#HOW DID MY DUMBASS NOT REALIZE SOONER | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

goldennightengale · 2 years

Note

Hello hello! I hope your college isn’t dragging you through the mud too hard and that you still get chances to relax (because my uni is not giving me that time 💀)! This is gonna be a fluffy request related to uni because I really need it. Could I request Riddle, Trey, Leona, Ruggie, and Jade’s reactions to having a study/assignment sesh with reader and reader falling asleep (on them/at the table/your choice!)? Sorry this is so long ahaha. Anyways, stay hydrated!!

Of course! Honestly, I really needed this prompt and it made me really happy to write such a cute scenario! Thank you so much for the request!

Gender Neutral MC

Falling Asleep On Them During A Study Session!

Upcoming exams were looming around the corner and everyone was scrambling to get in some last-minute studying. Having to juggle your study time with the dumbass squad was nearly impossible. They never stayed focused long enough to get anything done and constantly dragged you out of your room to play. So you did the only thing you could think of: asking for a study buddy!

Luckily, you were able to get some help from a certain upperclassman. As time flew by, you found yourself drifting off. The exhaustion of doing the headmaster’s chores and keeping your grades above the failing line was catching up to you.

They wouldn’t mind if you closed your eyes for just a few minutes, right?

Riddle Rosehearts (Shoulder)

Normally he would have gently nudged you awake and scolded you for not sleeping properly

How could you possibly get any studying done if you didn’t take care of yourself? He knows from experience that sleep deprivation and exams are not the best combinations

He tries to be quiet and not move too much. He doesn’t want to wake you up!

Thankful that no one is in the library so he can look at you all he wants and not have to worry about others calling him creepy

Will move you onto his lap so you don't hurt your neck too much and he can use both hands to pack up your school supplies with magic

Riddle jolted when he felt your head land softly onto his shoulder. The two of you had spent the past 3 hours comparing history notes and quizzing one another without a single break, so it didn’t surprise him that you’d hit your breaking point. What he didn’t expect was for you to use him as a bed.

Looking closer, the redhead noticed how tired you looked. Dark circles under your eyes, hair tangled and dull, even your skin looked less than healthy. To think you would run yourself this ragged and not ask for help sooner baffled him.

Gently maneuvering you onto his lap, though not without an embarrassing flush tinting his face a lovely shade of red, he used his magic to organize your notes into a neat pile. He might as well let you get the rest you deserve after all your hard work.

“Honestly, you shouldn’t force yourself if you’re tired. I expect you to take better care of yourself from now on, prefect.”

Trey Clover (Back)

Will tease you and say that he won't wake you up but he will (on accident)

You fell asleep on his back while facing away from him and doing trivia cards to help you with memorizing the material

When he tries to adjust you, he slips and you startle awake

Reheats a slice of chestnut pie as an apology

He understands that you’ve been going through a lot (mainly since you deal with his underclassmen) so he will try to make a study guide for you

He won’t give you all the answers, but there will be obvious hints to lead you in the right direction

He can’t let the others think he favors you too much after all :)

The two of you had been trying to keep you awake via note card quiz. Facing away from each other, he’d ask you a question and you’d try your best to answer correctly. Occasionally he’d correct you, either by a light shove or challenging hum, but you were proud of the progress you made.

It was only after Trey moved onto potionology that he realized you fell asleep, your body fully supported by his own and filling him with a gentle warmth. You always made him feel warm in moments like this when you rely on him for even the littlest things.

When he tried shifting to a more comfortable position, you yelped trying to catch yourself and save your face from gaining a new bruise. What a rude awakening!

“Sorry! Now, now, don’t be angry. How about some pie as an apology?”

Leona Kingscholar (Stomach)

Is probably the reason you fell asleep, to begin with

He refused to study at a table and dragged you to his room to lie on his bed

You got back at him by laying on his stomach so he couldn’t get comfortable and so you could poke his face when he started drifting off hehe

Surprisingly a good study buddy! He won’t give you the answers outright but he’ll give you tips on how to connect the dots to the right answer

Only agreed to help you if you babysat Cheka the next time he came over (totally not bc he saw how much you were struggling taking care of the idiot trio)

When he noticed you fell asleep he gets this smug look before adjusting himself for a nap as well

He can’t let you get all the Zzzs in by yourself now!

Leona had corrected you a multitude of times by now. History in Twisted Wonderland was a tricky thing to remember, with multiple events happening within the same year or important figures being present in several events at the same time. You don’t even want to try remembering how many wars a single lion cub started when he claimed the throne…

Luckily, your lazy lion was good at helping you connect the dots. However, as much as he helped you with memorizing he was not a good aid in keeping you from falling asleep. His voice was soothing to listen to, although it was gruff and sharp, and you could feel the vibrations within his chest from where you lay.

Eventually, you nodded off completely, snuggling into his chest like a kitten in a sunny spot. The smug bastard knew you wouldn’t keep awake long and we’re only delaying the inevitable. Taking the time to snap a picture (to gloat and use as blackmail ofc) he slowly adjusted you to allow him a more comfortable position.

“Of course, a little one like you couldn’t care less about sleeping on a predator. Looks like I’ll have to keep my new prey all to myself~”

Ruggie Bucchi (Table)

Another one that would tease you if you fell asleep near him

Feels incredibly smug from the fact you trust him enough to lower your guard around a well-known thief

The coyest when it comes to tutoring you on certain subjects (especially animal language)

Overall will help you study but understands that you’re exhausted from taking care of the first years

Don’t tell anyone, but he definitely plays with your hair while you sleep

Maybe if he’s feeling brave, he’ll nuzzle your noses together too

It was only natural to ask Ruggie to help you in the language, especially after you caught him making deals with the campus cats in exchange for gossip. That and leaving you in charge of taking care of his dorm member. With a little bargaining and the offer of a few donuts, you finally had yourself a semi-reliable tutor!

Ruggie was thorough in teaching you what tones mean so you didn’t offend anyone, or cuss Professor Trein out by accident because you “mrrr” wrong. All the repetition was starting to make your throat hurt, so you asked for a break.

When Ruggie returned from getting some tea and snacks, he found your head down on the table and sleeping away. For a second, he was tempted to doodle on your face as a prank, but looking at the dark circles under your eyes deterred him. So he simply sat beside you and began slowly running his fingers through your hair and detangling it.

“I guess little birdie’s also got a lot on their plate… Well, at least I already got my payment! Shishi…”

Jade Leech (Arm)

Smuggest bastard to ever smug

Mistakes your asking for help as you want a deal with Azul, but are pleasantly surprised to find out you needed him instead

Brings you to Monstro Lounge after hours which is when most Octavinelle students take time to study

Very helpful, but his handwriting is hell on the eyes

I refuse to believe that the fish mafia has perfect handwriting, especially the twins

Will let you sleep on him for a price: he gets to do whatever he wants with you while you rest (you did not know of these conditions beforehand…)

Monstro Lounge is a surprisingly nice place to study. The subtle purple glow and the beautifully lit fish tanks create the perfect atmosphere to focus without getting overwhelmed by noise and bright lighting. A bonus? If you get hungry, there is a snack bar in the corner. Jade was right, this is the perfect place to get your notes together!

While trying (and failing) to read Jade’s handwritten notes on history, you felt the oncoming drowsiness hang heavy on you. While the underwater dorm is a great place to relax, it seems to be too relaxing. Your head was drifting side to side, swaying dangerously towards the table a few times.

Just as Jade was going to guide you back to your dorm, he felt a weight settle onto his arm. There you were, sleeping peacefully away on one of the most dangerous students on campus. How brave, or in Jade’s words: interestingly foolish. A devilish grin spread across the eel’s face as he looked at you.

“My, my, how fun~ They wouldn’t mind if I took my chances at a new experiment now, would they?”

I hope my work satisfied your fantasy! - GN

#disney twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #riddle rosehearts x reader #riddle rosehearts #trey clover x reader #trey clover #leona kingscholar x reader #leona kingscholar #ruggie bucchi x reader #ruggie bucchi #jade leech x reader #jade leech #this was really fun to write

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midwestmade29 · 3 months

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Rekindled ❤️

(A continuation of "Broken Promise")

To Anonymous: Thank you for reading my original story and for your request! It makes me so happy knowing you enjoyed it 🥹 I know my story is pretty lengthy, but it covers a lot of ground! I had so much fun writing it 🖤

Original Anonymous Request: "I absolutely loved that last fic! Anyway we can get something where the two end up reconnecting, rekindling, and end up together in the end after Christian’s divorce? I feel like even though they had a rough relationship growing up, you can’t tell me they aren’t soulmates. You can’t tell me this man had secretly loved here since they were young and didn’t realize it until she got into her high school and college era. I love this so much dude 😩🫶🏼❤️"

Disclaimers: Anger, physical altercation, fighting (verbally), cursing, angst. Read at your own discretion.

Word Count: 2,682

Divider by: @saradika-graphics

Side note: This story is officially complete. I won't be adding anything else to it. You can read the first part of the story here and also the prequel to the story here! Thanks for following along 🖤

Adam noticed that you had been MIA again for the last half hour of your party. He knew you couldn’t have gotten far, so he started searching the house for you. He was about to knock on your bedroom door, his fingers already against the wood but he stopped when he heard you crying. His heart sank as he stood and listened to your cries turn into sobs! When he couldn’t take it any longer, he opened your door just a crack and spoke softly, “Hey, sis. What’s wrong? Can I come in?” You were curled in a ball on your bed with your face buried in your hands, but you managed to let out a pathetic “yes” in response. He came and sat at the foot of your bed, fidgeting while trying to figure out how to proceed with your conversation. “Did something happen at the party? Talk to me, sis,” he prodded. When you sat up and looked your brother in the eyes, the flood gates opened, words and tears flowing freely, leaving you out of breath by the time you were finished. It was obvious the more you carried on, the more Adam’s anger grew. His hands were balled into fists that rested on his thighs and his jaw was clenched so tightly you don’t know how his teeth didn’t break! You didn’t go into every detail about the relationship you and Christian had before, sparing him the part about losing your virginity to him, but everything else was no longer a secret. Hurt flashed in his eyes when you apologized for not telling him sooner, leaving you wishing that you could take it all back and rewrite the past. In between sniffles you peered over at your brother who was clearly conflicted on how to feel about the situation, and he damn near exploded when you asked him what he was thinking. With every word he said, his voice became more elevated, “What am I thinking? WHAT am I thinking right now? I’m thinking about how my baby sister and my best friend kept this huge secret from me for 2 years. I’m thinking about how stupid I am for not seeing how things really were that summer. I must be going fucking blind and need to get my eyes checked! I’m trying to come up with a reason not to kill that blonde son of a bitch with my bare hands right now! He not only made you cry again, but he broke a promise. That’s unacceptable in my book."

You begged and pleaded with Adam to calm down when he jumped up off your bed and darted out the door in search of Christian. Rage was radiating off him as he checked behind every door, looking for his best friend around every corner in the house before finding him sitting outside on the front porch. The loud thud the door made when Adam threw it open made everyone jump! “What the hell, man? You alright?” Christian asked as he stood up. Adam walked over to him and got mere inches away from his face and shouted, “No, dumbass! I’m not alright! I know about you and my little sister. I know all about the summer you shared!” Christian’s eyes darted between yours and your brother’s, unsure of how to proceed. You pulled on Adam’s arm trying to get him to come back inside, but he brushed you off. Your brother’s chest was rising and falling rapidly with each shallow breath he took, the veins in his forehead protruding while he waited for Christian to say something. “Look, Adam we were going to tell you. Time just got away from us, and our relationship was over at the end of the summer anyways. It’s in the past now,” he explained, but Adam wasn’t having any of it. Your brother shoved Christian once, making him stumble back a little before shoving him again and again. “You’ve had 2 years to tell me asshole! How could you keep something like that from me, man?! And why my baby sister? Why her?!” Christian grew more irritated the more Adam jabbed his finger into his chest, and the atmosphere quickly became more tense. You knew you had to try and separate the two of them and you gave it your best effort when you cried out, “Please, Adam! Go back in the house and try to calm down. You’re not thinking straight right now, and I don’t want this to get any worse. I’m begging you! Please!” Something made Christian snap, one could blame it on Adam’s harsh words or his death stare, but what came out of Christian’s mouth next knocked the wind right out of you without even being touched, “You make it sound like this was all my doing! Y/N isn’t innocent in all this you know! It takes two to tango and boy did we tango a lot that summer!”

You weren’t sure what was louder, Adam shouting “YOU FUCKED HER?!” or the sound of his fist connecting with Christian’s face. One punch led to two and eventually both men ended up rolling around on the ground! After Christian landed a couple punches of his own on your brother’s face, he had him pinned to the ground. It didn’t last long though since Adam’s 6’5 frame overpowered him! Your brother’s voice was eerily calm when he spoke again and you could see the anguish written on his face, “First you take my little sister’s innocence, then you break the promise you made the both of us! Not to mention you kept all of this from me. Go fuck yourself.” He let go of Christian as he stood up and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He immediately clutched his ribcage as pain radiated from the area, and winced when he touched the giant goose egg that was already forming on his forehead. Christian didn’t look any better while he laid on the ground groaning and trying to catch his breath. No further words were shared between any of you that night. Everything that did- and didn’t- need to be said was already out in the open. When your mother caught wind of the situation, she was thankful no one was seriously injured and that no one in the neighborhood called the police. Later on, you looked out the front window and noticed Christian was no longer there. He must’ve gone to his parent’s house when he was finally able to peel himself off the ground. You didn’t see Christian again after that night. Your brother didn’t talk to you for weeks after everything went down the way it did. You called him hundreds of times and sent countless text messages, but you never got a reply. You apologized and begged him to talk to you in every voicemail you left him. Eventually you got the hint and gave him the time and space he needed even though it hurt like hell not being able to talk to your big brother. You could only hope that what they say is true, “time heals all wounds.”

1 year later ⏭️

Almost a month after the fight happened, Adam started talking to you again! The two of you had several long and difficult conversations about everything that went on the night of your graduation party and the summer you and Christian spent together. While things felt like they were back to normal, you knew deep down inside that your relationship with your brother had been altered a little bit. You were shocked to learn that Christian was the one to call Adam and make amends with him! They somehow worked through everything and rekindled their friendship. He even asked Adam to be the best man at his wedding!

“You know you’re invited too,” your mom’s voice startled you when she walked into the kitchen unannounced. You had been staring at Christian’s wedding invitation that seemed to mock you every time you approached the fridge. It took everything in you not to yank it down and rip it to shreds! “There’s no way I’m going! It must’ve been an oversight on someone’s part including my name on it. Do me a favor, don’t write my name on the wedding card you got them.”

Christian’s big day had eventually come and gone, and you made sure to avoid hearing anything about it. One day when you were in the checkout line at the grocery store, a magazine cover caught your eye. You tossed it in the cart when you noticed who was on the front and looked over it in your car. You sat in the parking lot for a good 30 minutes crying over the stunning picture of Christian and his new bride. You read over the article more times than you should’ve, eyes skimming over the words that described every detail of their grand affair. Your heart was aching by the time you tossed the magazine into the backseat, the realization settling in that you and Christian were nothing more than a long-gone memory.

