strolled through, hands wound together.

               “Maybe the homo cancels out the coffee,” Kenny theorized, the idea doubly muffled by his hood and the whistling of the wind.

               Clyde tapped his chin. “That does make sense, but I was also thinking that Tweek probably kisses all quick since he gets nervous like that and Craig isn’t affectionate anyway—”

               “How would you kiss me?” Clyde looked over to the glittering blue eyes of his fake boyfriend. The wind was rough, and had blown out a few strands of blond hair from the confines of the parka. Despite the time they’d known each other, Clyde still had trouble distinguishing the other’s mischievous teasing and genuine intrigue. It probably had something to do with the small amount of uncovered skin or the already quiet nature. He doubted Stan or Kyle or Cartman could do any better.

               Clyde opted to answer with the guess that Kenny was messing around, which he thought was pretty likely. He stopped in his tracks, moving the hand that wasn’t holding Kenny’s to the latter’s hood. The crinkle that characterized a typical Kenny grin was quickly replaced with wide eyes. “Ken, dude, babe, I would kiss you into next week. People would talk about it for generations as the best kiss ever conceived. It would be legendary.”

               Kenny gingerly took Clyde’s hand from his hood, holding it in his own. “I think you’re mistaken,” he hummed. “I’m sure the school would agree that I would be the one kissing you into next week.”

               Clyde considered. “It would get a lot of attention…” That was the goal here, after all. If giving Kenny a smooch would help accomplish it, so be it. There were definitely worse people to kiss.

When it came to it, attention was certainly grabbed. Deemed the perfect time by the amount of student traffic between classes, Clyde and Kenny nodded like the genius agents they believed themselves to be. After exchanging quick conversation, they knew it was time to enact.

               “I’ll see you after class,” Kenny cooed.

               “See you later, babe,” Clyde concurred, and reached over to pull down the piece of the coat covering Kenny’s mouth.

               The worn fabric bunched, and Clyde was struck with the face of an angel. Pink and purple bandages hugged the curve of Kenny’s cheek and the point of his chin. Freckles exploded across his thin cheeks, darting across his nose, cut by various scar lines. Dried blood still presented itself on the corner of his lip, which had obviously been busted. Kenny was missing a tooth on the right side, prominent and unspeakably adorable when he grinned. Clyde could have stared forever, but was interrupted by Kenny leaning in and pressing their mouths together.

               And he thought just looking at Kenny was good!

               When the fireworks finished, Kenny’s coat was back up in half a second. Clyde had decided that damned parka would be his new greatest enemy. Sorry, Arby’s cashier on Maple Street, there’s new priorities. “You were right,” Kenny proclaimed with a teasing lilt, smile evident in his voice, “you were doing some serious kissing.”

               When Kenny turned tail and went to class, Clyde stared after. He continued to stand in the hallway after the bell rang, too focused on the phantom brush of heavy fabric on his face and the metallic taste of a bleeding lip in his mouth.

 --

 “When are you going to break up?”

               Clyde looked up from where he was struggling with his essay. “Break up with Kenny?”

               Craig spun around in his desk chair, so Clyde could clearly see him roll his eyes. “Unless you’re dating someone else. Yeah, Kenny.”

               Clyde blinked. “Why would I break up with Kenny?” This conversation was making about as much sense as his homework. Craig always seemed generally supportive, and Clyde thought his escapades with Kenny were going well.

               The two stared at each other for a few awkward moments before Craig finally gave in. “You’re fake dating. You thought it would be a great idea to use him to start raking in the boys.”

               “Oh yeah!” It was all clicking back into place now! “Oh god.” They weren’t actually dating. That forgotten fact came back around like a freight train.

               Craig gave him a long hard look. “How do you forget you’re fake dating someone?”

               Pink tinged Clyde’s cheeks. “It felt very real!” he defended.

               Craig set his pen down, lab report abandoned. “Well, do you think it’s real?” Clyde paused, and Craig continued, voice as even and monotone as ever. “You’ve talked more about Kenny in the past month than Red Racer. It got on my nerves but you looked sooo happy.”

               “He’s a really good kisser,” Clyde added fondly.

               Craig leaned back. “I would say just ignore emotions until they go away,” he sighed, “but Tweek would tell you to talk to him.”

               Clyde grinned cheekily at the mention. “You mean, all this time, Tweek was the master of relationships?”

Craig’s mouth twitched into what might barely count as a smile. “Yeah. He’s way better than you could ever be.”

Clyde fell back onto the carpet, clasping a hand over his chest. “The betrayal! From my own best friend! You are not getting invited to my wedding!”

The words fell on only half-interested ears, as Craig had turned back to his science papers. “Bold of you to believe I would show up anyway.”

“You wound me, Craigory.”

“Then perish.”

 --

 It was the perfect location, in Clyde’s opinion. The Taco Bell on the corner of Gibson Avenue was a shining pillar of all that was right and delicious in the world. The third table by the window had been there for so many special moments and endless menu combinations. There could be no better place.

Clyde figured if Kenny fake-real dumped him, he could just drown his sorrows in nachos and spicy chalupas. Taco Bell would understand.

The two slid into their usual seats, the familiar smell of seasoning and meat easing some of Clyde’s nerves. Truly the best place, and today had to be the day. If Tweek was utilizing relationship knowledge that could help Craig Tucker of all people, Clyde was smart enough to take it to heart. It was just a matter of bringing it up.

“So, how’s dating me going?”

Kenny looked up, bemused. “You’re the man of my dreams, Clyde Donovan. I’m swept off my feet.” He pulled some coins out of his coat and began counting them out on the table.

Clyde flushed. “I mean actually. I wanna talk about dating you.”

“Oh.” Kenny looked up, shifting a penny to a second pile. He looked disheartened, but Clyde just had to push through, and then he could cry into his tacos. No backing out now.

“I wanna date you for real.” The words tumbled out in a rush, destroying any façade of cool.

The seconds ticked by. This was it; the deciding moment. The answer that would determine the rest of their interactions for forever. The two stared at each other, brown eyes against blue.

The tense silence was broken by Kenny leaning far back in his seat, fists in the air, punctuated by a muffled “woo-hoo!” The clatter of the chair and boy hitting the hard floor reverberated through the restaurant. Other customers looked over, undoubtedly irritated by the disruption, but the employees, upon seeing the two familiar faces, didn’t bother to bat an eye.

Clyde leaned over the table, eyebrows bunched, concern cut across his face. He found Kenny sprawled, limbs caught in the topped chair, grinning like a madman. He made no move to get up from the greasy tile, but his eyes glittered. “I was hoping you would.”

A matching wild smile spread across Clyde’s face. “Wanna celebrate with tacos?” He stretched over to better look Kenny in the face.

Kenny got a hold on Clyde’s jacket, closing the space between them. He shrugged. “Can’t afford it. I’ll see what I can get off your face.”

Clyde quickly pulled his boyfriend to his feet, rushing toward the register. “Then what are we waiting for? Finally, my two favorite things combined into one!”

“Me and tacos?”

“You and tacos!”

 --

 A month had passed, and the two were lying on the Donovan’s carpet amidst cola stains and snack wrappers, when a question hit Clyde. A question he hadn’t considered before, but was important enough that he knew it wouldn’t go away until he asks. He looked up from his Animal Crossing town to gaze at his boyfriend.

               “Why did you agree to fake date in the first place, anyway?”

               Kenny grinned, and Clyde knew seeing that missing tooth and freckles would never get old. “I thought it would be fun.”

               The simple phrase made Clyde smile, and he knew he had Cheeto dust caked on his cheek, but he couldn’t be bothered to care. “You were right.”

               “You know what else would be fun?” Kenny set down his PS4, and Clyde could swear that the glow from the screen didn’t match any graphics he knew of, but there were more important things at the moment.

               “Making out?”

               Yeah, he was always gonna love seeing that smile.

[yellowroseanddreamstorm]

Chapter 2: The Rebels

It wasn't long before the liberation of Necromas' territory was underway. The Dawn members acted with great haste, removing workers from the camps and getting them into proper homes, medical treatment, food, whatever they needed and apprehending any of Necromas' remaining forces that were refusing to surrender. It was a slow process but it was something wonderful to see nonetheless.

Especially for The Dawn's leader, Admiral Nari Wong.

Nari smiled as she observed all the activities going on around her, doing her part of making sure everything stayed orderly and provided aid when she could.

I'm just happy we finally got another place liberated. Finally making more dents in the Ecliptic Claw's territory.

"And then, SHINK! The mane came clean off!"

"Whoa…"

Nari turned her attention over to a group of liberated camp workers who were talking over an open fire and meal. More specifically, a young one of the bunch seemed to be telling some kind of story.

"What happened after that?" one of the worker's asked.

"After that, Leonideas declared the territory was no longer Necromas' or the Ecliptic Claw's then just walked off after letting out a huge roar. I don't know how he did that but it was amazing and chilling at the same time."

Nari gave a flat look at the mention of Leonideas' name.

Ah… That explains why the raid worked out so well. Our old lion friend.

Nari sighed, shaking her head.

She didn't hate Leonideas. Far from it. However… he was a little annoying in her eyes... and a pain at times. Mainly in the fact no matter how many times they had tried, he had never sworn allegiance to The Dawn. He was fine with helping them but he didn't want to be affiliated with them. For some reason. He never disclosed why.

Regardless, Leonideas had been a huge help to The Dawn in recent times but Nari couldn't help but be weary about the man. A man who only follows his own motives was something to be cautious about. After all, said motives could possibly one day conflict with theirs.

