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spidey-sophie · 4 years

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Curiosity Bit the Cat | Tom Holland One-Shot

Pairing: Tom Holland x Female Reader

Warnings: meet cute, fluffy smut, public bathroom sex, hand kink (shocking), fingering (f receiving), sex with a 'stranger'

Summary: On the biggest Halloween party of the year you meet a mystery guy dressed as Spider-Man. You haven’t even seen his face, but somehow you just can’t get enough of him.

Word Count: 5.8k

Notes: Okay, so first of all, thank you everyone for your kind words after reading the teaser! Also, I can’t ever thank enough to my wonderful editors @worldoftom and @hypnotized-so-mesmerized ! Thank you for staying up all night, listening to me talking about it for daysss and making this fic as amazing as it is! Also, thank you to my lovely twin @rebekkah4766 for brainstorming with me and jumping in whenever I needed her to!

It was your favorite holiday of the year. Halloween.

As a kid, you would look forward to it all year, excited to go trick or treating, collect loads of candy, and eat it with your friends. Now, you loved the holiday for a different reason. You still looked forward to Halloween months in advance, but not for trick or treating. Halloween gave you the chance to don a mask and transform. There’s something about those masks and the anonymity that they provide. Wearing a mask always set you free.

“Are you coming, Daenerys Targaryen?” your best friend called out from outside of the car, her voice pulling you out of your thoughts. She wasn’t completely wrong, you did reuse your old Daenerys blonde wig tonight, styling it differently to get your character’s famous platinum blonde hair just right.

“How many times have I told you, I’m Black Cat tonight!” you said, finally climbing out of the car. As soon as you did, you started regretting your decision. Your leather costume was too tight. It did hug your figure in all the right places, but it was so uncomfortable to move with it on. The white fur around your wrists and neck wasn’t helping either.

“Oh yeah, I forgot how much of a nerd you are,” she said as she took your hand and started tugging you towards the entrance.

“Wait a second,” you said, pulling you and your friend to a stop to unzip the front piece of your costume. You had debated whether you should rock the famous Black Cat décolleté, and at the last moment you decided to go for it.

“Well, now we’re talking, come on!”

The loud beats and bass vibrations took over your senses as you entered the club, looking around in awe at the lights and decor. The place was crowded, full of people in various costumes, all of them wearing masks. You could barely recognize the rest of your friend group as they spotted you and waved you over.

“How did you manage to get us into this club?” you leaned over to ask your friend. This wasn’t a place you’d usually go out to. It was too luxurious for your taste. And for your wallet.

“I know a guy, who knows a guy, who knows a guy… don’t question it, enjoy it while you can!” Your friend said, gesturing afterwards that she was going to the distant table your friends were at. You nodded, deciding to push through the crowd to the bar to get you both some drinks first.

There was one thing you needed to be able to fully let loose in the crowd - alcohol. You made your way towards the bar and, after a while of squeezing your way through the crowd, you finally managed to get to the bartender. As soon as you finished ordering your drink, you heard someone laugh right next to you.

Intrigued and liking the way the laugh sounded, you turned around. It was immediately clear why this mystery person had laughed.

There, right next to you, was a guy dressed as Spider-Man. You couldn’t help but smile at the coincidence.

“Never thought I’d see you here, Cat,” you heard an appealing, smooth voice coming from under the mask.

“Back at ya, Spider. Thought you could only ever be spotted over the city's skyline.” You didn’t know exactly why, but you decided to play his game.

"Well, I heard a rumor a certain thief might be here and had to check it out."

You started to reply but lost your train of thought when the crowd jostled him closer to you, letting you see him better in the dim light. He was wearing a red and black version of the famous Spider-Man suit, with the mask fully covering his face. There was no skin in sight, but nearly every muscle of his was noticeable through the tight suit. Your eyes landed on his broad shoulders, and you couldn’t help but continue checking him out. Sure, you couldn’t see his face, but you could see plenty of his body and, for the moment, that was enough.

“Wow, after all these years, you’re still thirsty for me, Cat?” His voice startled you from your observations.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Spider.” You looked back up and turned around to face the bartender who just came back with your drinks. "I was just passing the time."

“You two have the best couples costume I’ve seen so far,” the bartender said as he gave you two shots for you and your new friend.

“Thank you, but I don’t like to be associated with spiders,” you said, and could almost hear the guy next to you smiling at your quip. Just as you grabbed your drinks and started walking away from him, you felt his hand on yours, lightly squeezing it.

“Will I see you around?” he asked, almost whispering into your ear.

“Maybe. If you use your spidey senses to find me.” You winked at him and finally left to join your friends.

The rest of the night went by pretty quickly. You spent most of it either dancing with your friends or meeting some new people, but none of them caught your attention like the mystery Spider-Man did. You couldn’t explain it, but there was something about him that attracted you. You felt stupid that you hadn’t even see his face yet, but there you were, searching for him in the crowd while drinking and dancing. Yet he was nowhere to be seen. You didn’t mention your mystery man to your friends. The only thing you knew about him was that, judging by his accent, he was probably American, but that clue wasn’t enough for you to find him.

You eventually gave up on looking for him and focused on the night. With your friend’s hand in yours, you strutted towards the dance floor. The music was so loud, it was almost throbbing inside your body. Letting yourself sink into the feeling, you started moving to the rhythm. You could feel many eyes gazing at you, following your every move closely. But, you felt indifferent to their attention. Hand in hand, you were dancing with your friend, spinning each other around and having a blast dancing together to your favorite songs. She was there for a little bit, but then her hand left yours and she gestured to the bar, and you nodded, continuing to dance on your own. You couldn’t remember the last time you had felt this good, this free. You stayed dancing alone on the dance floor, most of your friends too drunk to join you or had already hooked up with someone, but you didn’t care. You just wanted to have fun.

A few songs had passed when you felt someone only a few inches behind you. Curious to see if it was one of your friends or someone else, you started turning your head back but paused when you heard a familiar voice.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

His soft voice sent shivers down your spine. You couldn’t believe you were so drawn to someone’s voice. Though you’d just met him a few hours ago, you’d missed hearing it. You smiled and finally turned your whole body to face him.

“What happened to those spidey senses of yours?” you said, stepping closer as his hands moved to rest on your elbows. You look down at his suggestion of proximity and surprisingly didn't feel uncomfortable with it. It felt… nice.

“Turns out they don’t mix well with alcohol," he said, "or maybe you were too skilled for them tonight. Where were you hiding?” The music was too loud so he had to be close to you in order for you to hear him.

“See that Harley Quinn who keeps frantically waving at us? She’s at my table.”

“Oh, I see. I was at the complete opposite side of the club.”

“You know, I almost approached the wrong Spider-Man,” you told him with a slight giggle, putting your hands around his neck as he drew you closer by the waist. The last thing you had wanted was for him to know you were looking for him, but somehow the alcohol made your mouth work faster than your brain. “There’s too many of you guys now anyways, I can’t keep track anymore.”

“Which one is your favourite?” he asked you.

“Oh, Miles. Definitely.”

“Well, he’s one lucky guy then, to be your favourite,” he said, running his hands up and down your lower back. Your skin felt like it buzzed with prickles wherever he touched you, hands still resting on the back of his neck. Since you couldn’t see him, you tried to focus on other things apart from his face and eyes, such as his voice. It sounded very comforting to you, almost like you’d heard it somewhere before.

"But you come a close second, Parker," you said with a grin and a partial wink. He chuckled and shook his head.

"You know," he said, moving one hand close to yours and starting to intertwine his fingers with yours. "You have quite an irresistible smile."

Transfixed by his flirt, you let him hold you like that, relaxing into him. And there you were, face to face. One of your hands was still on his neck, while he brought the other one to his chest, still holding on tightly. Even with his gloves on, you could feel how warm his hand was against your cold one.

“You do, too… I mean, not that I’ve seen… I meant the sound of it.” The embarrassment tingling through your body was unbearable, so you moved your hand from his neck to wipe a phantom drop of sweat from your brow. You felt stupid, but in a good way. In a way you haven’t felt ever since talking to your first childhood crush.

He laughed yet again. "Don't worry, kitten, I know what you meant."

Before you knew it, you were quickly wrapped around him from the warmth of his words.

You danced quietly for a bit, both of you moving your bodies out of sync with the music but in tune with each other. You’d become used to the silence between the two of you when he finally said, “I really enjoyed spending time with you tonight.”

“And I liked talking to you,” you replied, gently caressing the back of his neck with your nails.

“Maybe we can talk better if we go outside. If you want to?” he asked when the dance floor got too crowded, and the music got even louder. As close as you were, you could barely hear each other now.

“Yeah, that’d be nice. I just need to stop by the restroom first.”

“I’ll go with you.” He took your hand in his and led the way. That little gesture made your heart beat faster. However, once you were in front of the bathrooms, you saw the familiar long line you were hoping wouldn't be there.

“I can’t believe I’ll have to wait ages to pee,” you groaned.

“Wait, you can use this one, there’s no one else inside.” You saw him opening the door of the men's bathroom and gesturing to you with his hands to come inside.

“Are you sure it’s okay that we’re both here?” you asked him once you walked in.

“No, but we’ll see,” he laughed, and so did you.

You were done fairly quickly, but he seemed to still be in one of the stalls. You decided to sit on the sink counter, waiting for him to come out of the toilet. You looked around. The counter was fairly big, there were four sinks with a big mirror. On your left were urinals, the stalls on your right.

“How did you get out of that suit?” you asked, to kill some time while you were waiting for him.

“I have a zip at the back, darling.” You loved the way he used pet names for you, it made you smile and caught you off guard. “But I’m going to need your help to zip it back,” he said as he got out. His gloves were off, so now you could see his hands. They seemed soft and a bit bony. The thing that drew your attention the most were his fingers. They were really long, with a few veins popping on them. You watched him washing his hands and caught yourself imagining how those fingers would feel on your body.

“Can you even see in that thing? Can you breathe?” Once you realized you were staring way too much at his hands, you tried to change the subject.

“I can, and sadly not so much. Could you zip me up please?” You loved the way his fingers clenched the towel while he was drying them.

He got near you, right between your legs, facing the opposite direction. You saw a fair portion of his freckled skin through both sides of the zipper as it fell open till about half of his back. As you zipped him up, you could feel your heart pounding and your hands growing clammy with sweat. Especially when you looked up and caught sight of his curly brown hair peeking under his mask.

“All done,” you said nervously.

"Thanks," he said as he turned around to face you. You lifted your head and looked at him. Your eyes flicked over his face, trying to distinguish his facial features, but his mask hid them very well. You lingered on his nose jutting out through the spandex before taking in the details of his white lenses. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn't see his eyes, though you could almost feel him studying you just as intently. Neither of you said a word, but the silence didn’t feel stifling at all. In fact, you couldn't help but smile at how calm you felt just sitting in front of him like you were.

"I thought cats had vertical pupils." His voice sounded lower than before. Sultrier.

"Don’t spiders have eight eyes? It's unfair that I can't see yours to find out."

"Well, they hold too many secrets, kitten." You smiled at his remark. He lifted his hand and put it on your arm. It felt like his touch was emitting fire on your already warm body. Your fingers were trailing from your thighs to your knees, searching for distraction but you wanted to put them back on his body so much that they were almost aching.

"Your lips are fully human tho," he said while he traced little circles with his thumb on your forearm. "Can I kiss them?"

You noded shyly. You started removing his mask, but just as you pulled it over his nose, he caught you by the wrists. He placed your fingers near his lips and kissed them.

“Look, I, um, I’ll need you to trust me right now. This is gonna sound odd, but do you mind if I keep my mask on? If it makes you uncomfortable in any way, we can stop. Say the word and we'll stop, alright?” he told you, and you nodded. You couldn’t explain why, but this idea excited you.

You took a closer look at the bottom half of his face. Well, as much as you could since the lights in the bathroom were too dim and red. They complimented his mask. Your heartbeat quickened, it felt like it was about to come out of your chest. You hoped he couldn’t feel it since he was so close to you.

His jawline was the first thing you noticed. As you gently traced the strong path with your finger, you noticed his lips curving into a devilishly hot smirk. That’s when you decided that your best response would be to kiss him.

You lightly brushed your lips on his. Excited but also a bit surprised that you had the courage to kiss him first. Just when you thought about parting your lips from his and apologizing for kissing him, you felt his hands on the small of your back, bringing you closer to him.

His tongue flicked at your lips and you finally parted them, letting out a small moan as you let him in. His hands tightened around your waist as he kept pulling you closer than you already were, like he never wanted to let you go. Instinctively you lifted your legs up and around his waist. The heat of his skin was seeping through the material of both of your costumes.

And he was kissing you so good. Somehow, it seemed like this mystery man knew just the way you liked being kissed, hard and slow. Your hands were on his neck, touching the only parts of his skin that were exposed for you. His skin was soft, and you could feel the way his neck muscles tensed while he was kissing you. Your hands started roaming his body, not breaking the kiss.

Just below his abs, you could trace the outline of his erection in his suit, and he kept pressing it into you. Soon he started slowly and lightly jerking his hips to meet yours, which was enough to make your whole body twitch, desperate for more. His hands had gone around to your ass, caressing it before squeezing it hard. You were desperately yearning for his touch that even though his action took you by surprise, you moaned into his mouth.

The kiss got hungrier than before. He nibbled on your bottom lip and after a while, started moving back slowly. You moaned once his lips were away from yours. In the heat of the moment, both of you forgot to breathe. He moved from your lips to your neck, his breath was hot and it sent shivers down your spine all the way down to your toes.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you since the moment I saw you.” He growled into your neck. His voice sounded even more familiar to you now, but you couldn’t focus on it, your mind turning hazy from the pressure of his lips. Just when you were about to ask him if you'd ever met, you heard someone coming into the bathroom.

You jerked away from each other, quickly reminded that you were still on the counter, at a public place. He pulled you by the hand, guiding you until you were both crammed into a bathroom stall.

His body was pressed flush into yours even though there was enough room in there. He was so close to you that you could feel him breathe. You focused on the way his muscles were tensing, on the way he smelled and on his paced breathing. Looking up, you kept your eyes on his plumped lips. They were puffy from all the kissing. You could hear the sink run as the person that came into the bathroom washed their hands and felt relief that soon you’d both be alone and wouldn't need to keep quiet anymore.

Once you heard the person leave, he captured your lips with his yet again, kissing you like you had all the time in the world, his tongue exploring your mouth like both of you could stay there forever.

Your hands went up to your mask and you tried to remove it, but he held them. “I still have mine on, it’s only fair if you keep yours on, too.”

You removed your hands from his and slid them down his arms instead.

“And, y’know, you look hotter with it on, too,” he added, his mouth shaping into a smirk.

It was captivating, but you wanted it gone, so you kept moving your hands until they reached his growing bulge. His skin tight costume couldn’t hide how excited he was. You started moving up and down, feeling him growing even more. You needed to use both of your hands to cup him completely, caressing and stroking him through the fabric. He thrust into your hands, grinding on them while he kissed every exposed piece of skin on your face and neck. His fingers worked his way to your back where he found the zip to your own costume. He pulled back from your neck.

“Is this okay?” he asked you as if he hadn't started to unzip you already. As soon as you nodded, he pulled the zip down to your bottom and started pulling it down your body. He squatted in front of you and peeled it slowly off your legs, leaving you in a lacy black underwear. He put your costume on top of the little countertop behind the toilet while still on his knees in front of you. Your underwear was soaking wet and you knew he could see it, feeling the brush of his finger on your clit. He gently kissed your clit through the fabric. You were yearning so much for him it was almost painful. To hell with him for choosing this moment to tease you.

He got up and slid his hand behind your back to unclasp your bra. You were overwhelmed but you wanted to see his body too. Just when he was about to start kissing your neck, you pushed him off of you and reached for the zip on his back. You knew very well where it was from having helped him before, so your fingers found the pull tab easily.

You started pulling his costume off his shoulders, feverishly tugging it down the rest of his body. The first thing you saw was his collar bones, you started moving down his abdomen. He was wearing white Calvin Klein boxers, which was nice and made you send him a cheeky look, but you wanted them gone anyway. You knelt in front of him, tugging every piece of clothing down to his ankles. Looking up, all he had left was the mask over the top of his head.

You ran your hands over his exposed abs, your nails lightly dragging over his smooth skin. He quivered and flexed, and led you to kiss the mole right above his belly button. Just as you were about to start kissing his cock, he put his fingers on the nape of your neck and pulled you back up.

“If you do that now, I’m not going to last long,” he said in an accent that sounded different than before. It had an English touch to it, more pronounced.

Once you were standing, he bent down and pulled your hard nipple into his mouth, gently stroking the other one with his left hand. You moaned, digging your fingers into his back.

“I need you,” you panted.

“Oh do you now,” he growled into your collar bone, moving slowly back to your neck. He started sucking on your skin very hard while moving his right hand down into your soaked panties.

“Do you have a condom?” you asked him, struggling to catch your breath. His hand stopped right at the hem of your underwear.

“No… but wait a second.” He pulled away and slowly opened the bathroom stall door. You took a quick look, too. There it was, attached to the wall, one of those vending machines with condoms and toothbrushes, but both of you were naked and someone could come in any second.

"I got this," he said, pulling his boxers back up in a hurry, attempting to pull up his suit too, but ultimately leaving it half hurled around his knees. When he sneaked out of the stall, you peeked through the opened doors and saw him trying to walk as fast as he could. It was nearly comical, but you contained your chuckles for the sake of the moment.

Soon after, he was on his way back to you, sporting a grin, but the bathroom door opened and you could hear at least two guys chatting animatedly on their way in.

You cussed to yourself, but he was less smooth. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," he mouthed repeatedly, audibly too, until you were able to reach out and pull him back in by an arm. Just in time because you could still hear a boyish 'woaaaah' coming from outside even before the door was locked.

"Get it Spidey!" a voice said, and immediately you both started laughing and shushing each other at the same time. You almost didn't want to because his laugh was the cutest sound you'd heard in a while.

“Sorr…” you started, but he put his finger over your lips to silence you. Still there was no way to stop your wide smiles, even though you had pretty much been walked in on.

You moved your eyes to his chest in an effort to stop smiling, and noticed him breathing heavily. Unsure if he was struggling to hold back more laughter or high on the adrenaline, you decided to give him something else to focus on. His finger was still on your lips which made it easy to part them and start sucking on it, keeping your eyes focused on his face. His smile instantly faded, his mouth hanging open while he sucked in a sharp inhale.

Satisfied at his reaction and wanting more, you used your hands to maneuver his middle finger into your mouth as well, grabbing his wrist to suck on both fingers hard. You could see his lips dancing around the word 'fuck' and glanced into the white eye-shaped lenses, daring him to stare back at you from behind the mask. It felt weird yet captivating to not be able to see into his eyes.

As soon as the restroom door banged closed again, he removed his fingers from your mouth and you let out a small whiny moan. His hand snaked into your underwear, its motion heightened by the kisses he littered on your neck, all the way down to your breasts. He pinned you to the wall with his shoulders, sucking on the soft skin right under your collar bones. You moaned softly under his ear as he slowly worked his way around your pussy and clit, cupping it with his fingers, rubbing it with his whole palm.

He slowly put one finger inside of you while his lips were all over your neck and breasts. Once his finger was fully inside of you, you started moaning a bit louder. He had to kiss you to keep you quiet. His tongue was teasing your lips, waiting for you to let him in. At the same time as his tongue entered your mouth, he put his other finger inside of you and started curling them. The kiss was urgent and sloppy, like your whole life depended on it.

The tension in your lower abdomen started building up. Whether it was the adrenaline rush from the risky location, the fact that he was so mysterious that he wouldn't even let you look him in the eye, or simply his skilled fingers and mouth, you didn’t know. But the truth was that you hadn’t been this wet in a while. You weren’t even kissing him now, just breathing into his mouth. Your hands were around his neck and you could feel the ends of his hair within reach of your fingers. Your lips left his and you started moaning into his neck, feeling him shiver from the warmth of your breath.

Your lower back was still pressed against the cold bathroom wall, thrusting hard into his fingers as you started clenching around them. You started mouthing his shoulder to control your moans and to keep yourself from slipping down.

“I’m so close,” you whispered into his shoulder, kissing and biting into it while your hips bucked hard onto his fingers. He was working you up with his middle and ring fingers, his palm on your clit providing you with more stimuli. They were curling inside of you, hitting just the right spot. You could feel the pure pleasure building inside of you and let out a loud moan when it finally approached.

This time he didn’t try to shut you up, smirking instead as you came down from your high. Your hands instinctively went to his throbbing cock, the need to erase that smirk from his face overcoming your exhaustion You pulled the foreskin over his head and started jerking him off, watching as his lips parted and let out a soft moan. You smeared the precum of his tip and brought your fingers back to your mouth, humming around the taste.

“Turn around,” he told you and you knew exactly what to do. Turning around, you put your hands on the bathroom door and leant against it. You heard him ripping off a condom with his teeth while he rubbed your clit with one hand.

He teased your entrance with his cock, spreading your wetness all over him. He pushed inside of you slowly, making both of you moan. You gasped when his hands reached and squeezed your hips. They were all over you, moving from your hips to your ass cheeks and then finally to your stomach, leaving goosebumps behind in their wake

One of his hands finally slipped back onto your swollen clit. He started rubbing circles around it, while pushing into you with only his tip.

“Are you close?”

His words were distracting, but when you tried to answer, he filled you up completely and your mind went blank. Your only response was a loud moan, you didn’t even care if there was anyone outside of your stall who could hear you.

You felt your arms beginning to ache, shaking a bit from the effort of keeping yourself in position while he pounded into you.

“Can you please hold me?” you whispered through your moans, and he did with a hum. He moved his hand from your ass to your stomach, holding you tight, pressed onto him. His breathing intensified, matching yours.

“Fuck, I’m gonna come,” you finally said as you felt your body melting into his.

“I got you, I got you,” he moaned breathily, not stopping his movements. He fucked you until it was too much for the both of you. You came when his hand found your nipple, the pleasure it caused setting you ablaze. Then you felt him tremble behind you, hips erratic from chasing his high. Your hands were shaking and his hands on your body were the only things keeping you from falling. Even after he was finished, he couldn’t stop grunting while rocking his hips slowly back and forth, still not ready to pull out and to stop this magnificent feeling for both of you.

When he finally pulled out, you needed a few moments to collect yourself. You struggled to stand still, bracing yourself with one arm on the door. Once you turned around, he grabbed the sides of your face and kissed you hard.

“Fucking hell, this was something else,” he said while his hands were still on your face and his head was resting on yours. You stayed like that for a few moments, and you could feel his hot breath all over your face. When he moved away from you, he got rid of the condom while you took some toilet paper to clean yourself up. A smile bloomed on your face while you took your suit and started dressing up. You couldn’t believe what you had just done, but it felt so good. Your eyes went straight to him and to the way his muscles shifted while he was dressing himself. He turned around for you to zip him back up. You left a little kiss on his back and you could feel him smiling.

“Thank you, kitten,” he said, sounding more American again, using his Peter Parker voice.

“You’re welcome, Spider.”

But as he moved to help you, it hit you that a few moments ago his voice sounded a bit different and his accent definitely had an English lilt. “Can I ask you something?” you asked him while he zipped your suit up.

“Sure. But let’s get out of here first.” You turned around and he pressed his lips lightly into yours while your heart was pounding furiously. The kiss was gentle and sweet, you never wanted this to end.

But it had to. He broke the kiss but moved his hand up to your cheek. His thumb was caressing your lips, almost like he wanted to savor this moment. He smiled before he put his mask back on. You took one last look at the bottom half of his face. And maybe you were out of it, maybe the leftover alcohol was playing tricks on your mind, but you were now almost completely sure from where you recognized his voice and his smile. You needed to ask him. He couldn’t be who you thought he was.

Luckily, the bathroom was empty so you had no trouble getting out of it. Just like when you first came in here, he was holding your hand and leading the way. As you got out of the bathroom, you were blinded by the lights and startled by the loud music. It was hard to believe that you had been in the same building this entire time, the bathroom seemed like it was its own bubble. You stood there with him for a few moments, as you both tried to figure out the best way to get away from the crowd when someone dressed as Batman appeared in front of you.

“Tom, mate, we’ve been looking everywhere for you. We’re outside, ready to leave.” You felt your heart sink into your stomach. No. It couldn’t be.

“Right, mate, I’ll be there in a second,” he answered him in that same accent he had while he was having sex with you.

“I’ll use my spidey senses to find you,” he whispered in your ear. His American accent was back on. You didn’t know anyone who could switch accents this effortlessly except for the person you thought he was. You were too shocked to respond to him. You just stood there watching him with your eyebrows slightly raised while he showed you a peace sign and left.

Once he was gone, you mechanically walked towards the table your friends had been at. Yet, as you tried to find them, only one thought was on your mind. And you still couldn’t believe it.

Did you just have sex with Tom Holland?

taglist: @duskholland @perspectiveparker @whattheheckparker @thefallenbibliophilequote

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barnesbabee · 3 years

Text

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ꜰɪᴠᴇ - ᴡᴏɴᴅᴇʀʟᴀɴᴅ

WONDERLAND MASTERLIST ⇜ ᴘʀᴇᴠɪᴏᴜꜱ - ꜰɪᴠᴇ- ɴᴇxᴛ ⟿

CHARACTER LIST:

White Rabbit - Choi Jongho Absolem (Blue Catterpilar) - Kang Yeosang Cheshire Cat - Kim Hongjoong Mad Hatter - Choi San Haigha (March Hare) - Jung Wooyoung Tweedle Dee - Song Mingi Tweedle Dum - Jeong Yunho Bloody Red King - Park Seonghwa

ᴛᴀɢʟɪꜱᴛ: @myunvillage @mirror-juliet [Send me a DM, an ask or comment to be added to the tag list]

“Oh! What a peculiar name! Tell me, Y/N, what is it that you want to ask me?”

"Why do you treat me differently? What makes you... like me?"

The King's naturally red cheeks reddened even more.

"I-I don't know. I like your attitude. You're fearless... And beautiful. You don't have a frog face or cat ears, you look like me naturally." The King explained, keeping eye contact with the pink pea-looking vegetables on his plate.

One of the frogmen in the room scowled at the slight insult but kept on working nevertheless.

"So if I had rabbit ears you wouldn't like me?"

The King looked up from his plate, with a panicked face.

"No, no! That's not what-"

He was cut off by your incessant giggling. You rested your hand on his forearm.

"I was joking, it was a joke."

The King relaxed and sat back.

"A joke? Hm, are all 'jokes' like this?"

You tilted your head in confusion, as you played with whatever was on your plate with your gilded fork.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't think I've heard of these jokes you speak of..."

"Seonghwa, are you serious? How have you never heard of jokes in your life?"

"My life has been rather monotone. Nothing but the teachings about royal life and proper manners. My parents, the old King and Queen, were separated, they didn't even live in the same castle, but the people never heard of this, of course. The King said the Queen had to be moved across the country to rule a part of the land that was in quite a ruckus, a place he couldn't easily reach. They decided to split their children so neither of them would be alone, and Mirana got lucky. The King chose her over me and I was left with my mother. I was about 4 or 5. I never left the castle because my mom didn't want me parading around with the filthy commoners, that much she did right, but it was a life filled with torture and lessons about a future that didn't belong to me. When the time came to pass on the crown the King said Mirana would be the heir to the throne even though I was the oldest of the two, because she had been the one taught by the King, not me. I was wrathful. That just meant I had spent my whole life suffering and preparing for nothing. I had just wasted away my best years. One night I snuck into the castle and killed my sister and the King, with no remorse. It was a bloodbath, but the Knights couldn't do anything, with my sister and dad both dead it meant I was the heir to the throne. But no one respected me. The people were mad I had killed 'their dear Queen'," The King mimicked the people's words with a mocking voice "they never did as I said, so I forced them to listen to me. I'm sure you've heard, or at least noticed, but I hired a witch to cast a spell on them, and then hid her somewhere where magic doesn't work. So yes, I am serious. Any happiness I might've had washed away in the early years of my life, and I can't remember any of it."