Over the next several years, Adam’s popularity in the professional wrestling world continued to skyrocket. He was definitely a fan favorite! While you enjoyed watching him achieve his career goals and dreams, your favorite thing he accomplished was marrying his wife and giving you two beautiful nieces. Seeing him this happy meant the world to you, and you could only hope that you would find the same happiness one day too. You were thriving in your own ways, having a successful career of your own, a great group of friends that you adore, checking things off your bucket list left and right, and spending time with your mom every chance you got. You focused on the things that really mattered to you and embraced your independence! As far as you knew, Christian and his wife were doing well but you hadn’t heard anything about them in a long time. Even though you tried to forget him, the memories of growing up together and falling in love with him crept in your mind from time to time. There had been several guys that tried to pursue you over the years, but none of them ended up capturing your heart the way that Christian did. You had been in one long term relationship that helped ease the sting of loneliness, but you knew it wasn’t fair to keep them around when your heart still longed for someone else. You eventually let them go, and the sadness in their eyes when you told them it was over still haunts you to this day.

For Adam’s last match before he officially retired, he wanted you and your mom ringside along with his wife and your nieces to cheer him on! You were hesitant at first to do it, but you agreed when your brother reassured you that Christian wouldn’t be there due to having other obligations. Everything with Adam’s match went well and it was over in the blink of an eye! All 5 of you girls cried when the referee gave the final 3 count as Adam laid in the center of the ring. During the commercial break he walked over and hugged each of you and thanked you all for loving him and supporting him all this time. The company he worked for was throwing him a party after the show was off the air, and once it began, he was being pulled in every direction as more and more people wanted to congratulate him. Your mom was with your nieces at the dessert table while your sister-in-law mingled with some of the female wrestlers. You found yourself alone standing at a tall cocktail table sipping on your drink, just taking in the different sights and sounds of the party. Out of the corner of your eye, you thought you saw someone standing near your table, but when you turned to get a better look, they were gone. You brushed it off and returned your gaze to the party. “Come join us aunt Y/N!” your nieces called out to you from the dance floor. You weren’t really in the mood to dance, but what kind of aunt would you be to decline such a sweet invitation?

“Again! Again!” your nieces cheered as you twirled them around simultaneously! The song playing was upbeat and fun and you were enjoying laughing and smiling with your favorite little girls. All too soon it started to fade out and was replaced by a slow song instead. Everyone except for a few couples left the dance floor, and you were on your way back to your table when an old familiar voice stopped you in your tracks, “Hey, Y/N. It’s…been a long time.” Christian’s greeting instantly took you back to the night of your graduation party when he addressed you the same way. Your stomach did a flip when you turned and took in the sight of him. He was still as handsome as ever; time had clearly treated him well! Your reply was shy and quiet as his blue eyes bore into you, “Hi, Christian…” He cleared his throat before speaking again, clearly just as nervous as you were being face to face after all this time. “Um, would you like to dance?” he asked sheepishly. You were hesitant at first, but the way he was looking at you made your resolve fade and the next thing you knew; you had your arms wrapped around his neck and the two of you were swaying along with the music.

A few moments passed in silence, the both of you unsure of what to say but Christian eventually spoke up, “You look great, Y/N. How are you?” His compliment made a small smile form in the corner of your mouth which made him smile too. “I’m fine, thank you. But um, what are you doing here? I thought you couldn’t make it tonight. If you haven’t already, you’ll have to find Adam! I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you,” you replied. “I decided being here for Adam was more important that my original plans. I watched the match from backstage. I was also hoping you would be here. It’s good to see you, Y/N.” His last few words made you blush, but the pink that covered your cheeks faded away when you remembered an important detail, Christian is married! You dropped your arms from around his neck causing concern to envelop his handsome features. “Where’s your wife?” you asked, even though you didn’t want to know the answer. His response shocked you, “Actually, we’re divorced. Everything was finalized a few months back. Marrying her was a mistake and it’s something I deeply regret. I had no idea what I was doing back then and I sure as hell don’t know what I’m doing right now, but I had to see you Y/N. Over the years I probably asked Adam and your mom about you more than I should’ve, but it made me happy knowing that you were doing so well. I never stopped thinking about you, not even once! I’m sorry it took me so long to realize what an idiot I am. I just hope I’m not too late.”

It had been 4 months since Adam’s retirement party. 4 months since that night ended with Christian asking you if he could see you again. 4 months since you and your soulmate rekindled your love for one other. It’s been quite the journey to get to this point, but you’re so thankful you and Christian found your way back to each other. Everyone knew that it wouldn’t be long before Christian would propose to you, and you couldn’t wait to be his wife! When the time comes for you to recite your vows to one another, Christian would be making a new promise to you that he would continue to love you for the rest of your lives and the tears he will make you cry that day will be tears of pure joy.

#christian cage #jay reso #captain charisma #instant classic #christian4peeps #aew #all elite wrestling #fanfiction #fanfic #christian cage fanfic #christian cage fanfiction #aew fanfiction #christian cage x y/n #christian cage x you #christian cage x reader #request #SoundCloud

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rosypenguins · 5 days

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🖤DROEY???🩷

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Synopsis: Zoey asks Drew to go see a movie with her and the gay little magenta-man is unable to decipher if it’s supposed to be a date or not.

A/N: Someone said they liked my Drake fics and that single compliment gave me the motivation to finish this hooray!! Anyways this fic takes place in the Jomies’ Sophomore year, and Drew is still contemplating (denying) his feelings for Jake. Also. He’s- he’s an idiot he is the big dumb I am silently screaming as I write this DREW YOU’RE A DUMBASS but anyways Droey backstory hooray healthy Droey!! (Or is it??)

(Contains swearing and a painfully stupid Drew.)

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Drew: Guys I think I got a date?

Liam: WHAT????

Henry: DHISVSJS HOWWW???

Liam: FYM YOU THINK???

Drew: Idk a girl asked if I wanted to go see a movie with her Friday

Drew: She said she had a spare ticket or smth

Liam: Yeah that’s a date

Drew: Shit

Henry: How’d you get a date before me?;-;

Liam: Which girl is this?

Drew: Zoey, the girl from our Biology class.

Liam: THAT ZOEY???

Henry: THE POPULAR ONE???

Drew: Yeah?

Henry: HOWW???

Drew: Wym how?

Henry: No offense dude but its literally ZOEY

Henry: And it’s you

Drew: Are you saying she’s out of my league?

Liam: Yeah basically

Jake: DREW YOU GOT A DATE???

Liam: About time you responded Jake

Henry: Lol looks like your boys cheating on you Jakeyyyy

Drew: STFU

Jake: Sobbing rn how could you do this to me Drew?? Thought we were homies!!

Drew: I hope you all fucking explode

Liam: TF DID I DO???

Jake: LMAO

Jake: Fr tho congrats on getting a date Drew I hope it goes well

Jake: And if you need any advice just lmk I’m quite the charmer after all lol

Liam: You’ve certainly charmed someone

Drew: LIAM KYS RN

Jake: Wym?

***

With a heavy sigh, Drew set his phone to the side, falling onto his bed and staring up at the ceiling.

So… this was a date.

With Zoey. With pretty, popular Zoey…

…Did he even like Zoey like that? He’d never considered her as anything more than a friend before, but… he did enjoy her company during class, and he did like working on assignments with her. He didn’t mind it when she wrapped her arm around his shoulders, and… she was obviously very pretty.

Maybe he did have a crush. And had just never realized it before….

But Drew could recall a time Jake had been describing his crush. He referred to it as a warm, fluttery feeling. One that made him forget almost all common sense. And Drew couldn’t say that applied to him…

But… he must’ve had a crush on her. Why else would he find her attractive?

Drew buried his face in his hands, muffling a soft groan. It suddenly occurred to him he’d never even been on a date before. Sure, he had past relationships, but those were in Middle School. Those didn’t count.

God, Zoey had probably been on lots of dates before, too. She must’ve had high expectations for him.

Drew sighed, running a hand through his hair before rolling onto his side, thinking back to all those dumb romance movies Jake convinced him to watch. He was hoping they’d finally come in handy and answer at least one of his questions, but he was quick to realize he hadn’t retained any of the plot.

What he could recall, however, was Jake, misty-eyed with a soft blush dusting his face, staring at the TV with the dumbest grin on his face as he watched the main characters kiss for the first time.

…Why was that the only thing he could remember?

***

Friday came a lot sooner than expected, and Drew still wasn’t sure if it was a date or not. He’d gone back and forth about it for days, and eventually, he managed to convince himself that this was just a hangout. Not a date. After all, he could see some truth behind the texts his friends had sent. It was Zoey. And it was him. Why would Zoey want to go on a date with him?

He stood outside of the theater, scrolling aimlessly through his phone and glancing up on occasion to see if Zoey had arrived yet. His mind wouldn’t stop racing.

What if it was all some prank? What if it was a dare her friends set her up to? What if she-

“Drew!”

Drew turned to see Zoey running over to him, and was a little surprised to see she’d changed out of what she’d been wearing to school that day. Instead of her usual green top and jeans, she wore a pale pink dress, with a small golden necklace and simple white flats. It made Drew feel a little awkward, considering he hadn’t bothered to change out of the jacket and jeans he’d been wearing earlier that day.

“I hope I didn’t make you wait too long.” Zoey said, and Drew shrugged.

“Not really.” He answered, despite the fact he waiting about 30 minutes for her to show up. Zoey gave a slight nod in response, and a small smile appeared on her face.

“You ready?” She asked, and Drew nodded, before following her into the theater.

***

The movie Zoey had gotten tickets for was a mystery-thriller; a genre both him and Zoey had talked about in the past. And in all honesty, Drew would’ve found it interesting had it not been for the romantic subplot that did almost nothing to drive the main plot along.

But… he imagined Jake would probably like it a lot. He was a sucker for forbidden romance after all.

About halfway through the movie or so, Drew felt something brush against his hand, and glanced over to see Zoey had placed her hand right beside his.

…He’d seen enough of Jake’s romance movies to know where this was going.

Slowly, Zoey pressed her hand closer to his, resting her pinky over his. Drew blinked, unable to move his gaze. He really didn’t have a clue how to feel about this.

So once again, he thought back to those romance movies, and slowly moved his hand closer to hers.

And eventually, Zoey interlocked their fingers together.

…Zoey’s hand was noticeably smaller than his. And it was a little cold, but it was soft, and… it felt nice to hold.

He still couldn’t say he felt that fluttery feeling, though. Maybe that only affected some people…

Eventually, the movie finished, and with his hand still in her’s, Zoey led the two out of the theater. She rambled on a bit about her thoughts regarding the movie, but… Drew couldn’t focus on her voice, his attention still fixated on the fact he was holding her hand.

He was holding a popular girl’s hand…

Under the shade of the night sky, Drew finally decided to say something. He lifted his gaze to meet her’s, and-

“Was this a date?” He blurted out.

Zoey stopped almost instantly, and blinked as she processed his question.

And not a moment later, she burst out laughing.

“Seriously?! You didn’t realize?!” Drew could feel his face heat up.

“You never specified!” He countered. “I didn’t want to assume anything!”

“Come on, Drew! You’re a guy, I’m a girl, we went to the movies together, alone. That’s a date!”

“You could’ve just said that!” He grumbled, and Zoey turned away from him, covering her smile with the back of her hand.

“You’re so cute.” She whispered, and Drew could only imagine how red his face must’ve been.

“What?!” He could hear Zoey giggle again.

“Nothing, nothing. I… had a really nice time tonight.” She admitted, twirling around to stand in front of him.

And the way she looked beneath the moonlight. The way the light seemed to dance along her skin. The way she looked at him so longingly…

He’d never felt so… wanted before.

“So… would you want to do this again sometime?”

Time seemed to slow for a moment, and there was only one answer Drew could think to give such a perfect girl.

But for a fleeting moment, another blonde crossed his mind.

…

“I’d like that.”

#tmf #the music freaks #freakblr #tmf fanfic #tmf drew #tmf zoey #tmf droey #tmf jomies #tmf drake #theyre all idiots

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milawritesstuff · 1 year

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Does He Know: Part 10 (Gavi/Pedri Love Triangle)

•••

Gavi’s POV

I walked into the room, Pedri had his eyes closed as he laid on the hospital bed. His brother Fernando had been the first to come in after Xavi. His parents weren’t in town and Fernando had already called them not to worry. As I stood there looking at him hooked up to the machines I felt comfort knowing he was okay. They were going to keep him overnight to monitor him but he did not have any fractures or anything else that Sara had worried about.

My mind went to what had happened just a few minutes ago outside.

-You’re the girl from Val’s party aren’t you?- I asked. Sara remained quiet for a few seconds until she looked up at me. I felt as she gave my hand a squeeze. She bit her bottom lip and nodded, tears filled her eyes. I felt my heart drop.

I had a feeling since I had told Pedri I had met her. The way he remembered little details. He and told me to get her what I later found out was her favorite flower. He helped me plan to ask her out. How he never really told me how he had met her. And the way his attitude had changed once she and I had begun dating. It was all in front of me and I had been too dumb to realize it, or too in love.

Before I could say anything Sara began to talk. -I’m sorry Pablo. I met him before you. And as much as I tried to get him out of my head and my heart, it’s been impossible.- Tears still falling down her eyes. I wanted to yell. I felt my heart break more and more with every words she said. But I couldn’t really blame her. I knew what it felt like to fall in love with someone and not be able to get them out of your head.

-Did you ever like me?- I asked. She looked over at me and smiled. -Pablo. I did… I do. But you deserve better. More than I can give you.-

Pedri opened his eyes. -Don’t ever scare us like that again, cabron.- I said as I began to walk towards the bed. He tried to laugh but hardly could. -Did we win?- He asked hopeful causing me to giggle. -We did.-

I explained to him all of the tests had came out fine. That his parents would be coming to town in the next few days to be with him and he would have a few days free of practice. -Xavi came and he left after making sure you were fine.- He smiled. -Valeria and Marco are here.- I added. -And Sara.- once I said her name I saw how his face lit up. His eyes looked up at me and he quickly tried to hide his expression. I sat there next to his bed and kept my gaze at the floor. Pedri didn’t say anything.

-Pedri, Sara told me.- I said in a low voice automatically regretting it.

-Told you what?-

-That she’s the girl from Val’s party.-

Finally I looked up and our eyes met. He was speechless. Telling me he was sorry with just his gaze. -Look Pablo. I’m sorry.-

-Now I understand why you told me so many times you needed to stay away from her.- I said thinking of all the times I had told him to try and go after that girl. Not knowing that girl was my girlfriend.

-And I tried my best, Gavi.-

-I’m not mad at you Pedri … or her. I feel like a dumbass for not realizing it sooner. -

-Gavi, don’t. I really tried my best to stay away from her. But every time it’s like something called me to her. I never meant to hurt you. And I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I kissed her when I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry I couldn’t change the way I feel for her.-

I stood there in silence. I’m sorry that I kissed her. I felt my heart sink lower. Part of me relieved my best friend was awake and alive. Another part of me wanting to kill him.

Sara’s POV

In between tears I confessed to Gavi I was the girl from Val’s party. I couldn’t continue to hide it any longer specially after how I reacted after Pedri’s injury. A sense of fear filled my body. I was losing him and I had wasted time pushing him away.

Gavi wasn’t mad, or if he was he didn’t show it. He told me he understood. I told him I meant everything I ever said to him. He was special to me but he deserved better. I didn’t deserve him.

After saying goodbye to Val and Marcos I began to walk towards Pedri’s room. His brother was the only one left in the waiting room. The door to Pedri’s room opened as I approached. Before I could move Gavi came storming out and our faces met.

-Gavi. Is everything okay?- I asked. He was pale and looked disheveled. Almost as if he had seen a ghost. I saw as he took one deep gulp before answering me. -Sara, please move.-

I stepped aside and without saying anything else Gavi left.

When I walked into the room Pedri was sitting on the bed. He looked up and smiled. -Hola.- I said shyly. -How are you?-

I looked at him from head to toe as he answered. Making sure everything looked in its place. -I’m fine. It was just a little accident. I could have finished the match.- He said. I rolled my eyes. -You were unconscious.- He shrugged his shoulders.