For now… she was grateful for the time being he was useful to them.

Let's just hope it stays that way.

"Admiral Wong."

Nari looked to the side to see two soldiers approaching her. They gave a salute before speaking again.

"We've received word from King Solleo of Aurorias that Princess Elara is on her way to the planet to provide resources and aid to our cause."

"Ah, perfect. Please keep an eye for her ship then and ensure she arrives here safely. Last thing we need is the Ecliptic Claw getting their hands on her. When she has arrived, please bring her to me right away."

The soliders saluted again.

"Ma'am, yes, Ma'am!"

Nari smiled, nodding.

"You two are dismissed."

Both left without another word, leaving Nari to her work.

A liberated dome and a new source of relief on the way.

Nari chuckled

Today is a good day.

oooooo

The outside world of the domes was a mystery to many. Some wondered if it was just as bad as the insides of the domes or if it was better. No one was really sure… except for those who did roam the outside areas. Be it members of The Dawn… or those hiding in the shadows, going about their services in their own ways. Having goals of their own to tend to.

Unlike popular rumors of those in the domes, the Earth outside was beautiful. Lush vegetation, clean air and skies that at the moment of time were a beautiful gradient of orange and red. As much damage as the Ecliptic Claw had done to the spirits of those who inhabited the Earth, they had in an odd way helped the planet heal from some man made causes.

The young alien hummed to herself as she led a group of Pantherians, young and old in a straight line. Where they were going, they weren't sure but as far they knew, the bug like alien had promised they would be safe. As did her human companion.

Her six legs had a rhythm to them as she continued on, twirling her staff a bit.

"Gotta say, Leonideas really put on a show today, don't ya think Jim?" the alien asked her human companion.

Jim nodded, folding his arms behind his head.

"Oh yeah, never fails to show who's boss. Though…" There was a glint in his eye. "He's gonna be hearing about those claw marks on his back from his medic."

The alien girl brought a hand over her mouth, trying not to laugh too loud before leaning in close to Jim, whispering to him so the Pantherians behind them couldn't hear.

"Are you gonna need a big needle?"

Jim chuckled.

"Maybe, Laika, maybe."

Jim stumbled a bit as a young Pantherian tugged at his arm.

"Mr. Human?" They asked, their tail swishing. "Where are we going?"

Jim gave a gentle look, patting their head, giving a small scratch behind the ears.

"Somewhere where you will all be safe from the Ecliptic Claw and from… not so accepting members of The Dawn."

Laika frowned at this.

"Hate the fact we have to do this with that second factor in mind but… given what's going on right now…"

Jim sighed.

"Yeah, just better to be safe than sorry."

They soon came upon an opening in the ground that had a set of stairs in it. At the bottom of those stairs, was a warp panel.

Jim and Laika turned to the Pantherians.

"This will take you to a hidden base on the moon." Jim explained. "After you pass through this portal, there is no returning to Earth for a while. It is your choice if you wish to stay here or to go."

Jim and Laika stepped aside, waiting to see how the group would respond. It was a moment before Pantherians started to walk up to the warp panel. One by one they disappeared from site. Laika and Jim made note that only a few had decided to not go. They didn't chase them though. Their choice was theirs and they wanted to respect that.

Soon, it was just the two of them… well, so to speak.

Laika looked around before making a chirping noise.

"Here, Kiwi!"

A kiwi bird emerged from a hiding spot, scurrying over to her, making its way onto her shoulder. Laika smiled, nuzzling the bird.

"There you are. Keep the portal nice and safe for us?"

"Chirp!"

"That's my girl."

Jim chuckled, before looking around, making clicking noises with his tongue.

"Abyss! Here kitty!"

It was a minute or so before a black cat with long fluffy fur emerged from its hiding spot, its yellow green eyes glimmering a bit in the dark setting. The cat ran straight up to Jim, nuzzling his legs.

"There's my boy." Jim stroked the cat's fur. "Kept Kiwi out of trouble?"

"Mew!"

"Oh haha." Laika smirked. "More like my Kiwi kept Abyss out of trouble."

"... Point taken." Jim lifted Abyss into his arms. "Regardless, they got each other's backs."

"Just like we have each other's backs."

"Yup… Now, just need to find Xross."

"You rang?"

Laika and Jim looked to the staircase, seeing a young man dressed in clothes with purple glowing designs and a cloak on over it. His purple eyes glinted with mischief as he approached them.

"There's our man of the hour." Jim chuckled, placing a hand on his shoulder once he was close enough. "Holding up alright, Xross?"

"Yeah. Necromas wasn't too bad. Only thing that currently hates me is my back." Xross gave a sheepish look. "Speaking of, think you could…?"

"Let's set up a camp then I'll work on treating ya."

"I'll get the campfire ready!" Laika grinned, hurrying out. "We're gonna feast tonight!"

Jim chuckled.

"She's been going on and on about us having Martian fish soup. Should've seen how excited she got when she was able to buy some Martian fish at the market."

"Ah, I see." Xross grinned. "Well, I look forward to trying it."

"Me too, but first, let's treat that back of yours."

Xross gave a nod, following Jim out of the opening in the ground.

Laika was already busy at work setting up a small fire and a cook pot. She hummed to herself as she got her ingredients together, Kiwi setting up her tools for her.

"Med bed is ready for use." Laika pointed to a bed roll that wasn't too far from her set up. "Do as you please."

"Thank you." Jim nodded, shedding off his back pack. "Alright, Xross, let's see the damage."

Xross nodded, removing his cloak, shirt and chest plate before lying down on the bed roll on his stomach.

"Do your worst, Bro."

Jim smirked, examining Xross' back.

Xross had done a quick patch job with some gauze and tape over the claw marks, both soaked in quite a bit of blood. Jim carefully removed them, getting a better look at the injuries. They weren't deep, thankfully, but there were some minor burns and slight skin irritation.

"Okay, not too bad. A quick disinfectant should do the trick on the burns and irritation. No stitches this time… save maybe for your battle clothes."

"Already fixed them up." Xross closed his eyes, grinning. "Nano sewing bots make clothing repair so easy."

"That they do." Jim smirked, digging into his backpack and pulling out his tools, getting to work. "Though I hope you're not saying that just to make me feel good about my little inventions."

"I'm serious." Xross had a glint in his eyes. "I wouldn't swipe them for no good reason."

"I'd like them back once I'm done with treating you here. My little bots should not be anywhere near battlefields."

"Hey! I kept them safe-"

Jim gave Xross a small poke on one of the claw marks.

"Ow!"

"Says the guy who was near fire and could've gotten mauled by a Pantherian if he wasn't careful."

"I won, didn't I?"

Jim rolled his eyes, finishing up his treatment on Xross' back.

"Next time, just leave the bots with me and I'll patch everything when you get back, okay?"

Xross sighed, shaking his head.

"Alright, alright, fair enough. I know how much you value your babies."

"Yup and done." Jim put his tools away, dusting off his hands.

Xross sat up, quickly slipping his shirt, chest armor and cloak back on.

"Thank you."

"Anytime. Now, you better rest for the day and give those claw marks time to heal."

"Mew!"

Abyss climbed up into Xross' lap, purring loudly.

"And Abyss here is gonna make sure of that."

Xross chuckled, scratching the cat behind his ears.

"Oh, yeah. No on dares defy the cat on lap rule. Besides, a rest sounds great right now. I love helping people as Leonideas but right now, I just wanna be Xross and relax for a bit."

"Sounds good to me." Jim sat down next to him. "We can kick more Ecliptic Claw butts another day."

"Exactly."

They looked over to Laika, seeing she was busy at work, her and Kiwi dancing a bit as they worked around the cookpot.

"Hey, Lai Lai, how long till we feast?" Xross asked.

"Gonna need another hour." She kept her eyes on the pot. "Gotta cook the fish just right to get all the juices and such. It's gonna be good." Her mouth watered. "I haven't had this in years and I hope I can make it just as good as Mama does."

"I'm sure you will." Jim smiled. "If you need any help don't be afraid to ask."

"Thanks but I got this." Laika giggled. "You two relax."

"Very well."

"If you insist."

The three sat in silence. Well, mostly silence, save Laika's humming of Martian songs and Kiwi chirping along with her and Abyss' purring. Xross and Jim got lost in looking up at the sky, counting stars as they started to appear.

"I'm at 299, you?" Xross asked.

"500." Jim smirked. "501… 502…"

"Oh shut it."

Xross focused on trying to count faster, tuning everything else out. His concentration broke however as he saw a light streak across the sky. His eyes widened as he saw it increase in size, the streak making its way down the sky.

"You seeing this?" Xross asked.

"I am." Jim got up.

Abyss hopped out of Xross' lap as he stood up as well. Laika looked to the sky, her eyes wide with wonder.

"A shooting star?" she asked.

"Maybe?" Jim narrowed his eyes. "It's still going too."

The streak soon came to the horizon line, its size indicating it was close to their location. There was a loud boom and shaking as it hit the ground, a flash of light in the distance.

"I… don't think that was a comet." Xross looked upward, noting two other streaks of light in the sky. Spaceship streaks. "... I gotta check it out."

Xross dug into his backpack, pulling out what looked like a headset with lion ears on it. He slipped it on, tapping a button as his lion helmet appeared over his head and face. Without another word, he bolted towards the crash sight.

"H-Hey! Xross!" Jim yelled, chasing after him. "Wait for me!"

Laika stayed where she was, Kiwi and Abyss standing by her sides. She shook her head, focusing on the cookpot again.

"And thus another night for this rag tag team..."