You listened attentively to the King's sad story, and you actually felt bad and revolted on the inside. The man refused to look in your direction, out of embarrassment, perhaps. You moved your chair a little closer to his and slowly placed your palm on the cheek slightly hidden by his long fringe. He immediately jumped back and held the same cheek, looking frightened.

"I-I'm sorry... That was unexpected." He said, recomposing himself while holding the cheek you held for a brief second.

"That was on me, I shouldn't have just touched you like that."

"It's fine I... I liked it. It's just that the fringe..." He stopped for a second, and you could tell he was hesitant.

You very slowly and lightly placed your hand on his thigh.

"It's okay." You assured him.

The King took a deep, shaky breath and stared into your curious, slightly frightened eyes. You didn't know what to expect, but as you looked into his dark and docile eyes you thought that maybe, maybe there was more to this man than just a heartless tyrant.

Seonghwa slowly lifted his fringe, revealing a completely white eye, and 3 huge scars, who looked as old as Seonghwa, however, they'd certainly never heal.

"Oh no, what happened to you?"

You refrained from touching his face, as you didn't want to make him uncomfortable, but you certainly wanted to.

"Punishment. I ate too many tarts one day and my mom was furious. She said I'd become an 'ugly, fat little boy', and as a way to discipline me for that, she locked me in a cage with the Bandersnatch. I ran away as fast as I could but of course, it caught up to me. Had it not been for the guards I would've been in a far worse state... I'm glad they pitied me enough to save me."

"What is a Badnerstatch?"

The King smiled slightly at the mispronunciation of the beast's name. He grabbed your hand lightly and stood up, making you follow along. He stood beside one of the big windows in the room and pulled the heavy, black, and red curtain out of the way. He slowly placed his arm around your waist and pulled you closer, as he pointed at a particular spot in his garden.

"Do you see that big thing on the cage? That is the Bandersnatch."

You widened your eyes and looked at the King. The gray furred beast looked huge even from that distance! It looked like a mix between a bear and a dog, and its back was weirdly curved. You could clearly see his sharp rows of teeth and when he growled, you fall back into the King's chest.

"She locked you up with that!? She's mad!"

"She was mad indeed..."

The man grabbed your waist gently and turned you around.

"Y/N, I have a kingdom, I have a castle, I have everything I could ever ask for. Everything but a Queen."

His breathing was steady but you could tell he was uncertain about what he was saying. Not because he thought he didn't need a Queen, but because he thought he was undeserving of anyone's love.

"Seonghwa, you're asking too much of me... I want to go home, I need to go home. I have a life somewhere else, I'm not from here and I don't belong here..."

The King tilted his head, furrowed his eyebrows, and opened his mouth for a second, before closing it again. He was hesitating once more.

"Y/N, I don't know how to tell you this... But you can't leave Wonderland."

Your face instantly scrunched up and you pushed him away harshly.

"What!? Are you going to force me to be here!?"

The King looked offended by the accusation and gripped your arm tightly, pulling you closer to him once more.

"Would you listen to me!? You can't physically leave Wonderland. You can't go back. The Wonderland is the wasteland of every other lands. You're here forever."

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rosemarycupcake42 · 3 years

Text

Hello hello everyone how are you?

My friends could tell this was coming a mile away-

So I got bored, I was angsty, so we have this beautiful piece of hurt comfort I believe?

Word count: 10k (otherwise known as 8k over the discord character limit)

Warnings: bad grammar, spelling errors, capitalization? Don’t know her, SADNESS, anxiety, talks of Rapunzel being a bitch to Varian

And no, we don’t like Rapunzel on this blog, not one bit

(Before we start, (Y/N) is your name, (N/N) is your nickname, and bold is memory Varian, italics are memory you

Coping Techniques

Varian 🧪 x reader

“Varian can’t calm his anxiety after getting back from getting kicked out of the castle, until he remembers something (Y/N) taught him, so he lets that memory guide him through calming himself.”

He was in pain. No, not physically, although it certainly felt like it, but emotionally. He felt like someone was tearing at his heart from the inside out, and he could do nothing to stop it. It hurt so bad, but he didn’t want to burden anyone else, so he just sat there, hugging himself, digging his nails into his arm, waiting for the pain he knew would never go away to leave him.

Deep down, under all of his blaming and hate towards Rapunzel, he thought it was his fault.

If he had just stopped messing with the rocks like his dad said…

He pulled his head up from between his knees and looked at his father, encased in honey colored amber, lifting his letter to the sky as if some other worldly being would reach down and take it from him.

His eyes tear up again, and he quickly hides his eyes behind his knees.

He doesn't want his father to see him crying, even if he is encased in amber.

He would be ashamed, And Varian can’t handle that thought.

He digs his nails further into his arms, and hisses when he feels them break skin and the blood seeps under his nails.

He vaguely remembers some calming techniques (Y/N) taught him for moments like these, and he struggles to remember one.

There was one that seemed to work well for him before, and so he decided to try that one.

He remembers your voice clearly, guiding him through the steps.

It’s okay Varian, just calm down, and take some deep breaths.

He takes a few calming breaths, following his memory of you.

Now Varian, tell me 5 things you can see in this room.

Don’t worry about what they are, just five things.

Do you want me to go first?

He subconsciously nods, just like he did back then.

He hears you giggle, and for a second, he’s already calm, before he glances at his father.

Well let me see..

I see a.. Current Varian starts counting. 1. Dust bunny in the corner over there.

2. Your spare set of goggles.

3. The book stack on the table.

4. Those vials with that green stuff in them. It's called Chromium (Y/N).. Yeah whatever nerd, let's just keep going!

5. And that plate with a half eaten ham sandwich on it.

Varian can hear the memory of you laugh again.

Wow Varian, i thought you were supposed to love ham sandwiches, you always just gobble them up!

(Y/N) stop it! I just wasn’t hungry.. Okay Grumpy pants, I was just joking with you!

Well.. what comes next? Huh? Oh yeah!

Varian slowly comes back to the real world, wishing you were with him right now to help him again.

He thinks about the other things you told him, and starts from the beginning

“F-five things i can see..” he stammers.

“One, my lamp. Two, that puddle by my table. Three, That beaker of silver. Four, my apron hanging off the hook over the door. Five, the spill of Orthovanadate that I never cleaned up.”

Good job Varian! The next one is four things you can feel around you.

Remind me again what we are doing this for again (Y/N)?

Well it's just in case i’m not there for you and you need to calm down!

You-

You are going to be there for me all the time right?

I’ll do my best darling.

P-Promise?

I can’t promise that Var, but i’ll do my absolute best!

Something really bad would have to happen for me to ever not be with you okay V?

Please don’t say that (N/N), that’s scary…

Sorry Var, but i'll do my best to be there whenever i can for you.

Thanks.

Anything for my little Alchemy boy.

Varian snaps back, flinching.

He chuckled, thinking about how ironic it was that he made you make so many promises back then, and yet the very reason he was remembering this was because of a promise.

Her promise.

His nails dig further into the already bleeding wounds, and he hisses.

He shakes his head rapidly, and begins counting things he can feel.

“O-one, My goggles on my head. Two, the wind blowing through the cracks in the house. Three, The melting snow in my boots and Four…”

He looks around, and hisses when the bruises on his wrists from the castle guards rubbing against the wall next to him.

“And four, these goddamn bruises from Rapunzel’s guards.”

(Y/N)?

Yeah Var?

Uhm..

Can I guess what comes next?

Hey that’s a good idea!

Okay.. so we did 5 things you can see..

4 things you can feel..

So I'm going to guess next is 3 things you can hear?

Haha! You got it right Var!

I knew you were smart, dummy.

HEY-

Where’s your sense of humor darling?

I- i uh-

Under the bed.

Oh really then?

WAIT NO I DIDN’T-

HAHAH!!

Okay okay let's get on with it.

Three things you can hear. It will probably help if you shut your eyes to focus on sounds.

Okay.

Varian laughs, and then takes a deep breath, and closes his eyes.

“One… Chemicals bubbling, Two.. The wind rattling the doors hinges, trying to get in.

Three, Ruddiger pacing the floor.”

At the mention of his name, the raccoon bounds over to Varian, right as he opens his eyes, just in time to see a gray and white furball come tumbling into his arms.

Varian looks down at him, and gently cradles him to his chest.

“Oh Ruddiger, What do I do?” Varian sighs, and then laughs when he thinks about you calling him a “crazy raccoon boy”.

Varian? Are you-

Are you talking to Ruddiger?!

I KNEW IT!

Knew what?

I knew that you locking yourself alone in the basement with only Ruddiger and alchemy to keep you company would drive you crazy, but not THIS crazy!

Oh but (N/N), werent you talking to Ruddiger last night?~

Who- who told you that?

Ruddiger did~

RUDDIGER I THOUGHT WE PROMISED TO KEEP THAT TO OURSELVES-

I’m kidding!

but were you really talking to Ruddiger??

You're more crazy than I am!

Whatever, my Crazy raccoon boy.

(Y/N)!-

Ruddiger looks up at Varian, who has a sad smile, and chitters.

Varian shakes his head, and continues the calming method.

Can the smart boy guess what comes next?

Two things I can taste?

BZZZRT- WRONG!

Two things you can smell, then..

One thing I can taste?

Correct!

He takes a deep breath, and sniffs the air.

“One, I can smell chemicals, specifically sulfur, and Two, I can smell the- the blood from my nail marks.” Varian can feel himself getting dizzy at the smell of the last one, but he smacks himself and tries to avoid looking at his arms.

One more Var, okay? Try to remember all these, you never know when you might need them!

Can we go outside after this?

(He can remember you gasping at his comment) Why Varian? Did YOU just suggest going OUTSIDE?

Who are you, and what did you do to Varian?

I-ITS NOTHING!

I just figured you'd like to go outside instead of stay cooped up in here with me all the time…

Aww, how sweet Varian, but if you aren't comfortable going outside with me, I'll gladly stay here with you!

He smiles at your past consideration, and concentrates.

“One thing i can taste..” His eyes fly open.

“Ham Sandwiches!”

He takes a deep breath, and it's finally done.

He silently thanks you for the method, and thanks the gods that it worked.

Now that he thinks about it, he hadn't heard from you since the blizzard..

He really hoped you were okay..

He knows the blizzard is really bad, he did come back from asking Rapunzel for help…

Rapunzel…

She refused to help..

It’s her fault!

He shakes his head, knowing (Y/N) would hate to hear him thinking like that.

Speaking of (Y/N)..

His head jerks up when he hears the door upstairs open and wind blowing heavily.

He listens closely, and he can hear you calling his name while you struggle to get the door closed.

He jumps up and runs up the stairs, practically dropping Ruddiger and face planting.

He looks up from the floor, and gasps.

There you are, decked out in heavy insulated fur coats, there was snow all over you, he could barely even see the beautiful color of your hair.

Your lips were turning blue-

He shakes his head, banging it on the floor a couple times, why was he even looking at your lips?!

You looked down, and gasped as well.

“Varian? Why are you on the floor dear?” He sighs happily when he hears your voice, and opens his mouth to answer.

“You know what, don't answer that, come on, i'll help you up.” You walk over to him, gently grabbing his arms, and he hisses when you grab right where the nail marks are, and your hands brush the bruises on his wrist.

You set him gently in front of the fireplace, and grab his arms.

“Did you cut yourself with your nails again? I told you that you need to cut them..” you sigh, going to grab the things you need to clean his wounds and help with the bruising.

“How did you get these bruises?!” you ask, gently holding his wrists.

He responds, “Well I tried to get help from Rapunzel about my dad, but she wouldn't listen, and the guards dragged me away. By the way, (Y/N), thank you for that 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 method.” He weakly smiles, hoping that would calm you down, being able to see you get visibly angry the more he said about Rapunzel and her guards.

You sigh heavily, telling yourself Varian needed you more than you needed to beat up those guards. “I'm glad it helped dear.”

You bandaged his little crescent shaped wounds, and gently grabbed his wrist.

He looks at you in confusion, and you falter, before going along with your plan, and pull his wrists to your lips, and give them a gentle kiss.

You give him a closed eyes smile and respond to his surprised look, “Doesn't everyone say a kiss makes things better?”

He blushes, and pulls you into him, both of you tumbling to the floor before stopping.

You snuggle into his chest, mumbling something.

He looks down, still blushing. “What was that (N/N)?”

You back your head enough to speak cleary, and repeat yourself. “I need to beat up those gaurds later.”

He snickers, nodding, and wraps his arms tighter around you, ignoring his embarrassment, and more importantly, ignoring his pain.

You also wrap your arms around Varian, and after a couple minutes, he’s snoring.

You look at him, and run your fingers through his hair.

“Ill always be there for you Varian, Rapunzel be damned.” you nod off, both of you calmly sleeping, and dreaming of ways to save his father, his dreams much more sinister than yours, but both never once leaving each other sides.

#Varian x reader #Varian #fanfiction #tangled x reader

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futabamori · 2 years

Text

Close Your Eyes and You’ll Leave This Dream: Prologue | Persona 5 OMORI AU

Fandoms: Persona 5, OMORI

Summary: Through the eyes of Alibaba, Futaba dreams.

WARNINGS (will be updated as story progresses): implied/referenced suicide

Contains spoliers for both Persona 5 and OMORI.

Cross-posted on AO3

NOTES: OMORI and Persona 5 are my favorite RPG games and I wanted to combine them together somehow. I saw SO many parallels between Sunny and Futaba (both of which are my favorite characters in their respective games and I highly relate to) and I thought: What if I make a Persona 5 OMORI AU?So here we are. I have some of the plot planned out, as well as the cast of Persona 5 characters who will be in this fanfic and replacing the roles of the OMORI cast. I'll try to stick with a weekly or every other week update schedule because I really, really want to see this AU through to the end. With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy!

Within inescapable darkness, two girls clutch each other. With each passing second, a heavy, cacophony static noise grows.

One of the girls, her hair tied in a high ponytail, gently stroked the back of a long-haired girl. Beside them were discarded glasses, tiny shattered pieces of the lens scattered on the ground.

"We're going to be okay..." The ponytailed girl whispered, swiping a loose strand of the other girl’s hair behind her ear.

The despairing cries of the long-haired girl resounded around them. Her body violently shook as she buried herself deeper into the other girl's body in a desperate attempt to be as close as possible.

"No matter what happens, we'll always have each other. So promise me that we'll be together forever..."

The ponytailed girl’s voice was beginning to be drowned out by the droning noise.

The darkness dripping from above was like rain, pouring steadily at first then soon crashing down, filling the empty. It came up to their knees, then their chests, and finally their necks. The ponytailed girl felt the other girl begin to panic against her, gasping for air, straining to keep her head above the water.

"I’ll protect you. Nothing’s going to hurt you."

Then, the darkness swallowed them.

Welcome to White Space. You've been living here for as long as you can remember.

Alibaba languidly blinked herself awake. She made a loud yawning sound, snuggling her favorite fuzzy blanket one last time before pushing it away and standing up.

There was no end to White Space, at least, that's what Alibaba believed. The further she wandered away from the black square border in the center, the red hands would eventually find her and pull her back. White Space was an enigma she hoped to solve one day. Even so, it will always be her home.

Morgana, her black cat, brushed against her leg. She bent down to gently pull at his cheeks, the cat making a noise of protest.

He then meowed, "Waiting for life to change?"

Alibaba scooped him up in her arms, eyes flickering to her open laptop nearby. She sat in front of the screen crisscrossed, tilting it to a good angle and turning it on with Morgana purring on her lap. There were only two applications against her monochrome wallpaper: the trash bin and journal. Simplistic and easy to navigate. She clicked on the trash bin first, finding it empty. After that, she clicked on the journal, the entries saying she either spent time in White Space or saw her friends. Everything was as it should be.

Her attention shifted from the screen to a pile of stuff on the floor. She could just make out some comics, books, and her DS with a pouch of game cartridges sitting on its side. However, for some reason, the DS never seemed to work. It always displayed a black screen when she powered it on. Weird, but it didn't bother her that much. She was much more interested in the book she began reading a few days ago simply titled, "Cognition".

She drew Morgana close one last time, nuzzling his fur before he stepped off her lap.

The last item in her room nearby was a desk lamp. She bent down, staring into the pitch-black lightbulb. Even though it was impossible to tell, the darkness within seemed to be darker than usual.

A black door behind the lamp towered over Alibaba. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head: She wanted to see her friends.

Then, the floor beneath Alibaba shook for a moment and she heard a heavy clang noise in the distance as if something had dropped from the sky. Curiously, Alibaba ran around the outside of the black edges, almost tripping over the long wooden handle of a shovel. Strength was something she didn't have much of and she struggled a bit with lifting it up. After a bit, she got the end of the shovel over her shoulder, sighing in relief.

She faced the black door once again. After a moment, she twisted the doorknob and entered a room full of vibrant colors.

#persona #persona5 #omori #omoriau #futaba #futaba sakura #joker persona 5

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agerefandom · 3 years

Text

Only Heaven I’ll Be Sent To

Fandom: Resident Evil VIII/Village

Words: 4,000

Characters: regressor!reader, cg!Alcina Dimitrescu, Bela Dimitrescu (other Dimitrescu sisters mentioned).

Content Warnings: Graphic descriptions of violence. CGLRE terminology/parental caregiver terms (Mommy). Diaper mentions. Firearms, knives, and vampirism. Reader gets injured (but cared for afterwards). Minor character death. Blood. Eldritch biology and limited insect horror. Fem reader (uses she/her pronouns).

Author’s Notes: Y’all are clearly hungry for caregiver Lady Dimitrescu, and I hear you! I’m planning a fluffy follow-up fanfiction with a happy reader getting babied by Alcina, where there is no blood and violence, but first… we have to take care of Ethan Winters. So that’s what this is. Enjoy!

You come to consciousness slowly, the strands of a dream still clinging to you. The memory is already fading, but you remember feeling cold. Wandering a frozen wasteland, lost and alone.

It’s a relief to breathe in the warm air of your bedroom. The fire has burned down to embers, but the windows keep out the cold winter of the mountains around the castle where you live. The rooms are always kept warm for the comfort of your big sisters.

You yawn and stretch your arms over your head, wiggling your toes against the soft sheets of your bed as you shake off the lingering fatigue. You were dressed in a onesie for the night, with a short built-in skirt, and you don’t really feel like a baby right now. Today, you want to run around and explore the castle on certain legs.

You slide out of the bed and make an unhappy sound as the cold stone meets your bare feet. You quickly make your way over to the heavy wardrobe that towers on the wall across from your bed. Far too tall for you, it was made to fit Mommy’s dresses, but you liked climbing in it so much that Mommy brought it to your room one night while you were sleeping, and filled it with your own outfits.

You reach up to the handle and pull the doors open, looking up at the many dresses and onesies that fill the wardrobe. It’s winter right now, so there’s a whole section of fur-lined dresses that will keep you warm if you want to play with Mommy outside. You don’t do that often, because your sisters get jealous, but Mommy is really good at making snowforts that you can climb inside, and you like playing with her in the snow.

For today, you pick out a simple ruffled black dress that comes down to your knees. Mommy can do your hair with black ribbons and crow feathers, and you’ll blend in with your sisters’ dark dresses.

Humming to yourself, you bring the new outfit over to the statue in the corner. The door to the bathroom is hidden in an alcove, and you have to push the statue’s elbow to open it. This seemed odd when you first moved into this room, but now it’s just another part of your daily routine. The castle is full of tricks and hidden passages, and you still haven’t explored all of them.

You slip past the statue into the revealed doorway, and dump your clothes on the floor as you rid yourself of the onesie and the diaper underneath. Baby stuff! You’re not a baby today.

You replace the diaper with a pair of soft bloomers, and the onesie with the black dress. It has a line of buttons that run up your spine, and you can’t quite reach them all, so you leave a few undone and decide you’ll ask one of your sisters to help. Mommy has been busy a lot for the last few days, so you don’t know if you’ll see her today. You hope so, though. You miss her.

You pull a pair of stockings on, sighing happily as your toes are finally protected from the cold tile floor. The rest of the bathroom visit is boring, brushing your teeth and washing your face. One of your big sisters will brush your hair: hopefully Bela, she tugs your scalp the least.

Once you’re all dressed, you skip out of the bathroom and slip on a pair of shoes. They’re flats, because you’re too young to walk in heels, but they click on the stone floors and make you feel like a little tap dancer. And they have bats printed on the sides in white, which makes you happy.

You run into the hallway, letting the golden door to your room close behind you.

This castle used to confuse you, with all its winding hallways and grand staircases. You would get lost whenever Mommy wasn’t holding your hand, and one of your sisters would find you and drag you back to your room. They didn’t like you very much at first, but they’ve gotten nicer. Daniela reads to you sometimes, and Bela plays pretend when you ask her. Cassandra is… Cassandra, and she tries to feed you lots of nasty things, but she also likes to do your makeup. So she’s okay.

The four of you cuddle sometimes, when Mommy’s away and the castle is a little chilly. They like your body heat, and you like the contact.

Through the years, you’ve gotten comfortable both with your big sisters and with the castle itself. It’s second nature to dodge through the secret passage to the staircase into the main foyer, peering around for any of the other castle inhabitants. Mommy gave up on the servants again last week, so it’s just you and your family members right now. Unless you want to go down into the basement and play with the remains, who stumble and hiss and take care of the rats. They don’t attack you, only intruders, but they aren’t very much fun to play with.

“Mommy? Sisters?” you call out into the hall, tapping one foot against the ground.

For a few moments, there’s nothing. Then Mommy ducks through the door behind you, fully dressed with her lipstick on. Maybe she’s already been out today.

“Sweetheart?” Mommy rushes over and kneels on the stone floor to embrace you. “What are you doing out of your room?”

“Hungry,” you say. “Missed you.”

“I missed you too, little one.” Mommy draws back and puts both hands on your shoulders. She makes you feel so small. You almost wish you’d worn a onesie today. When you’re a baby, Mommy carries you everywhere and never lets you out of her arms. That sounds nice, especially when you missed her so much. “Listen to me, sweetheart.”

Mommy looks… serious. You blink and try to focus. What is that look in her eyes? It’s so unfamiliar. Could it be worry? No, Mommy doesn’t worry about anything.

“I need you to go back to your room and lock the door, okay? I’ll bring you food soon, but you need to stay there.” She isn’t blinking as she stares into your eyes. “Some prey has escaped. Your sisters will handle him swiftly, but he is armed. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“Okay, Mommy.”

This isn’t the first time this has happened. Sometimes, Hunters come to the castle and try and hurt your family, and you have to wait in your room. They bring knives and guns, but they can’t hurt any of the others. You aren’t like your sisters, you’re fragile. So Mommy keeps you safe.

“I’ll carry you there, little one. And remember, don’t you leave.”

“Yes, Mommy.”

Mommy wraps her arms around you, and the ground drops away. Settled on her hip, you cling to her side. Mommy runs hot like you, not like your sisters. When you lay on her chest, you can hear her pulse, a rapid double-beat. Your sisters don’t have a heartbeat, but you can hear the fluttering wings that fill their chest if you hold your breath and listen closely.

You like Mommy’s warmth, and you like how strong her arms are around you. You can barely feel the rhythm of her steps as she drifts down the hallway towards your room.

“I’m a big girl today,” you tell her. She’s carrying you like a baby, but maybe she just missed you as much as you missed her. Or maybe she really is worried.

“I can tell! You got dressed all by yourself,” Mommy teases, wiggling a finger into the gap left by the buttons you couldn’t reach.

“Uh-huh!” You’re proud of the outfit you picked out. “Can we play outside soon?”

“Once the problem is taken care of, I would love to watch you play in the courtyard.” She rests her hand at your back, keeping you close. “Big girls need their fresh air, after all.”

“Thank you, Mommy.”

She sets you down all too soon, straightening them hem of your dress. “Here we are, darling. Don’t open the door for anyone other than your sisters, and protect yourself if you must.”

“I love you.”

“I love you more.” Mommy presses a lingering kiss to your forehead, and then ushers you inside the bedroom. You turn in time to watch her close the door behind you, and you obediently turn the lock. Only Mommy’s key can open your room, like many others in the castle.

You flop onto your bed with a huff.

You got to see Mommy for the first time in days, but she’s busy with some stupid human who escaped from your sisters. You hate the stupid human who’s costing you time with Mommy, especially when she said you could play in the courtyard.

And you’re hungry! Mommy said she would bring you food, but you’re hungry now.

You kick your feet against the mattress. It’s a half-hearted tantrum, since no one is watching, but it makes you feel a little better.

Eventually, you hop off the bed and pace the room, your shoes going click click click on the stones.

It’s just one human, right? And you’re a big girl today. And it’s a big castle! He’s probably nowhere near the kitchen. You can run out, get some food, and then go right back to your room. Mommy will never know that you left.

You reluctantly retrieve your weapons from the top of the dresser, adding your belt of throwing knives on top of your dress. You aren’t supposed to use them when you’re little, but you’re not that little, and Mommy said to protect yourself if you needed to.

You take two of the knives in your hands, and try spinning them. It’s easy, body memory taking over. You toss one across the room, and it slices through the swirl of curtain you had been aiming at.

There, it’s settled. You’re a big girl and no manthing is going to scare you.

Nodding, you tuck the remaining knife back in its sheath, and turn your attention to the fireplace. It’s the fastest way to the kitchen from your room, and you’ve used it as a shortcut many times in the past. Your sisters don’t care if you get your dress dirty, they get blood and dirt on theirs all the time. So a little ash and grime is fine. (Mommy would disagree, but Mommy isn’t always around.)

You pour some water on the remaining embers from last night’s fire, and shuffle carefully into the fireplace. The wall at the back of the fireplace has crumbled away, revealing a passage that once needed to be triggered by pressing a certain brick. Now you can just crawl straight into it.

The rats like the passageways by the kitchen, and you brush past a few of them in the dark. Cassandra once trained a bunch of the castle rats to attack intruders, and you’ve had a fondness for the little friends ever since. They were scary in big groups, but just like everything else in Mommy’s castle, they would never hurt you.

You emerge into the kitchen, and stretch up to standing. As expected, your palms are covered in grime, and your skirt is heavy with soot and ash. You do your best to brush yourself off, and then start towards the sink to wash your hands, when a terrible screech fills the air.

“You stupid manthing!” you hear Bela scream from the next room.

Your headspace makes a quick shift into adulthood, startled to hear one of your sisters so distressed. Immediately, you run to the gate between the kitchen and the lower levels of the castle. Through the gate, you can see that one of the windows has been shattered. Dozens of your sister’s insects lie on the floor, unmoving, as she stumbles in the wind blowing through the broken glass.

“Bela!” you cry out, scrambling to open the gate. That’s when the first gunshot rings out, tearing through your sister’s shoulder. Her insects reform around it, but she cries out and you can tell that it hurt. As she stumbles to the left, you see the man standing behind her.

He’s covered in blood and grime, barely recognizable as human, but the stubble scattered across his cheeks marks him as prey to your family.

“Get away from my sister!” you scream, as the manthing shoots again at her. This shot hits her head, and insects scatter from the impact. Her face is gone for a moment, then reforms, her mouth wide open in rage.

Bela charges the stranger, her scythe held high.

You watch them struggle, and the man pushes her back into the frigid wind. He switches his attention to the windows, and breaks another one. You feel the winter air sweep inwards, and Bela wails.

“Bela, run!” You throw the gate open. “Get out of there!”

“He’s mine! My prey!” Bela hisses, advancing on the man again. Fear beats in your chest. You’ve never seen your sisters outmatched, but this man is too smart, and Bela is at a severe disadvantage in the room with broken windows. “How dare you bare your teeth at us!” She launches herself at the manthing again, and you watch his blood drip from your sister’s blade.

You’ve hunted with your sisters before. You’ve seen humans face death more times than you could count. You know how pain looks on their faces.

This man barely flinches as he pushes your sister back into the swirling snowflakes coming through the window. His face is set in a mask of determination, as he reloads his weapon and levels it again at Bela. This is no human like you’ve hunted before.

“Bela!” you scream, and throw one of your knives.

It sinks into the manthing’s thigh, and he hisses, pausing to pull it out and toss it aside. That brings your sister enough time to swoop towards him, but she’s moving more slowly in the cold air. The stranger manages to get his weapon back up before she can hit him, and fires straight into Bela’s face.