-Fernando told me you were crying.- He said looking at me.

-I was worried about you. You took a pretty hard hit and I heard so many things being said in the tunnel that I got scared for you.-

-Gavi told me you told him.- He finally said. His dark brown eyes radiating a sense of hope in between the shine.

-He saw me crying. I couldn’t control it.- I walked closer to him.

-So you do care.- He commented without looking at me. Scared that my answer wouldn’t be what he desperately wanted to hear.

-I care more than I should for you.- I finally accepted out loud. He looked at me and half smiled. It was almost as if he was scared when it came to me, always on the defensive trying to protect himself.

-I thought he had taken it fairly well but it was probably just because I was already crying.- I said.

-He told me he understood.- Pedri explained. -I felt like shit Sara. Every time I kissed you I felt like I was betraying my best friend. I told him I was sorry, that I shouldn’t have but I just couldn’t stay away from you.-

I looked at Pedri in shock. It made sense now. -You told him we kissed?- Pedri looked at me confused. -Yes. I didn’t tell him about last night, but I had to. I want to start this right, without lies. I …-

-Start what, Pedri?- I interrupted him.

He looked around the room. His eyebrows furrowed. -This. You and me.-

-There’s no you and me, Pedri. No wonder he looked so mad right now. You’re such an idiot.- The words left my mouth before I could truly think. -Besides, you have Alice. And now I don’t have Gavi.-

He stared at me without saying a word. His mouth closed. A look of regret in his eyes. Regret for falling for someone like me.

I stormed out of the room looking for Val to take me home.

-I’m sorry.- I texted Gavi thinking how horrible he probably felt hearing his best friend tell him we kissed. I sat in Val’s car and cried.

-He’s fine, isn’t he?- She asked confused.

-Who?-

-Pedri. Fernando said he had cleared all of the tests and he was fine.-

-Gavi knows about us.- I said.

-That explains why he didn’t even say bye as he left.- She told me.

-I accepted it, Val. I told him I was the girl from your party that Pedri liked. I told him to forgive me. And then Pedri stupidly told him we had kissed.-

-Wait, you’re mad at Pedri?- She asked confused.

-Gavi almost walked right through me afterwards, he was upset. Pedri is such an idiot.-

-Joder, you were just crying about losing him. And now you’re mad at him?-

I looked over at my friend and wiped the tears off my eyes. I grabbed my purse and opened the door to her car. -I can go home by myself, thank you.- I stepped out of her car as she yelled behind me.

TAG LIST: @cinderellawithashoe @httpswiftie @simpingmyassoff @bubblebeep69 @fictional-l0v3r @httpspedri26 @0alanasworld0 @l0verl4ne @gaviypedrisbride @footballerficsposts @fashphotolife @beaschampagneproblems @jvsgnjrtpdar5stkd-tv-m @ikkehehe @jjishotasf @quemirasboboandapaya @maricciardo @gaviswh0re @pedriwifefrfr @dustell @elijahslover @formula1mount

#pedri gonzalez #pedri #pedri imagine #pedri x reader #pedro gonzalez #pedri is so damn hot #pedri blurb #pedri requests #pedri fluff #pedri fanfic #MWSxDoesHeKnow

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breezybrii · 11 months

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˚- ୨୧ lets give it a try ♡ ⤷ Niki

「genre: fluff, strangers - friends - lovers, he fell she fell harder」

ʚ₊˚ high school AU! Y/N band AU! 📻

𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨: swearing, rude humor, kissing?

this is made to entertain! please enjoy! if you have any suggestions feel free to let me know! thank you!

✎ 》 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙊𝙣𝙚 🎧

————————————

“y/n! wake up!” i groaned. who was making all that noise this early in the morning? i threw the covers over my head, attempting to cancel out the noise but, sadly, the were snatched away.

“i’m up i’m up gosh,” i sat up, rubbing my eyes, “what does it take for someone to get some sleep.” once my eyes started clearing up i saw my band mate ash (random names) standing right in front of me. “you’re going to be late for school dumbass, it’s 7:15!” shit. “no way, why didn’t you wake me up sooner!”

i jumped out of bed, school starts in 15 minutes, there’s no way i’m going to make it. i ran around the dorm trying my best to hurry and get everything i needed.

i brushed my teeth, got dressed, got my backpack and grabbed a cheese stick before heading out. i looked down at my watch, it was 7:40, i’m late. everyone in the dorm had already left so i made my way to school alone. i connected my headphones and put them on my head, staring at the ground as i walked.

suddenly, i bumped into someone. i felt myself fall, already getting ready for the impact but then i stopped. “oh my god i’m sorry! are you okay?” a guy was holding my arms, keeping me from falling straight on my ass. “yeah i’m okay.” the guy helped me to my feet. “i’m sorry, i wasn’t paying attention to where i was looking,” i apologized.

i looked up at him, boy was he tall. not to mention extremely attractive. “it’s alright, it’s good you didn’t get hurt though.. say, don’t you go to Hybe High?” I nodded, how did he know? “i recognize you! you’re in my class, chemistry!” no way i have him for a class, i don’t remember seeing him at all.

“oh yeah, right, you’re uh..” i was trying to think of a name that could possibly be his. “riki, or niki, whichever honestly.” i “oh”ed silently. “yeah, i’m y/n, just if you didn’t know.” he smiled, “yeah i know, i actually saw you perform like three weeks ago at a festival.” he knows who i am? we kind of just stood there awkwardly, not really knowing what to say next. i suddenly remembered something. “fuck! i’m late!” i looked at my watch “8:05 am”. riki looked shocked too “you’re lying, there’s no way it’s that late.” “why would i lie about that, we gotta go!”

me and riki ran to school, huffing as we walked through the office doors. “it’s literally so late oh my god,” i said, turning to riki who was catching his breath. “yeah, we’re already in second period.” there were beads of sweat on his forehead, it made him like more shiny than he already was. he looked good. “well imma head to my class,” riki stood up straight, “i’ll see ya later?” i nodded. “sure yeah, see ya.” and with that, he walked away.

i also headed towards my class, thinking about what happened. i don’t know how i realized to miss out on him if he’s in one of classes. he’s handsome too, it’s crazy how i never noticed him.

i finally made it to class, trying to open the door slowly so my teacher, ms. kim, wouldn’t see me. but of course, as soon as i walked in she was standing at the front of the board. “y/n, how nice of you to finally join us. i hope you did your homework from last night.” i totally forgot we had homework. “uhh yeah…,” i said, trying to make it to my seat with all the other kids staring at me. she shook her head, “see me after class ms. l/n.” i put my head on my desk, today’s the worst.

the bell rang. here we go. i began walking towards the teachers desk, passing by kids giving me a ‘good luck’ kind of smile. ms. kim has been known to say things straight, even if they’re mean.

“so, y/n, i’ve been noticing you’ve been coming late to my classes more and more.” it’s been like 4 times be for real. “yeah i know, i’m sorry, i’ve just been waking up late and have to rush, i’ll work harder.” she clicked her tongue. “i think it’s because of your band, i heard you’ve been practicing till super late so that’s maybe why you’ve been over sleeping.” i shook my head, “no i swear it’s just me, everyone else wakes up on time.” she shook her head once again. “we’ll that’s not gonna cut it,” she put down some papers, it was my assignments, “your grades have also been falling.” i examined the papers some more, yeah my grades have been falling but that’s just because her class is impossible now. “if this keeps happening y/n…” she better not say it, "i'll have to get your band to stop performing." i sighed. that's the last thing i wanted.

"please no," i begged, "you can't do that, i have to perform." ms. kim looked away at her computer, "well that's what's going to happen if you don't straighten your act.

i really can't believe she threatened my band, like it would have been fine if she gave me detention but saying she'll cancel all our stages, that's cruel. "i understand ms. kim, i'll do my best from now on, promise." she gave a small smile. "i hope so y/n, here's a pass to your next class," she said while handing me a sticky note.

i started walking out of the class, i don't get why she's so upset, i'm still passing, even if it's barely, but, i can't do anything but get up early and actually study. i won't let my band get pulled into this.

After School 🎤༉‧

"yeah after rehearsal i'll head over there to watch ya'll," i told jake. he was the captain for the soccer team and they had a game today, so, i was going to stop by and watch for a bit. "great! i'll see you then, bye y/n," jake said, walking away, waving as he left.

i began walking to the field, where we practice. another festival was coming up and we HAD to play there. a lot of people are said to go which would be amazing for us.

"hey guys! i'm here!" i walked up onto the platform, setting my bag down next to the others. "y/n, finally you're here, get the mic plugged in and get warmed up. let's try to get the final things down," dae said as she plugged her bass into the speakers. "yeah the big day is this weekend, let's work hard today!" meilee, our drummer, said.

as we were going over our setlist, people started showing up which was normal but someone caught my eye. i saw a familiar tall, blonde standing in the middle. it was riki. he was watching us perform.

"alrighty, thank you everyone for showing up! come watch us at this weekends festival!" i said to the small crowd that was gathered. "good job guys, nice work," ash started, "let's start cleaning up."

"hey y/n," i turned to the voice, "oh my god hey riki!" i didn't think he would stay to talk to me. "you looked good up there, probably better then the last time i saw you." i smiled. he was so sweet. "aw thanks riki, i'm glad you saw us." i hadn't seen him since this morning. "since i haven't seen you since chemistry, i wanted to ask you something." i hummed, "what is it?" he looked nervous. "i was wondering, if you were free, if you could maybe uh come watch my soccer game today." no way. he plays soccer? "yeah of course! i was going to stop by anyways but i'll stay to watch just because you asked." riki smiled. he looked so cute. "i'm happy you're going to be there! it means a lot but i got to get going, we're leaving soon." i nodded "yeah yeah hurry, i'll see you there!"

"dang y/n who was that?" meilee snickered. "yeah y/n he's cute," dae chimed in. "oh he's someone i bumped into this morning, and he's in my chemistry class." they gave each other a look while smiling. "oh come on guys, we just met." "yeah but you never know where that's gonna lead you," ash winked.

all i really wondered is how i managed to start talking to riki, like i wonder what would happen if i hadn't run into him this morning. i hope we can get closer... he seems nice.

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

Author Note: hey guys! i hope you enjoyed part one! there will be more parts coming out but tbh i'm still trying to figure out how to work tumblr so i'll probably take awhile but yeah!

#enhypen #niki #jay #sunghoon #heesung #sunoo #jungwon #jake #kpop #kpop imagines #fanfic #imagine #x reader #niki imagines

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themushroomgoesyeet · 1 month

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Questions about wizarding world building: what happens in the other wizarding schools and why aren't there more of them

Shhhhhh this post isn't a day late & I definitely didn't forget to do it

What with the - somewhat - recent releases of the fantastic beasts movies, I feel like there's been a bit of a hype about wizarding schools in other countries, specifically Ilvermourney (I really hope I spelled that right) in America. As we all know, there was a brief period of time where you could get sorted into Ilvermourney houses on the official website and read some lore tidbits about the school, but realistically we don't really know much about what goes on there.

Nor do we know anything about Beubaxtons (France why do you spell like this) or Durmstrang, or any of the other wizarding schools throughout the world. Seeing as there's at least one book in this franchise where information like that is fairly relevant, I honestly feel like we got cheated on this subject.

How do the other schools teach their kids? What do they look like? Why don't they have any exchange programs? And yes, I realize that question may be kinda stupid bc many schools don't have exchange programs, but since there seems to be a significantly smaller number of wizarding schools I think that question is still justified.

Speaking of, why are there so few schools? One school for the entire UK I can understand since it's roughly the size of Utah state, but one school for the entire US? or the entirety of France? France May still be smaller than the US, but that doesn't negate how huge it is compared to the UK. To be fair, we don't know that each of these countries have only one school, but at this point I would not be surprised if that were the case. You simply cannot assign one school to the US, it's so ridiculous and impractical! At the very very least, we would need maybe seven big schools across the country based on the size of wizarding populations in the US and really how willing you are to stretch this thing out, but it would be even more practical to have at least one school for every state.

It also sounds to me like there are different learning rates for different schools - or at least between Hogwarts and Ilvermourney (seriously? You wrote a whole ass book about two other schools but the school that gets name dropped exactly once in the first FB movie is the one that gets the spotlight?) - I remember reading on the official site that Ilvermourney kids start at a much younger age than the Hogwarts kids - I might be remembering wrong but I'm pretty sure it was kindergarten age (5-6 years for those who don't know), which means that the Ilvermourney kids would progress a lot sooner and faster than the ones at Hogwarts; if these schools did to exchange programs it would be very annoying for both parties bc the Americans have to relearn stuff they already know & the British kids have to try and catch up ons things that would normally be considered "too advanced" for them (advanced my ass, if Harry Potter, the dumbass who lived, can master a patronus in third grade then so can the rest of his peers)

#harry potter #wizarding world #world building

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incorrectinfinity · 1 year

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Ok so girls vs boys was a game where the girls chased boys and the boys cowered in fear.

Yeah that's it.

The boys never got the upper hand once, which is insane because we played this game for THREE YEARS. IN A ROW. NO BREAKS.

And the origins of this game of unfair rules?

Ok so this is where you learn about me being a bitch.

So in 2nd grade I had like 5 kids who had a crush on me, and I was (obviously) not interested in any of them. But there was this one guy, John (not his real name) who was more... forward.

He had asked me to be his "girlfriend" like a few times by then and I kept turning him down. But then he fucking bribed me. He said he would buy me a toy if he could be my boyfriend.

And I said yes???????

Look I was a colossal dumbass please forgive me. So anyways the next day he made good on his promise and I became his "girlfriend," yaaaay.

So anyways I hated it for obvious reasons and I told my friend about it and he was just like "you can break up with him" and I was like "oh shit yeah"

So our blossoming relationship lasted a wopping two hours. He spent money on me and then I immediately dumped him. Wow.

But then it gets interesting.

So we were on a track when I broke up and he got really mad which honestly was deserved ngl. But then he made the weirdest fucking threat known to man!

He said he was going to print out a photo of my face and put it on a dart board.

I am just realizing how creepy that sounds writing it out but anyways I got pissed. So I did what anyone else would do, chased him. Fast.

From there it completely devolved. I chased him at recess, gym, any opportunity I got. And on the way my friends (mostly girls) chased his friends (mostly boys) and them it completely expanded to an endless battle between us where everyone thought it was a game but I did NOT.

This lasted YEARS. Not weeks or months, YEARS.

I waited through summer break longing to get back to chasing them and then I did.

I was a fucking vicious little shit and I am pretty sure that's why I run so fast nowadays, because I was a lil shit.

What do we conclude from this? I should've realized I was aromantic so much sooner holy shit I literally felt NOTHING when I broke up with him and did not comprehend how he got so mad lol.

#🎀.txt #btw this had no name I just came up with that in my mind it was just a war

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iviarellereads · 6 months

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Network Effect, Chapter 9

(Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For the link index and a primer on The Murderbot Diaries, read this one!)

In which Murderbot can't help but be a little happy to help screw over a corporation.

After twenty-seven minutes and twelve seconds,(1) Ratthi tapped on the hatch and sent me the feed message: Can I come in and talk to you? I sent back, Do you have my jacket?

Murderbot has been keyword-monitoring its surveillance, so it doesn't have to listen to everyone actively, and it knows nobody's in mortal danger without it. Well, unless Art murdered them all, but it keeps trying to poke MB in the feed, and it probably wouldn't keep calling MB ungrateful and and "a sulky dumbass" in MB's words, not Art's, if it had murdered all its humans.