[thewritewolf]

Eating Habits Chapter 13: Bliss

The semester is passing by quickly as Adrien and Marinette live happily together, supporting each other in everything they do. 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 (Final)

Enjoy!

Read on Ao3

Her feet aching from the long week of classes fresh out of winter break, Marinette shambled up the stairs and blearily stood in front of the door to her shared home. Her faint hope that it would open on its own extinguished. A few long moments passed before she worked up the energy to open the door, slowly lifting her tired arms as if every centimeter of movement was an absolute chore.

As she stepped into the apartment, she was vaguely aware of the meat and vegetables sitting out on the kitchen counter, but much more important was the mop of blonde hair and the strong back poking out from behind the couch. At the sound of the door closing, Adrien looked behind him with an expression that started off curious before lighting up with a bright smile.

“Bugaboo! Amazing timing as usual, I was just about to get up and-” He was cut off as she plopped onto the couch, resting her head on his lap as she curled up into a more comfortable position, “-and make dinner, but I guess we can sit here for a little while.” Picking up the remote, he turned down the volume of the show on the television. “Wanna talk about it?”

She groaned and reached out her hand, groping around until she found his. Dragging her prize, she dropped his hand onto the back of her head.

Adrien laughed, a sound that was already soothing her aching muscles. His hands began playing with her hair and she sighed in satisfaction. “Poor tired bug. I can’t imagine just sewing and studying all day make you this tuckered out. Did you go to the gym after classes too? I keep telling you that you have to start smaller.”

Marinette was too tired to contribute much to the conversation, but just having him there, listening to him, feeling his touch on her, was doing wonders for her. It was just as heavy a burden she was carrying as last semester. But with him here? It felt so much lighter. She didn’t feel as though she were falling apart at the seams any more.

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

Adrien turned off the television and ran his fingers through his hair. His shift at the bakery had ended hours ago, leaving him waiting for Marinette to get back from school. The grumbling of his stomach got louder as he glanced back at the untouched selection of ingredients he’d assembled on the kitchen counter. He didn’t really want to start cooking until she got back.

After all, the time she got home each day was pretty arbitrary. Weeks into the semester and he still struggled to keep track of all her commitments, between student organizations, classes, study groups, and extra design work time. Yet another skill his coddled early years had deprived him of.

He sighed and opened the door to their balcony. The chill of winter was receding fast and the late March night was surprisingly warm. Leaning against the railing, he took a deep breath of the fresh air and stared out into the glimmering lights of the Parisian night.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

Adrien jolted, but quickly relaxed when Ladybug landed beside him. His sly smirk was undercut by the soft blush he could already feel spreading across his cheeks. “Yes, you are.” He took her hand and kissed it. “I didn’t know the great hero Ladybug made house calls?”

“She’s been known to make an exception for her favorite civilians.” She smiled teasingly as she closed the distance between them, their faces centimeters apart. “Or at least, the particularly handsome ones.”

“Don’t let Chat Noir hear that,” he whispered into her ear. “I hear he’s the jealous type.” His arms wrapped around her, pulling her flush against him.

“Somehow, I don’t think he’ll mind what I’ve got planned for you tonight,” she said, pressing a chaste kiss against his lips.

“And what do you have planned, hm?”

“You’re about to find out.” Suddenly, she had one arm wrapped around him and with the other pulled out her yo-yo. Before he knew it, he was sailing over Paris and latching onto her. Despite the speed and the heights, he wasn’t afraid. Not just because he’d done this plenty of times as Chat before, but because he had absolute faith in her. She would never let him down - literally, in this case.

Before long, they had landed on the rooftop of a building that stood a story taller than the ones around it. Still holding onto his tiny, superpowered girlfriend, he looked around. His eyes widened when he saw the candlelit dinner with boxed chinese food, a single rose in a vase completing the scene.

His heart melted, but a thought caused him to fall into a giggle fit.

“What’s so funny, oh handsome civilian who is on the fast track to the couch tonight?”

He bit down on his lower lip and looked at her with eyes that glimmered with mirth. “I was just thinking… if I told fourteen year old Adrien that this was happening - that Ladybug made a romantic dinner just for us - I know that either his heart would explode from happiness or he just wouldn’t believe me.”

The annoyance in her eyes melted away, replaced with gentle love. She rocked forward on her toes to press a kiss against his cheek.

“Better believe it, sunshine. You aren’t the only one that knows their way around romance. And I’m definitely not going anywhere.”

He took her hand and held it between his. There were so many things that he wanted to say to her, but he just couldn’t find the words. Instead, he simply whispered, “I know.”

She seemed to understand as she slowly walked away and towards the dinner she had set. She pulled out his seat for him. Laughing, he sat down.

“Such a gentleman!”

She rolled her eyes with a smile and took the seat opposite him. They chatted while they ate, filling each other in on what they’d been doing that day. The food was wonderful and even if he hadn’t seen the logo on the boxes, he would have known it just from the taste. The Chinese restaurant was a favorite of theirs when they went on casual dates. Marinette’s mom was friends with the owners, and they’d all gone as a family plenty of times during the years he’d dated Marinette.

Adrien trailed off in the middle of explaining one customer’s particularly strange order when he heard music filtering up from the building below them. He glanced back at Ladybug, who was smugly watching him.

“...Are we above a symphony’s practice studio?”

“Mhm,” she hummed in confirmation.

Deciding she was being far too smug for her own good, he stood up, offering her his hand as he rose from a bow. “Would you do me the honor of a dance, my lady?”

Her pupils shrunk to pinpricks and she flailed her arms around her face. “Adrien, you know I can’t-”

He grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. His other hand found its familiar spot on her lower back as he held her close to himself. He smiled down at her as she looked up at him, stunned for a moment. He decided in that moment, as he had many times before, that love was a good look on her.

As they settled into their dance, Adrien nuzzled against the top of her head as they twirled in gentle circles across the rooftop. He breathed deep, letting her scent - strawberries and cookies and a hundred other sweet things - fill him and bring peace to his weary spirit.

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

Adrien finished his story and took a sip of his coffee, made exactly how he liked it. The cafe they’d chosen was quickly becoming a favorite and not only because it was right between their current living spaces.

Nino chuckled and shook his head. “Geez, dude. You two are made for each other, no doubt about it.”

“Jealous of our romance, bro?”

“Not a chance. Me and Alya are doing just fine with our chill love. But you two? With your over the top declarations of love? You two got each other to save everyone else from the sickeningly sick vibes and plots.”

“Hm…” Adrien put his chin in his hand, propped up on the table. Tapping his cheek he gave it some thought before nodding. “Definitely jealous then.” Nino scoffed. “Hey, you should have said something sooner! I’m sure Marinette wouldn’t mind if I brought you up to a rooftop for a candlelit dinner. Just so you could see what it’s like.”

Nino covered his face in his hands, but couldn’t hide the laughter bubbling out of him. “Yeah sure, dude. I’m just saying - you two tend to go crazy with romance, so it works out nice that you ended up with each other.”

“It’s way better than nice, man.” Adrien smiled with what he knew was a dopey grin - knew, but didn’t care. “Being with her - living with her - is a dream come true.”

“I figured it would be. I’m psyched for you guys - both of you are loads better when you’re not by yourselves, so it makes a ton of sense for you to move in.”

“What about you and Alya?”

Nino laughed. “After years of being stuck in crowded apartments with tons of siblings, we’re actually enjoying the space apart. But,” he said, grinning at his coffee, “after seeing what you and M have, I’m starting to like the idea more and more.” He made a dismissive gesture and leaned back in his chair, one arm over the back. “But that’s a while down the road. We’re supes happy with our set up right now.”

“I’m happy for you, man,” Adrien said softly. He took another long sip of drink, letting his mind wander. “Things are looking up, aren’t they?”

“They sure are, my bro.” Nino raised his coffee toward Adrien and they clinked their cups in a toast. “They sure are.” Nino took a quick gulp and leaned forward. “What else has been going down? I bet you’ve got a lotta sappy stories now that you two are together every day, so spill.”

They talked for another hour, exchanging stories about their girlfriends, about working with Jagged Stone, about the crazy customers the bakery had seen. He was glad they had managed to sneak in this time to hang out together, despite how busy both of them were. Adrien would always treasure Nino’s friendship, the first real friend he had made at school - his first, and his best.

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

Marinette stretched, reaching her hands far above her head as she worked out the aches from sitting still for so long. The dress in front of her was almost finished, but she needed to take a break before she could continue. If Adrien weren’t working at the bakery for the weekend, he’d have approved.

Her stretch brought her to her feet and then her toes, which then turned into wiggling her hips vaguely in time with the music that was filling the apartment. It felt liberating, dancing in her spotted pajamas in an old black t-shirt she’d stolen from Adrien years ago, hair hanging free. She was making great progress with that commission and she knew it. The dress could wait a few minutes while she had a little fun.

Sure, it was already the middle of April and the spring show was getting closer, but even that didn’t bother her. Speaking of, she was supposed to get a letter soon concerning how many front row tickets she’d be reserving for friends and family. After giving it a moment’s consideration, she opted to just head down to the mail room as she was. Who cares if someone saw her in her pajamas?

The song stayed in her head and she hummed along to it as she quickly went down the stairs. She grabbed the mail and started leafing through it as she returned the way she came. Her eyes widened just as she reached the door, hand hesitating at the door knob when she recognized the writing on one of the letters.

The surprise evaporated under a withering tide of anger. She knew what she’d read if she opened the letter - excuses, protests, and blame directed at Adrien. Of all the limited talents that Gabriel possesed, self-reflection was not among them.