Both of you scream in unison, and you run forward into the room. The cold air prickles at your arms, but it doesn’t debilitate you the same way it does your sisters. You tug Bela backwards, as she writhes and hisses against your grip.

“Bela, find the others!” you yell. “Get out of here!”

The manthing seems to have finally picked you up as a threat. The next shot goes through your calf, and you lurch to the floor with a shout.

“How dare you!” Bela screeches, and throws herself again at the stranger.

You manage to get to your feet, and stumble towards the door. If you and Bela can get on the other side and then lock the manthing in the basement, Mother can deal with him without fear of the cold air or his stupid bullets. She is stronger than your sisters, stronger than anyone else.

Bela takes two more shots to her chest and begins retreating after you. You know that your sisters are unused to running from fights, but you don’t want to risk anything with this strange manthing who pulls knives out of his leg and tosses them aside without hesitation.

Another shot clips your shoulder, and your shaky grip on your adult headspace falls away. You topple to the ground, unable to stand the pain in your left leg.

You hear a scream, and it takes a moment to realize that it’s coming from you. You take your fear, your pain, and give it a voice. It echoes through the hallways.

“Mommy!”

The manthing seems to hesitate as your scream echoes around him.

You take the chance to throw another two knives. It’s a sloppy attempt, thrown haphazardly from the floor in pure self-defence. But they both strike true, one between his lower ribs and the other just above the mark from the first knife.

Red fluid seeps from him, dripping onto the tile.

He stumbles backwards, pulling a green bottle from his pocket and pouring its contents over his leg as he yanks the knife out. You watch as the blood is washed away, and the wounds close.

He came prepared.

“Ethan Winters!” a familiar voice snaps, and you almost collapse from pure relief. Mommy.

Mommy drifts in from the kitchen, ducking through the gated doorway and ushering Bela behind her. Bela is still snarling, but she’s clearly hurt, and allows her mother to push her back.

“You sneak into my house, you attack my daughters, youngest and eldest alike?”

The manthing fires his weapon again, directly into her chest, and you cover your ears against the noise. It echoes against the walls and although you know it can’t hurt Mommy, it scares you to see him try.

“You bring your filthy body to my property, you draw blood from my baby, and then you dare to raise your weapon to me?”

You haven’t seen Mommy this angry… ever. Her claws are extended, her back rigid as she faces down the man named Ethan Winters. Bela’s arms wrap around you and she drags you away from the fight. The movement jostles your wounded leg, and you cry out in spite of yourself, trying to twist out of Bela’s grasp.

Mommy looks back towards you. The man takes her lapse of attention as a chance to pull out a heavier gun, firing straight at her head.

It does nothing.

Mommy stands tall, in the face of bullets, in the swirling snow, and her claws flex as she looks down at the manthing in front of her.

Now, Ethan Winters looks scared. Now, Ethan Winters looks human.

“I would love to take my time and truly teach you a lesson,” Mommy purrs, reaching out to grab the manthing by the throat. “But my daughters need my attention, and I am… a doting mother. So I’m afraid this will have to be quick.”

Blood is all around you, in the Dimitrescu Castle. Big or small, old or young, you’re no stranger to violence.

You still find yourself covering your eyes as Mommy tears the strange man to shreds. You can hear her spitting out pieces of him, making sounds of disgust. His blood must not be good.

“Bela, come feed. You need the replenishment.”

Mommy drags what remains of the body into the kitchen, where Bela is safely resting, away from the cold air that fills the room where you sit.

You hear your sister begin to drink.

“Darling, are you alright?”

Mommy’s arms wrap around you, careful not to jostle your injuries.

Tearfully, you shake your head. You were scared, and Bela almost died. If you had stayed in your room and hidden like Mommy had said, you were sure that your sister would have been gone. You had almost both been killed, and if Mommy had been slower….

“M’sorry,” you sob, turning into the embrace. “I left.”

“And I’m very upset that you put yourself in danger, but I am not going to scold you right now. May I carry you to your room? You need medicine.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Mommy cradles you and carefully picks you up. Your dress is ruined, covered in grime and blood. You look over and see Bela crouched over a body. It’s suddenly easier to breathe once you see its face, blank and staring. The manthing doesn’t look special as a corpse. Just another dead human.

You turn your face into Mommy’s chest, and she presses a hand to the back of your head, keeping you there. The smell of copper blood fades as she carries you out of the kitchen and down the hall to your room. Mommy doesn’t take the shortcuts like you and your sisters. They’re much too small and dirty for her.

That thought makes you laugh.

“Is my little one amused?” Mommy asks, petting your scalp with gloved fingers.

“Mmm, m’small and dirty,” you giggle.

“You are very small and very dirty. A bath is in order for both of us once your wounds are tended to.” That sounds like heaven to your exhausted mind.

Mommy shoulders your door open, splintering the lock, and lays you on the bed. You whine as she moves away from you, reaching towards her.

“I’ll be back in a moment, darling. Are mama o fetiţă, cat un ghemotoc, are mama o fetiţă, cuminţică foc,” Mommy begins to sing as she makes her way around the room, gathering supplies. You relax, her voice reassuring you that she’s still nearby.

Soon, she’s back, sitting at the foot of your bed. There’s a bottle of first aid fluid in her hand, like the one the manthing used.

“This will sting, but it will help.” Mommy takes your foot in her hand, and carefully unbuckles your shoe. It looks tiny in her hand, like a doll’s shoe. Dropping it to the ground, she pulls down your stocking to reveal the wound in your calf.

You turn your face away, whining at the sight of the blood streaking your skin.

“Hush, darling.” You feel lips against the wound, a brief flare of pain as she presses against it. She makes a soft sound, and you look down to watch her lick your blood from her lips. “Don’t look,” Mommy tells you, and you close your eyes again.

Then she pours something on your leg, and everything is pain.

You twist in her grip, crying out, and she holds you down.

“I know, darling, I know. It will pass. I’m sorry.” More pain, this time radiating from your shoulder. You try to kick out, and she catches your feet. “I’ve got you. Breathe, little one. It will pass.”

And sure enough, after what feels like an eternity, the pain begins to lift. You can feel your fingers again, and your toes. Your body is more than a twisting line of agony. The ache becomes gentler, and eventually it lifts all together.

You lie on the bed, feeling the tears streaking your face, and you hear Mommy sigh in relief.

“There, all done.”

She gathers you onto her lap, and you lie passively in her arms, too exhausted to do anything else.

“My brave girl,” she praises, kissing your forehead. “My brave, brave daughter. I’m so proud of you. I’ll never let anyone hurt you again.”

“M’sorry.” You know she was worried about you. You can still hear it in her voice.

“No, darling, I’m sorry. I should have found him and… well. He shouldn’t have been able to hurt you. It won’t happen again, I promise.” Mommy rocks you back and forth, gently, and you can tell that your body has been healed. There is no pain in your leg, no pain in your shoulder. “I promise.”

“Love you.” There are so many things you want to say, but you’re tired and little and you just want to take a bath with Mommy and have a bottle and fall asleep in her arms.

“I love you more.”

She holds you tight, close enough that you can hear the doubled, inhuman heartbeat thrumming in her chest. Close enough that you can feel the unnatural heat of her skin. Close enough that you feel at home.

A/N: The song that Alcina sings is in Romanian, but I think it’s a translation of an English song. If anyone knows a traditional Romanian lullaby, I’d be happy to replace it. The lyrics translate as

“Mommy has a little girl, as small as a ball of fur Mommy has a little girl, and she’s a very good girl.”

I do have a fluffier, lighter sequel to this story planned, so let me know if you’d like to read it!

#resident evil agere #y'all really asked for this!!!!#violence mention #tw violence #my writing #my stories #agere writing #fandom agere #resident evil #resident evil village #i just know people are going to disrespect my dni on this story....#please don't #cglre terminology

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agent-cupcake · 3 years

Note

just curious, what’s your favorite and least favorite character design? my least fav for sure has got to be female byleth for reasons i don’t want to get in to yep ok have a good day 😁

IOops this accidentally became a rant, sorry

Okay so, to preface this all, I’m not a character designer and I’m actually pretty bad at it, but my rule of thumb with really unappealing or fan-service outfits is whether or not it makes sense character-wise and how much it tells the player about the character. For example, I think we can all agree that there’s quite a bit of fan-service elements in Hilda’s design. Boob window. However, it’s not unrealistic to imagine Hilda picking out those clothes for herself. Her costume tells you almost everything you need to know about her character on a visual level. She’s confident, pretty, attention-grabbing, and high maintenance while the gloves and laced girdle give a nod to her Viking-maiden roots.

Taking it to female Byleth, I don’t think that her outfit works on either front. Her design is definitely my least favorite and it’s not helped by the fact that you have to look at her at all times. Whatever. The huge, solid mass of boobs, the buttoned bib, the big eyes, the feather hair, the bellybutton, the ripped tights, the booty shorts. She’s a merc out in life and death situations with an accessible, pale, tacky 2000′s “stab me” stomach cut out and a wedgie. Which could be excusable if, like Hilda, there was reason to believe that that her costume was character choice. But she doesn’t really have much character, and what there is gives the impression of a very stoic, dry, blunt person. I have no idea why they’d have gone that route when the sexual appeal of more “utilitarian” costuming (aka, form fitting armor that at least pretends to be functional) for characters like her is scientifically proven AND would say more about the singular personality trait she possesses. Okay, well, I know why they didn’t do that and I think it’s lame. This dysfunction of “character designer wanted a sexy girl but it’s kinda random and just shoved in the game without any thought” actually reminds me a lot of Xenoblade 2′s leading ladies, Hikari and Pyra. Although considering that their bad designs led to a lot of people hating the game for superficial reasons while accepting female Byleth’s design, I guess I’m just bitter. Jumping to a different comparison, then, look at 2B from Nier Automata. Her design is fine as hell which is kinda hypocritical of me considering that it's explicitly fan-service, but I think it also shows the most damning thing for female Byleth. Her whole look, despite having a dozen different element thrown in, is boring. Maybe it’s the colors (dressing her in all black and white would have been really interesting considering the colors of the three lords are so heavily emphasized as a part of their characters) or maybe it’s just the way the desperate elements come together. But, like I said, I'm not even slightly knowledgeable about character design and I know that despite Three Houses being mostly separate, they had to appeal to a larger aesthetic brand to which I have little experience with. And, ultimately, a lot of people find her cute or sexy which...To each their own, I suppose. I don’t pretend that fan-service doesn’t work on me (2B... Cloud’s arms in the remake... Seph's shirtless Smash skin...) but when it’s this obviously inserted in by the character designers rather than feeling organic in any way AND looks bad I'm just not super interested.

The other worst designs for me would be all four of the Ashen Wolves post timeskip. I don't think it's controversial to say that they didn't try with the clothes, even if I love their designs from the neck up (Yes, even Balthus. He looks like the type of guy that would let you sit on his shoulders at a rock concert so you could see the stage). While there are other designs I think are unappealing, those are for purely aesthetic reasons and so I can't maintain the opinion that they're actively bad or that I even truly dislike them.

As for favorite looks... I actually have a few so sorry you're getting all of them because despite the shit I'm talking, I actually really really love the character designs in Three Houses.

Ferdinand's post timeskip is one of my favorite designs, if not my favorite. The hair, the coat, the armor, the spurs, the colors. You know exactly who Ferdinand von Aegir is just by looking at him. He’s wealthy, handsome, confident in his appearance, a hero, a princely type character, his battle form is mounted combat which is traditionally aesthetically reserved for nobility and leaders... I love it. The only reason I cannot say he IS my favorite is because of the three Lords. But before them, my honorable mentions include post timeskip Hilda, Dorothea, Lorenz, Felix, and Hubert. Granted, I could make a case for why I like almost all of the student’s post timeskip looks.

For the Lords, I obviously have to start with colors because, weirdly enough, Persona didn’t invent primary colors but are actually used as shorthand. Blue is the color of honor, loyalty, sincerity, sadness, and depression. Something I’ve always found very interesting is that blue is very rarely found in nature. To me, that’s always made it seem more lonely which, at least in this case, is thematically relevant. People call Dimitri boring pre timeskip and while I won’t defend his hairstyle (okay, actually, I probably would because he tucks it behind his ears and idk why but that’s one of the cutest things ever) I really like how unassuming he is. Bland. He’s supposed to be the plain shortbread cookie to caramel deLite Claude and strawberry meringue Edelgard. It is not in his character to draw attention to himself or stand out. To me, he kinda looks like an old Barbie prince, like he should have been named Dominic. Also I love the blue eyes/blonde hair thing and his more angular features. It really helps to sell him as the fakeout chivalrous prince type. Post timeskip, Dimitri's black armor is amazing. I love the fact that it’s a lot more intricate up-close with the different little shell-like pieces and the fact that his boots are furry. I love the big cape and the black and white fur around his shoulders. It’s really cool how they used his costume to change the shape of his in-game model to match the bodily proportions of the character art. It’s easier to see when you change his costume into the DLC ones, but the fur and cape build up his shoulders and chest look more broad while keeping that tiny little waist. The choice to give Dimitri an eyepatch is probably my favorite thing about this design. It’s genuinely inspired. Such a simple detail yet it tells the player everything they need to know about adult Dimitri when they see him post timeskip, in one frame the player can begin to understand the extent of his loss over the past five years. The subtle shadow under his eye in the first few Azure Moon chapters and the messy long-ish hair really help to sell the feral prince aesthetic as well, as it’s from those small cues the player gets that he’s exhausted (in more ways than one) and doesn’t maintain himself. None of these things are intentional choices by Dimtiri, they’re the result of what his character has been through.

Yellow is an intense, energetic color. Mostly, people think of it as being warm and inviting, the color of the sun and positivity. That intensity can be overwhelming, though, too visually demanding when compared to its primary counterparts. Don’t stare at the sun too long. Buuuut, it’s okay to stare at Claude. Claude not wanting to wear tight pants in either of his costumes is not only a mood, it is iconic. Pre timeskip, the softer lines of his silhouette makes him look kinda slouchy, kinda lazy. Like he’s not too concerned with appearances. But those adorably messy curls, the little braid, the clearly tended eyebrows, and earring make it clear that he DOES care about appearances and is very aware of his allure. And that’s before he even starts winking. It is honestly so in character that as many people picked him first on the basis of being thirsty, that feels like an intentionally Claude thing even if it was inserted by the designers. The contrast of his complexion with his seagreen eyes is gorgeous and instantly adds a kind of mystery and intrigue to him considering the setting... but it’s sf funny that nobody looked at bronze god Claude among a sea of white faces and thought something was up. Post timeskip, they used the same trick like they did with Dimitri to change Claude’s in-game model to match his canon appearance. The way they designed his uniform makes him not look as twink-ish, like he’s actually muscular and imposing and has the strength he’d need to shoot a war bow with a 120lbs draw weight. Also like Dimitri, you can instantly tell what Claude’s been up to. Like, he was very pretty pre timeskip but when he shows up in the Goddess Tower after those five years in all that gold, he demands your attention. Like a gentleman general with the excessive aesthetic ideals of the Alliance and details to imply his heritage. The quilted pants are amazing from both an aesthetic and practical standpoint. He’s a mounted unit riding a creature with scales, of course he’d want something on his legs for protection. And the chinstrap. I love that so much, it definitely makes him look more adult. He’s got such a cute soft baby face, it’s fun imagining him experimenting with different styles during the five years to get the most desired physical reaction to him as a leader.

Frenchfries, meet forehead. No, actually, Edelgard’s design is really fantastic. Claude and Dimitri both have realistically colored eyes and hair and then there’s Edelgard. Dimitri shrugs off attention physically and Claude shirks it with a wink but Edelgard commands the players attention from the very start. Although I’m sure there’s a lot of things to associate with white hair and purple eyes, my first thought was Daenerys from Game of Thrones. Otherworldly beautiful by with an edge. Red, of course, is The power color. Strong emotions, love and hate. Red is also associated strongly with blood, which is very important to Edelgard’s plot. Granted, I think the red and black association is even more powerful than JUST red and red is the cheapest play to make in regards to displaying villainy (I mean, there are some pretty universally recognized associations with red and black and it led to people making some unfair comparisons between Edelgard and a famous dictator) but I think it was effective and well used and I genuinely enjoy its use in her case. Anyway, if I had a major complaint about her design it would be the weird ashy color of her hair whereas Lysithea’s hair is pure white. Which doesn’t even matter with the AMAZING hair horns. Ram horns can actually symbolize quite a few things, but their association with power and strength is pretty universal I think. They’re also used in demonic imagery. I love that THIS was her alternative to a crown. Edelgard views herself as a force of war and power before she thinks of herself as royalty. She also mentions that she isn’t super vain, but she loves to do her hair, so the hair being the most elaborate part of her look is entirely in-character. Edelgard’s ensemble is, like Claude, very militaristic. I love that they kept her in a dress that embraces femininity without showing skin as that wouldn’t really suit her Also, again, Edelgard demands your attention. She’s dressed all in bright bright red waving around a giant axe. She is a symbol as much as she is a combatant, someone to follow. I didn’t really mention their secondary lord costumes, but a girl in sexy armor is literally everything and I love that they had the balls to put their main sexy waifu girl in full body armor.

Okay I’m sorry I realize this was excessive and probably didn’t need explaining and I’m not sure I even articulated my thoughts properly but anyway I love their designs so here is the positivity I’ll put into the world.

#fe3h #ferdinand von aegir #claude von riegan #edelgard von hresvelg #dimitri alexandre blaiddyd #haha i htae byleths design this was all just to justify my abject disgust for the way she looks #nobody sent me anything about dimitri's dick so this is what i've been reduced to

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starlxghtmoon · 3 years

Text

Spread Your Wings || Chapter One

Pairing: Hawks x Reader || Tangled AU

Warnings: None!

Word Count: 2,000+ words

A/N: I’m super nervous about this, but excited! Sorry if this first part is boring, it’s supposed to act as an introduction and I tried to add more feeling to it than just happiness all around ajbfkjabkjawoifn but whoever reads this shitty fic of mine, I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own BNHA or Tangled, both and all characters except OCs [Mimi the cat] belong to their respective creators. This is purely creative fun.

Chapter Two

Masterlist

An elderly hooded woman approached the shrub with caution, looking around to see if anyone had followed her before pulling back her hood and uncovered the mysterious object. Underneath sat a golden flower, it looked ethereal with the way it softly glowed in the night; many tales have been made about this flower, some say it bloomed from a droplet of the sun that fell to the earth and could cure any illness, heal any wound. But the woman who was selfishly hoarding it, used it to stall her own time with a simple song.

“Flower, gleam and glow.”

The flower began to glow brighter as she sang her song in her old worn voice.

“Let your power shine.

Make the clock reverse.

Bring back what once was mine.

What once was mine.”

As she finished her song, her aged voice grew rich and light, a satisfied smile tugging at her lips as her appearance shifted back to her younger days, gray going black. But the sound of shouts and flickering lights interrupted her serenity and in her rush to hide the flower once more and hide her own identity, she knocked over the shrub disguise, uncovering the flower for the guards approaching her spot to find.

“We found it!” A guard called out, commencing the uprooting of the magical flower, bringing it to the ill queen and healing her sickness. Soon after a princess would be born with snow white hair and e/c eyes.

However one evening, that same woman would sneak into the king and queen’s quarters where the baby peacefully slept, needing the flower’s magic to stall her mortal time once more.

“Flower, gleam and glow.”

She began to sing again in her croaky voice, the baby girl’s hair, white as snow began to glow a soft f/c. The woman leaned in, reaching out for a strand of her pure white hair, the effects of the magic flower already doing it’s work on the woman’s body.

“Let your power shine.

Make the clock…”

The woman cut a strand of her hair as it glowed, but it immediately lost its power, the strand of hair changing from stark white to h/c. And since she’d cut her own song short, the magic didn’t take, reverting her back to her aged self. Gasping out of shock, the woman had no other choice than to take the baby.

As the child let out a cry, the woman scooped up the baby and made her escape, the sound of the baby’s cries awoke the king and queen, sending them both into a panic as the woman stole away the baby, disappearing into the night.

Restlessly, the kingdom searched and searched for the princess, but deep in the forest, hidden away in a tower, the woman would raise the girl as her own. Determined to keep her new flower hidden.

However, as well as the woman could keep the girl hidden, she couldn’t hide the outside from her as each year on her birthday, lanterns would be released into the night sky in hopes that the lost princess would return. And that lost princess was...you.

The shutters of the tower were swung open, as you grinned mischievously and looked around out the window. In the corner of your eye, you caught sight of a fluffy black tail swishing around behind one of the potted plants. You slapped a hand over your mouth and snorted softly before getting an idea and a mischievous glint to your eye. Straightening up and crossing your arms, you nonchalantly shrugged and looked away.

“Well, I guess Mimi isn’t out here.” You spoke, easing the midnight creature outside your window, making her let her guard down before suddenly she was yanked up by her tail, letting out a distressed meow. “Gotcha!” You exclaimed with an amused laugh. Letting the cat down from your trap of hair, you began to add on, “That’s 22 for me. How about 23 out of 45?” The cat grumbled in response, “Okay. Well, what do you wanna do?” The cat perked up at that question, letting out a gleeful meow and turning to the outside of the window, pawing out with a suggestive nod. “Yeah. I don’t think so.” You picked up the cat and swung your legs around to dangle out the window, placing the ball of fur in your lap. “I like it in here, and so do you.” Pointing at the cat, she stared up at you unimpressed. “Don’t look at me like that, you’re literally a cat. You should like being inside with me.” Mimi’s ears drew back in distaste. She did like being inside, but she also adored you and wanted you to have a taste of the outside world too. You've been cooped up in this place for 18 years straight, c’mon! “Oh, come on, Mimi. It’s not so bad in there.” You scritched behind her ear, eliciting a purr from deep within the cat’s chest before you pulled the cat into your chest and slid back inside.

You climbed up onto the roof beams, preparing for the morning and opening up the ceiling shutters before swinging back down with your hair. You then glanced over at the clock on her wall and began your day with your usual routine.

“Seven a.m. the usual morning lineup.”

Fetching the broom, you started with sweeping up the floors.

“Start on the chores and sweep till the floor’s all clean.”

Next, you equipped yourself with a mop and scrubbers to continue on with your chores. If you didn’t, you’d surely die of boredom. Not that you didn't already suffer from basically being a bird trapped in the cage you called home.

“Polish and wax, do laundry and mop and shine up.”

At least you had Mimi there to keep your spirits up as you swept around the tower again, checking the clock again with a slight roll of your eyes.

“Sweep again and by then it’s like, 7:15.”

It only took you a good 15 minutes to do all that? Sighing a little, you continued on with busying yourself. What a drag.

“And so I’ll read a book or maybe two or three.

I’ll add a few new paintings to my gallery.”

You knew you were running out of space on the walls, but you could always find nifty places and open spots to paint. One day you might run out of room and as morbid as it sounded, the thought did cross your mind that you’d even expire here. But you hoped you wouldn’t, you stayed optimistic that you’d be able to leave the nest and fly. Until then, you’d continue busying yourself around the tower, counting the hours and days… maybe even years. Hopefully your activities would help distract you from those spiraling thoughts as well, it was for the better that you were stuck here, right?

“I’ll play guitar and knit and basically,

Just wonder when will my life begin?”

As you pulled a freshly baked pie out of the oven, you spotted the perfect spot to paint on the wall, measuring it up with your hands.

Busting out your paint, you shoved the decorative piece aside and began painting. Filling the spot with soft blue paint as a base and planning out what you'd put there.

“Then after lunch it’s puzzles and darts and baking.

Papier-mache, a bit of ballet and chess.”

At this point, you were just annoying Mimi with your various different hobbies you picked up. Internally cackling at her torment. But none of it was malicious, Mimi loved you and you loved Mimi, she was your only solace here. One would never abandon the other. Your bond was unbreakable.

“Pottery and ventriloquy, candle-making.

Then I’ll stretch,

Maybe sketch,

Take a climb,

Sew a dress.”

Mimi was absolutely over it and exhausted when you put her in a minidress resembling yours. She lowkey loved it, but it just wasn’t right. Cats weren’t supposed to wear dresses, but Mimi sure looked adorable in one!

“And I’ll reread the books if I have time to spare.

I’ll paint the walls some more

I’m sure there’s room somewhere.”

Now you were really getting stuck, looking for spots was slowly becoming more and more impossible. You sighed a little, slowly the same old same old was beginning to eat away at you. Grumbling a little, you decided to instead distract yourself with brushing your lengthy hair.

“And then I’ll brush

And brush and brush

And brush my hair.

Stuck in the same place I’ve always been.”

Finishing up brushing the ends of your hair, you sat there for a moment, breathing out a puff of air. You looked around from your seat upon the beams of the roof. The space was big and anyone would be comfy in a home like this. Right, a home, not a tower. You were a caged bird. And you certainly had the ability to leave, you could do whatever you wanted with your 70 foot long hair... but would you? Probably not, you wouldn’t dare betray your mother. Besides, the world was a dangerous place, your mother said so multiple times. But… you longed for something more. To feel the grass on your feet, feel the wind flow through your hair, swim in the water, explore the world and… see the floating lights that never failed to appear on your birthday every year.

"And I'll keep wondering and wondering

And wondering and wondering

When will my life begin?"

You approached the open window of the tower, longingly looking out at the scenery before you and sighing softly. Tomorrow you'd turn 18. For a moment, you wondered how many more birthdays you'd have to spend locked away, with so many questions and curiosities.

"Tomorrow night the lights will appear

Just like they do on my birthday each year."

You rested your cheek within your palm, leaning on the window sill as your gaze swooped around the trees and hills surrounding the tower. Your heart ached for more than what you had here and in a way, it made you feel guilty. Your mother did everything for you, she sheltered you, she fed you, she gave you a home and unconditional love. Sure, she was harsh and brash sometimes, but she only wanted the best for you, she wanted to keep you safe. She was protecting you and your gift. You wouldn't survive without her. At least, that’s what you believed.

"What is it like out there where they glow

Now that I'm older.

Mother might just let me go."

You put the finishing touches on that painting you'd been working on, you were jealous of your own artwork. The depiction you'd made of yourself watching the floating lights with pure amazement and wonder. You placed your hand on the dry paint, brows furrowing in frustration. Why do you feel so guilty for something you want?

"Wow, I could get used to a view like this." His stop on the roof caught the attention of the two men with him. The dark haired one of the two rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"So could I-! I've seen better." The masked man with them commented, switching from amazement to stuck up. His outburst made the dark haired one immediately hush him, the masked man slapping his hands over his mouth.

"Do you wanna get caught or something?"

"Sorry, Dabi." He spoke lower this time, making Dabi shake his head a little in dismissal before redirecting his attention to the other man with them who continued to stare at the view.

"Hawks. We gonna do this or what?"

"Hold on." He made him pause, Dabi rose a brow, heavily annoyed and completely fed up with his antics. "Yep. I'm used to it. Guys, I want a castle." Hawks placed his hands on his hips, still admiring the view.

"We do this job, you can buy your own damn castle. Yeah?" Dabi stepped forward, grabbing the blonde by his collar and yanking him back.

Dabi and Twice securely held onto the rope, carefully lowering Hawks down into the crown room. If it were up to Dabi, he would've dropped his ass for the guards to take, but they needed that damn crown and he was gonna get it.

One of the guards sneezed and Hawks let out a mocking groan, "Hay fever?" The guard looked over his shoulder, not noticing that he was there.

"Yeah." He looked back in front of him before realization dawned on him, "Huh?" He whipped around, the crown and Hawks gone. His gaze darted up, but they were already gone and so was the lost princess's crown.

"Can't you picture me in a castle of my own? Cause I certainly can." The trio sprinted away from the castle, Dabi ignoring Hawks with a roll of his eyes as Twice switched back and forth between approval and disapproval. "All the things we've seen and it's only eight in the morning! Gentlemen, this is a very big day!"

"Would you shut up already!"

"Yeah, shut up, Hawks! No! Be louder!"