Ratthi says he has it, and MB says he can come in. He asks if Amena can come too. MB leans back on the wall.

MB's been messing with Art, trying its patience, and cleaning the leaked fluids off itself. It didn't have a shower, though, because showers feel good and it wants to stay angry.(2) It almost rejected the Art-branded shirt that "fell" from the recycler, but it needs a shirt.(3)

MB doesn't want to upset Amena, so it says yes, she can come too. They enter, just the two, and MB warns them that Art can hear anything you say onboard it, anywhere. Ratthi says he's used to that, and doesn't say it's about MB, but it knows.

Ratthi asks about MB's relationship with Art. MB gets grossed out and defensive at the first implication of a sexual one, and is no less horrified at the idea of friendship. MB felt Art stop pinging it when the humans started talking, so it knows Art's listening. Ratthi asks if MB has made many bot friends, and MB thinks of Miki,(4) but says no, not friends like humans make. Ratthi is skeptical, saying Art seems to think it is, but MB says Art lies and is mean.

The lights flicker, imperceptible to human eyes, but visible to MB's. It knows Art heard that.(5)

Amena asks why MB keeps calling it Art, when its name is Perihelion. MB says it stands for Asshole Research Transport, an anagram. Amena says that's not what anagram means, but MB dismisses it as human pedantics.

Ratthi says it's possible that, while both MB and Art have relationships with humans, they don't seem to be sure how to have one with each other. MB gets grossed out at relationship again, and Ratthi says, other than friendship, what other word is there?

I had no idea. I did a quick search on my archives and pulled out the first result. “Mutual administrative assistance?” The lights fluctuated again, in what I could tell was a really sarcastic way. I yelled, “I know what you’re doing, ART, stop trying to communicate with me!”(6)

Ratthi informs MB that, if it hasn't been paying attention, they've come to an agreement with Art to get its crew back, in exchange for assistance returning to Preservation after. MB points out they're just doing what Art wants. Ratthi says there's not another good choice out here. Even if they sent a distress beacon, any response will put everyone in trouble, especially Art and its crew and their university. MB points out several ways it's even worse and more exploitative, that they'd have to pay out the nose just to get rescued.

Amena is aghast, Ratthi says he hates the Rim, and MB agrees, sarcastically, and notes that it's realized something it should have seen sooner.(7) Amena asks if MB would be okay, as a construct, but they have a short discussion about how Mensah technically owns it, under Rim law, and Amena is her legal representative in this. Ratthi confirms, if corporates show up, Amena has to assert ownership of MB. She's disgusted. MB says it doesn't like it either.

At any rate, Ratthi says Art still has repairs to do, and everyone has plans and preparations to make, and asks if MB will come out of the bathroom now. MB says it will, because it knows Art is lying.

This time when the lights fluctuated, it wasn’t sarcastic.

The humans have shifted around, but still have their video call active to the control room. Overse asks if they're all ready now. Ratthi says not quite, and MB says Art didn't come here for a distress call. Thiago is suspicious, and Arada asks if MB wants to jeopardize the deal they made with Art. MB says it absolutely needs to bring this up now.

Overse asks how MB knows, and MB says it's a research and teaching vessel, but all the educational spaces are out of use, the lab inactive, and no cargo module attached. MB asks what Art was doing when it received the distress call. Art asks if this is MB being helpful. No, MB says, this is quite the opposite. It's being held against its will and it will make its keeper regret it.(8)

Arada asks if MB wants to go back in the bathroom for a while and think about what it's doing. MB says it's done thinking, Art snarks about that being obvious. MB asks again what Art was doing.

Across the room, Eletra is asking Overse and Ratthi why they're letting their SecUnit do this. Overse almost says MB is independent, but Ratthi stops her and says merely that MB is usually more responsible.

Thiago, surprisingly, agrees with MB that it's a valid question. MB interprets this as the sensible humans abandoning it. Art says it's none of MB's business. MB argues Art made this its business when Art told the hostiles to kidnap MB. Art suggests MB can put itself out the airlock if it's unhappy with its situation.

The humans, for their part, are trying desperately to wave for MB's attention as Art makes this incredibly threatening statement. Only, this is what MB wanted. It says Art is upsetting Amena. MB noticed earlier that Art's tone with Amena is totally different from with the adults, and Art is fundamentally an educational vessel.

And before this when I was stupid and we were still friends(9) it had talked about human adolescents in an indulgent way.

Amena takes a breath, and before she can object, MB asks her privately in the feed to be honest. So, she says the grey people and being shot at scared the crap out of her, and she really would like to know what's actually going on.

After a long silence, Art says it has to violate its crew's NDA to answer. MB says Art kidnapped itself and its humans, that violated MB's contract with them. Art says it will consider it, then shows MB that it's talking only to it and its humans, cutting Eletra out.

In this more private channel, Art says that if any of them reveal what it's about to say to the corporate, it will kill her. MB isn't particularly attached to her, but it doesn't want anyone dying near its humans and traumatizing them more. So it's not opposed when Arada speaks for them and agrees. Aloud, Arada asks if they can use Art's cabins to clean up, so they don't accidentally indicate anything to Eletra. On the public channel, Art graciously invites them in.

Ratthi and Overse get Eletra settled in one of the rooms the grey people didn't get their growth medium scent all over, and supplies so she can take care of her business and might not feel a need to wander. MB posts a drone scout, just in case.

MB's humans go to the galley, far enough away that Eletra won't hear them even in the corridor before MB spots her moving. The humans are eating and drinking something warm Thiago made them. MB is pacing.

Finally, Arada asks if Art is ready to answer MB's questions. Art gives a lengthy explanation that amounts to, its crew sometimes acts on behalf of anti-corporate organizations,(10) and were on a data-collection mission to the abandoned colony. Amena notes the similarity to how Preservation's great-grandparents' colony had been abandoned. Art notes that sometimes, colonies cut off from the corporates can survive.

This colony had previously failed, but no data existed on why. One of Art's crew, Iris, had found some newsfeed archives about the takeover of the corporation that had controlled the second colony. Some employees were in a firefight, and deleted the database before the hostile takeover was completed. Iris made a note that it's possible, though unlikely, that they were trying to protect or conceal the colony.

After all the humans have read the article and notes, Art says its crew's mission was to see the colony's status, and if active, make contact and offer assistance against corporates, such as by evacuating the inhabitants. Amena asks why, surely if the colony survived, the other corporations would have no jurisdiction. Overse says no, another could easily, and legally, move in and take over. Amena is horrified, but Thiago says that's how the Corporate Rim is.

Ratthi asks what Art and its crew do, in these cases.

ART said, The University has the means to produce the colony’s original charter documents, which often contain clauses specifying that if the originating corporate body has ceased operations, then ownership of the planet is ceded to the colonists or their issue or successors living on the original site.

MB asks if that means the university forges the documents to free the colonies, and Art refuses to acknowledge the question, which probably means yes. MB has no qualms with the method of sticking it to the corporates, even if it's still angry at Art.

Art continues, in very passive voice, that a contract is facilitated between the colony and an independent transfer station, and once the station is established in the system, the colony is relatively safe from corporate ravaging.

Arada says Eletra said there were two corporate ships, and asks if Art was here before them. It was, and was forced to fire on a Barish-Estranza ship by those holding its crew hostage. It doesn't know what happened to the vessel or the crew. Ratthi asks if Art knows why the grey people would have brought Eletra and Ras aboard, but it really has no clue. The rest happened as it already described.

Overse suggests they put together a timeline. MB is about to say it has one, when Art provides its own. MB is annoyed, privately, that Art left out the point where it told the gray people MB was a weapon they could use.(11)

Amena says before things got weird, Ras tried to tell her about the colony reclamation, but Eletra cut him off. Thiago wonders whether the gray people came from the newer colony, or the original one, if they're remnant-contaminated, or if they were manipulated genetically by their corporation.

Discussion moves to the language they used, which has at least three pre-Corporation Rim languages involved, and their tech, which is also pretty ancient. Thiago says most of the alien contamination incidents happened before the Rim, though everything's suppressed so it's hard to know much detail about any of it.

Ratthi brings it back around to Thiago's question again. Art says evidence points to them being from inside the system.

MB takes the opportunity to point out Art's memory archive issues, and that it can't be sure who or what was aboard it before. Arada tries to interrupt, but Art says MB's earlier statement that Art lies a lot was untrue, but it cannot reveal information that would be against its crew's interests unless the circumstances call for it. Arada says they understand, and MB is looking out for their interests.

Art demands an apology. MB makes obscene gestures at the ceiling, since the humans are treating the ceiling like Art anyway. Art says that was unnecessary.

In a low voice, Ratthi commented to Overse, “Anyone who thinks machine intelligences don’t have emotions needs to be in this very uncomfortable room right now.”(12) ART was suddenly in my feed, on a private channel. I did what I had to do. You should understand that. I said aloud, “I’m not talking to you on the feed! You’re not my client and you’re not my—” I couldn’t say it, not anymore.(13) All the humans were staring at me. I wanted to face the wall but that felt like giving in.

Out of nowhere, MB has views all over the ship. It snarls at Art to stop being nice to it.

Amena takes MB's side and says maybe Art needs to give MB some time to process. MB, however, is suspicious and asks if Art is talking to Amena privately. Amena winces, and MB yells at Art to stop talking to its human(14) behind its back.

Privately, MB acknowledges that it isn't being at all logical, even if it felt like it was at the time.(15)

Arada says it's time to stop this unproductive arguing. Art needs to stop pressuring MB, she understands it's upset about its crew but MB is upset too. So, if it can give them any other information about this colony, it would be appreciated. Until then, she and Overse will get some data on the alien remnant on the engine, and see if they can help fix things faster. She assigns Ratthi and Thiago to med-scan-autopsy the dead Targets, and translate what they were saying in MB's recordings, to help narrow down who they were. She also asks Amena to talk to Eletra again, see if she can get her to open up.

Finally, she asks MB to figure out what caused Art's first reinitialization process, and how the Targets boarded, so they can prevent it happening again. She asks if Art is alright with all this, and it says an ominous, "For now."(16)

=====

(1) You know, bravo to everyone (but Art) on their restraint. (2) God if that ain't the mood sometimes. It's not quite "I don't deserve nice things" but it's a close cousin to that feeling, you know? (3) I love the implication that Art deliberately withheld the jacket, could have pushed it through but didn't, so MB would have to talk to a human sooner or later to get it back. (4) Precious cinnamon roll Miki who could kill you to defend its human friends but would rather make you a friend too if it could. Taken from us too soon, but a good reminder to MB that friendship is possible for bots. I think that's part of why it let itself open up so much to Mensah after. (5) Telltale upper-corner message: Perihelion will remember this. (6) Those poor humans having to deal with MB acting so unhinged. (7) This is where it figures out Art was lying about the distress, in case you missed it like I did on my first pass. (8) One of the classic blunders. Don't take a stubborn asshole who lives for chaos, prisoner. (9) So much for never having been friends. MB can't help but admit the truth sideways a lot of the time. I love picking up on its little slips, don't you? (10) Comrade Perihelion! No wonder it wasn't opposed to helping MB all those weeks ago. (11) Anything to avoid the conclusion it knows is inevitable: it cares for Art's crew, just for the sake of their being innocent humans, and it's going to help rescue them eventually. Otherwise this wouldn't be a book. (12) [quiet snicker] (13) You know it is still your friend, though. It betrayed you, because it knew you would be able to handle the betrayal. It didn't mean for MB's humans to get involved. I think Art even expresses, in its own way, that it feels bad for their involvement. It's not like Art is withholding supplies or passage back to Preservation, as long as it gets its crew back first. And, it may see them as an asset, more people means less danger individually, means better chance of success. (14) Amena is particularly MB's human here. It's not worried about Art talking to the others, but it doesn't want Art influencing Amena while it's still angry at Art. They're just so… human. (15) This really extra feels like an observation after the fact, versus most of MB's asides where it could have been the uncensored train of thought it was barreling down at the time. Thus, my use of a touch of past tense. (I'm capable, it just doesn't feel natural.) (16) Ominous in that it implies Art will change its mind sooner or later. Do you think so? Or is it just sulking at being dressed down like that by a human?

#the murderbot diaries #murderbot diaries #network effect #murderbot #secunit #amena #eletra (murderbot)#ratthi #arada #overse #thiago #art (murderbot)

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pumpkin-cake · 1 year

Text

Not On My Watch

(katsuki bakugou x gn!reader)

summary - kats helps out a reader with depression

warnings - cursing, depression, feelings of hopelessness, mentions of not eating for an extended period of time

Yesterday - 9:00AM - Seen.

Yesterday - 5:44 PM - Seen.

10:31 AM - Seen.

“Answer me, damn it!” Katsuki shouted at his phone, staring at the screen in rage. He’d been texting you for days. You never once answered. He called, texted, left voicemails, everything. He contacted your friends. Midoriya, Jirou, Kirishima, and Mina had no clue what you had been up to. Katsuki was getting sick of it.

I’m coming over.

He shoved his phone into his pocket angrily and swiped his keys, going out to his car and getting in. He slammed the door shut and stuck the keys into the ignition.

He was at your place lickity split. Katsuki stepped out of his car and slammed the car door shut like before, walking to the front door and checking his phone.

10:58 AM - I’m coming over. - Seen.

“You idiot, what the hell?” He grumbled, knocking on the door. He waited not-so patiently and knocked again after the first minute of no response.

“Hey! Open the hell up!”

But nobody came. Katsuki felt his eye twitch.

“I’m coming in, idiot!” He shouted, picking up the small flower pot on your front porch and grabbing the spare key you kept there. He unlocked the door and stepped in, pocketing the key.

It was so musty. What in the world? He glanced around the surroundings and frowned. When had you last cleaned? You weren’t some kind of slob. Why were clothes and blankets strewn everywhere? He could see dishes piled up in the sink, and dirty counters.

“The hell?” He grumbled, stomping up to where your room was and flat-out opening the door. Luckily, you were decent. Well, that’s what he assumed.

A large pile of blankets were on the bed, and if Katsuki squinted he could see it faintly moving up and down. Your room was also a complete mess. Empty cups on every surface, clothes everywhere, and a not so pleasant stench filling the room.

“Oi, dumbass. The hell’s wrong with you?” He grabbed the blankets and yanked them off.

Your eyes stared wide from your fetal position on the mattress. Your scleras were tinted red, and there were tear streaks on your cheeks.

“K-Katsuki..?”

“I told you I was coming over. I know you read my damn messages. You’ve been doing just that for days. How come you’re ignoring me, huh?” He raised an eyebrow, towering over you.

That’s when the tears filled your eyes, and you quickly rolled over to stop him from seeing them flow down your cheeks.

Shit, he was too harsh. He knew you were upset, why did he make himself sound so irritated?

He sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. He put his hand on your shoulder and rubbed it with his thumb.

“Y’ don’t have to turn away to cry.” He mumbled. “Tell me what’s the matter.” He carefully pulled you so you’d turn back over, staring at him with your wet face.

“K-Kats…I’m sorry…” you sniffled, furiously wiping at your eyes. “I didn’t mean to ignore you…I just…I dunno…” You averted your gaze, not feeling like you could face him.

“You’ve been feeling shittier than usual?” He guessed, gesturing to the room.

“…yeah.”

This had happened before, Katsuki remembered. It was like an episode of depression. Every so often your mental health just hit rock bottom. You hated talking to anyone, feelings of being overwhelmed came quicker, and you just felt…empty. He should have realized what was going on sooner. So, he went through his checklist with you.

“When have you last eaten?” He asked, carefully pulling you into his lap.