She shoved it roughly in the basket with the rest of his letters, only barely resisting tossing it in the trash. As she changed her playlist to something a little more energetic to help her blow off steam, she decided that Adrien didn’t need to know he had gotten any mail at all today.

And everyone would be happier for it.

[snazzy-suit]

Luigi’s Spectral Services, or Luigi: Liaison of Ghosts (snippet)

The latest footage of Luigi’s Mansion 3 has inspired me to re-visit an AU I’d been casually working on. 

Basically, after the events of LM: Dark Moon, Luigi slowly becomes more and more comfortable around ghosts to the point where he’s rarely bothered by them anymore (the artwork of Luigi hanging out with the ghosts in the end credits was what inspired this AU in the first place). In fact, he starts a business that focuses on building a more positive relationship between spirits and mortals. Luigi will still capture ghosts if they are causing trouble and can’t be reasoned with, but he tries to find more peaceful solutions whenever possible. As he’ll often tell people, he’s more of a mediator than a ghost hunter nowadays. 

But don’t think Luigi’s newfound courage is universal. He’s still afraid of things like monsters, awkward social situations, door to door salesmen, etc. so that much hasn’t changed. Luigi will always be our lovable chicken of a dork.

tldr; Luigi’s braver around ghosts. He’s just trying to help.

Anyhoo, this is a snippet from one of the many drabbles I have floating around on google drive. I hope to start posting this series on Ao3 soon. It’s not going to be a full length story, just a bunch of loosely connected one/two shots that take place in this AU.

==

Ethereal laughter abruptly floods the foyer—the distinct sound undoubtedly belonging to a gaggle of Boos. A nearby grandfather clock booms to life, its chimes growing progressively more warped with each thundering gong. An array of cuckoo clocks takes this as their cue to join in on the dissonance. Picture frames and grand portraits rattle on the walls with the intensity of an earthquake.

Luigi watches as a line of candles spanning the left and right side of the room gradually ignite with violet colored flames. A faint tinkling sound draws the plumber’s attention to a massive, elaborate chandelier hanging high above him in the center of the foyer. As it ignites with its own ghostly light, he takes several large steps back, ensuring that he is clear of the fixture’s fall radius should the spirits decide to indulge in yet another haunting classic. Luigi observes this all play out in quiet exasperation.

Boos—always ones for the dramatic.

“Hey, um, I don’t mean to be rude, but can we wrap this up? It looks like it’s going to rain soon and I didn’t think to bring an umbrella—”

The din suddenly stops. Then, just as abruptly, an old umbrella falls in front of the plumber, causing the latter to jolt in surprise.

“…Really? All this racket, and that’s the thing that startles you?”

Luigi looks up from the unexpected offering to find the king of all Boos himself hovering just out of reach. Behind the spectral monarch looms a row of Boos all clutching noise makers (was one of them carrying a kazoo?) and random house-hold items. Each of the spirits wears expressions with varying levels of disappointment. King Boo, however, just seems unimpressed.

“Um…thanks for the umbrella?” Luigi ventures, not really knowing how to respond.

King Boo merely rolls his eyes and waves a stubby arm to dismiss his loyal subjects. They depart with a groan, letting their things drop to the floor in a noisy clatter.  

“Ever since you grew a spine you’ve been absolutely no fun, you know that?” the monarch grumbles.

“I’m…sorry?”

“Don’t patronize me,” he growls drawing nearer, “Now, to what honor do I owe this little visit, hmm?”

Luigi blinks, forgetting himself for a moment, before snapping back to attention.

“Oh! Right.” He retrieves the envelope and extends it to the looming spirit. “I’m here to deliver this letter from Princess Peach.”

King Boo arcs a brow at the offering and slowly accepts it with a questioning gaze.

“That ditzy damsel had you come all this way to give me mail? Doesn’t she have Toads to handle such a menial task? Why not send one of them?”

“She did,” Luigi gives the Boo a pointed look, “They never came back.”

“Hmm. They sound incompetent. The princess didn’t have to bother you just because one little fungus baby couldn’t do their job. She could have just sent another one.”

“She sent eight.”

“That many? How tragic.”

“Can you please let them go?”

“I’ll think about it.”

Luigi runs a hand down his face; they’d come back to it later.

“Fine. Let’s just focus on the letter for now,” he sighs.

King Boo hums noncommittally. He turns the envelope intangible and removes the carefully folded letter, tossing the former away where it bursts into supernatural flames before raining down into a tiny pile of ash. Luigi stares after the remains with pinched brows.

“…was that really necessary?”

“I don’t have fingers.”

“That’s not…never mind.”

The ghostly monarch unfolds the parchment and carefully reads over its contents. Luigi awkwardly, but patiently, shifts in place while he waits for the Boo to complete their scrutiny. He takes to examining the antique umbrella with dull interest.

“You’re inviting me to play tennis?”

The plumber jumps at the abrupt question, the query sounding impossibly loud in the near silent mansion. In his surprise he accidentally triggers the umbrella’s opening mechanism, startling him further. King Boo’s magenta eyes flash with amusement.

“It’s bad luck to open those indoors, you know,” he cackles.

“So I’ve heard,” Luigi retorts, sounding flustered as he struggles to close the device.

“I should consider adding umbrellas to my haunts,” the monarch muses aloud, “Are you alarmed by other weather protective gear, dear Luigi? Rainboots? Mittens, perhaps? Oooo how about a sled? I know that last one isn’t technically meant to protect you from the elements, but you mortals sure did make a big deal about one in a comedic film I saw several decades ago.”

“That wasn’t a comedy.”

“Really? Are you sure?”

“Very.”

“Interesting. It would seem mortals and Boos have different ideas of what constitutes as humor, because there’s no way this,” he holds out the letter, shaking it with emphasis, “isn’t a joke.”

“Why would it be a joke?”

“How could it not be?” the king scoffs. “You want me to team up with Bowser in a doubles tennis match against you and your brother. Why in stars name would I want to do that?”

“It’s for a charity fundraiser.”

“You say that like I care.”

“I don’t get it…I thought you’d jump at the chance to beat me and Mario.”

“Under different circumstances, you would be correct,” King Boo agrees, “but not if it means sharing the credit with that walking soup dish.”

“Oh come on, it’s for a good cause!”

“Still don’t care. It sounds positively boring, anyway. Do you honestly expect that people will pay to watch such a snooze fest?”

Luigi gives the spirit a bewildered look.

“It’s the Mario Bros. against two of the Mushroom Kingdom’s biggest villains. How is that boring?”

King Boo’s eyes narrow dangerously.

“…I’m in a fairly good mood, so I’m going to pretend you didn’t just lump me together with that hack,” he hisses, “But to answer your question, it’s because what you’re proposing is played out. Heroes vs. Villains, seriously? Why would anyone want to fork over coins to see something that happens on a near weekly basis? Worse, it would be on a tennis court of all things. Talk about dull!”

Luigi’s shoulders hunch as he heaves a weary breath.

“What would you suggest we do instead?”

King Boo almost seems surprised by the question, like he didn’t expect the plumber to value his input. The spectral monarch falls into a brief, contemplative silence as Luigi patiently waits for a reply.

He begins to regret asking when a devious grin suddenly stretches across the king’s face.

“I’ll participate in your silly little game on one condition,” the Boo purrs, fangs flashing in the lavender light of Luigi’s torch.

“…and what’s that?”

“You and I are on a team.”

[neruran]

How to Be a Matchmaker Dragon

A/N: This was inspired by the combo of this little comic by @saisai-chan​ and the news that in the third light novel Kirishima has been confirmed to be the dragon Bakugou’s riding in the fantasy AU ending. While I do like KiriBaku, I also ship Kacchako and I adore the idea of Kirishima helping his emotionally constipated bro out. And of course, since Kirishima’s a half-dragon and can fly, he’s Bakugou’s wing-man. Pun very much intended. Sorry not sorry.

Anyway, please reblog, comment, and/or leave a kudos if you enjoy this!

(Read on AO3)

“Cosmic Meteor Strike!”

Eijirou watched in awe as giant rocks came shooting from the sky, crashing down on the demons Ochako had been fighting. He’d always felt an instinctive sense of respect and fear towards magi for the feats their magic could perform, but Ochako was a whole other level even if she humbly insisted she was still learning. Powerful as she was though, he didn't feel uneasy around her like he did with other mages thanks to her kind and open spirit, and he was certainly glad to have her as a companion and friend.

Of course, he knew he wasn’t the only one who was glad. He glanced beside him where his friend (technically master, but Eijirou felt they’d travelled and fought together long enough that their relationship was more familiar than master-servant) Katsuki also stood watching the magical onslaught in amazement, cape blowing behind him in the wind kicked up by the impacts. Then again, Eijirou could tell that the levels at which the two of them appreciated Ochako’s company were not quite the same. Katsuki may call him a carefree idiot a lot, but Eijirou was not a complete idiot and he liked to think he knew Katsuki pretty well. Katsuki very evidently felt some inkling that went beyond mere admiration and respect for Ochako, because his expressions and body language around her were rather different if you knew what to look for.

Eijirou was happy for him, honestly; his friend wasn’t exactly the most social person, preferring to fight anyone to prove he was strongest in all the land and claiming things like friendship and romance were a waste of his time and effort, but Eijirou knew no person is an island-- wait, island didn’t seem right, because there were plenty islands that were rather populated and fun and easy to get to, like that one he flew to once that had this really delicious meat dish--

He was getting sidetracked.