"Ugh…"

#hawks x reader #keigo x reader #keigo takami x reader #hawks x y/n #keigo x y/n #bnha #bnha x reader #tangled au #this sucks omg ajbkjbakjjweb

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cacowhistle · 3 years

Text

let’s go, let’s go right now

Fandom: Dream SMP Characters: TommyInnit, Tubbo, & Ranboo Word Count: 1548

a little thing i never finished completely, written right before doomsday. it was the idea that tommy, tubbo, & ranboo just left l’manburg behind for techno, dream, and phil to destroy, going off to start a new life in the wilderness on their own. title from hadestown. i just really wanted a happy, fairytale ending at the time. i’m glad things worked out in the end, for some of them. didn’t ever clean this up for ao3, so it’s going here.

Stupid, how could he have been so fucking stupid?

The discs were worth more than you ever were.

They weren’t.

Tommy stares out at the sunset and knows he’s fucked up. He’s been fucking up since the start, this entire place is one massive fuck up of his own making. Yes, L’manburg was built with noble intentions but he was so fucking stupid, so fucking naive and blind to how corrupted it became. He and Wilbur were not good leaders. L’manburg was founded on the labor and loss of people, not freedom. People lost lives for their shitty cause--freedom was never a part of it, Tommy is beginning to believe. Wilbur, at the end of the day, wanted to wrench control away from Dream. That’s all it was. It was a power play.

Tommy had good intentions. But he also just followed Wilbur blindly, hoped the man would come to his senses. He did the same with Technoblade. He will not make the same mistake a third time.

His hands curl into fists as he stares at the jukebox, placed by the bench. Fury roils in his gut as he stares at this useless piece of garbage. The discs don’t matter. They never did.

He feels the handle of Technoblade’s axe in his hands before he quite registers what he’s doing. The blade comes down on the jukebox, carves across its surface, leaves an ugly, jagged splinter in the wood. Tommy stares at what he’s just done.

He draws himself up to his full height with an enraged shout, and swings again.

And again.

The jukebox is a mess of jagged wood and splinters by the time he’s done with it, panting from exertion and on the verge of tears. Technoblade’s axe burns in his grip, betrayal in the back of his mind as he thinks of the man he began to call a fucking brother, and he just can’t keep his allegiances straight for the life of him, can he?

Tommy smashes the axe into the remains of the jukebox again with another shout, sending the pieces scattering over the cliff’s edge. He considers pitching himself off after them for a few moments, knowing the drop would kill before he grits his teeth and shakes his head. He’s not going to do that. He knows he won’t. He settles back on the bench instead, burying his face in his hands, axe forgotten by his side.

Dream and Technoblade are going to attack L’manburg tomorrow. Tommy was almost going to do it with them.

Phil will probably be on their side, too, even if he doesn’t show up. Tommy doesn’t know what to do. His breath hitches, caught in the back of his throat, and he blinks back tears.

“Hey,” a voice says from behind him.

Tubbo.

Tommy turns, hesitant, gazing up at his best friend from where he sits on the bench. Tubbo looks tired. The both of them do, now that Tommy thinks about it. He also looks painfully young, when compared to the faces of Techno and Phil as Tommy has come to be familiar with, recently.

… Have they always been this worn down?

“Hi,” he says, quietly.

They’re silent for a few moments, merely taking in each other’s faces again after so long.

“Can I sit?” Tubbo finally asks, and the tension begins to dissipate. Tommy shifts to the side, and Tubbo sits down.

The silence that hangs over them is almost worse, then, if only because they both want to speak. Tommy does not look at Tubbo--just stares out at the sunset, fingers clenched around the hem of the cloak he still wears, adorned with white and blue and red and gold. He toys with the fur lining, doing his best not to cry. Not here. Not now.

Tubbo, however, is looking at Tommy, as though he’s afraid if he blinks the boy will disappear. The outfit was made for colder temperatures, but Tommy remains nestled in it. Tubbo’s suit feels stuffy and restrictive, all at once.

They are very different people from the boys that first built this bench.

“I’m sorry,” Tubbo breathes out, “for everything.”

Tommy lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “Me too,” he whispers.

It’s almost forgiveness.

“What are we going to do tomorrow?” Tubbo asks, and Tommy shudders.

“I don’t know,” he says, miserably. “Tubbo, he has--he has so many withers.”

Tubbo leans forward, eyes wide. “How many?”

Tommy buries his face in his hands. “The skulls lined the fucking walls, man, at--at least fifty, he has to have at least fifty.”

The silence that falls is worse than before.

Tubbo lets out a shaky breath. “Do you remember,” he begins, carefully. Quietly. “Before--before the first explosion. When--when we wanted to run away.”

Tommy looks up, eyes wide. “... we built that safehouse, out in the countryside.”

The one Dream blew up, Tommy recalls with a wince.

Tubbo nods, slowly. “What if we just… up and left?”

It’s a tempting option, Tommy thinks as he stares out over the forest beyond this cliffside. The more he thinks about it, the more he wants it. Just… to run away, to escape this nightmare of a place. It would be well worth it--they could start entirely anew, far from Dream’s grasp, far from the people that want to use them.

“We can’t just--you’re the president, Tubbo, there’s a nation here that needs you--”

“I’m president of a crater, Tommy,” Tubbo says with a bitter little laugh. “I always have been. Everyone has a place to go, anyway. The only person who really stayed in L’manburg most of the time was Ranboo.”

“... he could come with us,” Tommy says, thoughtfully. Tubbo perks up at the idea.

“Exactly! So--so we dissolve the nation--”

“--and let Techno and Dream destroy the place--”

“--because it’s not the important part anyways!”

The two of them stare at each other, silent. Tommy grins, and Tubbo beams right back.

“It’s always been the people, Ranboo was right,” Tubbo looks out over the sunset again. “And the people will still stick together, regardless of what happens to the country.”

There’s a few beats of silence, then, as they look out over the place they’ve called home for the last few years. The idea of leaving it hurts, causes a bone-deep ache in Tommy’s chest, but… they have no choice. And a home can be made anywhere, he figures, as long as he’s got someone by his side. As long as he’s got Tubbo.

“They’re not going to like it,” Tubbo finally says, pulling his knees up to his chest.

“Fuck them, then,” Tommy says, lifting his chin. “Fuck every last one of them. They’ve been walking over us for who knows how long. It’s adapt or fucking die, Tubbo. We can’t clean up all of their messes.”

Silence, again, they’re getting quite used to these quiet interludes. Tubbo breathes out, finally, closing his eyes.

“Okay,” he says. “Let’s do it.”

Tubbo is right. They aren’t happy--Fundy and Niki shout at them, and Tubbo can’t fault them. Tommy is uncharacteristically silent as they shout at the both of them, takes it without a word. His silence is almost scarier than his shouting, if only for how resigned he looks. He isn’t going to bite back like he would have, weeks ago.

So Tubbo will just have to do it for him.

“This country died the moment Wilbur did,” he says, firmly, staring Fundy down. “It’s been doomed from the start. We need to start fresh. We can’t keep going like this.”

He gestures to the city around them, to Tommy, who’s staring at him with wide eyes, still silent.

“Look what it’s done to us! We can’t keep doing this. It’s over. Let Dream and Technoblade have it. We don’t need it anymore.”

With that, he turns, shrugging off his president’s coat and hanging it on the back of his chair on the podium. He reaches for Tommy’s hand, and he reaches back.

They get their things. Ranboo comes to them while they’re packing up Tubbo’s old stuff, Tubbo replacing his dress clothes for a jumper and overalls, Tommy retrieving a familiar old coat from his ender chest.

He wrinkles his nose at the smell. “... I need to wash this,” he murmurs, and leaves Tubbo to continue packing up.

Ranboo passes him in the doorway with a small nod, before wordlessly beginning to help Tubbo get his things together.

After a few minutes of the silence, Tubbo finally speaks up. “Will you come with us?”

Ranboo breathes out a sigh of relief. “Thank god, I didn’t want to be the one to ask.”

Tubbo laughs, then. It’s more genuine than anything he’s done in the past few months. They finish their packing, bickering all the while, even more so when Tommy returns bundled in his old clothes and Wilbur’s old coat, packing the warmer uniform into his ender chest. A familiar compass and lodestone set is dangling from his neck, Tubbo realizes, and his heart warms at the sight of it, hand reaching for his own, settled in the bottom of his ender chest.

“Ready?” He asks the other two. They are.

The three of them leave, and they don’t look back.

#dream smp #dsmp #tommyinnit #tubbo #ranboo #dream smp fanfic #dream smp fanfiction #dsmp fanfic #dsmp fanfiction #tommyinnit fanfic #mcyt #mcytblr #dsmpblr #my writing

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some-kindofgnome · 3 years

Text

Kinktober Thirty-One

On Halloween night, at a costume party on the edge of town, you find a Lost Boy to keep you company.

Characters: Mirio Togata x f!Reader

Warnings: smut (18+ please!) aged-up characters, vampire Mirio, drinking, mentions of smoking, blood, vampirism, deception, a little bit of mindfuckery and manipulation.

Notes: This is it, folks! Day thirty-one of Kinktober is here and with it, a very special little Halloween fic. Today’s prompt was “Dressed Up,” which I sort of did but also sorta didn’t.

This one is a little bit longer than my usual Kinktober fare, (~3.4k) but hopefully it’ll be worth the ride. It’s also, in the spirit of Halloween, a little on the darker side, so please do heed the warnings and don’t be afraid to skip this one if spooky stuff isn’t your thing.

This hmmmm didn’t show up in the tags when I posted it this aft (even though I couldn’ve sworn it did :C) soooo reuploading! gotta love tumblr

Kinktober Masterlist

It’s a bright, cold, clear Halloween night, and the parties are in full swing.

You’re at the only decent bar in town. Just like every other joint within a hundred-mile radius, tonight they’re throwing a costume party. Originally, you showed up with a friend, but she’s long gone now- drifted off with some punk sporting a chintzy werewolf costume. Ears covered in plastic fur, limp tail dangling from the back of his coat.

Whatever. At least she managed to find something fun to do.

You’re dressed like an angel, in a delicate white slip with feathered wings spreading from your back. In lieu of a real halo you’re wearing a dainty silver circlet. You’re sipping punch- pumpkin punch, says the chalkboard signs pinned up all over the bar- but to you, it tastes like vodka and orange-dyed sugar.

At least you can confirm it’s alcoholic.

You don’t recognize the song that’s thrumming through the rented, oversized party speakers, but it’s sort of catchy. You’re tapping your foot to the beat- or maybe you’re just jonesing- when there’s a lull in the surge of the crowd and you see him.

He’s a complete stranger to you- a rare commodity, in your isolated little town. He seems to tower above the other patrons, standing a head taller than most of the men on the dance floor. It’s humid and sticky inside the crowded party, but he’s wearing a leather jacket with the collar popped. His hair is a shock of mussed gold, and you almost miss the glint of a dangly earring in his right lobe.

He’s got something red smeared across one corner of his mouth. Fake blood, maybe? You’d like to find out.

His eyes are dark and deep. You know they are, because he’s staring intently at you, right across the party. Like he’s spotted you through the skulls of the crowd that separates you. Your gaze is drawn by his steady eyes. It feels like he’s not even blinking when you share a look.

You glance away. But he’s still looking- you can feel the pull of his gaze like a magnet. You lift your syrupy punch to your lips as you drag your eyes to the opposite side of the room.

No dice. When you look across at him again, he’s still there. Still looking.

The crowd passes between you. And when you find that empty spot on the bar, heavy disappointment settles into your gut. That’s what you get for wanting a little excitement.

“Hey.”

The low, unfamiliar rumble of a voice directly behind you shocks the base of your spine. You whip around with the weight of your wings bobbing against their elastic shoulder straps.

He’s even taller than you realized up close. His eyes still have that dark edge to them, but he’s grinning now. That’s not an expression you might have imagined him capable of, given the solemn way he’d stared across the bar at you.

His teeth are immaculate. He seems entirely flawless. You’re pretty sure you could cut your fingers on the sharp corners of his jaw.

“Vampire,” you quip, homing in on the smudge beneath his lip. “Very original.”

It’s definitely supposed to be fake blood. The leather jacket and dangly earring might not be a dead giveaway to anybody else, but it’s working for you.

He slips one hand into the pocket of his jeans, shooting you a low chuckle and a quiet little smirk. He reaches for you- you flinch, wings giving a telltale twitch as your shoulders bob. He catches the edge of one synthetic feather between his fingers and gives it a little rub.

“Almost as original as you, angel,” he teases. You can’t bring yourself to roll your eyes.

There’s something about him that makes everything feel more sincere than usual. He’s got an easygoing, sunny disposition, but he’s intoxicating to look at. The closer you stand, the headier you feel.

You put your cup down on the bar behind you, having had more than your fair share of vodka-with-orange-Jello-crystals Halloween punch.

“So, angel,” the vampire sighs. Both hands are in his pockets now, forcing you to come to terms with the broadness of his chest. He’s built like a brick wall, but it’s all firm muscle underneath his tight t-shirt.

Your chest goes tight as he digs one palm out of his pocket, extending it to you.

“How ‘bout a dance?”

You can’t turn him down. You can’t say anything, since your voice has died somewhere in the cavity of your chest. All you can do is give a muted little nod and slide your fingers into his.

His palm is devastatingly smooth and brisk to the touch. It’s impossible to picture anything cool at all, stuck under the relentless lights of the bar and crowded among so many sweaty, polyester-clad partygoers.

When he pulls you onto the floor, his body trickles over yours like water.

He holds you so delicately, and yet pulls you so close. Lifts your hands between his palms-massive- and draws you in by the waist.

You’d dare to say he��s graceful, dancing to the uneven beat of The Time Warp and Thriller and a half-dozen other songs that are only catchy through the month of October. His leather jacket is supple and soft beneath your touch, and you’re happy to finger the sleeves, grip the lapels as you sway and swirl.

He doesn’t pull his eyes from you once. Again, you’re overcome by that strange sensation. Like he hasn’t blinked the whole time. You can’t quite bring yourself to be freaked out by it.

“So,” you gasp, breathless and sweating by the time the music dulls enough to warrant conversation. “It’s not every day you meet a guy who can dance like that. You gonna tell me where you picked up your tricks?”

He laughs. It’s a rich, full sound, but musical. Enchanting. You’re spellbound by everything about him.

He seems entirely too good to be true. You’re just waiting to find out how.

“Practice,” he gushes, slipping a hand under your chin. You’re smiling. You’re woozy. He’s drawing you in.

He kisses you, so soft and unassuming you’re surprised he didn’t ask your permission first. His lips are as cool as his hands are, fresh and soft like a smooth mountain lake.

You dive in.

You kiss him back as best you can, twining your arms around his neck and letting him drag you close. The longer he kisses you, the hazier you feel, but there’s a taste of something on his tongue that you can’t quite figure out, and you’re determined to find out what it is.

Your vampire tangles his fingers in your hair and wrenches your mouth to his. He kisses you harder, bruisingly so, sucking and biting at your lower lip and pulling away, garishly wiping the back of his palm across his mouth.

“Come home with me,” he croons. He could have asked anything of you. Your response would have been the same.

You turn a vacant, woozy stare to him with the sound of his voice swimming in your ears. Your eyelashes bat heavily. You smile.

“Okay.”

He takes you to find your jacket, thrown over a stool somewhere. You shrug out of your wings and tuck them tightly against your chest. When you do, he eyes you with a sideways little grin.

“Damn,” he teases. “I thought those were real.”

You duck out of the place with his arm slung around your shoulders like he knows you.

The cold outside does nothing to sober you, but full moon is so bright, the cars in the parking lot cast stark shadows across the gravel. So bright, the light of the stars is drowned by it.

He leads you to a shiny Harley, parked in the last spot next to the grass.

“Whoa.”

Your vampire turns, eyebrow cocked. You realize you said that out loud. You also realize that you’ve never actually been on a motorcycle before.

“That… that’s yours?” You ask dumbly. He smirks, and your stomach goes icy.

“Hop on.”

He produces a glossy black helmet from somewhere along the bike’s gunmetal chassis and passes it to you. You slip it down over your head. The thick padding pushes your circlet painfully against your forehead. You’re sure it won’t be a long ride, though.

He stoops, reaching for your throat. For an instant you flinch, but as his fingertips brush the underside of your chin, you realize what he’s doing. You flush with heat.

He buckles the strap securely beneath your chin, making sure it’s tightened properly. His flaxen lashes give a little flutter as he finds your eyes, and he gives the side of the helmet an affectionate little tap.

You swing one leg over the rear of the bike seat as he climbs on in front of you. The leather presses cold and firm between your bare thighs. You slide a hand self-consciously over your back, making sure your dress gets tucked underneath your pelvis.

All good.

“Hold on tight,” he prompts, kicking the bike off its stand and starting the engine with a noisy rumble. You fall forward against his solid back- stronger than you anticipated- and wrap your arms firmly around his waist.

Your heart beats low and warm against his back, so solid you’re sure he can hear it. He peels out of the parking lot and onto the empty highway, and you close your eyes, warm and dark in the safety of your massive helmet.

There’s something immensely thrilling about the way the wind whips past your legs and through your clothing. It occurs to you just how stupid you are, climbing onto the back of a motorcycle with a man whose name you don’t even know.

Holy shit. You don’t even know his name.

When he pulls into the parking lot of the Day ‘n Night Motel on the edge of the highway, you don’t think to ask.

“This doesn’t look like home,” you brush. You fumble to get the strap of your helmet undone and tug it straight off your head. Your halo comes with it, bouncing across the pavement and rolling to a stop at his feet.

“It’s home for now,” he replies as he stoops. He picks the silver circlet up in both hands and presents it to you like a crown. You take it, self-conscious but not quite unsettled. There’s something about him that doesn’t seem to let you get that far.

He takes you up to the second floor and unlocks a door somewhere along the middle, shouldering it inwards. You feel a strange sort of comfort as you step over the threshold. You glance behind you, like the rest of the world might have been swallowed up as soon as you followed him.

But it’s still there. It even stays when you nudge the door closed behind you.

The curtains are drawn tightly shut, but he leaves you to throw them open now, letting silvery moonlight spill through the dirty glass like mercury.

“Let me have you,” he rasps as he comes back to you. He’s shrugging out of his jacket- his arms are way bigger than you anticipated- and he’s pulling you tightly to him. “Let me have you, let me taste you, let me wreck you, angel.”

“Okay,” you gasp. The only word you seem to manage with him around.

He kisses you just like he did at the bar, tight and urgent and needy and bruising. He walks you toward the bed, laying you down in a stark, gentle contrast to the rough way he’s kissing you.

Your coat’s fallen open and he helps you out of it, letting the fabric spread beneath you like a cloak. He doesn’t waste time at all- kissing his way down the curve of your jaw and pushing his palms under the hem of your dress.

Your skin is chilled from the wind, but it warms quickly beneath his cold fingers. You part your legs and he snags the top of your panties, tugging them harshly down your thighs. He discards them quickly and comes back to you, burying his face into the apex of your thighs.

“Oh!”

His tongue is surprisingly cool as he swipes it along your slit, but he’s gentle and attentive with his mouth, and you tangle your fingers eagerly into his mussed hair. Your pinky brushes over the edge of his pointy little earring as it bobs against his neck, and you let your head fall back against the mattress so you can lose yourself in the pleasure he offers you.

He braces icy palms against your thighs- sending goosebumps racing up your legs- and keeps his head buried beneath your skirt as he eats you out furiously. His tongue swirls coolly around the nub of your clit, then flicks it deftly.

“Stop,” you gasp, toes curling tightly in the blankets. “Please, I-I’ll…” You trail off. You can’t hold out any longer. But he heeds your warning and draws back from your body, licking his lips garishly.

There’s a carnal glint in his navy gaze that sets your nerves alight as he crawls atop your body. At some point, he’s shed his clothes- you didn’t even see him strip- but he’s wearing only a pair of tight black undershorts, and his cock stands prominently against the front of them, hard and heavy across one thigh.

“Angel,” he rasps, bending over your torso. He nuzzles the crook of your neck, nosing at your pulse point as he nibbles your flesh. For the first time he seems to lose himself, blowing a deep huff over your chest and shivering hard as his hips rock forward into yours.

“Let me feel you. Let me fuck you.” He growls. Unbridled and feral.

You tug furiously at the hem of your dress.

“Take it off,” you insist. He wedges his palms beneath the flimsy fabric, tearing a new slit up the side of the skirt in his haste to get it off you. But you’re not paying attention. You’re consumed by him. Drowned by him. In this moment, he is all you’ve ever needed.

He strips out of his shorts and comes back to you bare, palming the base of his thick shaft. He settles between your thighs and draws a thumb up your slit. Your body sings. You gasp.

A dull chill settles over your body as he lines himself up.

He slides home in one easy stroke, composed all over again as you fall to pieces beneath him. As he starts to fuck you- smooth, steady, easy- he gives you nothing more than soft huffs of effort. He’s thick and stretches you well, but his body seems to flow in and out of yours like a river. His touch spreads cool relief through your gut.

“There you go, angel,” he rumbles into your ear. He braces a hand on your belly, rutting into you and letting the gentle slap of your flesh punctuate every thrust.

Beneath him, you’re a mess. The pleasure is more than you’re prepared to handle. With every push of his hips, you feel yourself falling deeper and harder. You don’t even know his name, but with him stroking your side so tenderly, it feels like you could love him.

Somewhere along the way, his rhythm shifts. He becomes wild and brutal and relentless, fucking you deep and hard. You relish in the way the bed creaks beneath you. You cling tightly to him, mewling and howling your overstimulated pleasure into the night. Your nails rake hard over his back as you hit your peak with sobs of tight ecstasy.

Your pussy clamps down hard around his cock and he fucks you through it, pushing you further and further until you come apart, a trembling mess in his arms.

With a feral roar he draws himself back from you suddenly, spilling sticky spurts of cum across your belly and over your chest.

Your eyelashes flutter open. He’s staring down at you, cupping your cheek with that same intense look from the bar. You blink, letting your brain swim back to life.

“Your fangs,” you gasp, noticing the sharp glints as they protrude from the underside of his lip. You chuckle. “You never took them off?”

You reach up, thumbing the edge of his jaw. They align seamlessly with the rest of his teeth. The fact that they didn’t pop out on their own is impressive, if a bit strange.

“They’re good,” you confess. “They look real.”

He purses his lips tightly shut and folds his body over yours. He finds the curve of your jaw and nuzzles it. Finds the bare thrum of your pulse point and tongues it. He grins. You feel the sharp point of them against your skin- strong, surprisingly so.

He snarls.

“They are.”

You’re blinded by pain before another thought can cross you. He sinks his fangs into the flesh of your neck and you scream, clinging and clawing at his back. But he’s strong, inhumanly so, and his grip is iron as he grabs your wrists and pins them over your head. He’s patient, holding you fast.

There’s an ecstatic, heady sort of bliss bleeding about the edges of your suffering. You thrash and struggle, but eventually, you succumb to it. It’s sweet and distant and so, so, serene, and as he pulls his fangs from your neck and licks tenderly at the wound, it lingers.

“That’s it, angel,” he sooths. “That’s it. C’mere.”

He slides a hand under your back and lays you properly against the pillows. He smooths his palm over your forehead, tugging the sheets over your bare body. His face is doubled in your vision, but his lips and chin are stained garishly red. His fangs are even longer than before, but his dark gaze is peaceful.

“Sleep for me, angel,” he croons. He smooths your hair, and you’re too far gone not to listen.

When you come to, the room is empty. There’s a motel-issued glass sitting on the nightstand, filled with a thick liquid like raspberry compote.

It’s still dark out. The pain in your neck and shoulder is immense. You bolt upright, remembering all at once where you are. What you’ve seen.

It can’t have been. Your fingertips scrabble over your neck. The wounds are already starting to scar.

So it was.

You climb cautiously out of bed, grabbing your dress and hugging it tightly to his chest. The bathroom door is open and the lights are out, but you poke your head in anyway. He’s not there.

You tug the dress violently over your head. The fabric is split almost to your hip, but your jacket’ll cover it. With your shoes clutched tightly in your hand, you make for the door while you still can.

The filled glass stares from over your shoulder, halting your hand on the knob. You turn slowly toward it. Your limbs go cold.

You know what it is.

That doesn’t stop you from craving it.

You can smell it from here, sweet, rich, irresistible. You lick your dry lips and press your back hard against the door.

It’s not too late. You can leave. Right now. You can make it home, you can call somebody, you can get out.

You’re not going to.

In two strong steps, you cross the room. You grab the glass so quickly and so firmly that it cracks in your hand, but it does not shatter.

The blood of your vampire is just as sweet as you’d hoped. You take long, desperate gulps, draining the glass in an instant and swiping your palm across your stained mouth.

The door to the room sweeps open behind you. With the empty glass in your hand you whip around to face it, paralyzed and half-caught in desperate bliss.

“Angel,” he purrs. He smooths a hand over his hair and kicks the door shut with a hollow thud. He grins wickedly at you, setting ice and cool, firm desire into the deepest reaches of your heart.

“I’m so glad you decided to join me.”

#mirio togata x reader #my hero academia #mirio x reader #lemillion #mha #mha lemillion #kinktober #jbbkinktober2020 #mirio togata #mirio #mha fanfiction #boku no hero academia #bnha fanfiction #tw blood

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twinkleallnight · 3 years

Text

Melting moments

Here's wishing all a very happy new year with a new year one shot. This happens many years before the social season.

Book: The Royal Romance AU

Word count: 1206

Disclaimer: All characters belong to pixelberry.

Rating: Teen or PG

It was a chilling new year eve when Kiara tightened the jacket around her slim waist to keep warm. Her straight jet black hair tossed over her arms as she sprinted in her sneakers, moving swiftly on the docks of Portavira. She was late for her plans to meet her best friend.

This was their last year as teens and they got a permission to celebrate on the Ebrim’s personal yacht, just the two of them. She knew well, how her bestie was an introvert and preferred to celebrate in minimal company.

She climbed the yacht gently, up the deck. Isolde, the white pet poodle was sprawled next to a mat and lazily lifted it’s head to give a welcome glance and rested it’s chin back on its paws in disinterest.

Penelope, the owner, as fair as the fur of the poodle, sat on the mat, her lonely blue eyes looking at the clear night sky. A wisp of cold winter air ruffled her short black hair and she shivered slightly in response.

“Hey Pen!”

“Kiki.” Came out the short reply.

Kiara dumped her purse and the jute bag next to the mat and sat down beside Penelope. Her black eyes tried to catch Penelope’s direction of gaze in the sky.

“You know you should have come to the royal palace for the Christmas party. It was so much fun!” Kiara started, pulling out the thermos from the bag.

“I had a quite one with Isolde.” Penelope patted her dog.

“I know but you missed your chance to meet the princes.” Kiara said as she poured out their favourite drinks in the mugs she had carried along.

“I suppose you enjoyed.” Penelope said grabbing her hot chocolate from Kiara.

“Ouiii!” Kiara said with a squeal. The memories of the party filled her heart with warmth, as warm as her hands around her coffee mug.

“You texted me that there was something you wanted to tell me. Is it related to the prince?” Penelope asked coldly, caressing her dog with her free hand.

“Not exactly.” Kiara sighed seeing that her friend wasn’t interested much.

Penelope understood that she needed to pep up for her friend. She could tell her own sad story later. She turned around to give Kiara undivided attention with a smile. “Okay tell me all about it.”

That gesture was enough for Kiara, to open up her treasured chest of stories from her visit to the royal palace.

“You know the crown prince Leo? He is very handsome. The pictures in the Trend magazine don’t do justice to him at all.”

“You spent time with him?”

“Non. He was flirtatious.” Kiara said with a frown. “And there was this Madeleine drooling over him all the time. But his younger brother prince Liam is a real gem. He is so chivalrous and, and…” she fanned out her hands trying to explain.

“Oh, so he was the one?”

“Noooo! Not him…” Kiara blushed and that made Penelope’s eyes go wide. Kiara usually was too focused to bother about any guy around, leave alone getting affected by anyone in particular. She was staring in the blank with a stupid grin on her face.

“Kiki, I am listening.” Penelope waved her hand in front of Kiara’s eyes to bring her back from her trance.