“…”

“Answer me.”

“…two days ago.” You shoved your face into his chest, purely ashamed.

Katsuki had half the mind to scream at you. Two days without sustenance? It was like you didn’t give a shit! Well, you probably didn’t at this moment in time. He let a sigh escape.

“Nothing at all?”

“…I’ve had some bread..?”

“Well, you better believe you’re gonna get something in that stomach of yours.” Katsuki said firmly. “Idiot…you can’t be doing that. ‘S not healthy.”

“I-I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. I get it, okay?” He said, trying his hardest to be understanding. “I’ll cook you up the best damn meal you’ve ever had.” He said, a bit cockily. “You better eat it too.”

He received a nod in response, feeling your body melt into his when he stayed calm with you.

“What about showers?”

“…”

“Okay, not for a while.” Katsuki rubbed his temples, not out of anger, but guilt. He felt guilty he just let you suffer like this. “How about this? You get in the shower and do your business and I’ll cook.”

“You don’t have to, Kats…”

“Hey, listen to me, idiot.” Katsuki moved so your face was directly in front of his eyes. His crimson irises almost burned through your soul. “I’m your boyfriend. I’m gonna help you, dumbass.” It was so simple but very effective. Katsuki wasn’t one to make a large, cliche speech, but instead tell it how it was.

“…okay.” You reluctantly agreed, gasping when Katsuki stood and tossed you over his shoulder. “Katsuki! What are you doing?!”

“Taking you to the shower. Unless you wanna get up by yourself?” He smirked, chuckling when you shrugged and went limp against him. He walked you to the bathroom, placing you down and pressing a very quick kiss to your head. “Shower.” He demanded, before going down to your kitchen.

He sighed at the state of your kitchen, rubbing his temples. You poor thing. He brushed it off and got to work. He started on the dishes, loading the dishwasher and then hand washing the rest by hand. After doing the dishes, he went ahead and got a meal going. He decided to go with a simple meal. You liked ramen, right? Definitely not that shitty Cup Noodle crap. You deserved WAY better. While he cooked, he cleaned up the rest of your kitchen. Wiping off counters, sweeping, and tossing out any expired food left in the fridge or pantry. He certainly hoped this would make you feel better.

He glanced in the direction of the bathroom when he heard the water turn off, glad he finished up just in time. He hurriedly set the table and got a glass of water and set it by the bowl.

Katsuki crossed his arms, very satisfied with his work. He looked over as you came into the room with one of his shirts and a pair of basketball shorts that were probably also his. Your eyes widened at the meal sitting on the table.

“Bon Appetit, dumbass.”

#my hero academia #x reader #gn!reader #boku no hero academia #katsuki bakugou

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penrose-quinn · 2 years

Text

Green Light | Part Ten

“You’re not bad,” Izana told him, a mutter at first as if the sentiment was so delicate and important, but he didn’t bury it in his chest anymore that it gleamed in his gaze, looking up to him.

“You’re my big brother. Of course, you’re not bad.”

Shinichiro should’ve corrected him. He’s only half his age. He didn’t know what he was doing, though he’d learn that most adults didn’t either and he just didn’t want to screw up so much for his words to no longer matter.

pairing: shinichiro sano/gn!reader

content tags: childhood friends. angst and hurt/comfort. slice of life ft. gangs. idiots to lovers. old friends trying to reconnect but are being dumbasses about it. they don't deserve the friends to lovers tag because they're stupid and pining. my sad attempt at writing shinichiro’s backstory. implied infidelity. implied death of a relative. underage smoking and other reckless shit kids shouldn’t do. tokrev manga spoilers.

a/n: happy belated birthday, shin! just gonna remind everyone that we start with his backstory at 17 years old and onwards to the present. this chapter and the next one are special to me, poured all my heart and soul and tears into every word just for this guy, so i very much appreciate every like/reblog/comment this receives!

m.list ❁ read on ao3

Shinichiro trudged back home late with a tired grimace.

On another day, he'd think he's lucky because his grandfather – who had zero tolerance over a sink stacked high with grimy dishes – was asleep, though he's still a bit injured after a recent fight. Don't I get a break from this?

Manjiro and Emma were watching cartoons in the living room after hauling out a bunch of VHS tapes stored in the TV cabinet. Their third watch was a Ghibli film and it'd probably be their last when it's late in the night.

Raising his voice a bit, he asked one of them to come over and clear out the crockery from the dish rack. This, however, set off an argument between them that his request went ignored and he had to remind them about it again when he finally padded in the room with a sigh.

Emma piped up that she already did the first batch of dishes this morning while complaining about how Manjiro neglected his chores today, which had him cross his arms adamantly, excusing himself that he'd been occupied with karate training.

He was caught in the lie when she ratted on him that he actually snuck out to meet-up with Keisuke and Haruchiyo. He didn’t speak up to defend himself this time, acting all huffy and disgruntled, cheeks puffed up from the accusation.

Then Shinichiro cleared his throat, voice pitched low and stern. "Well, Manjiro . . ."

"Whatever. I'm not watching with you anymore."

"Fine," shot back Emma, pressing play on the remote.

Before Shinichiro could mediate between them, Manjiro slid off the couch and made a beeline to the kitchen sink. True to his word, he went to bed sooner.

After washing the dishes and wiping the counter spotless, Shinichiro joined Emma a little later on. He already knew how it ended before the credits rolled.

A part of him was bothered after belatedly realizing that the movie was too mature for her, even though he’d been close to her age when he first watched it himself; curious, confused, and a bit horrified but morose to all of these hideous concepts about war and loss, death and desolate youth, the poverty of children.

Siblings striving, he thought. From the brutality of a world no different from what he had seen and would rather keep her safe from.

His little sister was brave, though.

Shinichiro often wondered whoever taught her to be, sitting through the film as if she understood what had happened in it anyway. He likened the quiet between them to something almost forlorn before moving on from the sentiment and stating that it was a really sad story.

Emma blinked at him, slow and drowsy, misty-eyed. He didn't ask her if she cried.

Ever since one of the kids from the dojo called her a crybaby, she'd clench herself and refuse to acknowledge her tears. She felt more inclined to do this after Manjiro scared off the boy. This didn’t register to his brother yet, even when his honest intentions were to protect her. Shinichiro didn't want anyone to hurt. He didn’t want her to cry, but he told her that it's okay to let it out. We need to cry, sometimes.

Still, he had to be delicate with her. His mother always reminded him to be more sensitive to girls. He didn't tease her, though he did confess that he bawled from a scene – see, it's the one where all the fireflies died and she had to bury them – and when Emma asked why, he said he forgot the reason, just that he could still recall his emotions so vividly.

Grave of the Fireflies wasn’t even one of his favorites and a lot of it didn't make much sense to him at the time, but he sobbed so much that day, grieving before he could understand what would be lost to him.

Emma listened, but she didn't comment after that. Then her nose wrinkled at the damp spot on his shirt; his sloppiness. He lazily waved it off. Eyes poring over his arm, she asked him if she could doodle on his plasters and he would’ve said yes though she let out a yawn, making him recall that it's time he got her ready for bed.

Teeth brushed and frocked into her cotton pajamas, she was tucked in her covers. Before Shinichiro closed the door of her room, he overheard her murmur longingly for her big brother that he knew was neither addressed to Manjiro nor him.

When Emma hadn't eased up to him yet, she told him that she already had Izana and that he'd never replace him.

When Shinichiro asked her why he wasn’t with her, he didn’t expect that his words would unintentionally hurt her feelings, and you shook your head in disapproval when he recounted the tale after he begged you to talk to her instead. C’mon. Just help me out, please?

You did, and you still would when you explained to him how adoptions worked, all that complicated, jargony stuff.

Then you asked him what was all of this for. The better question was for who.

On his next visit, Izana got himself a nice guitar. Someone lent it to him, but he didn't elaborate more about that or the scratch on its side when he began playing him a verse of Sweet Child O' Mine. He sulked a bit, deeming his attempt amateur, though Shinichiro assured him that he recognized the song – from heart, he’d even proclaim with a pat to his chest, and Izana always knew but he’d still roll his eyes – and he improved by a mile, knowing he'd been self-taught from his letters.

Shinichiro could barely even pull off the basic chords, believing the F chord actually stood for Fucking Hard in English. Izana agreed but he told him that he should just practice and quit messing up the tuners.

Shinichiro hadn’t mastered playing the guitar months later. Even so, Izana would approach him, asking if he could teach him how to ride a motorcycle. He’d rather teach him how to talk to girls, though he still guided him through the clutch, the throttle and brake, the steering for a bike to roll smoothly, but he wouldn’t actually let him drive until Izana would rush ahead and do it by himself at thirteen.

Shinichiro was there in all of Manjiro and Emma’s milestones. He wanted to be there for Izana’s too.

Ueno Park almost felt bare on July.

Perhaps, there was melancholy in prolonged misplacement.

That there weren’t any cherry blossoms abloom in the park and his mother wouldn't be celebrating Hanami next spring.

His immersion of the surroundings seemed to change after a long stroll to Hanazono Inari Shrine, bedecked with torii gates that couldn't grant wishes, carmine stippled with green shadows overhead. The heat swayed with the trees that it could make a bug curl under a rock and nestle itself there with dreams of the coming season. There’s a zoo nearby, though Izana would rather glance at the fishes from the pond. A smile bent his lips when the fat, red-bellied carps swam under his feet once he fed them morsels of his taiyaki. One of them jokingly brought up cannibalism or if carp liked sweets as much as people do.

His mother would probably say something as absurd, like that time she claimed she was his best friend on this same bridge, a sprig of transient flowers clutched between her fingers. Manjiro was two, but he wouldn’t have memories of her outside the hospital as much as he did. Shinichiro wasn’t sure what kind of child he would be without his mother always holding his hand, though he still threw a fit that what she insisted was downright embarrassing.

Shinichiro reflected over her words, if she had only told him that so he wouldn’t feel as lonesome as she did.

It made him wonder if it was inherited. If Izana had it too, averting his eyes after lingering for too long at the crowd from the distance, couples with strollers and children with parents.

Parks were spaces meant for big, normal families. The shape of which had been hollowed out of them, and through each other’s pensive gaps, Shinichiro just knew he had to take him anywhere but here.

They spent most of the time around the city, going to a corner store where he bought himself a pack of smokes without being asked for an ID; to Okubo-Dori and had Korean corn dogs slathered with too much mustard and sugar; to JB’s Music Store, owned by an Aussie who wore John Lennon tea shades everyday. You tipped him about it because this was the place where you usually purchased CD albums at a cheaper price, though this wasn’t where he got Izana’s Walkman. It’s secondhand, but one could never go wrong finding the best kind in Akihabara.

The both of them gawked at 70s band posters and memorabilia, listening to some random, garbling song by Led Zeppelin, then T. Rex, The Doors, Kiss, Queen. Izana had quick hands when he stuffed a cassette tape inside his hoodie, though the owner had sharper eyes beneath those pitch-black shades and chased them out of the store, making them scram three blocks ahead like their lives depended on it.

Shinichiro would’ve paid the man if he wasn’t low on cash today. He still reprimanded Izana for stealing, panting shallow breaths that gradually heaved out a wild laugh, because the cassette tape was worth the trouble when he eyed the track listings, a collection of the all-time greatest rock hits.

You’re insane. Don’t ever lose it, Shinichiro told him, tousling his hair. Izana didn’t have much back at the orphanage anyway, and there’s really something alive in his eyes that warmed his chest.

They wandered around graffiti walls and railroad ways, neon-signed establishments, scraps of Tokyoite urbanity that smoldered at dusk. There’s the arcade near the pachinko parlor, and there’s the oceanside park at the edge of the city, where the sand stretched for miles that their footprints had been lost to the sea, to the smoke and asphalt on the highway towards the horizon.

There’s a lot of places his brother still hadn’t known yet and some could span far and wide as long as the road could take them together.

Izana didn't like to talk about his mother so he pondered over the father that he never had the chance to know. Or perhaps, was fortunate enough to have never known more about because that meant his father could be anyone; someone who could've been the pillar of his life; someone who he would be proud of being called as his father's son.

"You and Emma have the same father," recalled Izana. "What's he like?"

"He worked hard. When he was around, we watched TV sometimes. Hm, he’d get me out of trouble when Grandpa's about to give me an earful. Always had an excuse," Shinichiro let out a clipped chuckle, then stopped, blank and bleak, when he recounted that his father didn’t discipline him as much as Takeomi’s did and maybe that’s the case because he’s almost never home.

He wondered if fathers were lost creatures. Or if his had only gone astray.

Shinichiro grinned roguishly. “Look at how I turned out to be.”

He hoped to cradle them forever, reminded of the same, fulgent feeling from years ago when Manjiro had first babbled his name and the world around him changed ever since, brighter.

There was a time Izana made a strange promise that he'd break the leg of the guy who got him hospitalized someday, which ought to be raising his concern with how little it sounded like a joke. Shinichiro wrote to him that he reminded him of Manjiro for that and what he drew out of it was a stranger reply. He’s serious apparently, though no word on the comparison.

Even if Shinichiro recounted about Emma getting along with Manjiro in his letters, Izana would dismiss him in favor of his sister. Oftentimes, he wouldn’t acknowledge them together at all.

He penned back that he should stop getting into brawls so much, recollecting how he had to rewrap the bandage on his ankle in his last visit. It’s one thing to fight in self-defense, and another to rampantly commit violence.

His lenience would then provide him that he was only defending a friend. The name kept eluding him.

He searched for one, but his eyes found conviction in a sentence instead.

I just want to be more like you.

Shinichiro almost read that in Manjiro’s voice, but he knew better than to mention it.

At sixteen, Shinichiro thought his biggest hurdle was approaching his grandfather into adopting Izana in the same vein he attempted talking the caretaker to just let him adopt him because they were related anyway—so what if he was still in high school? A delinquent? He led the Black Dragons a year younger and raised his siblings when he’s barely even a teenager.

You’d refute him that he’d only stop being a child at eighteen and would legally be an adult by twenty. Besides, his grandfather was at a certain age wherein he shouldn’t be taking care of another kid anymore. Then you would nag him about the process, the long duration, the qualifications of a guardian. The statistics were slim. There’s a reason why adoptions were so rare and difficult.

At seventeen, he had to accept that the truth was harder to swallow.

Did you ever look back and think why his mother didn’t abandon him with his little sister in your house?

Shinichiro stopped wondering how he could keep a terrible secret for over a year when he'd already been good at keeping them far longer, just so his mother's smile would endure. Izana deserved a kinder life.

They could’ve been listening to records in the vinyl shop downtown or marveling at fiery zelkovas on the route to Omotesando.

But they’re out here lounging around a deserted basketball court, chain-wire fence on their backs, squatted under the late-autumn sun.

"All this legal stuff is stupid. I wish you never had to wait." Shinichiro sighed. "I wish I could bring you home."

Izana was so quiet. His breaths were even, muffled in the wool of his scarf, though he couldn’t seem to scream out his disappointment; he stared. The distance was indistinct, almost leaving no trail but the despair in his eyes. Shinichiro couldn’t help but feel as if he let go of his hand in a crowd, making him crumple down to his knees.

"You,” murmured Izana. Then he glanced back at him, searching. Shinichiro had seen something like this before, so long ago. “You'll come back for me anyway, right?"

"Always," Shinichiro promised, ruffling his hair to shake him off it, as if to gently remind him he’s still here. "But you won't feel too lonely at the orphanage, will you?"

His shoulders trembled; his arms taut around his knees for something else to cling on because Izana looked like he’d been through it a hundred times, and Shinichiro reached, anchored him by the arm, though he couldn’t offer any more consolation than this.