Anyway, point was, he knew deep down Katsuki was perfectly capable of ordinary human feelings even if he denied them to the heavens and underworld and back, he was just very, very bad at processing them. Eijirou understood that, and was sure Katsuki had his reasons for being that way, but it didn’t mean he had to stay that way. People said it got lonely at the top; Eijirou thought that it only felt lonely if you let it feel lonely, and he certainly wasn’t going to let that happen to Katsuki. Ochako would be good for him; she was gentle but also challenged him, made him think twice both in combat and conversation with her spells and surprising quips, called him out when he was going too far and empathized with him when he was upset. Their group had only been travelling together a short time compared to how long Katsuki and Eijirou had been companions, and already she seemed to understand him on much the same level Eijirou did, if not moreso. He also thought Katsuki would be good for her, pushing her with earnest respect while also being a strong, solid shoulder for her to lean on when she’d had enough (figuratively and literally; Eijirou knew those muscles of his were not just for show), fiercely loyal and protective when it counted, and not to mention funny once you saw past his bluster.

Problem was, Katsuki was Katsuki, and he obviously wasn’t going to get anywhere on his own. He needed a little push in the right direction. So with a sly grin, Eijirou leaned down and nudged his friend to get his attention, glanced to Ochako pointedly once Katsuki’s gaze had turned to him, then looked back to meet Katsuki’s eye, his brow arched in teasing suggestion. He snickered as Katsuki went red with the realization he’d been caught staring, the warrior huffing and turning away put on a hasty cloak of aloofness, but Eijirou knew him too well.

Too caught up in their wordless exchange, neither of them took notice of the debris that began to rain down after being launched into the air by the impact of the meteors. It started with dust and small pebbles, but soon larger rocks the size of a person’s fist clattered around them, and not a moment later Eijirou’s snickering cut off with a yelp when a larger stone hit him right on the top of his snout. It certainly smarted, especially since he hadn’t been expecting it and therefore had no chance to activate his inborn magic to make his scales harder, but he’d had worse. But, it did give him opportunity, or more importantly, Katsuki opportunity. So he played up the injury, letting out a whine and collapsing, forcing tears to well in his eyes.

Katsuki, unsurprisingly, kicked up a fit.

“What the fuck?!” he roared at Eijirou. “I can’t believe this! You’re a dragon, you wimp, you can take a puny hit like that!”

Just as Eijirou expected, Ochako passed by not a moment later on her way to reconvene with the rest of the group, pausing when Katsuki’s yelling caught her attention.

“Ah!” her exclamation caught both their attentions, the two of them turning to her as she rushed over, frantically apologetic. “I’m so sorry, Eijirou! I didn’t mean for you to get hurt!”

Katsuki, ever quick to use anger to disguise some other unwanted emotion (Eijirou guessed this time was the fact Ochako’s sudden approach made him flustered), immediately turned his ire on her. “Y-You!” he snapped with an accusatory finger pointed, cheeks flushing in what he’d probably later claim to be anger. “Stay away you fucking witch-- and watch where you’re aiming!!”

Ochako barely acknowledged him, walking up to Eijirou with single-minded determination.

“Take some responsi-- Oi! Are you even listening?!”

She evidently was not, interrupting Katsuki’s ranting to call out “Healing spell!”, lifting her staff into the air.

“Stop ignor--...” Katsuki trailed off as Ochako began to murmur words that he and Eijirou knew to be the language of spells but neither had any understanding of, watching in stunned silence as she shut her eyes in concentration and lifted her staff higher.

The bulbous tip where her magic concentrated began to glow with a soft warm light, and the boys stared in amazement as the bruise on Eijirou’s snout faded then disappeared altogether. Healing magic was always a sight to behold, and it was an infamously difficult magic to learn, so Ochako’s precision and speed was definitely something of note. Cautiously Eijirou reached a talon up to poke at the spot where it had been, lighting up when not even the slightest ache remained, and turned to Katsuki with a proud and happy smile. “Look at what she can do! She’s so impressive!” he thought, silently willing Katsuki to understand him and do something about it.

Ochako lowered her staff again as the spell finished, looking notably more weary than she had when it had started. She smiled tiredly upon seeing Eijirou healed, then began to stagger where she stood. The two boys jolted as she started to tilt forward, and Eijirou went to stick his nose out to catch her, but she caught herself with her staff before he could.

“Holy shit! You- You’re about to pass out!” Bakugou yelled, anger poorly disguising his worry.

“Hahh…” Ochako sighed, smile going wry with her fatigue. “Guess I pushed myself too far with those last two spells…”

Eijirou suddenly felt bad; if he had known that her meteor spell had taken so much out of her, he wouldn’t have played up his injury so much to have her think it warranted a healing spell. Magic exhaustion was dangerous, and he hated the idea of putting one of his friends in danger just for the sake of playing matchmaker. He crooned in concern and apology, but the noise was quickly drowned out when Katsuki started to yell again.

“Then fucking rest, you dumbass!” he roared (honestly, sometimes Eijirou had to wonder if he was the real dragon between the two of them). Then, to Eijirou’s surprise, he suddenly calmed, cheeks pinking as he glanced away bashfully, voice dropping to a mutter. “And...thanks. For healing him.”

Oh-ho, so maybe Eijirou didn’t need to help that much after all. Still, a little...extra push wouldn’t hurt.

“Haha, it was no prob--”

With Katsuki distracted and Ochako too tired to notice, Eijirou snuck his tail behind the mage and - gently enough to avoid hurting anyone but forcefully enough to knock her forward - shoved her right into Katsuki, startling both the humans so they tumbled over, Ochako on top of Katsuki. Eijirou snickered as Katsuki let out an impressive stream of profanity that was only half-intelligible in his sputtering rage, then smirked smugly as he left his tail draped over them, weighing the pair down so neither were able to get up. His amusement and pride only grew as Katsuki seemed to realize just what Eijirou had done, his face going nearly as red as Eijirou’s scales.

“WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR, YOU--!” he started to snarl, but a groan from Ochako cut him short, making him look down in surprise. It seemed she’d truly reached her limit, and promptly passed out with her head pillowed on Katsuki’s chest. She really didn’t look well so disturbing her probably wouldn’t have been the best idea, and Katsuki appeared to realize this because he let out a sharp hiss between his teeth and reluctantly relaxed back, the glare on his face entirely ruined by the faint blush on his cheeks. “Fine. But when she wakes up, you move.”

Eijirou merely grinned in response, all too happy to agree. He made a point to turn away to give the two some semblance of privacy, flopping down to have a nap himself, kicking up a small breeze that managed to take Ochako’s hat off; he quickly caught it with the end of his tail so it wouldn’t get lost. If he happened notice Katsuki’s hand drift up to softly comb through Ochako’s hat-mussed hair, he would pretend he hadn’t and not tease him for it later.

Maybe.

[blatherkatt]

Title: The Calm Is Terrifying When The Storm Is All You Know [Homestuck]

Chapter 12: Roxy 

Summary: There were two kinds of trolls who went to Earth: rich shitheads with too much money and free time, and desperate assholes who couldn’t survive on Alternia, even with the best efforts of the young Condesce. Karkat hated the planet almost immediately, but with his home planet too dangerous for mutants, he really didn’t have any choice but to hide out on this weird little diurnal planet. At least he’d be safe. Or so he thought, right before blundering his way into an accidental friendship with the son of an anti-troll terrorist.

Rating: M

Chapter Warnings: Mentions of abuse and neglect including one description of a specific incident, mentions of substance (alcohol) abuse 

Author’s Note: Just gonna leave this here  http://mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=005607 for no particular reason 

FIRST | PREVIOUS | NEXT

“You’re — you know Ramona Lalonde?”

Rose allowed herself a small laugh at Kanaya’s expression. They, along with Karkat and Dave (who, true to his word, was…well, he was out of the room, at least) were sitting on the couches in the main room, chatting, and Rose had mentioned her aunt in passing.  

“She’s a member of the family,” Rose said. “She’s in Europe right now, but she is our - my, Dave, and Dirk’s - aunt. Which, for those not familiar with human family structures, means she is our mother’s sister.” Rose smiled at Kanaya. “I take it you’ve read some of her works, then?”

“Yes!” Kanaya blurted out. Her cheeks colored slightly with a lovely shade of green, and she visibly tried to restrain herself. “That is, I, erm.” Kanaya twisted her long fingers in the fabric of her dress. “I’ve always had a taste for, erm, a certain genre of literature —“ Karkat snorted.

“Trashy rainbow drinker books,” he said, barely hiding a smile of his own.

“They are not trashy!” Kanaya said. “And anyway, you hardly have any right to be criticizing my taste in literature!”

“Hey, no, I have the best fucking taste in literature, fuck you —“

“As I was saying,” Kanaya continued. “I enjoy books featuring…a certain mythological figure in our own culture known as a rainbow drinker, and a little while after I came to Earth, I learned that you have a similar creature in your own mythology. I believe you call them vampires?”

Dave snorted. It was the most he’d participated in the conversation since coming downstairs.

“Oh, hush,” Kanaya said, her face coloring a bit more. “Anyway, I asked at a bookstore about any such books, and someone suggested Fangs for the Memories, and, well, I ended up enjoying it so much, that I tore through several other of her works! I couldn’t really get my head around Complacency of the Learned, it may just be a bit beyond my grasp, but her lighter works have been wonderful reads! And — and you’re really related?”

Rose nodded. Before she could answer, though, Dave interrupted.

“Wait, Complacency of the — isn’t that the fuckin’ weird-ass rated-R Harry Potter thing?”