“I am sorry.” Kiara giggled. “He was so cool; he had that rugged look, yet a dashing smile on his face. He had an oomph but a snarky tongue. He carried his simple attire in a most stylish way, making him stand out even in that fashionable crowd of nobles. His eyes had a shine and he could kill you when he narrowed them with that look. He had a magnetism and his dark hair...”

“Oh. My. God.” Penelope blurted.

“What?” Kiara asked puzzled.

“What happened to the future minister of foreign affairs, Kiara Theron? Look at you, you are smitten!”

Kiara straightened up and fumbled with her reply. “Its okay to slip once in a while.” And she went at it again. “It’s not every day that one comes across a stunning species like Drake Walker.”

“So, that’s what the king of the hearts is called.” Penelope beamed at Kiara who was melting in her new found feelings.

“Drraake!” Kiara uttered his name with a stretch as if drinking through each letter. “Oui, that’s him.”

“Who is this Drake Walker?”

“He is Prince Liam’s best friend. Although he is some commoner’s son.” Kiara said it casually as if being a commoner didn’t matter to her at all.

“That explains why I haven’t heard of him or seen him.”

“I think I can solve that problem.” She said flipping through her phone, her fingers nimble over the keys. She opened the phone gallery and flashed a smile when she came across the snap that she had captured stealthily at the palace. She thrust the phone almost in Penelope’s face in excitement. “That’s my hero!”

Penelope had seen prince Liam’s pictures in the magazines many a times so her eyes immediately fixed on the dark-haired young man beside the prince. “He is good.” Penelope gave a simple approval.

“Just good?”

“Kiki.” Penelope took a deep breath. “Its just that, he is your clover brew coffee and I am still searching for my hot chocolate.”

She knew they were poles apart in their choices. Penelope's sweetest tastes against Kiara’s sharp ones. Penelope’s romantic ideas against Kiara’s practical decisions. But that seemed to be tossed over with the advent of this new guy.

“Well, you could have met your hot chocolate if only you would have agreed to accompany me to the Royal’s Christmas party.” Kiara rolled her eyes and kept looking at her phone, the picture still on the screen.

“As if he was there.” Penelope said with sarcasm.

“I think I may know who exactly your hot chocolate is.”

“Who?” Penelope asked curiously.

Kiara started excitedly, “There is this noble house to the west of the Capitol. Their son, I think… No, I am sure, you will like him.”

“What’s so special about him?”

“He was sweet just like you and he sat gazing at the stars.” Penelope glared at Kiara. “Don’t look at me like that. That’s not all. He drank choco chip and vanilla crème and talked about his pet dog all the time.”

“Kiki, as much as I like that, you are acting silly. Just because you were bit by love bug, it’s not necessary for me to fall for someone at the same time.”

“Fine, I agree. But promise me, next chance you are coming with me to the palace.” Kiara stretched out her palm.

“Sure. I promise.” Penelope placed her hand in Kiara’s.

They both hugged and sat with Isolde beside them, looking towards the land as the time ticked to midnight. The fireworks from the duchy filled up the sky to mark the new year between the poodles relentless barking.

“Happy new year!” both wished each other in unison. Penelope fondled Isolde and it calmed down.

“Ahm… What is his name?” Penelope asked.

“Whose?” Kiara asked lost in her blissful imaginations.

“The hot chocolate.”

Kiara laughed out, curling her arms around Penelope. “Maxwell. Lord Maxwell Beaumont.”

Tags: @ao719 @annekebbphotography @anjanettexcordonia @bebepac @charlotteg234 @choicesficwriterscreations @choiceskatie @cordonia-gothqueen @cordonianroyalty @drakewalker04 @eadanga @gkittylove99 @glaimtruelovealways @kat-tia801 @hopefulmoonobject @hopelessromanticmonie @iam-the-kind-and-thoughtful @idontknowwhysblog @islandcrow @jessiembruno @jovialyouthmusic @jaxsmutsuo @kingliam2019 @khoicesbyk @lifeaskim @lisha1valecha @lovablegranny @mrswalkers-blog @mom2000aggie @no-one-u-know @ntoraplayschoices @princessleac1 @ritachacha @secretaryunpaid @sirbeepsalot @speedyoperarascalparty @shanzay44 @texaskitten30 @queenrileyrose @sanchita012 @sfb123 @theroyalheirshadowhunter @aestheticartsx @yourmajesty09

#pixelberry #the royal romance #playchoices #trr fandom #trr #twinkleallnight #drake walker #kiara theron

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vostokovasmelina · 4 years

Text

emerald stained goodbyes.

for @smallheathgangsters ‘ 1k challenge - huge huge congrats, leah and so sorry i’m so fucking late! all the love xx

pairing: tommy shelby x fem!reader

word count: 1.7k+

warning: substance abuse - this is really dark; i’m sorry, okay??

prompt: “i probably tore her heart right out” (cassie by chase atlantic)

disclaimer: i believe people with any kind of addiction deserve help and recovery, so this piece was not written against them. however, i have seen what it can do to loved ones and i was also heavily inspired by some other lyrics from the song referencing substance abuse, so please don’t misunderstand my intentions - it’s just a piece of fanfiction. many thanks

a/n: phew i think i’m officially back, folks; i’m lowkey not happy with the ending but ‘tis the best i can offer right now

italics = the past

He stumbled to the front door absent-mindedly, mostly his subconscious reacting to the sharp ringing of the doorbell and Tommy just obeying its demands. He had been in a relatively good mood, which had been quite rare lately, and he didn’t even give much thought to a possible threat waiting for him on the other side. He didn’t even check if his gun was close to hand at all, something which he had always done. Tom simply swang the door wide open, frozen in his tracks at the sight that was worse than any armed rival could have been.

“Y/N-”

“Let me in,” you whispered, pulling your baggy coat as tight around your cold body as possible, all your clothes draining of water as you stood there, outside in the pouring rain.

He flicked his cigarette and watched it land in a grey puddle, a few desperate strings of smoke floating towards the sky as if they were drowning in the dirty water. Tommy felt the dull ache in his chest slowly spread around, intruding every little bit of his body and he knew he would go mad if he had to stay here any longer. He kept waiting for that soft hand on his shoulder, that bubbling laughter from inside the bar, the one that hid all your sorrows from everyone but him. Tom wished he could go back in time and make everything better, be there for you and pick your pieces up instead of stomping on them on his way out.

He watched you stumble into his living room and throw yourself into one of his most expensive armchairs. Tommy’s face jumped into a painful frown as he thought about the soft material sucking in all the water from your clothes but he didn’t say anything - he simply shut the front door and turned back to you. Your cheeks seemed even more hollow in the light and Tommy felt heartbroken and furious at the same time.

“Where have you been?” He questioned in a low voice, trying to stay calm and collected as if that would fix the mess you had become the past few months. Tommy thought he had been relatively patient while trying to look out for you but he wasn’t sure if that was still what you wanted from him. Technically, you were still a couple and you wore the ring he had given you proudly on your better days but the sight of the tiny piece of jewelry did nothing but turned him bitter now. The promise of marriage was growing into a heavy burden, pressing down on Tommy’s shoulders and he was more and more convinced that he was the most selfish man in history for wanting to send you away in your deepest sorrow, trying to shield himself from your flames.

“Why do you care so much all of a sudden?” You looked up at him from under your eyelashes, your eyelids getting heavier with every passing minute as the warmth of the fireplace flooded your whole body and your frozen limbs slowly returned to life with a sweet tingle running through them.

All of this didn’t make a difference though. You couldn’t ignore the hellfire raging deep inside of you in an attempt at burning you and everyone around to ashes and looking into its flames had become so mesmerising these past months that you simply couldn’t concentrate on anything else. Everything had shifted out of focus by now and even Tommy, the man you had loved passionately ever since you first met him was but slightly clearer a silhouette than everyone else. You had been turning in on yourself slowly but surely, leaving less and less of hope behind for those that loved you.

Tommy shook his head in the hopes that it would clear out all the memories from the night before for all eternity, providing him with a fresh start, a blank page to start his next chapter on. He didn’t want to erase you - no, he couldn’t do that. Afterall, he still loved you and was grateful you had played a crucial character in so many of the most imprtant chapters in Tommy’s life but he always knew he shouldn’t make himself believe you would stay that loving, harmonious couple you were in the very beginning - especially after you had discovered your great appetite for snow and morphine and god knows what other kinds of drugs you got obsessed with while falling down the rabbit hole.

Tom pulled out another cigarette from the depth of his pocket, suddenly becoming aware of the real destruction of this habit of his, the real damage it was and had been doing to his lungs and he rolled it around slowly between his thumb and index finger as if he was contemplating whether or not he actually wanted to keep doing this to himself. He eventually stuck it in between his lips and felt a perverted kind of excitement at the thought of pure smoke filling up and dirtying his insides, thinking he was deserving of the punishment after all he had done and said to you - even though the actual torture would creep on him slowly over the next years and decades.

He was cruelly pulled back from the downhill of self-distruction the next moment as Tommy turned to see who had intruded on his bitter loneliness and raised an eyebrow at his rosy-cheeked aunt.

“Arthur’s hosted a little bit of tasting of his best liquor if I’m not mistaken?”

Polly frowned at him as she shut the door behind herself and pulled her fur coat tighter around her shoulders, taking the burning cigarette from her nephew’s hand to take a drag. Tommy was sure that soon there would be none left for him.

“Please. Not everyone needs alcohol to have a good time, Thomas,” she remarked, raising the cigarette slowly to her crimson lips to hide a cheeky smile.

“You’re alone with that in this whole fucking town,” Tommy mumbled lowly and looked around as if he was looking down on the whole of Birmingham, seeing all the sorrows and dirty secrets, the skeletons in all those filthy old cupboards. His fingers ran around in his pocket driven by his subconscious and Tom was pulled back into reality only when they touched the tiny cold silver, the only thing you left behind after you had said your final goodbye.

He gathered all the courage hiding deep inside of himself and gave you the coldest piercing look those pale blue eyes had ever cast on you. Tommy could even see you shrink in your seat for a moment before fire lit up in your E/C eyes just again, ready to defend yourself by any means. He couldn’t recall the moment when everything took such a sharp turn for the worse but he felt like it didn’t matter anymore. There was no way he could fix it this time and it was useless dragging out both your suffering too long. However, it was high time he had finally said it all, everything that had been weighing him down.

“I’m literally the last living person who still cares about you, Y/N. When was the last time you looked in the mirror? Do you even realise what you’re doing to yourself? You look horrible,” Tommy let out a cynical chuckle as he looked you up and down, shaking his head and you could feel the angry tears swell up in your eyes, your palm itching to slap his perfect face.

Tommy felt it coming. He was trying to get himself ready for the slap but he was still taken aback by the force your numb and lifeless arms still held. As he took a few steps backwards to regain his balance, you jumped up from the armchair and headed towards him, rage narrowing your sight to your soon-to-be ex-fiancé only. All of it evaporated though when you felt Tommy’s strong hands wrap themselves around your wrists and pulling them into his chest forcefully so you couldn’t get out of his grip so easily. For a moment, you could feel all the anger and determination leave your soul, leaving only vulnerability behind and you got so scared of the possibility of crumbling in Tommy’s arms that you panicked and started trying to escape his grasp, tearing at his white shirt and pushing him with all the force you had left.

“How can you say this to me? How dare you forget that you were the one who got me high the very first time?” You were screaming at the top of your lungs at him and hit his muscly chest one last time before you felt his grip loosen as you pushed him against the wall and trapped him. Your breathing was loud and fast when you looked up at him with the familiar rage back in your eyes. Tom didn’t answer with a word and once you realised he had already ended any kind of relationship he had ever had with you, you scoffed and pulled away, shaking your head in disappointment.

“Fuck you, Thomas Shelby. Fuck your big ass mansion, fuck your cars and horses and fuck your bloody family. Only a madwoman would marry into the Shelby household.”

He looked down at his hand and watched the tiny emerald stone reflect the pale sunshine even in this gloomy Birmingham day. Tommy let out a big sigh before turning to Polly, his aunt raising her eyebrows at him in anticipation.

“I won’t be needing this any time soon, Pol,” he stated and handed the small piece of jewellery to the woman who had given it to him only a few months ago. Tommy knew his aunt was trying to hide her relief but he was too drained and exhausted to listen to Polly give him a lesson about the perfect wife and how Tommy always found the broken ones way too interesting for his own good.

“I probably tor her heart right out, Polly. Try not to look so happy about it.”

He fixed his peaky hat, gave Pol a nod before lighting the last cigarette he had on him and headed home in the dirt and fog of Small Heath, blaming the pinching cold air for the swelling tears in his tired eyes.

#smallheathgangsters1kcelebration #tw: substance abuse #tommy shelby #tommy shelby x reader #thomas shelby #thomas shelby x reader #peaky blinders #peaky blinders x reader #peaky blinders imagine #arthur shelby #john shelby #ada shelby #polly gray #michael gray

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moodymidnightkitten · 3 years

Text

Starlight Part 1

A/N: So this has become probably my longest fic yet, and I am so proud of it, I was going to do the beginning very differently but I grew to love it the way it was so I hope you all enjoy this as well.

W/c: 2142

Pairing: Sukuna x Reader

Genre: fluff and very light smut due to the references to sexual activities

"Master, a vessel has been brought about," your curse that is the embodiment of a cat said, approaching you as you were sitting on the balcony edge of your home. A beautifully large building hidden in the woodsy countryside.

"Hmm, and for whom Chinami?" You asked your curse creature. She gazed up at you with galaxy like eyes.

"Well master, it would seem to be Sukuna, the king of curses." She chimed ever so sweetly.

"How troublesome, and no need to add the king of curses part, he's merely a speck of unimportance, but I guess a reunion is in order, do tell Chinami, where would he be residing?" You asked gingerly stroking the cats back, ruffling her ears causing a purr to resonate with her response.

"Tokyo, at the Curse Technical College master, "

"Please Chinami, drop the formalities, but I guess you and I will be going on a trip, it's been awhile since I've seen the school, how exciting it will be to check in on everyone." You got up from your spot and smoothed out your dress, grabbing Chinami and holding her as you began to get ready for your long journey.

It wasn’t often you crossed worlds, but when you did it was always a delight to see how humans are faring for themselves. A comfort even. It was even nicer to be able to see the progression of humanity, and what a delight it was to come across humans who can control evil curses that linger and find themselves in the human world. It would seem as though your kind are less and less needed, a retired breed as some might say. So you and your people live your own lives like humans, but without the drag of evil curses, but that's not to say they don’t congregate every now and again in your world, but in your world they could just be considered as much as a nuisance as a house fly.

But due to the changing times you made sure to dress more appropriately. Opting for leggings and a hoodie, although sadly you could not take the blue blush that lingered between your cheeks and over the bridge of your nose, golden stars and star formations decorated the blue blush as well, dark blue eyebrows and sunflower yellow eyes. You still stuck out amongst everyone else but no more than someone who was really good at what the humans called, makeup.

Chiname rested upon your shoulders as you walked through the streets of Tokyo, eventually coming up to the school building.

“Chinami, are you excited? I do believe this is your first time being here, even better, you get to meet some old acquaintances of mine.” You said, reaching your hand up so place it upon her head.

“Of course y/n, learning something new about you everyday is the best part of being by your side, there is no end to the amazing things I learn about you,” she chimed in, nestling her head more into the crook of your neck. And with that you walked into the compound of the large school. Eventually seeing a tall man wearing a mask over his eyes, a man you so very well know.

“Gojo!” You yelled, getting his attention from across the way, causing him to stop and look curiously at you. It took a second for him to register who you were but when he did he was absolutely over the moon and came rushing towards you as you sauntered over in his direction. He immediately wrapped his arms around you in a hug, something you shouldn’t be used to after not seeing him for a long time.

“Y/n!! What brings you here on such a surprise visit?” He asked now nestling his cheek against yours. Causing a small chuckle to resonate within you. But you pulled away to give yourself distance between you both.

“I think we both know the answer to my question, Gojo, how long have you been holding Sukunas vessel?” You crossed your arms and looked up to the handsomely tall man in front of you.

“Oooo always so serious,” he said poking your cheek and then his attention was grabbed by the pure white cat that sat upon your shoulders, her galaxy eyes staring intently at Gojo. “As well as theres more introductions to be made, who is this cute little creature you have with you?” He said, not rustling the fur on Chinamis head. Causing her to get annoyed.

“Please do not touch me,” Chinami said, twisting her head to the side. Causing a look of shock and surprise to show on Gojos face.

“Oooo and she talks??? Well I shouldn’t have expected less, and my dearest apologies fur ball,” he said chuckling and bowing before Chinami, being called a fur ball just led her to be more annoyed.

“Please, do tell y/n, what is this insatiable man to you?” Chinami asked, looking intently at you for answers.

“It is a long, but good story Chinami, I will make sure to tell you one day but for now we have a more serious matter to attend to. Gojo, I asked you a question very nicely, and you know me enough. Do not make me ask again, where is the vessel and most importantly, who is the vessel?” Arms still crossed in front of you Gojo leans in and practically whispers in your ear.

“Come with me,” now pulling away smiling, turning on his heel leading the way.

“With pleasure, but while we are making our way there, might I add you’ve grown quite old Gojo, how old are you now? thirty-two?” you asked.

“You would be correct, and the vessel's name is Yuji Itadori, a fun kid, he’s been the vessel for Sukuna for about four years now.” He replied, still walking and looking forward.

“I very much dislike not knowing this information until this long afterwards, but I assume that he must have a strong character to manage a pest like Sukuna,” you said,

“He is, he’s been training with him since he was sixteen, and has grown to be a very good asset for this school and other curse sorcerers, but ah here we are!” Gojo stopped in front of room in the hallway of one of the many school buildings. Gojo didn’t even knock before barging into the room.

“Itadori!” He yelled practically now barreling into the room towards the pink haired boy who was seated on his bed. Eyes wide with shock at the sudden intrusion, looking at you both confused as to who the guest Gojo brought was but also kind of like a plea for help, to be released from Gojos grasp. But then Gojo pulled away and stood in front of him as you walked into the room and shutting the door behind you.

“My friend y/n is here to speak with Sukuna!” Gojo said, making himself comfortable on the desk chair.

“Ooo, I don’t know how I can get him out for you, since sometimes he just refuses to listen, but I’ll try my hardest,” smiling Itadori held his fist up to chest level.

“No need, I already know how to get to him, just sit and relax,” you said walking over to the man sitting on the bed. Putting your hand on his forehead and nearly on the top of his head.

“What I’m going to do is extend myself into his domain within your body, you see I know Sukuna personally, as were both from the same plane of another realm, but I assure you, as I’m speaking with Sukuna Gojo will begin to explain everything about me,” you said reassuring Itadori or your action, he nodded in agreement so now you begun to transfer your mental being into his.

Within a few seconds you body appeared in a dark and dreary place, informing you that you are now most definitely in the domain of Sukuna, who from what you could see was sitting on a hill on a throne.

“You really did make yourself at home within this man's body, didn’t you.” You said bluntly. A chuckle resonated from the man who sits above you.

“Y/n, oh how I missed you, I am also surprised it took you so long, what have you not made any trips to the human world within the last four years?” Sukuna said, now rising from his seat and down the stairs towards you eventually stopping right in front of you. You looked up into his eyes showing no emotion, but why was your heart racing now? Why are feelings from the past now rising within your chest?

“I’ve had no reason to do so until now, Sukuna,” you said. Sukuna bent down a bit to make straight eye contact with you, brushing his fingers down your cheek, your jawline and eventually trailing down your neck to your collar bone, wrapping his fingers around your neck and bringing his mouth to your ear.

“Was it because you missed me?” his low and quiet tone was threatening your senses, causing goosebumps to rise on your skin. You stepped back, releasing yourself from his grasp. But he pulled you back in, making himself a resident of the side of your face, and also bodies now completely touching.

“But I did miss you y/n, there was the constant reminder of you lingering around that weird white haired man, pray do tell what I’m sensing,” he whispered in your ear.

“You’re not mistaken Sukuna, but what you think you sense no longer exists,” you tried your best to make it seem as though your rendezvous with Gojo was something that held no meaning. But Sukuna was not so easily fooled, he wrapped his fingers tighter around your neck.

“You’re a horrible liar, and to think you’re the type to try and make me jealous,” he said, gingerly biting your ear and trailing his nibbling down your neck. But this time you needed to get away, what happened between you both was over, you just knew you could be of extra assistance to Itadori when it comes to Sukuna if things were to lose control and get worse than things already are. Rage begun to flow through your body.

“Don’t you dare continue any further Sukuna, surely you must be joking to think your actions are okay.” You loathe this man, and everything about him. You hated that he was right and of course you would be lying to say you didn’t miss him.

In these moments with Sukuna you have completely forgotten the physical effects that happened to your body when you were deeply into your emotions or in a rough battle, because on the outside, your body began turn a bluish black with stars scattered around, you began to look like a walking galaxy, and the men who were discussing you paused and just watched in amazement.

“Ooo I love it when you're angry, now please are you going to use Orion's belt to tie me up like you used to when we were in bed together?” Sukuna chuckled, and now at this point you were fuming and about to bubble over.

“That’s it, I’ll be on my way, I can’t be troubled to put more time into this, I’ll be back when you’re ready to be serious.” You said now storming off while Sukuna was calling after you.

“Oh but dollface, the fun was just beginning!” but his words had no effect and you soon opened your eyes to your physical body, removing your hand from Itadoris head, your body now completely back to normal.

“Thank you Itadori, Gojo, I’ll need somewhere to stay for the time being.” the men just nodded, absolutely dazed by what they just witnessed.

“Why are you two staring at me?’ You asked shyly, but the only person to respond was Chinami.

“Y/n, your body turned into a galaxy,” she said, now taking up residency back on your shoulder.

“Oh what a nuisance, but Gojo, please offer some assistance for a room,” Gojo nodded at you and you two began to walk out.

You turned to Itadori who was still sitting on his bed, staring at you as you walked away.

“I will see you soon,” You winked and continued walking out of the room, closing the door behind you. But now you were left with so many questions. Like how are you bringing Sukuna back to your world? Surely you couldn’t do so until Itadori has consumed all of his fingers, which you found absolutely nauseating and surely something you should’ve gotten used to during your hundreds of years of existence but you still couldn’t.

So what are you to do now? Well I guess you will just have to wait and see.

#sukuna x reader #sukuna x y/n #sukuna #jujutsu kaisen fanfic #jujutsu kaisen

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subtlereferencetomyinterests · 3 years

Text

I Taste Honey but I Haven’t Seen the Hive - Chapter Four

Ao3, Masterpost, C.1 C.2 C.3

Relationships: eventual queer-platonic intruality, mentioned platonic relationships

tumblr edits out my italics when i copy/paste, and its midnight on a school night, so. italics arent in the tumblr version of this chapter cuz im not manually replacing them rn :P

Warnings: Taxidermy, swearing, fights (verbally, not physically), mentions of death, sexual innuedo (thanks remus), sympathetic everyone but there is Conflict.

Word Count: 2,645

Patton had learned, in his many years of emotion-filled life, that every person interacted with others uniquely. An obvious thing to learn, maybe, but in his younger years he felt like it really wasn’t made clear enough.

When it finally hit Patton that other people didn’t feel things in just the same way he did, it came with slow disbelief. Shocked was he to learn that not only were people so vastly different inside, but that he might’ve been one of the most different of all- even with the other sides. After all, each of them had seemed to understand all their differences like it was second nature, while Patton tried to come to terms with the information.

And come to terms with it he had, throughout Thomas’ late teens to early twenties. It was just Patton’s nature to try and learn about his friends, and that didn’t change when the task got harder. If anything, he’d become furiously determined to know how to care for all his family better than anyone, even if it more than once sent him spiralling in thought.

Logan, for example, was at his best when he was around other people; calmly talking, debating, doing work in the same space, anything that amounted to time spent together. So, even when Patton didn’t know what he was going on about, he did his best to at least be someone Logan could talk at. Which must’ve have worked somehow, because Patton couldn’t even count the times anymore he’d realized it had been hours after starting a conversation with his best friend, the both of them grinning and talking and enjoying each other’s company. Color Logan understood!

Roman, an even easier case to crack, didn’t really care what kind of attention he got- as long as it was positive. Which Patton was of course happy to provide! Though Roman became easily suspicious of any signs of friendship, Patton liked to think he’d weaseled his way into being a close companion, if the amount of times Roman dragged him off on adventures was any indication. Roman, too, was a check!

Virgil had been harder to figure out; not enough support and he got nervous, too much and he’d get overwhelmed. Fine balances did not come easily to Patton, so there had been more than a little trial and error. He’d eventually landed on treating him not unlike a wild cat: to just exist in the same space and let Virgil do whatever he wanted in his own time (a method that had found resounding success!). Virgil, much as he wanted to seem mysterious, was also marked off the list of understanding.

Janus was deceptively easy to work out. He just needed someone to challenge him, all in good sport, to be friendly and frustrating at the same time. Call it environmental enrichment, but with people! Patton was more than happy to be one of those people, pushing and pulling in equal parts banter and genuine conversation. Janus, surprisingly, was clear as well.

Patton wondered if it was weird to think about it so much. He thought about all of them, and he wondered if they took time to decode him, too. Or maybe they just knew already- they saw the heart on his sleeve (or chest, as it were) and had him all figured out right then.

He liked to believe they did spend time thinking about it, though. It was nice to think he wasn’t the only one that cared enough to take the time, and he knew that they cared about him already! Even if they didn’t say it as much as he did, even if they showed it all differently, and even if sometimes it felt like they didn’t understand him…

They still cared. The hoodie around his shoulders said so. The card framed on his wall said so. The stray dog dander on his clothes said so. So long as he had that, who needed the luxury of understanding?

Patton shook his head, no, he wasn’t worrying about all them right now. Right now, there was someone else to worry about.

Remus. Remus, who always chatted on and on, but sometimes went dead quiet for no reason at all; whose expression never seemed to match his words, who laughed when he was happy and when he was angry, who yelled when he was bored and when he was overwhelmed. Remus, who threw himself around a corner for a cheap jumpscare every five minutes, limbs broken and wrapped in ragged, punk-style clothes. Who would also drape himself all the way across Patton gently and calmly, wearing something baggy and impossibly soft (but still neon as ever), talking and talking and acting like it was all perfectly normal. Remus, who Patton wasn’t even sure was officially his friend yet.

Patton wanted him to be. But there was still… something in the way. Some kind of frustrating, tense, unknowable barrier that left him on edge around the trait. If Remus could just tell him something, anything, or give him any hints at all about what Patton was supposed to make of him, then it wouldn’t be so downright impossible. But he was inscrutable, an open book written in a language Patton didn’t know.

Whenever Remus walked into the room, it was almost like nothing had even changed since his acceptance.

Speaking of-

Patton barely had time to dodge out of the way as Remus leapt onto the couch, landing in a sprawl and taking up as much space as possible. He looked out of breath, so he’d probably booked it down the hallway and stairs, too. Just as probable was him having no reason for doing so at all.

“Hello,” Patton said.

Remus, from his laid down position, arched his neck up until he was peering upside-down at Morality. He had a reserved look in his eyes, but it was obvious he was fighting not to grin.

“Guess what I did.”

Patton paused. There were… a lot of ways that could go. Most of them weird.

“Um-”

Remus made a disturbingly accurate buzzer noise, exclaiming, “Took too long!”. He flipped over onto his stomach and propped himself up on his palms, his legs draped over the arm of the couch, and rocked back and forth excitedly. “I made you something!”

The worry slipped out of Patton’s mind, replaced by curiosity. He hummed, smiling, and asked:

“Like a gift?”

Remus beamed.

“Something like that!”

As Patton laughed by response, he ran his thumb compulsively over his bead bracelet (that he hadn’t taken off even once since getting, of course).

“That’s so sweet!” he chirped, “You didn’t have to do that.”

The Duke puffed out a breath, ruffling the white section of his hair. He rolled his eyes and shifted around, pushing up until he sat upright.

“Yeah, I know. Haven’t we done this dance before, Morey?”

“Okay, okay, I know,” Patton shrugged, his expression turning sheepish, “What is it, then?”