"Kakucho will," Izana realized wistfully, "if I just leave . . ."

"You won't leave him then." Shinichiro smiled, but the corners of his mouth ached. "'Cause you're a good friend."

His eyebrows pinched. "Kakucho's my servant."

Ah. His brother had to work on that.

"Okay. He's your friend," Shinichiro told him this as if he hadn't heard him, provoking a peeved reaction. He just reached forward and pulled at his cheeks to tug up his frown. "Jeez, who calls his friend a servant? You're so weird."

"You're so annoying, Shin," Izana countered defensively, twisting his face away from his hands. "You're the worst!"

Even after the both of them ended up jostling each other in a stutter of soft, exasperated laughter, Shinichiro knew that he really was.

Shinichiro was doing homework.

The book you chose was one of the older copies in your small collection. He's not good at deciphering stuff like this, finding himself not reading the prose but the history: indentions, lignin on paper edges, cracks on the spine like faults or broken lightning.

In Akutagawa's Life of a Stupid Man, you went on about how Death and Illness had two entries each that shared the same title. Perhaps, the meaning should be telling to both the author and the reader, though he couldn't help but be more invested on the singularity of his third entry, The House, highlighted with a faded, broad stroke of neon green as if to scream the passage in an adolescent voice:

He often wondered, in that suburban second story, if people who loved each had to cause each other pain.

Shinichiro ended up copying and paraphrasing your essay when you lent it to him with a shrug.

Sometimes, he pondered if you were the one that highlighted that sentence when the book, like the rest, had belonged to your big brother once.

The truth was he didn't know what to feel about his father.

Shinichiro wondered how could someone hurt another when they weren’t there anymore, and in some despondent way, he understood you a little better.

His father left him a house. His grandfather was too old and his brother was too young. He forgot that he was a child on the day he began to carry the roof of the household on his shoulders, make a pillar out of the boy, tall as ten years and growing.

His mother wept for him that time, spilling soup on the edge of her hospice bed, and he picked up the lacquer bowl as if to salvage something in the remains. There’s a dent on the lip of the bowl that he wouldn’t acknowledge, forcing a smile for the cracks not to show. He told her he’d be strong for all of them. Her tears still kept falling.

You called him unbreakable once. He often wondered if it was true.

The train was slow and swift at the same time when you're standing in the middle, hands clutching on the grab handle above you as if in white-knuckled prayer, but your face was passive, not peaceful. You were gazing at the window behind him and Shinichiro saw the setting sun reflect back in your eyes.

The stop to Meidaimae, then passengers flowing in and out once the doors opened; one of them was the old lady who sat next to him, wading through the crowd with a trolley bag full of canned goods. He still had the Pancan she meant to give to you on his hand.

"Can you sit with me?" Shinichiro asked.

It's just that you looked more content where you were, but it's like staring at a painting for too long and after you acquiesced, he's painfully aware of the distance between both of your shoulders lately, if the gap between them could measure to a fracture.

He defied the sentiment, deciding to rest his head on your shoulder, even though he wasn't tired. He was still heavy, so heavy these days, but he knew you – you were strong, safe in every single way no one understood you for.

You didn't groan out that he should get off you as he clasped to your warmth, hanging himself to the neckline of your sweater in a mutter, "what do you think about Izana?"

You shifted a bit. "I don't know. Fond of you, I guess."

There's a part of him that wanted to convince you that he's a good kid, a terribly lonely kid, but he needed to know your opinion of him first before imparting everything else.

"Is he really your little brother?"

"He is," it's not a lie.

"Then he is," you repeated. "He doesn't act like one, though."

"What do you mean?"

"He acts more like he's your only brother."

"He just hasn't met Manjiro yet." Shinichiro paused. Suddenly, everything mattered and the confidence of his previous statement wavered from a low, sullen, "do you think they'll get along?"

"Why don't you ask him?"

Because he tried.

Stop talking about Manjiro.

When he couldn’t provide a clear answer, you did it for him, even though he’d probably dislike what it was.

“They’ll fight,” you sounded more somber and profound than you should. “Siblings always fight.”

Shinichiro remembered how you shed blood and tears in Chiba; the open wounds of your eyes, a wound for years.

“But you’ll know how to stop them. That’s actually one of your least annoying traits.”

“Then what’s my most annoying trait?”

“When you’re like this.”

A sigh rolled off your lips, and he held a breath as if to snatch the air between them.

"I can't help you when you're like this, Shin," you reminded him, exasperated and resigned and tender, but even when your sentences weren't knife-edged, he felt like he'd bleed from the truth regardless. "You can't just keep hiding things to yourself, you know that?"

"I know," Shinichiro murmured pensively. But you wouldn’t understand . . .

Maybe, he shouldn’t have made promises he couldn’t keep. Maybe, he should’ve let Izana and Emma meet earlier, but would it have made a difference if it wound up towards the same conclusion? Would he hate Manjiro? Would they hate each other?

They’ll fight. The words held a tremor of dread and frustration because the truth would be something Izana would hate most of all.

But Izana held so much hope on his throat, and what big brother was he to let it become his noose.

You wouldn’t understand.

The next two stops should be closer to your place and he counted the seconds like how he counted the passing months on a calendar and the snow-capped roofs of houses slanting under the evening sun. February was ending soon.

"Can you walk me home too?"

You did with a sigh, not even protesting when Shinichiro persuaded you to stay there for awhile, and he's almost tempted to ask if you'd do anything for him. The words didn't quite spell out as he silently hoped when the both of you ended up bumming on a cigarette in the garden, coalesced over a waft of fragrant incense his grandfather lit from the house. He mentioned to you that Manjiro didn’t know how to properly pray to the butsudan and you shrugged because you never had a reason to pray either, offering smoke to no one but him.

He could've been more honest that night, though he didn't want to tell you that he's afraid he didn't know how long he could still have you like this.

A year after you left for Nagoya, Shinichiro told Takeomi about Izana.

You’re just trying to protect them, was his only reassurance.

Shinichiro wished he could do better at it. Months from now, it wouldn’t be enough.

It's like you have a little sister, Shinichiro announced on the day he first held a baby in his arms; a privilege, perhaps, that he should've reserved for Manjiro but he didn't know he'd have a little brother yet, and you furrowed your brows, denying his statement. No, Keiko's my niece.

You would repeat it whenever you were tasked to watch over her from the crib because your sister was grinding away in her second part-time job during the weekends.

Shinichiro hung around with you till his curfew. In fact, he had so much free time that he could play hide-and-seek at home by himself and still get bored for years while responsibility was thrust upon you earlier for him to misinterpret your petulant unwillingness for disaffection.

You scowled over changing diapers and looked like you're about to collapse into tears the moment you heard a piercing, infantile cry, though you would always know when Keiko was hungry. Permit her to grip your glasses like a toy when she's saddled on the hook of your arm, a hand rubbing her back. You're the same with your nephew too, a little boy named Yoichi, sucking his thumb when he followed you around everywhere.

Whenever Shinichiro saw this different side of you something inside him unfurled, about what it's like to hum some soft, lilting lullaby to put one to sleep or to grasp a toddler's hand, crossing the pedestrian lane.

What's it like to hear a baby burp out a laugh? You told him it was the weirdest sound Keiko ever made, revealing a warm liveliness to you behind the humor and a pang of jealousy in his grin.

Then Takeomi had Haruchiyo, and the feeling carved through him.

Shinichiro didn't have anything like that. He didn't think he would want something so much until his mother rested a hand over her womb and then he called you over the phone, so overjoyed that he yelled at the top of his lungs that he's going to be a—

“Can I see you?”

“I can't exactly come back to Tokyo.”

“No, I'll come over to you.”

“Right now? Really?”

“Yeah . . .”

“All right. Hey, Shin,” a soft, concerned pause. “Did something happen—” Are you okay?

Shinichiro pretended to not hear you, pressing end call after lingering for a second.

Taking the bullet train to Nagoya hadn't really been the most impulsive thing Shinichiro had ever committed, and despite it being the most expensive ride he’d ever spent, he still got cold feet from meeting you.

A part of him was hollow, an ache between the space in his bones. It’s like he’s missing a rib, curved along your smile from the window of the café, a sigh ghosting through the glass as if to make the sentiment apparent in the longing. How it wasn’t the same without each other’s presence anymore.

You didn't appear like you changed all that much yet. He no longer wondered if he did.

Shinichiro asked for directions, burned the soles of his shoes across the city to find you, and once he did, he lost the half of him that you might’ve loved. Where did all of his courage go? Why did it feel selfish to barge back into your life and believe everything would be as it was?

He pulled out his phone and sent you a message that something urgent came up. I’m sorry.

In a way it kind of was.

Fearing the thought that it’s there in Nagoya; your resolve of wanting to search for yourself in a world without him.

Shinichiro dismissed it entirely as he bolted into a sprint, running through where he went wrong when Izana was thrown in juvie, and Manjiro scarred Haruchiyo, and he didn't really know where he hurtled himself into when the descent felt more real and harrowing than anything, spewing his guts out on the pavement from some alleyway.

It was Takeomi who found him and brought him home that night, half pitying and half responsible for him.

“You look like you’ve been through hell,” he told him this as if he’s been living in it, and Shinichiro wanted to ask if he’s okay.

But Takeomi would probably brush it off, something about having to prove he’s tougher than this, and he shouldered the weight of him, even if he did look brittle himself. He’s unshaven too. The both of them used to joke about stuff like that, growing beards and pubic hair.

“Something like that,” offered Shinichiro, thinking maybe they could meet somewhere in the anguish. “Hey, I really missed you.”

There’s a stiffness to his shoulders. Sometimes, affection to Takeomi was a scar, callousing a little more over time, and he didn’t say the words but it’s still there, on the firm grip of his hand. The silence between them was scuffed with footfalls, like coming out of a war again. He never had to do it with blood or bravado, though he only had to be the boy he remembered from a lifetime ago.

“Please don't let Manjiro and Emma see me like this.”

Shinichiro figured he'd understand, ignoring the kaleidoscope of wicked, blinding lights from Kabukicho, the scent of tobacco and another woman's perfume on his best friend’s clothes like his father's . . .

If someone were to ask him about his father, Shinichiro would always tell you that he couldn’t recall much of his face. There were photo albums and picture frames on the walls, but somehow, all he saw was a stranger. Then he’d glance on the mirror and trace out the lie.

All the unlikely bright spots of his memory resurfacing, like the fresh smarting of a bruise.

How his father compensated by giving him that Nintendo console he'd been begging his parents to buy for him on his eighth birthday; how he smoked more than his grandfather, but unlike him, he's mindful enough to tamp his cigarette under the heel of his shoe when Shinichiro was around him; how he loved him very much, perhaps in all the poignant ways absent fathers could for their children that he had to wonder for the longest time why his father couldn't return all of this love to his mother.

Shinichiro had contemplated about it for a decade and locked it so close to his chest that it had long since lost a voice from every secret he had kept for him.

He just didn't want anyone to hurt – never again.

Shinichiro wasn’t alone in his room.

Manjiro had been playing his Gameboy.

Shinichiro was a little disoriented, a little ready to reproach him to not play games all day, though once he stirred from the bed, he woke feverish with a cooling pad plastered on his forehead. Swaddled in his comforter, his body ached and shuddered; throat parched.

Manjiro was attentive beside him, putting down the Gameboy and reaching him a sweaty glass of water. The condensation trickled along the line of his wrist, but it's nice and cold on the pads of his fingers, tilting up the glass to his mouth. His mind was still muddled.

“Grandpa called Yoneda-jiji that you were sick today.” Then Manjiro pointed at the plastic container from his nightstand; warm clumps of onigiri inside. “Emma made you those. Sorry, I ate one,” he added, flicking the grain of rice on his t-shirt.

The hem tag at the back of his collar poked out. It’s thoughtlessly childish, endearing really, and Shinichiro was about to mention it until Manjiro spoke for Emma’s behalf. “She wanted to stay behind too, but I told her that she should go to school.”

Then Shinichiro craned his head at him. Cleared his throat again. “Why aren’t you in school?”

There’s resolution in his dark eyes.

“I’m gonna take care of you.”

“I’m fine. Don’t skip school, dummy,” dismissed Shinichiro, but he didn’t mean to sound mildly annoyed about it. He wasn't exactly the model of good health, but his body had endured the worst so he searched for all the cuts and scabs that weren’t there because he never had a fever since he was about his brother’s age and he'd rather be annoyed than admit how much he felt like a burden.

Manjiro was unyielding in his concern. “Promise me you’ll get better first,” he demanded with a clench to his fist, like he’s looking for a fight. “Then I’ll go back tomorrow.”

Shinichiro just tucked the hem tag back inside his t-shirt and gave him a pat on the head, his hair soft and unkempt under his hand, seeking comfort. Gentleness wasn't new to Manjiro, but it's a language he struggled at conveying so he dropped his gaze, uncertain and a bit lost.

There's a heaviness to his eyes that made him slouch on the bed and the both of them were reminiscing of a simpler, more vulnerable time.

"You never get sick," Manjiro told him with an edge to his voice that's close to trembling. "You just never do, Shinichiro."

Shinichiro sighed under his breath. “I’ll be okay, all right? I’ll be better.”

His throat ached. He sounded so much like their mother.

Shinichiro didn't quite realize how his reticence could hurt his brother when the both of them knew that there's something profoundly wrong.

They really were related. They're Sanos. Awful with words, awful with feelings; a shared helplessness.

Manjiro feared the weakness of it more than Shinichiro had withstood for all his life, but he didn't mind. He could learn from his big brother's failures, know when to not step on the cracks from his path, rise up again if he did so that the fall wouldn't wound him as much.

Manjiro could even kill a person right now and Shinichiro would still do anything for him. He'd do the same for Izana.

Terrible and twisted, his brothers, but Shinichiro loved them anyway. Emma and Grandpa did too.

They're all what's left.

They're a family.

Later in the afternoon, Shinichiro would be faced with dishes on the sink with a stab of betrayal, and be bombarded with errands from his job tomorrow, and be attending Manjiro and Emma's PTA meetings right after work. He still had to make amends with Nitta-san for Manjiro's aggression towards her son. There's so much laundry to do . . .

But then he’d also recall how Emma beamed when he complimented her that her onigiri was perfect after laboring on it for hours just to get the shape and taste right; her fingers slightly burned from a clumsy attempt at molding hot rice. Manjiro was the one who suggested grilled salmon flakes as a filling because he knew it’s his favorite and dashed towards the grocery store to buy the ingredients himself.

His grandfather was always the stoic one. He'd scold him a lot, but they never argued and no one had the real temper to combust. Nothing was deeper; every response was delayed and every conversation was either terse, ruminating ones or complete silence like in Mokuso. Even in the kitchen table where they sat together for years, he brought the austerity of the dojo with him.

Shinichiro wouldn’t inherit the family dojo. He had no interest in pursuing martial arts. Had other plans.

His grandfather asked if he was doing well anyway, and Shinichiro was close to saying that he's sorry for being a disappointment but he bit it off at the last second before telling him that he was good.

That's good. He nodded and nothing much else.

Perhaps, Shinichiro could never get more from this, but it's all right. They would drink tea in silence and fall back to the same, mundane talks in circles until he turned twenty, not feeling older than he should, because he was still his grandfather and he was still his grandson. It was good.

Exposition corner:

[1] “his father's son”: a reference to the names of Shinichiro and his father, Makoto, from the Sano Family Tree; Makoto [真] and Shinichiro [真一郎], [真] being the kanji for ‘truth’ or ‘sincerity’ and [一郎] for ‘first son.’ Another reading of [真一郎] could be Makoto’s First Son. Full credits to Yoko for this one! If you see this, you my friend are amazing for picking this up!