“There’s a lot more to it than that,” Rose said dryly, “but it probably is the book you are thinking of, yes.”

Dave snickered. “Jesus, this family’s fuckin’ weird,” he muttered.

“What the fuck is Harry Potter?” Karkat said.

“It’s like. These books about a wizard school or something that got really fuckin’ popular? I dunno, I never read ‘em. Saw one of the movies at like two in the morning once when Bro was out, but that’s all I got.”

“Oh. Wizards,” Karkat said, looking around at the decor of the main room. “Dunno what I expected in this fucking family, but that’s about the least surprising answer I could have gotten.”

“Well, as rumor would have it,” Rose said, “If anyone were to write about magic with any sort of authority, dear Aunt Ramona would be the one.”

“I’ve heard that,” Kanaya said, leaning in with a hushed, excited whisper. “People say she’s…dangerous, that she tinkers with dark forces beyond our understanding.”

“They certainly do say that,” said Rose. “Whether it’s true or not, I couldn’t tell you. But she does certainly have an air of mystery to her. From what I’ve gathered, even our father is a bit frightened of her.”

“Wait, what?” said Dave. “I dunno about that, Rose. I didn’t see the guy act scared of anyone in ten years.”

“You haven’t seen Aunt Ramona in ten years, either, by the sound of it,” Rose retorted. “Which isn’t surprising, I suppose. Ever since Roxy was old enough to take care of herself, more or less, she’s been abroad most of the time. I think she’s in France at the moment, although it can be hard to tell, with her aversion to being captured on film, and all.”

“If she’s family,” Karkat said, his voice carrying a scornful bite that made Rose narrow her eyes, “then why is it so hard to know where she is? Wouldn’t she fucking check in or whatever?”

“Not very often,” Rose said. “Aunt Ramona is…not on the best of terms with Mom. They love each other, don’t get me wrong, but Ramona is not exactly a patient woman. She could only stand so much of watching her sister slowly drown herself in increasingly extravagant spirits, and, frankly, I can’t say I blame her. She checks in with Roxy now and then, and with us even less frequently, but she’s hardly required to babysit her sister forever, and it’s not her responsibility if a grown woman wants to completely give herself over to alcohol.”

Dave shifted uncomfortably. “Fuck, man,” he muttered, in an oddly distant voice, “tell us what you really think about Mom, no need to be so fuckin’ nice about her. Jesus Christ.”

“Easy for you to say,” Rose snapped, making both the trolls and Dave jump. “You didn’t have to grow up with her constantly stumbling around half out of her mind!”

“Shit, did I say that out — fuck, sorry, you’re right, sorry,” Dave said, quickly. “I mean, she doesn’t seem all that bad to me, I guess, but I honestly remember approximately jack shit of what life here was like, so I kinda got no frame of reference, it just —”

“She’s just a harmless fucking woman who wants to hug people and cry a lot, what the fuck is your problem?!” Karkat spat. Dave made a soft, distressed noise, but Rose spoke before he could say anything.

“What I said to Dave goes double for you,” she said. “You’re not even from this planet, you barely know what parents are, and you’ve no right to tell me how to feel about my mother.”

“I’m not asking you to drop down and worship the ground she fucking walks, here,” Karkat said. “I don’t give a shit how you feel about her, you can feel however you want! But maybe cut her some fucking slack? At least she’s trying!”

“Oh, yes, she does try. Remind me to get out the participation awards to lavish her with, since she is trying so hard. So hard that she’s made not the slightest bit of effort to sober up long enough to participate in basic events in the lives of the children she’s supposed to be raising. Why, she’s practically Mother of the Year! How wrong I’ve been!”

With a sound like wind mixed with television static, Dave was gone. In the time it took Rose to process that he’d flashstepped away, she heard the noise of his bedroom door clicking shut.

“Oh, God damn it. Dave!” she called out, intending to ask him to come back down.

Karkat stood before she could finish, fists balled up tersely. “Fucking leave him be, too, why don’t you,” he growled.

“Karkat, can we not do this,” Kanaya said, but to no avail.

“Honestly,” Karkat said, “You keep acting like you’re so fucking world weary and dragged down by everyone else, but you’re half the fucking problem here!”

“Me?!” Rose said, standing up and glaring down her nose at him. “Excuse me for not just complacently sitting back and watching my mother destroy herself without being upset!”

“It’s not just your mother, first of all,” Karkat said. “If looks could kill, your entire family’d be dead by now! You get mad at Dave over shit he does because he’s had doing it beaten into him, and I don’t even know where the hostility you have against Dirk comes from, but —“

“I don’t act hostile toward Dirk, what the hell are you talking about?” Rose said. “The worst I’ve done to Dirk is to justifiably get on his case for trying to act like he’s the one in charge, when he barely knows what he’s doing half the time. That’s not hostility, that’s just being siblings! As for Dave, how are you so sure you know why he’s doing these things out of that? You barely know him!”

“He blocks his bedroom door with a chair,” Karkat said, his voice low, “because Strider  would sometimes burst into his room, and locking the door wasn’t enough to stop him. The chair didn’t either, but it slowed him down enough to not get taken completely by surprise. He told me that the day I met him,” he continued, his eyes fierce, “And every moment I spent in that fucking hiveblock only convinced me that Dave was completely right. What do I have to do to get you to fucking understand how fucking scared he is?!” Karkat shouted.

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Rose hissed. “He’s got nothing to be afraid of here! He’s perfectly safe!”

“Yeah, but he doesn’t know that,” Karkat said. “And with you and your brother constantly at each other’s throats — which you are, by the fucking way, don’t think I haven’t noticed just because you two are fucking subtle about it, every time you two are in the same room there’s always some sort of fucking resentment lurking behind every other word — and add that on to your mother constantly appearing out of nowhere, and you always three seconds from getting mad at him, of course he’s having a hard time figuring it out! Everything here is different and he doesn’t know what to expect, and as if that isn’t scary enough, you’re making it worse!”

“What would you have me do, then,” Rose said, “Just stand by and let him seal himself away? Be like my Aunt Ramona, leave my sibling to his self destruction without intervening?”

“I’m saying you need to be patient, dammit,” Karkat said. “He was coming out on his own. Give him space to get used to it, and he’ll start coming around and eventually figure out he’s not in danger. Forcing him to come out before he’s ready is just gonna scare him more!”

Rose snorted.

“You can’t bully him into recovering from this,” said Karkat. “There’s a time and place for yelling at people until they start helping themselves. Fuck, I’ve done that before, I get it, but this is not that fucking time and place.”

“That’s rich, coming from you,” Rose retorted. “The alien with his volume setting locked at two clicks past the maximum thinks he can lecture me about patience.”

“Oookay,” Kanaya said, standing. “I think this discussion has gotten quite angry enough. Could we perhaps reconvene on this matter later, or something? We’ve already scared away one person, and I fear I’m growing quite uncomfortable myself, and, um.”

Rose sighed. “I’m sorry, Kanaya, you’ve been very patient. I will admit I lost my temper a bit, there,” she said, flashing her best ‘this-is-called-being-the-bigger-person’ glare at Karkat, “And I think I’d better be alone for a time in order to cool off. If you want to know more about our Aunt, I’d be glad to answer more questions later.”

She turned on her heel, ignoring Kanaya whispering angrily to Karkat, who hissed something back. Rose paused at the foot of the stairs. “Damn, almost forgot,” she said, “Roxy will be visiting tomorrow. She’s our cousin. She’ll likely be here before Dirk and I get back from school; she’s got a spare key and the code to the garage, so she’ll just let herself in, most likely.”

“It’ll be a pleasure, I’m sure!” Kanaya said with a forced smile.

Roxy was so fucking ready for this. Like, hyper-ready. UBER-ready. She had this shit on lockdown.

Well, okay, actually, she had no idea what she was doing, but she was still feeling pretty confident.

Anticipation rode in her stomach like a butterfly on fifteen cans of pure caffeine for the entire drive to her cousins’ house. She was seeing one of her cousins for the first time in twelve years, and she was pumped as hell, if a little bit nervous.

She’d spent about two hours the night before looking around on online forums about how to help kids dealing with trauma and abuse, and from what she could tell, the general consensus was to be patient, let ‘em run off to whatever space they had that could be their own little safe space if they need to, and ask before doing anything like touching or hugging or stuff like that. Which was gonna be hard, because she wanted to hug the poor kid for approximately fifty years, but if he wasn’t okay with that, then she’d fuckin’ deal. Hug the cat a bunch of times instead, or something.

Roxy was practically vibrating by the time she pulled up into the driveway and parked the car. As she was opening the front door, she heard a gravelly voice, halfway through a sentence, talking inside the house’s main room.

“—about it, Rose mentioned something about your…cousin, I think she called it? Coming over for a visit.”

“Hi, yeah, that’s me, I’m the cousin!!” Roxy called, shoving her arm through the opening and waving excitedly. She let herself in and locked the door behind her, before whirling around, the pink tips of her hair batting her in the face as she did. Three people were on the couches: a lady troll in a pretty dress, a dude troll in an oversized sweater sitting across from her, and one grown up baby cousin seated next to the dude troll.

Grinning, she bounced over, then stopped herself short in front of him. “Heeeyyy- wait, shit, almost forgot!” she said, pulling her arms back from the hugging position they’d gone straight into. Had to keep it at least a little cool, here. “Is it gonna totally freak you out if I hug you?”

“Uh,” said Dave, “It’s…fine, I guess?”