Remus’ grin widened in that almost impossibly way of his, and something about the glint of his teeth was distinctly threatening. It probably wasn’t intentional, but Patton could never really tell, when his claws tapped impatiently against his leg and something mischievous wormed into his expression.

“Well, you have to close your eyes, first!” Remus clapped his hands together, and there that glint seemed to get brighter.

“Oh, uh-”

“It’s not gonna be my dick, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Patton yelped, covering his face with his hands in embarrassment.

“Well I wasn’t worried before you said that!”

Remus shrieked with laughter. Patton didn’t move his hands from his cheeks, a flush of discomfort starting at his ears and pricking his skin.

“You’re hilarious, but no- not this time, at least,” -Remus winked- “But just close your eyes, okay?”

Patton took a couple deep breaths, glancing up to give Remus his best approximation of a stern glare. He then let his hands drop to his lap, palms up, and squeezed his eyes shut.

There was a soft whoosh, and something small was dropped into Patton’s waiting hands. He ran the pad of his thumb over its surface, tracing something like fur. Soft, short fur, but when he pressed it was far too stiff to be a plush animal.

“Remus,” Patton felt along the object with both hands, jolting when he felt something scaly at the end, “What-”

“You can look now!”

Patton did as told, staring down at his lap.

There laid a rat.

A dead one, to be precise. A dead, taxidermized rat, posed up on its hind legs like some goofy little cartoon character. It’s eyes were impersonal glass orbs, but its skin was perfectly, horribly real.

Patton looked up, his eyes wide with disgust, to see unfiltered excitement shining on Remus’ face.

“I made it myself!” His pride echoed in the words, that grin stretching his lips looking all the more unnatural.

It was then that Patton’s body caught up with his brain, and he realized what exactly he was holding. He dropped it- all but threw it, actually- kicked it and scrambled back and anything to just get away.

The gift fell to the floor with a dull thump, toppling under the coffee table and out of sight. Patton pressed his hand against his mouth, the other one tightly fisted in his lap. He felt sick- sick enough that his brain was leagues away from rationality. Because he’d really touched- held- that corpse, that thing that used to be a cute little critter, what was now a homemade trinket of horror.

He turned his attention back to Remus, and a million thoughts and feelings rushed him. Betrayal, horror, fear- and weirdest of all was surprise.

Remus’ smile twitched, and he tipped his head from side to side.

“You dropped it,” he pointed out, “I thought you liked rats?”

The noise Patton made was something between a gasp and a cry.

“I like alive ones!” He exclaimed, pushing himself back until there was a good cushion’s distance between himself and Remus.

Remus’ smile dipped lower.

“Well, this way you don’t have to take care of it! It’s all of the cute with none of the trouble!”

“You think this is cute?!”

He couldn’t believe this was happening, after everything- he hadn’t gotten through to Remus even a little? It was all still a game for him to terrorize Patton? To shove dead things into his lap and laugh about it?

But Remus wasn’t laughing, strangely. In fact, he was very still.

“You don’t like it?”

In hindsight, Patton would look back on what he said with remorse so strong it gave him headaches. He had scores of memories like that, of course, but this one’s sting would never fade, not even long after they’d moved on from it. But in that moment of fear, of revile, he could not think about anything else but the feeling of being tricked by his almost-friend laying heavy in his stomach.

“Like it? Is this- are you joking? Remus, you made me touch a dead animal! I thought we were starting to be friends, but- oh my God, what is wrong with you?!”

Patton was sure he stopped breathing right after he said that, his voice choking out. In the silence that followed, you could’ve heard a pin drop.

Remus stood up, and everything about the way he moved showed a woundedness that didn’t suit him. He looked at Patton with an awful intensity, his ruby-red eyes practically glowing. There was nothing vulnerable about him when he was hurt, nothing at all like how Patton would respond to something like an argument. There was only anger and tension.

He didn’t smile, but his voice stayed pitchy. Gleeful.

“Everything,” Remus hissed, “I thought you’d catch on before now, but.”

Remus spun on his heel, and the floor beneath him bubbled with oil and acid and plague as he sank into the ground and out of the living room. The carpet shriveled, sick-green, in his wake.

That was when the understanding hit him. A lot like a train.

“Oh, no,” whispered Patton, “Oh, no.”

Patton struggled to his feet, as if on autopilot. Was he going to go after Remus? No, no, that definitely wouldn’t go over well. He was probably halfway into the Imagination by then, anyway, ready to take his anger out on his creations and not do any talking at all.

Patton tore his eyes away from the spot where Remus had sunk out, stumbling over to the coffee table instead. He crouched, reached his hand under it, and let his fingers touch the fur of his discarded present. He grabbed it, looked down at it. The wave of nausea when he saw the little rat was now less disgust, and much more regret.

He cradled the preserved creature in his hands with all the gentleness he could. There was a slip of thick, yellowish paper attached to it, that in all the upset had gone completely unnoticed. It was folded in half, tied with twine to the rat’s neck.

Patton looked into the rat’s shiny, empty eyes for far too long, watching his reflection be distorted by the spheres. He took a shuddering breath, then, and thumbed the edge of the paper, felt its grain, and flipped it open.

“This is Jenner. You can have him, because even if you’re a priss, if you can handle me you can handle having cool shit like this. Plus, you’re weirdly nice to me, so I guess I don’t mind being nicely weird to you.

-R (the funnier one <3)”

Patton read the note once. Twice. Three, four, maybe six times the words ran over each other in his head.

The paper slipped from his fingers. He held his rat in both hands and stared down its coffee-brown snout. Patton couldn’t help bringing the figurine to his chest and hugging it tightly, like it was the thing he’d hurt so badly, serving as surrogate. Its sharp fingers and tail poked through his shirt like needles, but he ignored it, holding the irrational hope that the inanimate object could forgive him somehow.

Jenner was creepy, that was probably intentional; his proportions and pose were so uncanny it couldn’t have been an accident. And it was so, so very Remus of a thing that Patton couldn’t stand to hate it. His shift in view was so sudden, and in some sad way he realized that the conflict had been the final piece he’d needed. What let that understanding crash into Patton’s mind, painting the picture of somebody layered.

The picture of Remus, who he was, had finally clicked into place- and at the exact worst time for it to do so.

Patton had fucked up. Massively.

He didn’t react how he thought he would when he realized it. He didn’t grow weary and exhausted, desperate to apologize and then collapse into unthinking sleep for days. Gone was the emptiness of making promises that he hoped he could hold true on, just wanting to have gotten it right the first time. No, Patton felt something burning under his skin, something itching him to take action because he’d learned from a mistake. He knew exactly what he’d done, and he was ready to do better right damn now.

Patton breathed in deep and exhaled sharp, because first…

He sunk out to his room, Jenner tucked into the crook of his elbow. He rose up at his bedside and shoved a handful of knickknacks off the nightstand. With enough space cleared, Patton set his rat down on the table and stood it up on his alarm clock, facing the bed. And then, as just a final touch, he smoothed back the fur of its head and gave it a peck on the forehead.

Now, he had some planning to do.

Chapter Five

Taglist: @shrimp-crockpot @glitter-skeleton-uwu @donnieluvsthings @intruxiety @thefivecalls @did-he-just-hiss-at-me @gayformlessblob

#sanders sides #ts #intruality #my writing #fanfiction #fanfic #platonic intruality #qpr intruality #patton #remus #ts fanfic #sanders sides fanfiction

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punkpoemprose · 3 years

Text

December 4th- The Movie Date

Universe: 2000′s AU Rating: G (General Audiences) Length: 1720 Words

Note: This fic deals with Kristoff and Anna waiting in line to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in 2007 because for me the 2000′s were pretty much all Harry Potter all the time. I just want to say that while I’ve always been a fan of the Harry Potter series, I am not a fan of JK Rowling and her TERF ideology. If you like this fic please consider donating to The Trevor Project or another charity of your choice that supports trans folks. Trans rights are human rights.

Also on a less important note: I fucked with the timeline a bit because I wanted the last book to have come out before the fifth movie for the plot stuff I could do with it. Technically speaking the last book came out ten days later than the film, but semantics.

If someone had told him a year ago that he would be dressed up in a wizard costume, standing in line for over five hours just to get seats to see a movie, he would have called them crazy. Of course, he’d heard of Harry Potter, even then. It was a cultural phenomenon and really he’d been meaning to read the books at some point, it was just that he was busy with work or it was hockey season, or something came up and he never really found the time to sit down and read the books. That was, of course, all the excuses he’d made before Anna.

He’d met her mostly by mistake while at work. He’d been working on laying up brick for a new fountain in the city park, and she’d been walking a big fluffy white dog by one hand while texting someone on her Nokia with the other, and it hadn’t ended particularly well for anyone involved. The long story short was that she’d broken her arm, he’d needed stitches in his cheek, and the dog, Olaf, had needed to have chunks of fur cut away after cement dried into his fluffy tail.

It had also, coincidentally worked out very well for at least the human parts of the incident as, once they’d finished arguing over who was at fault, they’d also started talking civilly and despite their aches and pains, had actually went out for coffee after the incident. At the time, a Starbucks had just opened in town and it had been the excuse they’d both used, along with the promise of apology coffee, for their first date.

She’d been easy to fall in love with, and when she’d brought up the kids series and her love of it on their first date, he’d finally had the shove he needed to stop making excuses and read them. He didn’t end up loving them nearly so much as she did. He’d never been much of a fantasy guy, but still after hours reading the books and discussing them with her, they’d ordered the movies through Netflix and watched them together as they arrived in the mail.

That was six months before they moved in together. Now, while he still wasn’t as into the series as Anna, he could say that he knew as much as anyone who had finished the series in July when the final book came out. He’d needed to stand in line then too, but it had been worth it to bring it home and watch Anna, who had been sick, marathon the book between breaks for NyQuil and sustenance. The snot and tears he’d endured, laying on the couch with her, her head on his chest, had been all worth it in the end, as the hours in line and the silly costume were now.

The things I do for love.

“Okay, so as soon as they let us in, we’ll snag the best seats. You’re on guard duty while I get popcorn because you look tough.”

He snorted, both at the fact that she had a game plan, and because he really didn’t feel like he looked tough at all in his Gryffindor tie (though he’d been told by Anna, and a quiz she’d found on Quizilla.com, that he was much more of a Hufflepuff) and large black robe. In fact, he felt like he looked a little bit ridiculous, but Anna, in comparison, looked lovely.

She’d decided to dress like Fleur Delacour in her Beauxbaton’s uniform, and he knew that he, by association was meant to be Bill Weasley, something which he not only liked the idea of from a romantic sense, but also by characterization. He’d liked Bill in the books, and for what it was worth, he’d also liked Fleur despite the way other characters looked at her. While he wasn’t sure he was quite brave enough to be Bill, he did like his work ethic, the strong sense of right and wrong he seemed to display, and his love for his family. Anna made an excellent Fleur, particularly in the sense that he found her so lovely that she could certainly have some Veela heritage, even if they were fictional.

“I’ll endeavor to do my best,” he said, only half teasing.

“You’ll do fine I’m sure. I mean they’re only selling as many tickets as they have seats, and it’s been sold out for weeks, so once we get our seats it’s not like anyone can make us move or kick us out or something.”

He nodded, “Honestly Anna I think that everyone is just excited to see the movie, I doubt they’re going to fight us on seats too much.”

“But if they do, we’re going to win.”

He laughed at that. There was a glint in her eye that seemed more like they were about to go to battle than that they were going to walk into a movie theater. He loved her competitive nature, particularly when it wasn’t aimed toward him, in their Livingroom, playing Call of Duty. Her bloodlust was legendary when a win was on the line, and “all is fair in love and war” was the law of the land as soon as the PlayStation turned on.

“So I know you have a rule about soda because whenever you get it you have to pee halfway through the movie, but would you mind grabbing me a cherry coke when you get the popcorn? Because I haven’t had a drink in five hours and I understand the Order of the Phoenix is very important, and I was willing to sacrifice for it, but I’m going to need to drink something soon or I’m going to look like a dementor…”

He trailed off, noticing that Anna wasn’t paying any attention to a word he was saying, but instead was staring off past the pinball machines and crane games that dotted the lobby, straight over to the ticket counter, where a girl, appearing to be around ten, wearing a Quidditch uniform was crying into her extremely frazzled looking mother’s skirt.

“Oh geeze,” Anna said quietly, much lower than when they were explaining their battle plan, “That poor kid. I bet her Mom didn’t think to buy ahead… she probably didn’t realize how popular it was going to be.”

Kristoff frowned, he had a sister about her age, and there was nothing worse than watching her cry over anything. As much as he was wrapped around Anna’s finger, he’d been wrapped around hers first. There were many years, when she was even younger, that he’d bring himself to exhaustion carrying her around on his shoulders, reading her stories, and doing whatever it took to keep her happy. He could only imagine how much more he’d want to please a kid of his own.

“Anna… is she wearing a birthday girl pin on her robe?”

He probably shouldn’t have mentioned it, but he noticed the pink button and crown when she turned and wiped her little eyes.

“It is,” Anna agreed, frowning, “It is definitely a birthday girl pin. I bought Elsa the same one last month… but I don’t think she wore it as proudly as that kid is.”

An announcement was made over the lobby PA system informing the theatergoers that rope drop to enter theaters 1-4 for the release showing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix would be in just five minutes. When Anna quickly ducked under the rope to the side of them that they’d been standing between for five hours, Kristoff smiled to himself, already knowing where she was going.

***

“’Well, I’m glad you listen to Hermione Granger at any rate’, she said, pointing him out of her office.”

Anna snorted, jostling the book, as Kristoff held it with one hand and played with her hair with the other. Her head was rested against his chest on their couch, and despite the late hour they were both still awake and quite comfortable.

“I love how you’re doing your best Maggie Smith impression when you read McGonagall’s parts. It’s almost like I can see it.”

He leaned forward and a bit awkwardly placed a kiss on her forehead as he flipped the book closed. They’d finished Chapter Twelve and while he would start Chapter Thirteen if she wanted him to, a moment to rest was required before they read any further.

“I’m sorry we didn’t actually go see it,” he replied, “But I’m glad that we found something else to do tonight. That little girl and her mom looked like they’d been given a million dollars when you handed them the tickets.”

Anna smiled at that, her eyes fluttering open. Her eyes were still a little sad and at odds with her grin, but he supposed that it only made sense that she was still happy and sad about her decision to give up a night she’d been planning for months to a child she didn’t even know.

“Well I mean… I would want someone to do it for our… I mean my kid. You know, if we… I had one.”

The slip wasn’t unnoticed by him, and setting the book down onto the floor, he pulled her in tighter to his chest, wrapping both arms around her tightly. She squirmed a bit in his embrace, laughing at how between him and the blanket she was all but cocooned.

“Someday,” he said, “Yeah, I would hope someone would do that for our kid. Or you know… kids.”

She stopped squirming and instead hummed appreciatively at his comment.

“Maybe,” she said, “A whole burrow’s worth.”

They’d only briefly talked before about marriage and a family, but he did like the idea of a big family. He had many siblings, and he loved being with them even though he often considered himself a bit of an introvert, but he knew that Anna loved people, and she loved noise. He could imagine her happy in a big house with plenty of smiling faces and loud joyful voices to fill it.

“Someday,” he said confidently, thinking of the end of the final book, her sobbing into his shirt over a happy ending with families and friends and young children who were products of love and loyalty, “Someday Anna we will.”

#kristannaadvent2020 #kristanna #2000's au #frozen fanfiction #harry potter references #tw harry potter #tw jk rowling

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neomikey · 3 years

Text

Contributing to the #RyukoPrompts this month (albeit belatedly), Final Fantasy 14 with my wife and sister-in-law has been helping us to get through the lockdown! After all our time spent running through Eorzea, original adventures inspired by our time playing came to mind...and I thought to write one out.

Enjoy~! :)

The following story’s canon is questionable,

both with the in-game lore and how the characters are presented.

Viewer discretion is advised, void where prohibited,

see store for details, careful of wet floor.

Hear...

Her voice was calm and crystalline.

Hear.... Feel....

The air was warm.

Hear.... Feel.... Listen....

There was great weight to her tone and a quiet urgency.

I am Hydaelyn. I know all...see all...I have seen you...and you are needed.

You will be required for a great task. One of which you must not fail, for to do so would bring great ruin.

The task which you have been given is monumental – you will help to stop a primal where no one else can.

My words...keep them. Remember them. Heed them.

You must not forget, Muto. You must not forget.

Muto blearily opened his eyes. Outside the world was waking. Light was coming in through the window, still orange as the sun started its journey above the horizon. Birds were already in song, announcing to the world that they had survived the dark night. Windows were beginning to light as the people of Gridania awoke.

As he lied in bed, something urgently tugged at Muto's mind. Something desperate. Something important. His eyes shot open.

He was out of toilet tissue.

This was the fourth attempt that Hydaelyn had made to spur the Hrothgar toward his quest.

Stumbling out of bed in his boxers, he rushed for the door and threw it open. Rushing across the small house, he passed by another white-furred Hrothgar and a tired-looking Lalafell who were sitting at a table with mugs. On the side of the beastman's in large block lettering had originally been “#One Brother,” but the number had been messily scratched out and replaced by “#1st”. It was a gift Muto had made while still learning to read and write Eorzean. The Lalafell, meanwhile, had a tankard large enough for a Roegadyn filled to the brim with coffee.

“Just one morning,” Lalinu sighed, “I would like for him to be decent when he comes out of there.”

“Muto is not naked,” Tahro observed.

“A marked improvement,” the Lalafell admitted.

The door to the back was flung open and Muto rushed out. A minute later, he rushed back and stood before them, eyes wide with excitement. “No more emergency!” he announced.

“...I'm sorry?” Lalinu asked. “Wait, no, forget I—”

“Muto thought there was no more toilet tissue, but Muto was wrong!”

“You were wrong about something.” She went to have a drink of coffee. “How about that.”

“Tahro buy,” Tahro informed him. “Tahro also fill up larder. Get groceries. Get good deals.”

“While somebody was out playing adventurer.”

“Muto is real adventurer....” Muto insisted.

“If you got sustainably paid, you could be considered a 'professional' adventurer. Just like how I'm supposed to be a 'professional' accountant.” She had another drink of coffee. “Though I currently lack the dignity that comes with such a position.”

“Muto think Lalinu is great!” He grinned brightly, hoping the smile would affect her mood. It remained as dark as her coffee.

“Muto need a good job,” Tahro informed him. “Get good money. Money not lasting.”

“He's right. It's not.” Lalinu swiveled in her chair, then hopped off. She walked across the kitchen to where her desk was set up, which was a little lower than the Hrothgars' knees. She sifted through the stacks of papers, brought up one, then put on her glasses. “After your last trip to...hold on....” She squinted and leaned in, then removed her glasses and sighed. “I can't even pronounce half these names.... Anyways, your exploits are currently not economically self-sustaining, even cutting back on everything – including feeding that beast in the barn – and your queen's 'adventuring grant' won't last forever.”

“Muto need to do more,” Tahro gently informed Muto. “Cannot keep doing light duties.”

“Grand company have nothing but light duties for Muto!” Muto protested. “So many adventurers in Eorzea! So many legends!” He put a hand to his chest. “But Muto is legend in heart.”

“We know how great you think you are,” Lalinu said after another drink of coffee, “but until you make that a reality, you're under a ticking clock.”

Muto looked above himself. “...where is clock?”

Lalinu gave a throaty sigh of frustration, but Tahro spoke up in her stead. “Lalinu mean...get big job...or no more adventuring.”

It looked for a moment like someone had slapped Muto, as his expression went from shock to heart-rending sadness. His ears drooped, his tail went limp, and he looked like he was about to cry. However, the moment was brief, as moments later, his ears went back up, he brought his fists near his chest, and he bore a determined expression.

“Muto get help!”

The world was warm and comfortable. She was a ball. A warm, fluffy, pink ball. All was well in the world.

And then she woke up.

“Miyu...!”

“Mm....”

“Miyu, hey...!”

“Nuhhhh....”

“Come on, it's time to get up.”

“Nuhhhhh...!”

“Don't 'nuhhhh' me. You asked me to get you up.”

A pink tail emerged from the blanket ball and began to angrily swish. “That was before it was morning....”

“I even let you sleep in a little,” Ryuko said, poking Miyu through her hammock.

The blanket ball tightened. “Then you can let me sleep in more.”

“If you sleep in more, you're going to miss all the good jobs.”

“Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmhh.” The blanket ball loosened and Miyu's head poked out. Her hair was skewed to one side and only one eye was open. “You know how unfair this is.”

Ryuko stood before her already clad in her dragoon armor, leaning on her spear. “Oh, I know, but Eorzea isn't gonna help itself.”

“Why not?” Miyu tucked herself back into the blanket ball. “Seriously. People treat us like their servants sometimes. Like...picking mushrooms a little outside the city's walls. 'I'll give you 50 gil to get ten for me!' Get them yourself! Seriously, the creatures outside are not bad if you don't bother them. We have other things to worry about, we're not here to do your chores for you.”

She heard the Au Ra's boots walking away. “Technically speaking, that's exactly what we're here to do – do whatever people pay us to.”

“Well, some of us have standards....”

Ryuko's boots came back. “Are you getting up?”

“In a moment....”

There was a pause. “Moment's up!”

The carbuncle was dropped into the hammock and immediately starting rooting through the blanket to find an opening, while Miyu's limbs flailed. “Ack! Twitchums! No! Stop! Off!” His nose found Miyu's face, then eagerly started licking. “TWITCHUMS!!”

The hammock twisted from all the activity, dumping Miyu and Twitchums on the floor, followed by the blanket, which fell and draped over half of Miyu's face. Ryuko did her best to hide her amusement. “Glad you're up!”

“That was meeeeaaan...!” Miyu whined, pushing Twitchums away. He was trying to jump up on her chest to lick her face, both because he loved her and because it was time for breakfast. He was a bright, shining topaz color, indicating how thrilled he was to see the Miqo'te.

“You asked me to get you up,” said Ryuko as she turned and headed for the door.

“I'm asking you for less next time...” grumbled Miyu. She stroked Twitchums's head, making his tails twitch in delight.

“Go and get ready soon!” Ryuko waved from the door. “I'm sure you're gonna get a great job today!”

“It's Declan,” he said, flashing a bright, sly smile, “but you can call me 'Dec.'”

The Viera lady looked to the Miqo'te less than enthused.

“Y'know, I'm kinda big around these parts,” Declan went on. “I took out some primals singlehandedly, you know. Like Titan? Yeah, that was me. I even took his crystal, just because I felt like it. I sold it for a million gil, even though I didn't need the money. Did I mention I was rich?” He flashed the Viera a bright smile again, who returned a flat stare.

“Declan,” said someone behind him.

“Not now,” he said, waving the person away. “Okay, okay,” he went on to the Viera, “I've got a secret...but you've gotta promise not to tell anyone.”

She just stared.

“I...am actually one of the original Warriors of Light. I know! I know, but it's true! I was there when Bahamut broke out. I was actually right by Louisoix's side. I told everyone, 'Get out of here and I'll protect you!' I was gonna save everyone, but Louisoix decided to hog the glory. He totally stole my idea.”

“Declan.”

“Not now.” He leaned against the wall, still eyeing the Viera. “So, I wouldn't call myself a 'legendary hero,' but some people do. I just was trying to do what was right, y'know? However, I'd love to have lunch with ya. I know this lovely place near the Steps of Nald. My treat! You like Lalafell cooking?”

The lady sighed. “I'm gay.” Then she walked off.

“All right! All right, that's fine! Hey, you do you! Just making polite conversation!” She wasn't stopping. Declan sighed, his ears lowering a bit, then looked to a nearby man in a hooded white robe with glasses. “What do you think, Bo? You wanna try?”

“No, Declan...” he wearily sighed.

“Awww, you're no fun....” Bo hadn't been “fun” ever since he had become a white mage and swore a vow of celibacy. Declan ran his fingers through his hair, then turned to face the young, dark-skinned man. He had a metal-clad grimoire hanging from his belt and waiting with his arms crossed. “Yeah?”

“About time.”

“I was doing important business, thank you.”

Enzo took a hardboiled egg out of his pocket and bit into it through the shell. “Does Kijhon'a know about this 'business?'”

“Hey, I was just being friendly is all! Just making a lady feel welcome!”

“Sure, whatever.” Enzo tilted his head. “I've got a lead on a job. A big one, and I could use your help.”

“Ehh?” Declan arched a brow. “Well...maybe. Maybe. What's it paying?”

Enzo inwardly cringed. He knew this might be where things fell apart. “Technically, it doesn't.”

“Not interested,” Declan immediately responded.

“It's a Garlean facility,” Enzo went on. “It's currently lightly guarded. I've got a lead on—”

“Ehh....” Declan gave a dismissive wave, then walked off.

“You can have a share of whatever we find inside!” Enzo called after him. Declan turned a corner, then was gone. Enzo's ears flattened, while his hand went to the ring on his necklace and rubbed it while in thought. As much of a blowhard as Declan was, he did have considerable skill, which was exactly what Enzo needed right then.

Enzo popped the rest of the egg into his mouth. If Declan was out, what other options did Enzo have? His sister, sure, but he could guarantee she would say “no” straight-out. This wasn't something that he could entrust to just anyone at the grand company either, as secrecy and decorum would be needed, and the grand companies documented everything.

“Hmm....”

There was an idea. Not the best one, but it would work...enough.

Miyu waded through the crowds. She was running a little behind, both because she had been tired, plus Twitchums had decided to take his time with “doing his business.” What made this situation all the worse is that it was Tuesday, meaning that all the week's fresh jobs were just posted. Miyu mused that maybe this week, people were still recovering from the last one and weren't likely to be out there this early.

Seeing the grand company's building, her heart sank. She was definitely wrong.

A large crowd of adventurers clustered in front of the building. Some were crowding around the posting boards, while others were waiting in line to talk with representatives. It was always surprising to her how most of the larger races hardly ever stepped on the smaller ones, particularly the Lalafell. If she were a giant, she could see herself being lost in her own world, but then again, it was likely taught to them from a young age to be mindful of the small ones.

Getting to the board, she likely wouldn't find too many good postings left. Her best bet would be to wait in line with everyone and to see what someone of her rank could get. Given her record of...nothing big or impressive...it likely wouldn't be much. But she had been consistent, at least!

Speaking of which....

Someone who was determined to be an adventurer, even if he just got duties picking mushrooms, was a Hrothgar she was always happy to see. Regular as ever, she always saw him in line at this time. While waiting, he was looking to the large postings, reading them and slowly sounding out the words to himself as he did.

“Muto!” Miyu called, jumped, and waved. Despite her best efforts, it was all for naught. His full concentration was on trying to sound out “tyrannic coeurl.”

Miyu knit her brows, then knelt down and gave Twitchums a stroke from head to tail. “Eee!” squeaked the carbuncle.

“Where's Muto?” she asked. Twitchums's tails went up. “Wheeeeere's Muto?” The carbuncle eagerly looked about, his nose snuffling at a surprising speed. His tails flicked about wildly as he concentrated, seeking out his quarry, until his eyes locked on the Hrothgar. “There he is!”

Twitchums shot off like a bullet. He nearly collided with a Lalafell as he went past, snaked through the crowd, and the next thing Muto knew, there was a carbuncle who was so happy it was bordering on gold pawing at his leg. It took Muto a moment to realize he knew this carbuncle, then broke into a wide smile.

“Oh!! Is Twitchums!!” He bent down and scooped up Twitchums, who eagerly went to wash Muto's face. “Are here alone? Is not good to be alone! ...wait, is Twitchums here to be adventurer?!” The Hrothgar became incredibly excited. “Oh!! Muto teach you everything!!”

“Mutooooo!!”

The carbuncle's ears flicked, then wriggled out of Muto's grip and ran back towards Miyu. The Hrothgar followed his path, then brightened up.

“Is Miyu!! Hello!!”

“Muto!” Miyu called over the din of the crowd. “Wanna adventure together?”

“Miyu and Muto be party?”

“Yeah!” She nodded. “Let's party up!”

“Join Muto!!”