[2] Hanami: The Japanese traditional custom of viewing cherry blossoms when they are in full bloom, usually accompanied with family and/or friends. On the topic of Hanami, Ueno Park is popularly known as one of the best cherry blossom viewing spots in Tokyo.

[3] "[...] torii gates that couldn't grant wishes”: Shinichiro was referencing the Fushimi Inari Shrine from Kyoto, in which the Senbon Torii there are believed to grant wishes.

[4] “[…] he’d only stop being a child at eighteen and would legally be an adult by twenty”: According to the Child Welfare Law, a person under 18 is considered a child while under the Civil Law Act, the age of adulthood is 20 in Japan. In context of the story, Izana could leave the orphanage when he’s 18. If Shinichiro wanted to adopt Izana, he would have to be 20 because he wouldn’t be considered an adult if he’s still 18-19. Sadly, even if he was already an adult, adoption in Japan is a whole can of worms. It is rare and difficult. It’s known that orphans are likely to grow and move out from their orphanages than to be adopted.

[5] Life of a Stupid Man: It’s an autobiographical short story by Ryunosuke Akutagawa. It’s his last written work before he committed suicide right after.

[6] House: In Japanese, [家] translates to ‘house’, but it could also mean family, household, and family’s lineage. Hell, Family [家族] is one part a character for the term. I don’t want to bore anyone with the subtle distinctions between [いえ] and [うち], but my main point is ‘house’ carries the same weight as ‘family’ to Shinichiro specifically. If I were writing this in Japanese, this would’ve made more sense, but I’m just playing with my words in English (^_^)

[7] Butsudan: It is a shrine commonly found in temples and homes in Japanese Buddhist cultures. Its primary use is for paying respects to the Buddha, as well as to family members who have died.

[8] Mokuso: It is a type of martial arts meditation practiced in Japanese martial arts like Karate and Kendo.

a massive shoutout to ObsidianMoonstones's Tone of Things to Come and As long as I’m dreaming, I’m alive – they told me the dead don’t dream. his characterization of izana is the best i've ever come across in any site. heck, how he writes izana is my main source of inspiration! i highly recommend everyone to check out his works!!

a/n: next chapter is the second part of his backstory so we're still going to suffer a bit. sorry, if it feels a bit incomplete for now, but i swear if i didn't cut this in half, all of you wouldn't get the chance to breathe because I'm pretty sure yall know what's coming next :')

part nine ❁ m.list ❁ part eleven

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lizard-shifter-noms · 9 months

Text

Wayward Waters Chapter 1

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Hello everyone! finally Posting ARC 3 now!

time to have them explore more of the world!

this Story contains Vore, Dont like dont read.

have fun reading!

and as always reblogs are appreciated! (Also ASK’s are open so feel free to bother me!)

AO3 Link for those that prefer the layout there;

AO3 Wayward Waters

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Sleeping was nice, being woken up not so much.

Being woken up by Nea was even worse.

Which was proven by the fact that she barged in and then pelted one of Robin's shoes which were still on the floor right onto my shoulder.

I jolted awake and onto all fours, tensing my muscles and squishing Robin in the process who squirmed in surprise.

Clenching my muscles I immobilized him,

I could absolutely NOT let Nea or anyone else know about this.

Luckily he seemed to get it as I told Nea off for waking me like that.

“Nea! Can't you wake me like a normal person?

Or do ANYthing normally for that matter?”

She just shrugged and I could feel Robin freeze extremely still at the mention of her name.

He was well aware that Nea could and would cut me open if she thought anything amiss.

Luckily the woman didn't seem to care about the ginger's whereabouts and had more fun antagonizing me.

“Eh, i'm not normal, so i dun have ta do anythin normally,

now get yer fuzzy ass up, shoes on and get yer rust headed friend, Rikaad wanted ta talk ta both of ya!”

With those words, and the second shoe thrown in my general direction she went out the door.

Untensing to give the little human in my pouch more room I spoke.

“I need to get a lock installed, the sooner the better, Robin? She’s gone and i think she confused your shoes for mine, so we are in luck this time”

He wiggled a little, which admittedly felt a bit funny, and addressed me.

“A lock sounds good, also what did she throw at you? My shoes? It sounded like it”

I nodded before recalling he couldn't see that.

“Uh yeah right at my shoulder too, but lucky not at the injured one so im fine, but damn that crazy lady needs to calm down, or a punching bag”

“I think everyone is kind of her punching bag, what did she even want?”

“She said Rikaad wanted to see us, no idea what for though, so brace yourself i'm gonna let you out”

I could feel him turn around at my words and while he did that I snagged one of the many towels that were strewn about.

Then I worked to bring the tiny redhead out of my pouch and into the bright world again.

What time was it anyway?

With how much light came in it looked like it was around midday.

As soon as the ginger was out I tossed the towel over him which he immediately used to dry himself while I shrunk down to human height.

Being nice I slid his shoes over the floor closer to him while picking my own out of some hay.

While doing that my eyes fell on the weird Logos book that Oakley had given me and Fable, as a means to communicate despite him going around traveling the world.

I'd use it after talking to Rikaad, After all, my brother had only left like twenty four hours ago so there couldn't be that many interesting things since then.

I did wonder though what Rikaad could have summoned us for, but if we had to talk to him anyway i might as well ask about getting a lock installed.

Messily brushing my hair for all of twenty seconds i followed Robin outside of my shed only to realize i had no idea where the fuck Rikaad was.

Nea hadn't said anything about that, just that he wanted to see us, and of course the crazy Guard was nowhere in sight now.

“Where did Nea say we had to go?”

I turned to Robin not sure what to answer as I had no clue.

“Uh, i don't know, Nea just said to talk to Rikaad, and then threw the other shoe before leaving, i guess we could try the throne room? If he's not there we can just ask someone”

That seemed reasonable enough, usually larger meetings were held in the throne room or the large rooms behind it.

I still thought the architect was a drunken dumbass for building it like this but with how old the castle was they were long dead by now.

Nearing the front of the castle I could see some other people, mainly guards, walk in and out of the throne room.

Looked like we were in the right place, which was proven as we went inside.

It looked like it always did, with the exception of a big table in the middle that featured what looked to be a map of some islands.

At the head of the table was Rikaad, looking with an earnest expression at the map which I now noticed had little figurines on it.

I hoped that wasn't more trouble, but knowing our luck it probably was.

He looked up at the sound of Robin's footsteps,

how he knew it was him was beyond me though.

“There you are, is Arthur with you?”

We both shook our head in unison, which was kinda funny seeing as it was completely uncoordinated,

Rikaad looked disappointed for a moment.

“Let's wait for him, i'm not going to explain this twice”

Explain what? Did it have to do with the map?

Looking at it it was more than likely, now that I had a closer look I could see the figurines were of either Kamerasca or Maringand ships, as well as some people and houses.

The ships, arranged in a neat formation, strangely enough rang a bell in my head but I could for the life of me not recall why.

Then Arthur ran through the door, dodging what looked to be an armor piece.

I didn't even need to see her come in to know it was Nea who had hunted him like that, I wasn't exactly sure what was going on with the two of them but I for sure wanted no part of it.

“Found all of em! Now what's ta fuss about?”

She limped in, without crutches and I didn't doubt for a second that she had managed to break them and now simply ignored the medics orders about using them.

Arthur stood between me and Robin to negate any chance of having to be right next to Nea.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see he was a bit out of breath.

Nea then limped to the table and stood on my other side, looking intensely at the map like it would go up in flames any second now.

I looked at Rikaad who wasn't leaning over the map anymore.

Looking at it I saw a few letters in a haphazard pile next to it.

They were all upside down for me so I couldn't read it, but I had no doubt they were at least part of the reason we were called here.

I looked back up at Rikaad as he spoke.

“As some of you already know, we received letters from the Trader Islands about some Marigand ships causing havoc there by attacking other ships as well as the smaller settlements.

On my Question to the Queen of Maringand she replied that they had been sent by the old king, Winton, and did not believe any official writings about the change of rulership.

Since we can't just let them continue with this we will go there and set an end to the chaos personally.

You have been called here to either accompany me to the Islands or to watch over Kamerasca while i'm gone, i have made a list which you can read later-”

He pointed to the longest piece of parchment on Norrins end of the Table, the Guard pointed at it as well.

“- please read it as soon as you can as i want to solve this as quickly as possible, which means we will leave tomorrow at midday on a ship”

Chaos on the trader islands? Oh that can be good, and then they didn't even believe official statements about Amicia being in power now.

Though the fact that it was maringand ships rang a bell somehow.

After thinking about it for a moment while everyone else was busy reading the list, I remembered the fleet of ships I had seen shortly after Fable arrived.

Had winton attempted to split the army by having some of his men wreak havoc on the islands?

If so his timing skills were worse than my writing ones as this was a good two weeks too late.

Winton was an idiot with no spatial awareness so it really didn't surprise me.

Most of the people were done with the list and left to either pack whatever they needed for the Boat trip or to prepare for their new duties in the absence of the King.

So there was now enough space to read the list without bumping into anybody.

Looking it over it appeared to be sorted alphabetically but even so I couldn't find my name, nor could I find Robins who really tried to make sense of the letters despite his weird inability to read comprehensively.

So we weren't on the list, did that mean we would just stay here and do what we did the past few weeks?

If that was the case why were we even called?

Was it because Rikaad simply wanted to inform us he was leaving for a bit?

But then I realized that I hadn't seen Arthur's name either, as well as Nea’s and Norrin’s names were absent from the list.

I looked confusedly at the taller man.

He was also still standing there, since he wrote the list he didn't need to read it anyway.

After a majority of the other people left to go do their new tasks he addressed us.

“I didn't write your names on the list as most of your tasks will be a bit more elaborate.

For example only half the people still at this table will go with me on the Boat while the others stay behind to keep an eye on Kamerasca”

Ohh so he was probably leaving Norrin here, The man had been the head Guard for some time and knew what to do.

Before Rikaad could continue he was interrupted by Arthur.

“I am not setting a single foot on a ship! I get sick from a normal fucking chariot there is no way i’ll step on that hellish water vessel!”

Oh, right, Arthur's motion sickness would have him keeling over the side of the Boat for likely the entirety of the trip.

And I had seen how badly he took to a simple carriage, I didn't want to imagine how horrible a ship would be for him.

Rikaad shook his head at that.

“I'm well aware of that, which is why you'll stay here and have an eye on everything together with Norrin and Nea.

He looked relieved at being able to avoid the ship but when he was told he had to work with Nea his face soured.

He didn't say anything though and I suspected the reason why Norrin was also involved in keeping an eye out was so the other two wouldn't start fighting, all that much at least.

So that left me and Robin, I had to admit that going on a ship sounded intriguing, that was something I had never done before as I would have been killed.

I hoped I would get to go on the ship.

I had always wanted to know what the trader islands looked like, and as far as I was aware that was where most of the cinnamon came from.

Me and Robin were addressed next while Arthur and Nea left, glaring at each other all the while until Norrin stepped between them.

“As for you two, you can join me on the ship if you want, you don't have to but I would very much like some familiar and trusted faces near me”

That did sound logical, with Nea and Norrin here there wouldn't be all too many of the more familiar faces, and having someone on Board he knew he could trust would probably set him at ease a bit more.

“Also quite frankly now that nobody else is listening I really need to get away from all the paper stuff if just for a little bit, which is why I'm going personally and didn't send someone else”

Ah, so even Rikaad could have enough of trying to catch up with all that, understandable, i would have given up long ago.

“Yeah i was wondering how you were managing not to go mad with all of that”

Robin piped up from where he had stared at the map.

“Oh wait, what should I pack? Aside from clothing i mean”

Rikaad answered quickly enough.

“Whatever you want as long as you can carry it yourself, but maybe leave behind what you don't want to get wet”

Oh right, there would be water, lots of it, What if I dropped the Logos book?

“Well, i'll leave you two to sorting your own stuff till next midday, please don't oversleep, we will meet at the gate and don't forget your stuff”

So we would leave tomorrow then, which meant packing my sparse stuff into a bag and walking to the harbor with the rest of the people coming along.

I wondered how big the ship would be.

I nodded at Rikaad who was now rolling up the Map and sorting the other paper back into a more organized pile.

I was already thinking of what to take with me, aside from the normal necessities.

I debated if I should bring the Logos Book with me while Robin dragged me outside again before running off to put his stuff together while I continued to my shed.

On one hand the Logos book was my only way of communicating with Fable, on the other I didn't know if it was waterproof.

Also if I dropped it and it fell into the ocean I would never find it again.

It would probably be better to leave it here than risk somehow losing it or getting it destroyed by saltwater.

Maybe I could practice some of my writing while on the boat?

My writing currently was awful, not only spelling wise but also just plain ugly to look at.

Still, I'd better inform Fable about that so he wouldn't have to worry.

Opening the door to the shed I went right for the Logos book and retreated up to the loft as that was the only place with a proper desk.

Which meant it was the only place that had ink in my entire room that I could use.

Putting the book on the worn wood I opened the first page only to see a beautiful sketch of a Bird sitting in a tree.

The Bird itself was a Robin.

Underneath the drawing where a few words

Look, it's your friend! I saw him at Dawn after leaving.

Man, Fables handwriting was already way better than mine, and i couldn't detect any spelling mistakes.

But I had to admit the drawing was pretty, and the joke he made was a tiny bit funny.

So much for not having a sense of humor.

Well, time to answer, and inform him about not being able to reply for some time to whatever he wrote to me.

Hello Fable | im sory for my bad hanwritting

Nice to see you are doing good | love the drawing very funni.

I will not be able to repli to any of your textts ̶s̶ for som time as i will go on a ship with the others to the trade islands

Not sure how long i wil be gone but i wil write you again as soon as i get back

Im not takin the book wit me as i don't want it getting destroied

There wil be lots of water and the book is paper that dosnt mix well

Write you soon after i get bak from the boat

That should be a good enough explanation, I wasn't any good at writing though so i hoped it was at least understandable.

I set the book back on the desk and went to fetch a duffel bag so I could stuff my things into it.

Looking at the mostly empty shelves I debated if there was anything I wanted to take with me, but the only things in the shelves were just trinkets and the dirt filled cup Robin had forgotten one time.

The wood sorrels inside of it were growing like crazy though, Maybe I should get an actual flower pot.

So only clothes and other necessities then.

Maybe I could put the tiny and currently empty wooden box on one of the shelves in the bag as well?

The box could be locked with a simple slide mechanism and had been in the shed before me, digging that out of the hay had been a surprise.

If I found a nice shell or something I could put it in there so it wouldn't break.

Also a box was generally practical so I stuffed it in the bag as well.

Looking at it I realized I was already done, that was fast.

Then again I really didn't have much to my name so that should have been obvious.

Dragging the bag to the door I set it right next to the exit, tomorrow I would just have to grab it from there then I could readily leave.

Sooo, what to do now?

I still had half the day left now but nothing to do.

And I was sure that Robin would take a lot longer to pack than I did, so hanging out with him wasn't much of an option.

Out of boredom I decided to check the Logos book again.

Going back up to the loft I went to the desk and opened the book.

Surprisingly Fable had already answered, and I could see once again that he had prettier handwriting than I did,

with basically no spelling mistakes either.

Man, I wished I could spell like that.

Whatever, Fables text read;

Hello Donovan, believe it or not I have seen worse handwriting,

but I'm sure with some practice you will get better at it.

I am doing very well in fact, the forest is not as dangerous as I have been told, at least thus far.

Thank you for the compliment on my picture.