“Good, cuz I’m ‘bout to hug the shit outta you,” Roxy said, and hugged the shit out of him. He made a slightly bewildered noise, and the troll next to him recoiled slightly. Letting go (for now), Roxy flopped down on the couch next to Dave, still smiling. “God, I’m so excited to see you! You probably don’t remember me at all, though, you were pretty little last time you saw me, and, agh, you’re so big now, look at you!! Ugh, listen to me, ‘you’ve gotten so big,’ what am I, your grandma? Whatthefuckever, you’re here, hey!!” She hugged him again, this time a little gentler, around the shoulders. (Did she imagine him leaning it into that time? Probably, but. Maybe not!!!) “So, I’m Roxy, and we’re cousins, and I’m gonna try real hard not to start bawling and ruin my makeup, but in case it’s not clear yet, I’m stoked as hell to be seeing you.”

“Kinda got that impression, yeah,” Dave said. Kid had one hell of a pokerface, damn, he’d give Dirk a run for his money.

“You’re allowed to tell me if I’m making you uncomfortable, bee-tee-dubs,” she whispered conspiratorially to Dave. “Like, if I cross a line on accident, just go ‘Roxy, fuck off’ and I’ll step right on back over that line all smart-like.” Dave snorted softly.

“Got it,” he said, his lips twitching slightly into an almost-smile.

Introductions flew by quickly. Roxy tried to ignore the suspicious glares that Karkat was throwing her way; she remembered his name as being the one Dirk had said Dave actually trusted a lot, so, best to try and get on his good side. He was a cute little thing, with his little blunt horns and those big teeth sticking out almost as messily as his hair, and Roxy could see why Dave might take to him.

As the conversation progressed, both Karkat and Dave’s tension levels seemed to drop. Karkat refocused on some movie that was playing on the weirdest laptop Roxy had ever seen, and Kanaya picked up a sketchbook and made herself busy, occasionally interjecting with her own comments. Dave was…really hard to read, but Roxy did her best to drop any topic he seemed uncomfortable getting into, no matter how badly she wanted to know what he’d been through. She was a stranger to him, she had to keep that in mind, and he’d talk when he was ready.  

“I’d been hoping to get in touch with you online, too,” she said at one point, “But I think I rushed into it a bit? I messaged you soon as I got your username from Dirk, but you blocked me straight away, I think. Couldn’t get any messages through to you!”

“Well, yeah, I did that whenever I got a message from someone whose handle I didn’t recognize,” Dave said. “I mean, keeping in touch with friends and catching up with Rose and Dirk was kinda one thing, but. I was already breaking rules just by talking to people online at all, and I got why he didn’t want me doing that. Might accidentally give shit away, or something.”

“Did he catch you?” Roxy said. “All I know is that you just sorta vanished one day, and that’s what we assumed happened.”

Dave glanced away with a very small, nervous sound. His thumb absently traced the white scar on his cheek. Karkat’s eyes widened a bit at the movement, then narrowed.

“Shit, whoops, I didn’t think that one through,” said Roxy. “That’s probably a touchy subject, isn’t it? You don’t gotta answer.”

Dave replied with a quiet ‘thanks,’ and Roxy steered dutifully away from that topic, chattering instead about whatever came to mind. Dave didn’t seem to want to talk much at all about his home life with Derek, which was fine and about what Roxy had expected after reading the forums. Rose and Dirk seemed to be uncomfortable subjects, too, which did not bode well. She’d have to ask the trolls about them later.

Despite her best efforts to be careful, Dave grew distant after a while, and quietly excused himself, disappearing upstairs. Roxy turned to Karkat as soon as she heard the door close.

“I’m not coming on too strong, am I?” she asked. Karkat blinked at her. “Like, I’m excited as all fuck, and I know I can go overboard with this stuff sometimes. Is he just giving himself a timeout, or am I freaking him out, do you think? You’re the one who’s had the most luck with him, right?”

“I wouldn’t call it luck so much as I’m the only one who bothers to actually pay fucking attention,” Karkat grumbled. “But…no, I don’t think you’re scaring him.”

“He excuses himself all the time with us,” Kanaya added. “Usually a few minutes after something comes up to make him uncomfortable, but sometimes it seems like it’s just because a certain amount of time has passed.”

“He spent practically all his time in his block with Strider,” Karkat said. “It’s like I’ve said to Kanaya, he probably just gets overwhelmed.”

“Yeah, that’s about what I expected,” said Roxy. “All the shit I’ve read about kids dealing with trauma went something along those lines, y’know? Will he be back down, or is he done for the day?”

“He might come back,” said Kanaya. “He usually does, until Rose or Dirk get home.”

“God dammit,” Roxy said, startling both the trolls at her volume. “Are they being assholes? Fuck’s sake.”

“‘Assholes’ is putting it nicely, if you ask me,” Karkat grumbled darkly. “I’ve met rabid cholerbears who handled delicate situations better than them.”

“Oh, brother,” Roxy groaned. “Let me guess: Rose is being real fuckin’ impatient and trying to pick a fight over just about anything, and Dirk’s off being the cool mysterious lurker again. Yeah?”

“Thats…pretty accurate, yeah,” Kanaya said.

“UUUUUGH. God, these cousins of mine,” Roxy said. “I love them to death, but boy can they be ridiculous.”

“To be fair, I don’t think they mean to be,” Kanaya said. Karkat snorted.

“Oh, they definitely don’t,” said Roxy. “But despite being some of the smartest people I know, they’re a pair of idiots. They, like. They like to assume they know what’s going on, especially Rose, and it’s an uphill goddamn battle trying to get them to see things the other way, especially once Rose gets pissed.” Karkat was staring at Roxy, wide-eyed, like she’d just passed on the meaning of life, or something. “Like, it comes from a place of love in this case, I’m sure it does!” she added. “But that’s really only a starting point, and it’s not gonna be enough with poor Dave, after whatever he’s been through.”

“Holy shit, that’s what I’ve been trying to explain to them,” Karkat said. “But Dirk’s never around for long, and doesn’t trust me, which is fucking fine because I don’t trust him, either, and Rose always turns everything around to the fact that I yell all the time!”

“I mean,” Kanaya said, “I can kind of understand her point there? If Dave’s come from a home with the kind of turbulence you’ve aluded to, I can understand him being anxious with your tendency to shout.”

“He doesn’t have a problem with volume, Kanaya,” Karkat said. “I’ve been talking to him the same way I talk to everyone else the entire fucking time I’ve known him, and guess what? He doesn’t have a problem with it at all. It’s more like…atmosphere he has a problem with. Strider wasn’t loud, hell, he barely made a sound at all, that’s what made him so fucking scary!”

“So, like,” Roxy interjected. “Should I try and be noisy when I move around him, then? D’you think that’d help? Make sure he knows where I am?”

“Probably,” Karkat said with a shrug. “Honestly, it’s hard to get Dave to admit that anything bugs him, but he’s never complained or flinched or anything about me stomping around, so.”

“Okay, good to know,” Roxy said. “As for Rose and Dirk, I’ll try and talk with them before I leave tonight, kay? See if I can’t get them to rethink things.”

“Thank fuck,” Karkat said.

(Never one to make a promise she didn’t plan on keeping, Roxy made sure to talk to Rose and Dirk before leaving. Rose had seemed kind of annoyed at Roxy’s suggestion to maaaaybe chill out just a little bit with Dave, but said she’d try, at least. Dirk seemed more thoughtful, especially at the idea that making noise around Dave might actually be a good thing. Hopefully, things would get better, but Roxy was fully prepared to be visiting on the regular, just to make sure. With cousins this stubborn, you could never be too careful.)

After Roxy had gone home, Karkat went to check on Dave. The kid had come out of his room a few more times, spending a bit longer outside each time and, to Karkat’s surprised delight, actually did seem like he was getting more comfortable around Roxy. (Karkat himself begrudgingly had to admit, this particular ‘family’ person was…pretty great.) Still, he was clearly exhausted by the end of the day, and Karkat wanted to just…make sure he was right.

That, and he’d noticed something that had sparked his curiosity.

He ended up in Dave’s room, sitting on the floor and idly chatting as Dave lay on his back on his sleeping platform.

Eventually, Dave sighed. “Okay, whatever question you’re sitting on is lighting a fire under your ass, dude, I can smell it roasting away from over here. Just hurry up and ask it, already, before you fuckin’ burn everyone’s breakfast.”

“I…shouldn’t,” Karkat said. “I’m not enough of an asshole to go prying into other peoples’ personal shit, curiosity or not, and I’m not sure it’s something you want to talk about. You went really quiet when it almost came up with Roxy.”

“I don’t know Roxy, man,” Dave said. “I mean, I like her, but I ain’t known her long enough to be comfortable talking about some things. Haven’t known you long either, sure, but…I dunno, you’re easy to talk to, I guess?” Dave muttered something Karkat couldn’t make out over the pounding of his pump biscuit. Stupid definitely-not-a-pale-crush, now was not the time to get all sappy over an admission of trust. He’d spent enough time with humans and witnessing some of their media by now to get that humans were idiotically trusting in general, it didn’t necessarily mean anything. “Look,” Dave continued, “all your fidgeting is making me nervous just watching you. Go ahead and ask the question, get it off your chest, and if I ain’t comfortable answering, I’ll say so.”

Karkat took a deep breath. “I guess I just…feel a little confused, about some of the things you said about talking to people online.” Dave stiffened slightly, and again, Karkat watched his hand shift (mindlessly, it seemed) to cover the scar across his cheek, just like it had before. “You mentioned that you knew you were breaking a really dangerous rule, but why risk talking to your friends if you knew how much trouble you’d be in? You haven’t exactly been the reckless type in the time I’ve known you, it just feels fucking weird to me.”