The crowd was thick and unmoving, and prodding a couple Hyur's in fur-trimmed armor to ask to get by only got Miyu dirty looks. She then eyed a nearby street lamp, shimmied up it, then – at Muto's encouragement – leapt straight for him. He caught Miyu, and after a bit of shuffling, she crouched perched on his shoulders while holding onto his horn for support. She could feel the glares of the Hyurs who initially spurned her, and simply playfully swished her tail back and forth at them.

“Next.”

“Hello!” Muto greeted the Elezen representative.

She blinked in surprise at seeing the Miqo'te perched on top of the Hrothgar, but neither of the pair paid it any mind.

“Badges, please.”

Muto passed hers down to Muto, then he placed them onto the counter, smiling brightly to her, hoping his smile could at least pass on to this person. As it turned out, working customer service did not make the Elezen feel like smiling.

“Okay, two one-stars. Are you working together?”

“Muto and Miyu make best team!” Muto affirmed.

“Uh huh. All right, we have plenty of one-star jobs. If you're interested in working locally, there's a farmer who has had some kobolds spotted near her farm. It looks like she'd love to have some able-bodied adventurers on hand to scare them off...or permanently deal with them if it comes down to it. Until they make a move, though, she would love to have some help harvesting her crops. That will be 200 gil and 50 points towards your next rank. Sound good?”

Muto perked up, happy to have work at all, completely forgetting what Tahro and Lalinu had said earlier. “Muto think sounds g—”

“Wait...wait, wait, hold on.” Miyu's tail began to angrily swish. “You're dealing with two one-stars...and you're giving us farm duty? That should be a zero-star job! We qualify for at least a two-star.”

The Elezen gave a weary sigh, and in her best customer service voice, she repeated what she had many times before. “The stars in your rank do not accumulate when doing jobs together. You can only do jobs at your current rank or below, except in special exceptions. Those exceptions are when requested specifically by a higher-ranking adventurer or in times of great peril. Is there a third member to your party who is above you in rank?” She paused only long enough to see the tell-tale facial expressions that said “no.” “Then in that case, you'll have to take one of the one- or zero-star jobs, and at the moment, this farm job is the best one I have to offer you. Tuesday jobs are first-come, first-serve.”

“Muto think that sounds gr—”

“Come on!” Miyu pleaded, leaning further down and out, yet somehow keeping her balance. “Do you know how long we've been working? How much we've been trying and trying to rank up? We've been grinding for who knows how long! Week after week doing these one- and zero-stars, just wanting a chance at a two star! Just a chance to make an impression, to show how truly amazing we are! Haven't you ever wanted just a chance? And here you are, the only person able to give us – us great adventurers with greater promise – that chance we need. You are the gatekeeper and we are horses, only wanting to get through the doors, wanting to gallop on our way through to the beflowered fields promised to us. We want to truly spread our wings in the skies of—”

“If I give you a two-star, will you stop the monologue?”

“Yes.”

A paper was shoved towards Muto.

“Next,” she called, looking past the pair.

Muto and Miyu made their way out, looking over the assignment.

“M-mee...” Muto sounded out. “...meerk...meer-ka-haynt....”

Finally hopping off his shoulders, Miyu leaned into Muto and dragged her finger along the page. “Merchant seeking protection along road from Gridania to Ul'dah. See, says here they're departing tonight and are looking for at least two guards. Well...with you, me, Twitchums, and maybe some friends, I'd say we have this one in the bag!”

A fairy flew by, making tinkling noises and illuminating the page before flying off.

“Muto did not bring bag....” said Muto bashfully, suddenly worried about his bag-less status.

“No, it's...ahh, nevermind.” Miyu had tried explaining metaphors before, including cracking the joke “I never metaphor I didn't like!” In response, Muto had given the smile that said he had no idea what Miyu was saying, but he was very happy that she was enjoying herself. “Either way, we have an actual two-star! Sheesh, trying to give us farm duty, pff, go eat a chode, we're adventurers, not bloody farmers.”

“Muto sometimes get bloody when doing farm work! Weeds are spiky....”

“That's why you wear gloves, Muto.”

“Muto strong. What does not kill Muto make three mistakes – not kill Muto, make Muto stronger, make Muto angry!” He grinned, showing off his teeth, then punched into his palm. “Muto kill and eat, just to show how tough Muto is! Weeds taste bad, though. And make tongue bleed. But Muto show them.”

“Muto, please don't say not killing you is a mistake.” Miyu rubbed at his arm. “The world would be less without you in it.”

“Oh, Muto not leaving!” He flexed hard and showed off his bicep. “Muto too strong for that! Plus Muto have Miyu!”

“And Enzo?” said another voice.

“Enzo?” Both Muto and Miyu looked over. The Hrothgar immediately reacted upon seeing the dark-skinned Miqo'te. “Oh!! Muto have Enzo today!!”

Enzo was leaning against a nearby building with his fairy Eos fluttering near his shoulder. “Meowdy.” His cool demeanor was quickly replaced by mild panic as the ground shook and a shadow overtook him. The next moment, he found his feet off the ground and himself in Muto's tight embrace. “Hrrk!!”

“Enzo, hey!” Miyu greeted him. “You already go through the line?”

“Hhhhhh...!”

“Muto, let go.”

Muto did. Enzo took a moment to get air back into his lungs and straightened out his coat. “Good to see you guys too. Bit...less tight next time, hey, Muto?”

“Muto sorry.” He grinned brightly, showing off his fangs. “Just happy to see Enzo!”

“Always mutual.” He flicked an ear, then took a boiled egg out of his pocket. “Egg?”

“Okay!” Muto took it and shoved it into his pocket. “Have later.”

Enzo brought out another. “You?”

Miyu lowered an ear. “I'm...fine, thanks.”

Enzo shrugged, then bit into the shell. “To answer your question, no, I haven't gone through the line. I don't need to. Came here to get some help, actually....”

Miyu squinted, suddenly very suspicious. “You didn't 'need' to go through the line? What, did you get a job elsewhere?”

“More or less.” He quirked a brow. “You two interested?”

Muto looked down at the paper in his hands. His ears went back slightly as he concentrated, trying to decide.

“Well, first off, what kind of job are we looking at here?” asked Miyu. “This have a ranking?”

“It's...an independent venture.”

That term – sometimes called an IV – was always a bit scary. Adventurers may come upon a task that needed doing, and instead of going through the paperwork of posting a job and seeking additional adventurers in an officially sanctioned job, they sought to resolve the problems themselves. Once the IV had finished, it was documented, submitted, and appropriate ranking points were assigned.

While in the past, adventurers had said certain troublesome events were “IVs” to give themselves an excuse, the grand companies quickly put harsh restrictions and punishments into place. Extremely foolhardy ventures – such as trying to assassinate a foreign dignitary and potentially starting a war – were punished so severely that getting put to death was an option. Retroactively saying something was an IV as an excuse for causing trouble or damage was severely punished, with it not uncommon to to lose one's adventuring license entirely, or at least a few ranks. The same punishment went with falsified IVs.

IVs were always a gamble, though. While the grand companies could at least guarantee payment and ranking points, there was no such guarantee in an IV. Even if adventurers barely made it out by the skin of their teeth, if they accomplished little or had nothing to show for their time, they would likely get little in regards to advancing their rank. However, the benefit was that IVs were not limited by rank or the number of adventurers allowed to join, meaning a great amount of money and advancement could be open to anyone.

“Go on...” Miyu said slowly.

“Not just yet. This's a hot job, big reward, and shouldn't be too tough, but I first need to know if you want to join me.”

“Sounds too good to be true. Where'd you get this?”

“Long story.”

“Shorten it.”

“I've got sources. Good and reliable ones.” He reached into his pocket, dug around, then made a face. He pulled out a white rat, which looked at him with wide, curious eyes, then handed it to Miyu. “Hold this, would ya?”

“Wh—?”

He then pulled out a rolled-up communique. “A little chocobo told me about a nearly abandoned facility that's ripe for picking through.”

“'Nearly' abandoned?” The rat scampered to Miyu's shoulder.

“A couple leftover guards, they're basically just babysitting the place now. Easy pickings. And you don't have to worry, they're not 'good guys' by any stretch.”

“Mmmmm...”

Enzo motioned with his chin at Muto's paper. “What rank's that mission?”

“Oh!” Muto held out the paper proudly. “Is two-star! Miyu is best ne-go-shee-ater!”

Enzo got a lopsided smile, proud of their accomplishment. “Well look at you! You're moving up!”

The rat climbed up to Miyu's head, where Eos flitted near to investigate. “We're looking at 700 points for this job.” Miyu then snorted derisively. “She was trying to give us something with 50, can you believe that?”

“Yeah.” Enzo shrugged. “It's kinda unfair to us lowbies like that.” He took a moment to look between them with a twinkle in his eye. “...but what would you two say to a four-star?”

“...I'm sorry?”

“IS FOUR-STAR?!”

“Shhhh!!” Enzo and Miyu hissed at Muto.

Muto clapped his hands over his mouth, while Miyu recomposed herself. “Okay, this is definitely sounding too good to be true. How is it a four-star?”

He moved the hand holding the communique, showing the emblem stamped beneath. “It's Garlean, but don't let that scare you.”

“Don't let that scare me?! Just the Garlean empire, nothing threatening....” Her sarcasm was interrupted as another thought came to her. “And what's the pay?”

“A third of whatever we find over there.”

“And what should we expect to find?”

“That's all a bit—”

The unseen hand of Hydaelyn nudged Muto's memory.

Muto gasped and clapped a hand heavily on Miyu's shoulder. “Oh!! Muto remember!! Tahro say to get big job! Or Muto have to stop adventuring!” He shook Miyu, making her head bounce about and dislodged the rat. “Is Muto's big chance! Show Tahro! Show Lalinu! Show queen! Show the world!”

“M-Muto....”

“Muto help Enzo!”

“But what about our job tonight?”

“Muto know math!” He was excited to share his academics. “Four is bigger than two!”

“He has a point,” Enzo chimed in.

Miyu looked between the two. They were both looking at her with wide, expectant faces. She gave a heavy sigh, then poked a finger into Enzo's chest. “All right...but we're trusting you! If this IV is a bust, you're going to be the one to pay the gil, all right?”

“Sure, yeah, that's fine! Let's say...500 gil if things don't pan out?”

Miyu squinted. Her shrewdness was kicking in. She knew she could negotiate for something a great deal higher, but Enzo was a friend...and she was curious exactly what they would find in this Garlean place anyways.

“Deal.”

“And you, Muto?”

“Huh?” His attention had gone to Eos, hovering above Enzo's head.

“Is 500 gil acceptable?”

“Okay! Umm....” He held up the paper with the two-star adventure. “Should Muto share?”

“Oh, that?” Enzo shrugged. “Yeah, just pass it along to someone else.” He turned to Miyu. “So...out in eastern Thanalan, there's this Garlean lab....”

While Enzo explained the job, Muto looked down at the two-star adventure, then to the crowd. He saw a frustrated Au Ra wandering away from the company building. It was the telltale sign of a poor adventure...and Muto had the solution. He wandered away, while Enzo continued his explanation.

Its breath was thick, and stank of blood and meat. Its lip were curled back in a permanent snarl, showing every single dagger-like tooth, while ichor-like saliva dripped from between them. Its teeth were literally the subject of horror stories, capable of piercing flesh and bone easily. Its jaws were powerful enough to crunch all manner of alloyed metal, whether it was armor or the side of an airship. Each claw was like a curved saber, able to rend its prey to pieces with a single swipe. Its muscles were beyond natural, fueled purely by aether and pure menace. Its kind had killed countless and would kill countless more. “Nightmare” was not enough of a description for the beast. To be seen by one was to already be counted as dead.

“Smoo-thie!”

It was an odd stroke of fate that a behemoth had ended up in the care of Muto. It was a hassle to care for, but nobody wanted to take it for domestic purposes, Muto refused to give it to those who intended it for battle, and him and Tahro seemed to be the only ones to whom Smoothie seemed to listen.

Pupil-less eyes swiveled onto Muto as he approached, carrying a fresh pig carcass behind him. Smoothie growled, and even in the warm climate, a cloud of breath could be seen.

“Muto got you nummies!”

He tossed the pig over the top of the cage, where it slipped through the bars before falling. Smoothie caught it in its jaws, and bit down, causing a small spray of blood against the side of its enclosure. Muto leaned against the outside of the stall, his tail swishing back and forth contentedly as he watched the behemoth feed.

“Are hungry, neh? No worries! Muto off to do big job! Can get even bigger pig next time!” He reached through a patted one of the behemoth's horns. “But am sorry, is in Thanalanalan. Smoothie is too big to go on airship!”

There was a loud crack of bone and spray of viscera.

“Awww, don't be sad! Muto is sorry, but will definitely try to take Smoothie on next big mission! Will try to get one in Gridania! Muto knows Smoothie likes hunting for deer!”

Smoothie shook its head, flicking droplets of blood across Muto's armor.

“There you go! Now you behave! Muto loves you!” He kissed his fingers, then put them to Smoothie's horn, before absently wiping away the blood.

He walked to the neighboring stall where his chocobo was caged. For some reason, it was always wide-eyed and nervous.

“Hello, Legbird! Time for adventure!”

The desert sun was high, but it barely reached them.

The storm had been sudden and filled with rage. The world was roaring. Wind violently whipped the sand about, shoving them about as their chocobos struggled onward. Enzo led the pack, all while keeping his grimoire open, its pages emitting a barely visible light.

Each of them wore caps that had been customized to fit over their cat ears, while goggles protected their eyes and scarves covered their lower faces. The chocobos had been given similar head protection, with glass shielding over their eyes and an insulated covering that went over their beaks.

Enzo held up a hand to halt. With one hand holding the grimoire open, the other reached into his pocket, then withdrew a scope. He scanned in the distance, tapped a switch a few times, then grinned to himself.

Turning to the others, he gave a thumbs-up and enthusiastic nod.

“You'd think there would've been something in the weather report.”

“What?”

“I said, you'd think there would have been something in the weather report!”

The other man gave a helpless shrug. He only heard half of what was said, but agreed with the sentiment. Things had been miserable ever since the main arm of the Garlean empire had pulled out. Insurgent forces had set up a fantastic base there in Thanalan, which was to be a hub of operations. However, due to a lack of resources – both material and personnel – and with the staff already there, it instead became a self-sufficient laboratory.

It was a risk having a lightly guarded Garlean base so close to Ul'dah, but it was a calculated risk. They were able to glean bits of intel regarding Ul'dah to occasionally send back to Garlemald, while the handful of scientists continued their research.

All the while, they held onto hope that the Garlean empire would make a push into central Eorzean lands once again, they would have a seat of power in Thanalan already ready for them, and everyone there could finally return to their lives in Garlemald.

Admittedly, life hadn't been too bad. It could be boring, even. The guards took shifts in their camouflaged watch box, nestled under an outcrop of rock that disguised the entrance and gave them shade. Cooled air piped in from the main facility made even the hottest days pleasant. All the while, the scientists continued working on...whatever it was they did. Something about crystals...of course. It was always crystals.

This sandstorm had rattled the guards, though, because their schedules depended upon sandstorms. Every time there was to be one, a cart would either leave or return with supplies hours before a storm hit, which would then hide the tracks leading to the base. Sure, someone could follow the cart, but they had had training and tools to help them detect when they were being followed or spied upon. This system had been working for them for years. However, the sandstorm predictions had been inaccurate before. This one, though, was particularly harsh.

One of the guards squinted out through his view port, then turned to his comrade. “I thought I saw movement!” he shouted over the rush of the storm.

“There's a lot of movement!” The man smiled. “It's the sand!”

He just got a flat glare in response.

A Miqo'te stumbled through the sand to the shelter of the overhanging rock. It wasn't much, but it was at least some kind of shelter. Her face was bare and grimacing, and she held her hands over her ears to prevent sand from getting in. She drew close against the wall and tightly pulled her knees to her chest with her eyes closed.

The two guards looked to each other. This was a problem. They could wait out the storm and hope she left once it had passed. However, if she stayed there long enough, she might take notice of the disguised doors. They had done what they could to keep up maintenance, but years with only what scant supplies they could get from Ul'dah without raising suspicion had left some telltale chipping, uneven edges, and a silhouette if you knew what to look for.

The guards pantomimed to each other about what to do. One was silently saying they should kill her, while the other one was pleading to leave her alone. Their silent argument was becoming more heated, until they heard her speaking.

“Please...! Please help...!”

Their hands froze mid-conversation.

Was she talking to them or praying?

A large stone punched through the wall of the watch box, hitting the one guard in the face, rocking his head back and into the wall, where he slid to the floor.

“Witch, you're about to—!”

The remaining guard took up his rifle, wrenched open the door, and ran into a wall of armor and muscle. Muto picked him up by the face, slammed his head into the rock wall, then let him fall.

Twitchums was low the ground, wearing his own pair of custom goggles. Flecks of energy came off him, fresh from manipulating the earth. Miyu walked over and eagerly petted him. “Good boy...!” He eagerly twitched his tails, then sneezed, sending out sparks.

Within moments, the sandstorm was gone, revealing Enzo in the midst of it. He brought up the grimoire, blew off the remaining sand, then clapped it shut. “That's always a fun spell...!”

He opened a pouch, allowing Eos to fly out and perch on his shoulder. Muto, meanwhile, raised up the goggles and lowered his scarf, then looked to the body at his feet. “Muto hit harder than meant to....”

“They're bad guys,” Miyu said, doing her best to empty out all the sand that had collected in her robes. “It's okay.”

“Should Muto kill?”

“Yeah, go ahead,” said Enzo disinterestedly.

“No!” Miyu shot him a glare, then looked up to Muto. “Only kill if you have to.”

Enzo sighed, looking up. “You know they're gonna wake up eventually....”

“Yeah, but we don't have to be murderers! We're better than that!”

“And what would you suggest?”

Miyu thought a moment, then snapped her fingers. Not even a minute later, thanks to Twitchums manipulating the sand, the two unconscious guards were buried up to their necks in the sand, and thanks to a magic marker, each one bore three whisker marks on their cheeks.

“Perfect!”

“Happy?”

“Very.”

Miyu handed the marker back to Enzo, who put it back in his pocket. Enzo procured an egg from his pocket, did his best to dust off the sand, then bit into it. “So inside, there'll likely be a small leftover contingent of guards, but they're not on active duty, so we hit them hard...and after that'll just be the scientists. We should be able to deal with them.”

“'Deal' how?” asked Miyu, squinting at Enzo.

“Just trust me.”

“No killing.”

“Trust me.”

“Muto trust!” offered Muto.

“Muto trusts me,” repeated Enzo.

“Mmmmm....” Miyu stayed squinting for a long moment, pointed to her eyes, then pointed to Enzo.

“Oh, stop that,” he said, carelessly waving her away and stepping past. “I'm not a monster.”

“Muto is not monster either!” He seemed eager to share that bit of information. “Am beast. Is like monster, but with better manners.”

Going inside the wrecked watch box, Enzo found a keypad. He unrolled the communique, then tapped in the code.

“Anything complicated?” asked Miyu.

“Just an alphanumeric code,” shrugged Enzo. “It's literally 'G1234.'”

Hitting the final key, there was a heavy “ch-chunk” from the outside wall, a hiss, then the rock face slowly slid open, revealing the way inside. The interior was a mix of rock and metal with bright lights evenly spaced along the ceiling, with occasional signs marking the way to various areas.

“You take point, Muto,” instructed Enzo.

“Huh?”

“You stay in the front and protect us,” Miyu clarified.

“Okay!”

Muto unsheathed his axe, Miyu and Enzo opened their grimoires, and slowly they started down the hall. They froze as they heard approaching footsteps.

“Nar,” came a sleepy grumble, “I swear, if you're coming in to use the can again—”

She emerged from a side door, where her eyes met Muto's.

Muto smiled.

The lady pulled her head back just in time to avoid the axe swinging down. Se turned and started to run towards a security alcove. Muto grabbed a hand axe from his belt and lobbed it at the retreating woman's head. The axe whirled end over end, before it impacted into her head...with the handle. She stumbled, which was further exacerbated by rising stones. Twitchums was at Miyu's feet, hunched down, glowing, and growling.

The guard recovered just in time to see a charging Muto bearing down on her, and the last thing she saw was a fist the size of her head flying right at her face. She was knocked back into a rack where a number of cards were hung, knocking them all to the floor, then fell to the floor herself.

There was a door next to the rack. The large squad of guards within and the three adventurers saw each other.

“Uhh....” said everyone.

The guards grabbed their rifles and Muto slammed the metal door. He pressed himself hard against it, while feeling the guards behind it hammering on and slamming into the door.

“Muto cannot hold forever!” There was the sound of gunfire and divots appearing on the door. “Muto does not want to get shot!”

Enzo's eyes went to the pile of cards on the floor. “Help him with the door!” he ordered Miyu.

“Twitchums, go!” Her command sounded in the carbuncle's mind. Twitchums turned red, a chunk of the bare rock wall came loose, then flew forward to help pin the door in place.

Sifting through the keycards, Enzo found the one he was looking for, slotted it into a nearby console, and his fingers danced across the keys.

Deet. Click-ck.

“There. You two can stop.” He looked flatly to Miyu. “And without killing.”

“Thank you,” she chirped. Twitchums went from red to a light topaz, twitching his tails gleefully.

Enzo rolled his eyes, then began sifting through the pile of cards. “You know, trying not to kill anyone is going to make going through here that much harder. We're here to finish a mission, not make friends with literal villains.” He turned his mouth. “...and how many bloody duplicate cards are there?!”

“Muto wouldn't mind making friends....” He crouched near the unconscious lady. “Should Muto take her back?” He started contemplating if it would be easy to add a new friend to the loot they would be taking back.

“Don't,” Enzo said, distractedly, “she probably has diseases. There!” He was finding card after card with A, B, and D, but only then did he find C.

There was a lot of yelling behind the locked door. Muto looked to it, then pointed his thumb to it. “Should Muto open door and quiet them?”

Enzo groaned and started off. “Come on,” coaxed Miyu, gently taking his wrist and leading him on.

As they walked the halls, it was rather obvious the place was unfinished. Garlemald had sent what supplies they could, but when the supply route had been disrupted, those who were left there made due with what they could. The base had seemingly been integrated into a cave system, and many walls had been left exposed to the rock surfaces beneath. A surprising number of halls ended up going to dead ends.

It helped with navigation, as construction had prioritized lighting in areas where people worked or traveled. There were occasional maps posted, though most had been minorly vandalized, both because many of the places on there had never been built, the staff did get bored, and it wasn't like any Garlean officials were there to stop them.

“We're aiming to go...here.” Enzo pointed to a large circular room. “This's where their main project should be.”

“Wait, there's a project?” Miyu guffawed.

“Well, yeah.” Enzo raised an eyebrow. “What, you thought it was just a no-name lab we were going to loot? Take some cool science equipment, take the Garlean empire down a beg?”

“You didn't specify!”

“You didn't ask.” Miyu made a strangled noise of frustration, with her tail shooting up behind her in annoyance, while Enzo went on unabated. “It's a little bit of navigating, as you can see, but that shouldn't be too bad. Thanks to my friends—” He fanned out the key cards. “—it'll be a straight shot through. Here, though...we'll be passing by the main lab. We'll likely be dealing with quite a few scientists then.”

“Muto need to deal with?” He looked between Enzo and Miyu, unsure how he should define “deal with.”

“I've got this,” Enzo said coolly before confidently walking on. Miyu squinted judgmentally from behind him while Muto looked about wide-eyed. He'd never been in a secret base before!

Eventually, there was noise ahead. Enzo looked around the corner, then sighed in frustration. There were so many more down there than he had anticipated.

“The scientists?” asked Miyu.

“The scientists,” confirmed Enzo. Miyu crossed her arms in thought, followed by Muto doing the same, imitating her.

“It would be a bad idea if we were to go in with weapons swinging,” Enzo sighed. “They could trigger an alarm or could fight back. I'm sure there's plenty of Garlean fighting tactics in their heads....”

“Muto fight them all?” offered the Hrothgar. “Muto is best at fighting!”

“No,” Enzo and Miyu said at the same time.

They stood there together in silence, thinking on how best to proceed. As they did, Enzo noted Eos floating past his vision.

“Hmmm....”

Miyu was looking down at her feet and saw Twitchums staring up inquisitively at her.

“Hmmm....”

Muto looked between his companions, confused.

“Hmmm?”

It was an average day for the Garlean scientists. They had several crystals hooked up to various electrodes, screens with graphs, and nearly incalculable amounts of data pouring through their system. It was entirely normal. Almost boring.

“WHY IS THAT IN HERE?!”

And then there was a fairy riding a carbuncle through the lab.

Twitchums burst through the door, running as hard as he could, while Eos did her best to steer him. They specifically darted between and near people's legs, leaving a trail of chaos. Under chairs, over tables, through carefully calibrated equipment. One scientist went to bar their way, but Twitchums jumped on his face, then springboarded over a handful of others behind him.

Twitchums was having the time of his life.

Eos looked bored.

While the scientists had been going about their business in labs and walking in the halls, they were now clustering together, trying to capture this wild animal. People were crowding into the lab, aiming to block the doors or to help catch the carbuncle.

Eos piloted Twitchums for the door, and with a kick of her heels, urged him to ride as hard as he could.

“Ready?” someone asked. They had a labcoat spread out, ready to use as a makeshift net. Twitchums and Eos drew closer, and they weren't stopping.

“Now!”

There was a fierce roar behind them. They stumbled and turned back to see a Hrothgar towering over them, fangs bared, eyes fierce, and axe in hand. Twitchums jumped over the startled scientists onto Muto's shoulder. Looking to the crowd of people, he twitched his tails in satisfaction.

Deet.

The fire shutters slammed down across all windows and doors, trapping all the scientists within the lab.

Enzo shoved the keycard in his pocket, withdrew another hardboiled egg, then popped it entirely in his mouth. “Tha' wash ee-ee....”

“Twitchums, you were so good!” Miyu cooed, walking over to him perched atop Muto's shoulder. Eos took flight, dutifully resuming her place by Enzo's side. Twitchums hopped down from Muto's shoulder to Miyu's awaiting arms, then eagerly licked her face. Enzo, meanwhile, nodded to Eos and she nodded back.

After that, it was no problem continuing through the facility. Behind the fire shutters, the trio could hear the trapped scientists banging and shouting. Twitchums walked alongside Miyu with a proud step, satisfied with the chaos he had caused, while Eos hovered along stoically. Muto followed along, though occasionally stopping and pressing his ear against one of the shutters.

At one point, he pulled back his fist, about to bang back, but Miyu caught his arm and lead him on. “Leave them alone for now,” she gently goaded.

Cables and general wiring grew more and more condensed as they continued along the hall. Enzo's pace picked up as they grew closer.

“You never told us about what we're specifically trying to find....”

“It's condensed aether,” Enzo casually said. “Pooled and experimented on. Basically, a certain crystal. All I want from here is that, and literally everything else here can be yours.”

“Ohhhhh...!” Muto's eyes were wide. “Muto get secret base...!”

“Probably...not,” Miyu corrected. “Ul'dah is more than likely to come down hard on this place. This is in their jurisdiction and is a matter of national security, so they'll likely have their army take it over and conduct a thorough investigation.” She quirked a smile. “However, before they get here, there's nothing saying that if it's not nailed down, you can't take it...!”

“It's mostly rivets here anyways...” Enzo observed.

“Muto get so much stuff...!”

The hallway wound around, until they arrived at a heavy industrial door with a console to the side. Above the door in large, block letters was “INCUBATION CHAMBER.”

“In...in...innnnkoooo....”

“What...form is your aether?” Miyu asked hesitantly.

Enzo slid the D card through the console, his fingers danced across the keys, and the door hissed open, followed by two more doors.

The chamber within was enormous. It was a large concrete dome. The floor of the chamber was almost entirely sand, with raised platforms going around the perimeter and a walkway leading straight into the middle.

“There we are....” Enzo said, smiling to himself, confidently walking in and starting down the central walkway.

“Enzo, what's going on?” Miyu demanded.

“Just here for the aether is all.”