I wish you the best of luck on the trader islands,

If you can, bring me a shell?

Also not taking the book with you does make sense as I doubt it can be replaced.

Do not worry about me, I am a patient person so I promise I will not assume the worst should i not hear from you for one or two weeks now that you have notified me of this.

Tell me how it was as soon as you get back, the trader islands are a place i have not been to and i am curious as to what they are like.

I wish you calm waters and a peaceful journey.

Well, that was nice, at least I didn't have the worst handwriting in the world but I'd make sure to practice while on the boat.

And the forest not being as dangerous was a relief, maybe stuff had just been exaggerated for effect?

It was also nice that he understood my concern about taking the book on the boat and of course I'd bring him a shell!

I'd have to make sure to get a really pretty one for him!

Maybe I should write back? Or was that weird?

I ended up writing back, even if badly readable for Fable, He responded very quickly.

Talking about nothing much, basically just telling stories to each other, and before I knew it it was dark outside.

Huh, having had the back and forth with Fable had taken more time than I thought.

I wrote a quick goodnight for him and he responded curtly by telling me he was going to set up camp now and wished me a goodnight as well as a safe journey.

I went back over to the bag I had packed and looked at the items one last time to make sure I didn't forget any of my sparse belongings needed for the trip.

It looked like I had everything though so I left the bag next to the door and went into the middle of the room.

I changed into my Ardua form to sleep like that after taking the sleeping aid Oakley gave me, luckily i had tossed the rest of it in my bag already.

I doubted I could do that on the ship as there probably wouldn't be enough space so I decided to sleep like this for probably the last time this week.

Settling down I curled up like a cat, which I had actually learned from one, and yawned before using my arm as a pillow.

It wasn't that long after I fell asleep that someone knocked on the door.

I had one very good guess as to who it was.

“Its open, come in”

Just as predicted a familiar redhead appeared in the doorframe, clutching a bag to himself that looked messily packed together, no doubt his own stuff.

“I- uh, i'm kinda nervous to go on the boat, last time we went with the guard school and i fell overboard and got pinched by a crab, can i sleep here? I don't want to get nightmares about falling into the ocean”

He fell in and got pinched the last time he was on a boat? No wonder he was nervous.

“Come here, and leave your bag by the door next to mine, we can take them with us tomorrow”

He nodded and put his bag on the floor next to my own before coming over to me and climbing over my arm, settling in the groove of my elbow.

He always looked so small when he did that, especially as he sunk into the fluffy green fur there.

“Thank you, and sorry for bothering you, i'm just really nervous about going away on a boat”

He mumbled into the fur of my arm, burying his head in there.

“No problem, and you're not bothering me, i'm a tiny bit nervous myself actually, i've never been on a boat, but at least i can swim somewhat”

Swimming had been something I had to learn as people kept tossing me into rivers when I still lived on the streets.

Drowning didn't sound good to me so I had to teach myself how to swim at least a little.

Yeah that wasn't something I was about to tell people though.

“You can swim? Are you good at that? Im kinda okay at it, at least when i don't have armor on”

I did doubt swimming with armor on would be an easy task anyway.

“That good, swimming is a useful skill i think, as for myself i know how NOT to drown so that has to be good enough”

He made a soft hum before burying deeper into the warm fur.

“That's nice, how long do you think we need to spend on the boat until we get to the islands?”

How long? Huh, i didn't know that but considering it had taken a week or so for the letter to arrive id say two to three days or so.

“Uhh, I dunno, two or three days? Maybe? I'm not an expert and there are many islands on the map as well*

“three or four days? Well I guess that depends if we have good sailing weather?” “I hope we do, maybe we can take a little vacation there as well for a day and go on a beach to collect shells, i need a pretty one for Fable”

A day just to go to the beach sounded nice, sure Kamerasca did have its own beach but usually there were so many fishing boats or crabs that going into the water was a bad idea, and rivers weren't exactly all that clean sometimes.

Robin just mumbled something about sand and looking down I saw he had fallen asleep.

“Heh, goodnight then”

I lay my head down as well, basically hiding Robin from the world as my jaw covered his little form in the crook of my elbow as I fell asleep as well.

Tomorrow we'd get woken up by either Nea or Arthur, and for myself I hoped it was Arthur.

Sadly I was wrong, as the door slammed open with a bang and Nea barged in, announcing loudly that we had to get our stuff and leave in an hour.

“YO! Getup yer sleepyheads! Time ta brave tha Sea! Ye have an hour ta get yer stuff and go ta tha gate!”

Both me and Robin sprang up at her sudden and brash appearance.

Before we could retort anything she was gone again.

“I wish she wasn't so loud and sudden when she does this”

Robin could only nod to that as he climbed over my arm again and walked over to his bag, making sure the door didn't slam into it.

I stood up and shook myself like a wet dog before shifting back into a more human form.

An hour now huh? Plenty of time to walk to the gate, Luckily, I had already packed my stuff yesterday.

And Robin had packed them as well, judging by the lumpy duffel bag next to my small one.

Though knowing Robin it was probably chaos, I just hoped he hadn't forgotten anything.

Maybe asking to make sure of that would be a good idea.

“Robin? You got everything packed?”

He nodded for a second before he looked confused and opened the bag up to look inside.

Yep, as predicted, he had already forgotten what he put inside of it.

“We have an hour, how about I help you organize?”

He looked at me miserably.

“I don't know why my memory is so garbage, i can remember other things perfectly, like plant names but then i can't remember what i put in my bag the day before”

Yeah, that was kinda weird, but whatever.

“Happens I guess? Now come on put your stuff on the ground and i'll help you”

He nodded and then just sat on the ground before pouring the contents of the bag over the floor.

I could see some unfolded clothes and a pencil that had stained a shirt while it was in the bag, as well as some other things I was pretty sure weren't needed on a ship.

What a mess, and he forgot to pack pants in exchange for double the amount of shirts.

We spent the majority of the hour reorganizing his stuff and packing properly so he would have what he needed.

While I sent him to get some pants from his room I folded everything else and put the pencil stained shirt to the side.

When he came back I showed him how to most efficiently put everything in the bag.

“Thank you so much! I really don't know where my brain is sometimes!”

“Well i didn't see it in the bag so don't know where it is either”

He laughed at my very bad joke and tossed the pencil at me, I managed to catch it before it hit me though.

“What did you pack this one for anyway? Im sure you could just ask someone for a pencil"

He shrugged.

“Dunno anymore, I think I wanted to draw the fish I saw? But i'm not a good artist so i guess i can just leave it here”

I nodded and then looked outside again.

I wasn't exactly sure what time it was but we probably should head to the gate before they sent someone to get us.

“I think we should head out now, you ready?”

I stood up and grabbed my own bag as Robin followed me with his own outside the shed.

Not too far from the door was sitting a familiar feline form.

Robin immediately went up to her.

“Gloxinia! Good kitty!

Are you gonna keep an eye on the garden while we're all gone?”

The cat purred and brushed up against his legs as if telling him she would do just that.

Right, Oakley had mentioned that she had the potential to become a magical familiar, so her being smarter than the average cat wasn't a surprise.

I bent down as well to scritch her between the ears.

“If Nea starts to cause chaos and tries to murder some poor Guard try to distract her okay?”

“Mrrp!”

She bonked her head against my fingers and then slinked off in the direction of Oakley’s tower.

After that we headed to the gate as fast as we could, and as i thought half of the people were already there so we were just in time.

Looking around at the twenty something people I could see that Arthur and Amicia were here as well, probably to say goodbye or something.

Amicia was shaking Rikaads hand in what I assumed was thanks and Apologizing for the chaos her citizens made while Rowley was right behind her, half hiding from everyone else.

Should I talk to the smaller Ardua?

Probably not, I had headbutted him into a boulder on our first meeting and he made it clear he didn't want the shifter bracelet at all.

I'd respect that and leave him be.

The group split off and Amicia went to a fancy chariot a few paces away that i had failed to notice, Rowley in tow.

She looked back for a second and then ran up to Arthur to hug him.

Well hug was nicely put, from the face he made i was sure he just heard his spine crack.

While walking back to the chariot where Rowley was already inside she waved at us.

“Hey guys! Have a nice journey! Don't get sand in your teeth!”

What an odd thing to say, I just politely waved back as she clambered into the chariot and rode back to Maringand.

Looked like her stay with us was over and she was going back to rule her own Kingdom.

I really hoped that would go well.

I turned to Robin briefly.

“Hey I'm gonna go ask Arthur if he can get a lock installed on my door while we're on the boat, why don't you tell Rikaad we're here? Maybe we can go to the boat early?”

He nodded with a big smile and weaved past some Guards towards Rikaad, chanting the words ‘Boat trip, Boat trip’ over and over.

Looked like he already forgot to be nervous.

I then went up to Arthur who tried to get his back into its proper position again.

“And people wonder why i don't like women”

He muttered and then looked at me.

“Hey Arthur! How are you?

“Glad i don't have to go on that hellish vessel with you, but honestly staying behind isn't that much better when i have to work with Nea all the time, i swear she's gonna break my leg or something!”

Yeah that did sound like her.

“Well i'll make sure to not be surprised should you be in a cast when we come back”

He just rolled his eyes.

“Great, thanks, i'm just glad Norrin is also here, hes at least reasonable, whatever, i wish you guys good luck while on that thing from hell”

Yep, Arthur's motion sickness would get really bad on a boat no doubt, so it wasn't a wonder he called it a hellish thing.

“Thank you, can I ask for a favor while we're out at sea?”

“What kind favor?”

“Can you install a lock on my door? Nea already bent the hinges a little from waking me up, if you want to call banging the door open and throwing stuff at me while yelling that”

He nodded in sympathy.

“Of course, though i don't doubt she could kick a hole into the door instead, it's only wood after all, but i'll see to it don't worry”

Yeah kicking a hole into the door was something she WOULD do, so maybe telling her there was a lock now was a good idea.

“Thank you! I'm really not keen on having her throw shoes at me again, i'm just lucky she didn't realize they were Robins and not mine”

I sighed at the memory, albeit not very fondly.

Arthur made a face that made it clear he had a good idea WHY Nea didn't notice the boots were Robins, and he was right.

“Well whatever, good luck with the paper stuff, take breaks when you need them though!”

He nodded.

“I will, don't worry, I don't know how Rikaad manages to spend hours in there, I barely do one! Anyway, if you can bring me a souvenir? I doubt i'll ever manage to go there myself”

“Of course, i'll bring a nice seashell or something else i find on the beach if you want”

“Sounds good, and make sure Robin does not fall in! While he can swim he might panic and forget!”

Oh, that wasn't something I had thought about, panicking while in water was a bad thing.

“I will keep an eye on him, I promise! I'll make sure personally that he doesn't fall in!”

Just then someone called for all of us to Leave towards the Harbor of Kamerasca, and to not forget our things.

“Oh, time to go then, stay out of trouble while we're not here, yeah?”

“I'll try, but idiots appear on every corner i'll tell you!”

“Yeah you saw me as one of them at first!”

“You still are!”

I moved to hug him to shut him up, which he did even if he didn't hug back, but that was because I trapped his arms to his sides.

“Erch alright, just make sure to not swim with sharks or whatever, now scram or they'll leave you on the dock!”

I let go of him, and after saying goodbye and that I would get him the biggest shell I could find sprinted after the others toward Rikaad and Robin.

I caught up pretty quickly to them and walked next to Robin who awkwardly held his bag.

Looking closer I realized one of the straps broke.

Of course, he had stuffed heavy things inside of it and not even tried to balance the weight equally.

I offered to trade carrying the bags so he had my way lighter one with the intact straps and I would take the heavier one with the broken strap.

He asked a good three times if I was sure and after assuring him of that we traded the bags.

Rikaad had in that time absconded to the front of the fifteen something people convoy and was leading us down the slope to the main city.

The city, oh dammit, it was the middle of the day! People would see me! And the Fae ban papers were still missing! What if someone decided to be petty today and attack me?

The sun was out so it would be perfectly easy to spot my way too pointy ears! What if people started throwing rocks at me? Again.

What if they formed an angry mob? And attacked all of us?

Suddenly there was a hand on my shoulder and I flinched for a second before looking at who it was.

It was Oakley, and at this point I wasn't even gonna ask how he was here.

“You good Donovan? Your face looks like someone put poison ivy in your shoes”

Again with the weird comparisons.

“I- no it's fine, it's just we're gonna go through the city and the papers for the Fae ban still haven't been found, what if someone flips out?”

“So what? You're only a few paces behind the king and a personal friend no less, everyone with a brain can see you're part of the group”

He was right, if someone did decide to attack they would be really stupid, still i moved to be more in the middle of the convoy while Robin chattered Rikaads ear off.

“What are you doing here anyway? I didn't see you at the gate?”

He just tilted his head in that weirdly birdlike manner.

“Well i just wanted to see what boat you went on, assuming it's the one you'll come back with i can see it from high above and swoop down to be the first to greet you when you come back!”

“You want to jumpscare someone don't you?”

“Yes”

He was a bit extra sometimes, but it was nice he wanted to wish us a good journey.

He walked next to me on the way to the docks and asked me if the Logos book was all good and if I had already written to Fable as well as a lot of other meaningless stuff until we reached the dock.

I knew what he was doing, he was distracting me from paying attention to the city and its residents, which worked and I was thankful for it.

Thanks to this I was managing to avoid any major nervousness while walking through the streets.

We soon arrived at the harbor, where tons of big ships were anchored.

I did have to admire the handwork on them, building something so big that not only floated on water but also managed to transport goods and even people was something to be proud of in my opinion.

I wondered what the captain was like.

After arriving Oakley said he had to go back, which he did after circling all of the boats like an overgrown seagull.

I quickly found my way to Rikaad and Robin, who oversaw the last stuff for the journey being put on the Boat.

Lookin at it I saw that it was a tree mast giant sailboat with the name Victory Rose painted in stylized letters on the front.

“That's probably the biggest ship I've ever seen!

Are we really gonna go on that?”

Rikaad nodded, pointing at a few crates that were being loaded onto it with the help of a crane.

“After they are done loading up we can go on as well, you can wander the Harbor a bit but please stay close, i don't want any of you to stay behind on accident”

We both nodded at him and Robin jumped down from the big barrel he sat on.

“Okay! I wanna see the outside of the ship! It's really pretty!”

I had to agree on that, the wood used was dark and dense with the red accents and the painted railings that resemble rose stalks.

“Yeah, really good CraftsmanSHIP on that”

It took a good second for them to get the, in my opinion, really bad, joke but when they did Robin laughed heartily and Rikaad had a rare smile on his face.

Really?

The joke was bad but I wasn't complaining if it gave them a tiny bit of joy.

While Rikaad oversaw the crates and stuff with some experts, Robin and I walked the length of the ship to look at the thing we would spend at least a few days on.

I had to admit that it really was one of the biggest structures that wasn't a house or something that i had ever seen, heck i could probably fit on the deck in my Ardua form multiple times!

I wondered if the captain would mind that? Then again I was heavier as an Ardua, by a lot and I didn't wanna sink it.

It wasn't long after that when we were all called to come stand next to Rikaad so we could go on the Boat.

We rushed over to him and picked up our bags again, then we were ready to walk up the wooden plank that served as a bridge to the deck.

The thing looked stupidly steep though in my opinion so I held onto Robin who had a tendency to trip over his own feet while we walked onboard.

NEXT / PREVIOUS / OVERSIGHT

#still subject to change #sstc #lizards writing #vore story #soft vore #g/t vore #v0re #g/t story #giant/tiny #extreme cuddling #sfw vore #Ardua #Ship #Kamerasca #original story #original art #original characters

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