Dave was very quiet for a long moment. “I guess I just…” he said, slow and thoughtful, “Kinda needed to talk to someone, y’know?”

Another long, quiet moment. Karkat almost started to talk, but Dave continued suddenly, “Maybe I’m just…too fuckin’ weak to be the fuckin’ warrior Bro wanted of me, I dunno. But John and Jade…I could just talk to them without having to worry about swords or about always being perfectly fucking composed or whatever. Just be a stupid fucking kid for a little while, you know? The only other people around were Bro, Be- uh, some of his guys, maybe whoever worked at whatever apartment building or motel we were at that time, maybe a guy working a corner store. And that was it, that’s all I had to talk to, and it was fucking exhausting, man. I guess at the time it was worth the risk just to feel…”

“Happy?” Karkat offered.

“…Human,” Dave said, softly.

Karkat blinked. “As opposed to what? How do you not feel human?”

Dave shrugged. “I dunno, man, I spend a lot of time just going around on autopilot. Feeling numb, because it’s better than having to deal with…shit I’m not strong enough to handle.”

“…And you’re still doing that?”

“Not today, so much,” Dave said. “Today was nice. Roxy’s easy to hang with, like, I can fuckin’ worry a little less and relax a tiny fuckin’ bit, same as with you.” Dave snorted. “Wow, fuck, that sounded a lot gayer out loud than it did in my head, what the fuck.”

Karkat quirked an eyebrow, but decided not to comment.

Silence stretched before them again. Dave rolled over and half buried his face in his sleeping cushion.

“He caught me, talkin’ to Jade at three in the morning,” he said. “Totally flipped out on me. I mean, I knew he would be mad if he ever caught me, but I wasn’t expecting…” He shifted his grip tighter on the sleeping cushion, his voice slightly muffled, but his mouth just uncovered enough that Karkat still heard every word. “Any time I broke a rule, made a mistake, whatever, the deal was always the same. Grab your sword, meet me on the roof, we settle this with blades. And it sucked, but I could deal with it, you know? Try and redeem myself by fighting back well enough to prove I’m not a total failure, ‘cept he always totally kicked my ass, but that was my fault for not being better. This time, though, he totally fuckin’ snapped. I’ve never seen him that angry, man, not before, not since. He didn’t even let me grab my sword, just dragged me off to the roof unarmed. Gave me this,” he gestured at the white line on his cheek, “and a few others, slapped the flat of the blade over my back a few times, and while I was too fuckin sore n’ dizzy to do anything about it, he broke my phone and my laptop right in front of me. Couldn’t hardly move for a week afterwards.”

“Fuck,” Karkat whispered.

“I guess…” Dave said. “I mean, I probably got no right to tell anyone how to handle parenting shit, since I’m still a fuckin’ dumbass kid, but. If there was ever a time he went too far, I think that mighta been it, y’know?”

“I think I can see why you never tried to contact anyone online afterwards, that’s for fucking sure,” Karkat said. “Holy fuck, Dave.”

“It was just the one time, though,” he said, softly. “I think he felt bad about it. He didn’t try and make me strife him or anything for a good two weeks afterward, so.”

“Yeah, and that just makes it all fucking better,” Karkat grumbled. “Dave, holy shit, I was literally raised by a goddamn animal and my lusus sure as fuck never did anything near that vicious to me, what the fuck!”

“Sorry,” Dave mumbled. “I dunno why I told you all that, sorry, fuck.”

“It’s fine,” Karkat said, “holy shit, I’m not mad at you, okay? I’m mad that your fucking guardian thought this was remotely okay, and I’m mad about a lot of other shit, too, but not at you.”

“Kay,” Dave said, his face now fully buried in the sleeping cushion. Karkat, after a moment’s hesitation, rested his hand on Dave’s shoulder. Karkat didn’t miss Dave flinch slightly at the touch, but the human didn’t pull away, nor did he raise his head.

“Fuck, I dunno why I’m choosing now of all times to have a goddamned moment,” said Dave. “You don’t deserve to put up with this shit, man, I’m sorry.”

“I don’t mind,” said Karkat. “It’s fine, Dave, really.”

“I’m,” said Dave, swallowing thickly, “I’m sorry, man, I just. I think I need to be alone a while.”

“…Alright,” said Karkat. “Just come get me if you change your mind, okay? Even if it’s the middle of the night, or whatever. Fuck knows I don’t sleep on this planet anyway, so it’s not like you have to worry about waking me up.”

Dave made an affirmative noise. Karkat left the room with a feeling of guilt crawling in the depths of his hunger sack.

—That hand on his shoulder had felt, for a moment, like the nicest goddamn thing in the entire world. He’d been lying, he hadn’t wanted Karkat to leave at all, but —

But it was too much. If he’d let the guy stay, fuck knew what would’ve happened. He’d already spilled his guts about that night talking to Jade, and the poor bastard was involved in this shit enough, he didn’t deserve any of that. Didn’t deserve to deal with some asshole human he barely knew crying all over him like the fucking loser he was.

And he was, he was a complete fucking disaster. Every time Roxy’d hugged him, he’d had to fight off the old urges he’d been suppressing for years, to be a complete clingy asshole and beg for more affection. He didn’t need it, he was strong, it was fine. Except, it wasn’t fine, because being hugged like that, without the suddenness he was getting used to from Mom, it felt warm and safe and every time he’d wanted to melt into it, and Karkat’s hand resting on his shoulder had almost pushed him over the edge.

He couldn’t let that happen, he just couldn’t.

Besides, making friends and getting attached was only gonna make shit harder for both of them when he had to leave.

Or he could stay.

Haha. Yeah, right.

Dave groaned, and tried desperately to stop thinking.

[elyonbeats]

Drops

Hello.

Most of you guys are familiar with my beats / instrumental works. I've been involved with a lot of new and exciting projects for you guys: Songs for The King (Psalm Project), "Lullaby for the Spirits, and many other mini side projects like: Pokemon Remix Compilation, Video game OST remixes, just to name a few.

Things have been pretty okay for the most part, but past 6 months have been some of the toughest time of my life. I've been quietly battling against depression. I've been wrestling with loneliness, rejections, and hopelessness, to a point where I'd get so depressed and start developing suicidal thoughts. I'm going to put my pride to rest for a second and be absolutely transparent with you guys.

As a believer and a follower of Christ, I've always been able to not lose hope and keep my head up during the dark times. There are times where I crumble, but I've always been able to pick myself back up because I knew the Spirit was always around me. But this year, 2017, was the first time in my 23 years of living, where I felt totally abandoned and God was silent. I was spiritually sick, physically tired, and mentally dying. I tried to reach out to people who I thought were my friends, people who I believed to be my genuine brothers and sisters, but this was my first time ever seeing their true side, where they've turned me down and walked away from me.

There are few who stuck around and have been meeting up with me and praying with me. Every part of my decaying heart expresses gratitude for those who's been keeping me in their prayers and has been checking up on me from time to time. Unfortunately, when you drag this burden of depression around your waist, you find yourself pushing people away, despite how much you're aware about the fact that you need people around you. I became overly sensitive and quickly began to shut myself from the people around me.

Perhaps part of the reason why I started isolating myself from people was the fact that I was condemned before I could even try to talk to them. People have told me that I need to be a "man" and stop "bitching" over these problems. I was told that my life didn't have enough scars for me to call myself a victim, or of someone who is weary. I was told I was too prideful and what I am going through is the product of my sinfulness. Religion did not help. God was silent, people who I've trusted showed no empathy and only condemned me. Yet, I am still thankful for this experience, because through this struggle, I was able to see what it meant to serve someone, what it meant to truly love a brother, and what it meant to be in a community of loving people. I've also learned who were trust worthy in my life and who I could truly call my friends.

Sadly, understanding this took me a bit and one evening I came close to ending my life. I was so deeply buried in darkness that I didn't want to reach out to anyone. I was scared to receive more rejections and bear even greater hurts. But as I was about to leave my house at 3 or 4am, something pulled me back. I felt like my body was paralyzed and someone was speaking in my heart "don't do this." It was a familiar voice, a halcyon voice that carried blissfulness and absolute peace. That soft spoken voice and a gentle tug, no stronger than the force of an infant, tugging the back of the shirt of its mother, was more than enough for me to fall to my knees and cry my eyes out.

How foolish have I become and how weak I truly was, that late night / early morning, everything was revealed to me. I'd like to believe that gentle tug and the calm voice were summoned by God. However, I can't say that everything's gotten better since that night. It's been three months since that night, and though I've turned myself away from the notions of suicide and self harm, I am not completely free from depression. If there's something that's keeping me going, it's God and His everlasting love and grace. God is the reason why I started making music, and is the reason how I got this far in life.

Ever since that night, I wanted to start expressing myself through lyrics and not just through instrumentals. I've been writing lyrics since freshmen year of high school. I've never released anything, just wrote countless pages of rhymes and lyrics. I want to share my stories and express things that can't fully be expressed through instrumental music.

I am not cured. I am still broken, but learning the beauty of the process of healing. God is quiet, but not silent. Maybe someday, I can be joyful again. Maybe someday, I can get back up on my feet, but for now... this is who I am.

So... here it is. I'd like to present to you, "Drops." M/V coming out this Monday at 5PM PST. The song will be downloadable via bandcamp. Special thanks to my bro, Enoch, for making this video happen.

See you soon.