At the end of the walkway in the center of the chamber was something organic. As they drew closer, they found it was...a creature. It was short, fat, large, and fleshy. It was reminiscent of a large brown toad, in that it's head seemed to take up most of its body. In fact, the party wasn't sure where its arms and legs were. It had brown skin, four deformed horns that wound about in random directions, and large bulbous eyes that stared in different directions. It looked incredibly dumb.

“Hack!” it noised.

“What...is that?”

“Hack!”

“A massive repository of experimental aether,” Enzo said matter-of-factly. “Drawing upon the streams deep within the planet, they twisted and gave the energy form, and it's what you see here.”

“They created a creature?” Miyu leaned over, trying not to step on the sand.

“In a sense.”

“Hack!”

Twitchums leaned in and sniffed eagerly at the thing, nose to nose. One eye briefly looked to the carbuncle, then back to staring at nothing in particular.

“Wait....” Miyu squinted at him. “You want us to take this thing with us? It's huge! And, y'know, alive!”

“Oh, that won't be a problem.” Enzo motioned to the creature. “Muto, please kill it.”

“Okay!” Muto eagerly agreed.

“What?!” Miyu protested. “No, don't!”

“Okay!” Muto eagerly agreed.

Enzo sighed, then turned to Miyu. “I can tell you for a fact it's in pain. It's not sentient, it's not a person, it's a thing that would be best for everyone if we were to end it here.”

“How do you know—?”

“You'll do no such thing!” came a voice over the speaker system.

The three immediately readied their weapons and looked around.

“Up here...up here...!”

“Oh!” Muto eagerly pointed to an observation room high up with large windows. Inside was a tall Roegadyn lady in a lab coat speaking into a wall-mounted microphone. Muto happily waved to her.

“What you're doing here is wrong,” Enzo shouted at her.

“Who are you to decide what is right and wrong?” the lady snarled. “We gave PP0 life only technically speaking. It has no idea what it is, nor does it care. It knows nothing, feels nothing, except what we tell it to. Sentient thought is beyond us to create anyways...which works out well for you bleeding heart types, doesn't it.”

“PP0?” Miyu asked Enzo.

“Oh...wait, you don't even know what it is?!”

“Not...exactly,” Miyu responded.

“Well!” The scientist paused, then hit a few keys on the nearby console. The multiple doors at the entrance slammed shut. “In that case, I need to tell you! It's really exciting! We haven't had visitors in years, so this is actually pretty nice to get to see somebody new for once!”

Enzo glared flatly at the Roegadyn, then sighed to himself. He gestured for Miyu and Muto to come with him, then hopped off walkway to the sand and started towards a door at the opposite end of the room, presumably which led up to the Roegadyn.

“See, we were kinda stuck here, since Garlemald kinda got cut off from us, and we're all, 'What do we do?' But then we found that with our set-up, we could hypothetically infuse aether energy from our reactor into something! Wasn't tough at all! So at that point, it's like, 'What can't we do, y'know?' Well...I mean, not much, we're all stuck here, but then, then we get this super cool idea, right? And we sent out a secret communique back to the empire asking for this one thing, and we didn't think they were going to, but they did!”

They got to the walkway in front of the door, then Enzo swiped a cardkey through the console. He blinked when the display came up with the error “INCORRECT CLEARANCE.” Confused, he tried again. That was supposed to be the maximum clearance card.

“Things...okay?” Miyu asked.

Enzo just furrowed his brow and tried another card. INCORRECT CLEARANCE.

“I mean, it took awhile, but they delivered it, and we were super excited! A scale from Bahamut! Like, who'd have thought, right? But, I mean, doing genetic stuff with Bahamut isn't anything new, but now we get to!”

Miyu's eyes went wide. “Wait...Bahamut?!”

While Muto didn't entirely understand everything going on, he understood at least that. “Uh oh....”

INCORRECT CLEARANCE.

“So we have some cloning technology, which was kinda-sorta based off the Allagan process, and, c'mon, that stuff is ancient, and we only kinda-sorta understand it, but we were able to modify it and use the modified aether to infuse into Personal Project 0 – or PP0 – and that's where its nickname came from – and I know it's not the best acronym, but Garlemald isn't exactly here watching over our shoulders for the best naming conventions – but I guess he also has those giant peepers – but anyways—”

A small pile was forming at Enzo's feet. There were a few suspiciously large money pouches, three full-sized books, a collapsible staff, a surprising number of keys, a melon, three cartons of boiled eggs, a light back-up robe, a few squirming malboro hatchlings, several keycards, a unicolt figurine, a wind-up soldier, and a few flowers with attached tags labeled “Corpse.”

“WHERE'S THE BLOODY KEY?!” he snarled.

The guards continued banging on the door of their barracks, hollering for help, shouting threats, and making noises of utter frustration.

In front of the door was the pile of keycards. Towards the bottom was a key labeled “E.”

“—but anyways, it was nice to have visitors, but it's kiiiiiinda our policy that intruders aren't allowed to leave, or at least leave alive, and PP0 has never had proper combat testing, so this is probably where you're going to die. I'm sorry, but not really, but also am.”

She tapped a few keys and the entire room began to hum. Moments later, the sand began to bubble. Large amounts of air were getting pumped in beneath the sand, causing it to go from being a settled, solid mass to a liquid. Muto had been standing in the stand, quickly began sinking, then jumped up to the walkway.

His axe was immediately readied. “No worries!” he said with an eager swish of his tail. “Miyu and Enzo are safe! Muto protect you all!”

What they thought had been a whole creature ended up being only its head. It began to raise, attached to a long neck. Massive claws burst through the sand, struggling to raise up its large body in full. The tips of the wings were visible next, with one wing much smaller than the other. Thick cables emerged from the sand as well, plugged into the creature's arms and back. The dragon's proportions were all wrong, with some muscles incredibly large, while others were noticeably underdeveloped. Once it had climbed to the top and its body was fully visible, the sand stopped bubbling. The artificial dragon stood nearly as tall as the dome.

The three stood there wide-eyed, ears lowered, and with bushed tails jetting out from behind them. Twitchums had gone from growling and being a deep red to whimpering and turning white.

“Muto...maybe not able to protect...from that.”

Without the body moving, the head spun around on its neck to look down at the adventurers. Its body then slowly lumbered around to face them. Energy flowed through the cables and its bulbous eyes went red.

“Behold!” the scientist bellowed into her microphone. “PEEPO!!”

“HAAAAAAAHCK!!!” it roared, then blinked an eye.

“Mew...!” mewed Miyu.

“This could get messy, so if you'll excuse me.” A fire shutter slammed in front of the large window. A few cameras positioned around the room blinked to life. “Make sure to have good deaths. This is all getting recorded for our records! PEEPO, KILL!”

“MOVE!!”

Peepo's neck glowed before letting forth a jet of flame. The group scattered, feeling the white-hot heat on their backs. The wall where the flames had hit had partially melted the metal and crystallized the scattered sand.

“I can't believe we're about to get killed by something so stupid-looking!” Miyu yelled in aggravation.

“If you had just let Muto kill it, we wouldn't be here!” Enzo snapped.

“Whatever Muto did, Muto sorryyyyyy!” Muto wailed.

They were running across the sand for the exit door. The exit may have been blocked by several locked doors, but with Enzo's keycards, they could at least escape.

Muto gasped. “DOWN, NOW!!” He palmed the backs of Miyu and Enzo's heads, then fell forward, making them faceplant into the sand. Peepo's tail whooshed just over them, then impacted heavily into the wall. Enzo rubbed the sand out of his eyes, then his ears went limp. The console in the wall near the door had been destroyed.

“It's him or us right now,” Miyu sighed defeatedly. She looked back up to Peepo and whined to herself. She always hated fighting dragons. Twitchums pressed himself up against Miyu's side, both for comfort and seeking instruction.

“Muto choose us!”

Muto got to his feet, axe in hand, then charged Peepo.

“Muto, wait!” Miyu looked agog to the Hrothgar, then to Enzo. “Does he seriously think he can beat that thing?!”

“Maybe....” Enzo took in the room. “...but more importantly, he's keeping its attention off us.”

“HRAAAAAAA!!”

Muto rolled out of the way as Peepo went to smash down with its claws. Muto swung down, his axe biting in deeply in the back of Peepo's hand. In return, the artificial dragon's neck glowed again, then spewed down fire at Muto. The Hrothgar knew the creature had limited mobility when using its breath weapon and darted for Peepo's legs. The stream of fire followed him, until it started to cook Peepo's feet. Being right by the artifical dragon's backside, Muto swung back and took a couple hacks at Peepo's tail. In response, the dragon went to heavily sit down, aiming to crush Muto.

Sand was tossed up and hung in the air briefly. Silence had descended upon the cavern...until a fierce battle cry pierced the din and Peepo bucked. Muto had climbed several cables and was hacking at its back.

Enzo stood with Miyu, Twitchums, and Eos against the wall watching the fight ensue.

“Kinda impressive...” he mused.

“That's what you're thinking during all this?!” Miyu snapped.

Peepo flapped its mismatched wings desperately, trying to dislodge the attacker. It craned its neck to see and possibly bite Muto, but couldn't quite reach. It finally settled with launching itself back and slamming its back into the wall of the dome. The room shook violently, with dust falling from the ceiling.

“Muto!” Enzo called. “Are you alive still?”

Peepo did not seem in distress anymore, and was repositioning itself to try and get a better view of what happened to Muto.

“Enzo, Muto hurt!” the Hrothgar called. “Muto...really hurt!”

“Go.” Eos flew.

The Hrothgar was lying in the sand, with his leg badly damaged. His axe was just out of reach and he looked terrified. Peepo, meanwhile, was waiting for the dust and sand in the air to settle, trying to spy Muto.

Eos found Muto, then flew in front of his face.

“Mmm?”

Eos slapped Muto across the face. It was a tiny fairy, but she hit hard.

“Ow!” He rubbed his face. “Was mean!”

“Are you still hurt bad?” called Enzo.

“Huh?” He looked down. Any blood and damage to his leg was now gone. Eos had channeled her healing energy when she had made contact. “Ohhhh....”

“Keep fighting him!” Enzo called.

“Okay!”

“And don't die!” Miyu added.

“Okay!”

He grabbed his axe and rolled out of the way as another jet of flame scorched the sands.

“Its aethereal energy is too complex to hold steady on its own,” Enzo said, rubbing his chin. “So the cables—”

“Attack the cables?” Miyu interrupted.

“Go for the connection ports.”

As Muto and Peepo battled, they could see that when it had rammed itself against the wall, several ports had been damaged and cables had fallen away. They briefly spewed aethereal mist before the emergency shut-offs initiated. While the cables had been heavily insulated to keep in the aether, the ends were less so to allow for flexibility and movement.

“Get 'im, Twitchums!”

The carbuncle, while still scared, was bolstered by Miyu's command. It gave a fearsome squeak before launching itself forward. Sand began to gather in the air, hovering next to him, and coalescing into crude spears.

Muto was flung across the room and hit the wall hard enough to leave a crater in the concrete before falling to the sand. He lied there groaning, bones shattered, life leaving him.

Eos flew over and kicked him.

Healed, Muto grabbed up his axe and charged again at Peepo.

Twitchums drew upon Peepo. It was so, so much bigger than expected. Miyu's voice directing him in his mind steeled his courage and pushed him on. With the artificial dragon's attention on Muto, Twitchums had a clear shot along Peepo's arm. The sand spears launched forward. Several missed, impaling into Peepo's arm, but a few hit home. Cables came lose, briefly spewing aethereal mist, before stopping.

Peepo's head swiveled to look to Twitchums before a thrown hand axe hit it in the face.

“NO!” Muto scolded. “Fight Muto!”

“HAAAAAAAHCK!!”

“Stop! STOP!!” pleaded the voice over the speaker system. “You don't know what you're doing!”

“We're winning,” Enzo observed with a smirk.

“No, you don't understand!” The Roegadyn was in a panic. “This is years' worth of research and experimentation! You'll destroy everything! And if you—”

Muto was airborne and Peepo plunged its hand at him. The Hrothgar just barely missed it. The artificial dragon's sword-like claws thrusted deeply into the concrete dome. Unsure if it had grabbed him, Peepo squeezed, then yanked back, ripping out a huge boulder of concrete and wiring. The room's speakers went immediately silent, all camera lights dimmed, and the lights about the room began to flicker.

“Hit it faster!” Enzo instructed. “Burn it down!”

Twitchum heard Miyu's command in its mind, and gave a mighty squeak. Sandstone spears materialized and flew in violent waves at Peepo's back. The creature's attention was divided between what was happening behind it and the very loud and angry Hrothgar. Peepo's actions were also becoming more and more sluggish, as less aether was pumped into it.

A jet of flame followed Muto as he charged directly for Peepo. He was barely staying ahead of it.

“Muto also have flame!” Muto roared. “Flame is inside!”

Cable after cable was severed from Peepo's back.

“Flame is Muto!”

He jumped.

“Flame is friends!”

The final cable was severed.

“Flame is hotter than dragon's!”

His axe went straight into Peepo's chest. The artificial dragon stood there stunned and wobbling as the last of its aether had dissipated. Muto's axe was lodged deeply in Peepo and refused to come out. Muto took the opportunity to push his feet off the creature's chest, pivot off his axe handle, and launch himself upwards. He reared back his fist and uppercutted Peepo in the chin.

The artificial dragon dissipated into aethereal mist. A moment later, Muto's axe hit the sand, followed by Muto, landing in a crouch. He stood to his full height, thumped his chest, then gave a bestial roar of victory.

“MUTO!!” he announced. “WIN!!”

As the echo died down, Enzo muttered, “It was technically Twitchums who killed the thing....”

“Shhh,” Miyu whispered back. “Let him have this....”

Enzo's attention went to the aethereal mist. He squinted, waiting for it to start...and there it was. It all began to come together to form a crystal.

...and then the lights went out.

“Ehh?” Miyu looked around. “Twitchums! Light!”

The carbuncle's forehead gem lit up. It was in the middle of the room, looking around confusedly.

“Everyone okay?”

“Muto is fine!” announced Muto, somewhere in the darkness. “Muto and friends have great victory! Oh!! So many stars!! Muto and friends level up for sure!”

The dome lit up in red.

Enzo was crouched in the middle, holding a crystal. Miyu was against the back wall. Muto was on his hands and knees, looking in the sand for a trophy from the fight.

“That...can't be good,” muttered Enzo before shoving the crystal into his pocket. Miyu found herself wondering exactly how he had so much space in that pocket.

“AETHEREAL OVERLOAD,” came an announcement outside the room. “UNABLE TO CONTAIN. 200 SECONDS UNTIL MELTDOWN.”

Something that many of the base's workers had feared was that many basic safety features had never been implemented into the base's hasty construction. For example, there was the matter of being unable to access overrides for locked doors and fire shutters from within the affected rooms. Another big issue was that of the base's power. Since the aether was not being pumped into the PP0 project anymore, it was instead getting pumped in massive quantities back into the reactor. It couldn't handle it...and there was no way to either stop the flow of aether or shut down the reactor.

“Uhhhhhh....”

The exit doors made a noise, then despite being damaged, partially opened. It was big enough for all of them to get through, if barely. At least it had been built in the emergency systems that in the event of a catastrophic failure, everything would be automatically opened.

“GO GO GO GO!!” shrieked Enzo, making a mad dash for the exit.

All of them ran across the sand, kicking up clouds behind them. Enzo, Miyu, Eos, and Twitchums had no problem getting through the gap. Muto threw his axe through first, then went to squeeze past...and became stuck. He struggled, but barely budged. Instead of fear, he looked confused.

“Is Muto getting fat?”

Enzo had been running ahead, but stopped to run back. He and Miyu grabbed Muto's wrist, and pulling together, got him dislodged.

“120...119...118,” counted the speakers.

Down the halls they ran, with Miyu glaring at Enzo. “You have so much explaining to do,” she demanded.

“I didn't know this would happen!” Enzo insisted. “In case you haven't noticed, I'm also fleeing for my life!”

“You're paying us double!” Miyu snapped. “If I die, it'll be triple!”

“Oh!!” Muto had a revelation. “Loot!!”

“Please, Muto, now is not the time for—”

He skidded to a halt in front of a computer console.

“No, leave it alo—!”

He grabbed the sides, groaned, and pulled. Nothing happened...then with a terrible shriek of protest, the metal ripped from the wall. He held the console over his head and started running again. “Okay, Muto good!”

“70...69...68....”

Down the halls they ran. Emergency lights pointed the proper directions to the exit. They passed the labs, which were now empty, as the shutters had retracted and the scientists had escaped. A few tried to remain behind to rescue their data, but others had pulled them along, telling them their lives were worth more.

The halls wound round, until they could see daylight ahead, blocked partially by the last remnants of fleeing scientists. “There! There!” Miyu eagerly pointed forward. “We're gonna make it!”

“15...14...13....”

“It's them!!”

Some scientists stopped, considering trying to fight them off in revenge for ruining all their research. However, the prospect of remaining in an exploding base urged them to quickly leave.

Catching up with the scientists, the crowd fanned out into the Thanalan desert.

“4.”

People were running as hard as they could.

“3.”

They couldn't put enough space between themselves and the base.

“2.”

There was no shelter.

“1.”

Sand dunes were the best they could find.

“MELTDOWN COMMENCING.”

There were screams. Some dove for the ground and covered their heads. This would be huge.

...

And then nothing happened.

What was to be anxiety and fear for their lives turned into confusion, then frustration. There wasn't going to be an explosion. The countdown system had been implemented, but must have been faulty. There was no danger. And it was a bit too perfect for there to have been a countdown with a round number like 200 seconds. Everyone was safe.

And then all attention drew focused on the small party of adventurers in the middle of all of them. Muto was still holding the ripped-out computer console above his head. Then there came the noise of several rifles cocking.

Miyu nervously laughed, “Eh heh...!” then raised her hands.

Enzo, meanwhile, squinted at everyone. A dark expression came over his features.

Miyu elbowed him, then hissed, “Do you wanna die today? Put them up...!”

“No....”

“Muto's hands are up!” declared Muto cheerfully, still not putting down the console.

“Do you have any idea...” said a guard approaching them, gun pointed at them, “...what you have done?” His cheeks still had the drawn-on whiskers.

“To be fair,” Miyu squeaked, “we were kinda hired to? I-it was nothing personal?”

“Ready!”

Rifles were raised, safeties were removed.

SHOOM!!

A mushroom of fire erupted from the base, shooting debris and sand into the day sky, blocking out the sun. A visible shockwave went out, kicking up sand and knocking a number of people over. There was a climbing roar, which was then followed by an explosion of blue flame that erupted from the base's entrance.

Chaos had taken control of the crowd once again, before everyone had calmed once again.

“Wait...where—?”

“Buh-bye!” Muto was up on his chocobo, alongside the others on theirs. The console had been awkwardly shoved into the chocobo's pouch.

Enzo looked over the group and gave a smirk. Not saying another word, he put on his goggles, pulled the reins, and headed off into the desert.

“You can fake your own deaths here if you want!” Miyu said with a wave. “Start new lives!”

“Wait!!”

They didn't stop. The chocobos were running. Moments later, Enzo began the spell to again create a sandstorm. Their tracks would be covered and hopefully, they would never see anyone from the base ever again.

Silence descended over the base's staff.

“I forgot my Triple Triad deck in there...” lamented a guard.

Standing in Ul'dah at the airship station, they gathered around their pilfered crystal. The sky was darkening, as the sun was just disappearing behind the horizon.

“So in the end...it wasn't anything special,” lamented Enzo.

“It's just a normal fire crystal?!” groaned Miyu.

“Ehhhhh...yee-eahhhhhhh....”

“Anything special about it?” she demanded.

“I mean...it might have a bit more of aethereal concentration?” shrugged Enzo. He passed over his scope. “But if you look at the aethereal mapping on it, there's literally nothing out of the ordinary. You could find this in anything.”

“But you said—”

“I know what I said,” he grumbled in aggravation, “but despite them altering the aether they were pumping into...that thing...it ended up having absolutely no effect on the crystal it left behind.” He wiped his face frustratedly, then pushed the crystal away. “Honestly, you two can keep it and turn it into the grand company, have more 'proof' of this whole misadventure. Put it right beside that console Muto grabbed.”

“Thank you, Enzo,” Miyu said quietly. “But you really don't have to.”

“I'm going to,” he insisted, “and I'm going to pay you too. Just as agreed.” He rolled his eyes. “Though...that might take a bit. All my money was kinda left in the base....”

“Take whatever time you need, all right?” Miyu gave a consoling smile. “I'm sorry this all happened like it did, but we...made some kind of difference, right? And this should get us some advancement, at least! I mean, once we document it all. Right, Muto?”

They both looked up to the Hrothgar, who was standing with the biggest smile on his face.

“Why're you so happy?” asked Enzo.

“Muto go on adventure with bestest friends!” declared Muto, barely able to contain his glee. “Muto and friends fight bad guys! Muto and friends defeat dragon! Muto and friends—” He made an enthusiastic explosion noise. “—blow up secret base! Muto and friends real adventurers! Real heroes!”

Enzo, despite his disappointment, smiled. “Well...I'm glad you guys had such a great time. Sorry you missed out on your other mission.”

“Is okay!” Muto said with a bright smile. “Muto helped Au Ra! Muto help community! Oh!” He remembered something incredibly important. “Muto now can have egg!” The hard-boiled egg Enzo gave him hours ago had been sitting in his pocket the entire adventure...and was likely destroyed, but that didn't stop Muto's enthusiasm. He reached in, then looked confused. Grabbing a hold, he pulled out a wadded piece of paper.

While Enzo explained the job, Muto looked down at the two-star adventure. If they were doing something else, then it would be a waste to hold onto it. He saw a frustrated Au Ra wandering away from the building. It was the telltale sign of a poor adventure...and Muto had the solution. He wandered away, while Enzo continued his explanation.

“Are okay?” asked Muto.

“Ehhhh....” She shrugged. “My fifth week in a row with a zero-star.”

“What is rank?”

“I'm almost to my first level,” she shrugged, “which kinda is awful, because I was doing adventuring for years before. Just...it never got documented and there's such a backlog with level appeals.”

“Oh!” Muto held out the paper with the two-star adventure. “Muto have solution! Au Ra friend can have adventure! Is two-star!”

She blinked, taken aback. “Wait...really?”

“Uh huh!”

“You're sure?”

“Uh huh!”

“Because I know how hard it can be to get these kinds of missions if you're not leveled up...a-and if you don't want to, you really don't have to, it's okay! I mean, of course I want the mission, but it's fine if you'd rather not—”

“Muto!” called Miyu. “We're leaving!”

“Oh!! Coming!!” He absently shoved the mission in his pocket, then ran after the others, leaving a confused Au Ra behind.

“Umm....”

“Muto...have mission.”

“I'm sorry?” asked Miyu.

“Muto still have mission.”

“You what?”

“Muto still have two-star mission.”

“You what?”

“Muto not mean to!” He held out the paper, crumpled up, covered in smashed hard-boiled egg and eggshell shards. “Was accident!”

“That's—!”

“Muto screw up again?!” He looked absolutely terrified.

“No, no!” soothed Miyu. “It's okay! Just—”

“Where is the mission again?” asked Enzo.

“Ummmm!!” He opened the paper and did his best to read. “Um...um—”

“Gridania!” cut in Miyu.

“Do you have everything you need?”

“I think so?”

“Are you sure?”

“Um, yeah, sure! Wh—?”

He shoved the fire crystal towards Miyu, who took it confusedly. Enzo's grimoire was thrown open. He channeled his magic, then uttered the words, “Oovoo javer!”

Space folded around Miyu and Muto, and not even a moment later, Enzo was there on his own at the table.

They were only a little late. Not even twenty minutes later, the two adventurers were on the merchant's carriage with Muto blowing a melody into a bone flute, serenading his companions and the darkening sky. The mission was only beginning.

It was utterly still and dark. There wasn't a single noise in the house. It wasn't because it was abandoned, but because he chose for his footsteps to be silent.

A light source was approaching, illuminating the neighboring room. Instead of trying to hide from it, Enzo waited and crossed his arms confidently.

A young dark-skinned lady entered the room holding a lit lantern. She saw Enzo, then deeply frowned.

“Thanks for letting me know you're home...” grumbled Emory. “Where were you?”

“Oh, out,” Enzo shrugged. “Nothing big.”

Emory scowled at him. “I know that look. What did you do?” She sighed with frustration. “Who did you kill?”

He put up his hands, palms out. “Nobody this time!”

“Don't you lie to me! How many was it?”

“Seriously, Em, it's not actually not a lie!” He gave a wide grin. His teeth were pointier than they had been earlier. “You should tell your brother what a good boy he's been!”

“Oh, shove it...” she grumbled. “What did you do?”

“Wanna see something amazing?”

She just raised an eyebrow.

He reached into his pocket, where he had a small portal to the Void, and withdrew a crystal, then set it on the nearby table. It glowed a dull red and was lined with veins. Emory looked at it, and moments later, recoiled. The shadows cast behind her from the lantern twisted for a moment before resuming that of a normal lady.

“What did you do, Enzo?” she snapped. “What is this?!”

“Aether!” His grin widened. “Can't you tell?”

“You know exactly what I'm talking about!” she snarled.

“Oh, come on, Em!” He nudged the crystal, making it spin in place. “Just a little crystallized aether!”

He noted the shadows behind her were growing and darkening. Spiky protrusions were twisting and forming in the dark.

“Fine, fine,” he lamented. He flicked the crystal to spin it the opposite way. “So I have to say the people of this plane can be absolutely brilliant and incredibly stupid. They had no idea what they had. They were taking aether from the planet and corrupting it. Corrupted aether is nothing new, sure, but the way they were doing it was...certainly unique. They absolutely ruined it, depriving it of being aspected, while maintaining the energy and refusing to adapt to any other aspect. And then they channeled it through a remnant of Bahamut, who was able to amplify it so much more than I thought possible. Even with just one of his scales.”

“How'd you get it?”

“Ohhhh, you know....” His tail flicked playfully.

“Do not make me ask again.” Emory glared. “Or I will make you tell me.”

“My friends just helped me get into a Garlean base is all!”

“We don't have 'friends,'” she stated flatly.

“I like to think Miyu and Muto are.” He received a withering glare from Emory. “Oh, come on, I don't consider them as equals! They're just useful! Entertaining too.”

He picked up the crystal and turned it about, so that both he and Emory could get a better look at it.

“Anyways, I don't entirely understand everything those mortals did to the crystal, but long story short, they basically created something that is outside the six elements. And I'm not even talking about unaspected aether. I'm talking about technically a seventh element....” His smirk grew wider. “...which should provide for some interesting possibilities.”

“Do whatever you want with it,” grumbled Emory. “Just keep that thing away from me.”

“Oh, this thing?” He held it out just a hair more.

Emory glowered at him, then turned and left in a huff, leaving the room. It was pitch-black in the room once again...save for a glowing pair of red eyes.

Thanalan Desert.

“I have a suspicion...” murmured the gentleman to himself.

“What kind of suspicion?” asked an eager Miqo'te.

“I believe....” Hildibrand suddenly gave a wide sweep with his arm. “...that there was an explosion.”

The two of them were standing at the bottom of a crater, surrounded by debris.

“And where there are explosions, there are crimes.”

“What about Bahamut?”

A finger was thrust into the sky. “He is the greatest criminal of them all!”

Some of the debris moved. The finger was lowered and pointed to it.

“A clue!” both of them said together.

A hand eventually came forth from under the rubble, followed by a ragged sleeve.

“Nashu!”

“Yes, sir!”

“We must assist!”

They crouched next to the hand and pulled away concrete, stones, and all manner of debris. A Roegadyn lady in a torn white lab coat lied underneath.

“Who...?” she croaked. “What...?”

“My lady, you have stumbled into the authorities!”

“We have authority?” asked Nashu.

“Absolutely! All of Eorzea is ours to patrol and to bring justice to! And you, my lady!” He dramatically pointed down to the scientist.

She just stared blankly at him.

He knelt next to her, then reached for her hand. “...are most obviously the victim of a terrible, terrible crime. Pray, tell me...who did this to you?”

The Roegadyn looked at him blankly as her thoughts started to come together. What were the names the Hrothgar said?

“Muto,” she finally managed. “Muto, Miyu, and Enzo.”

Click!

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