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lucienarcheron · 24 days

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Spirit Meets the Bones - XI

Genre: Angst/Romance Warnings: Mentions of physical abuse. Please be mindful: some implied language may be found triggering.

shoutout to my darling @abruisedmuse for being on this journey with me! ily4ever <3

Find it all here.

Eris stood with his hands clasped behind his back, unbothered as Beron glared at him, per usual. His thumb tapped on the back of his hand as he stood, reigning in his anger that always flared at the sight of his father.

“What is this I hear about the breach in security on the southern border between us and that piece of shit Tamlin?”

Eris tilted his head. “Oh? I thought that was the territory you requested your sentries to oversee, Father? Did something happen?”

“You tell me.” Beron snarled. “Aren’t you the one who is supposed to be responsible for ensuring things like this don’t occur?”

“Yes. I am the one responsible for all security measures of our court.” Eris said and gave his father a small smile. “But again Father, you recently requested a particular group of sentries to oversee that specific area and for me to remove myself from it...I believe it houses a private resident for you? For your...dalliances?”

The High Lord scowled at his son, but Eris only blinked. “Watch that tone, boy. That’s none of your business.”

“Then I’m afraid whatever security breach happened is also none of my business, Father.”

A tense moment of silence passed, and Eris braced himself as his father narrowed his eyes at him.

Over the years under his father’s thumb, Eris had found that while his father was a tyrant, he had gotten lazy. He thought so little of Eris’s manipulative capabilities that he was more than happy to have him do the grunt work. But Eris had eyes and ears everywhere and this had cost the High Lord his absolute control. He had handed it to Eris slowly over the years, without realizing how much it would eventually cost him.

But Eris always treaded this line carefully, always letting Beron forget about it. Always made it seem as though he was a puppet for his father. Eris was a good son; he always did what he was told...but with a slight tweak, a tweak Beron would be too lazy to care about.

Beron’s mouth twisted into a frown. “I am your high lord. You will do as I say.”

Eris bowed his head graciously. “Of course. I would be happy to assist you with this issue, Father. Would you like me to handle the situation?”

Beron’s glare intensified. “Why else did I bother calling you here? Fix it.”

“But of course, Father.” Eris said then ran his tongue over his teeth before continuing with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Though I would like to discuss something with you in return, if you’d be so kind?”

Beron rolled his eyes. “You and that mouth of yours. Spit it out.”

Eris loosened the slight damper on his anger and rolled his neck back, then met his father’s gaze. “The other night at dinner, I did not appreciate how I was spoken to or how my wife was spoken to,” he said slowly and Beron raised a brow. “I am humbly requesting you never speak to her in that manner again. She is not any concern of yours. At all.”

Beron scoffed. “Is that why you’ve been missing for two days? You’re upset with me?”

“It was disrespectful.” Eris said calmly and though fire was pulsating through his body, he continued to tap his thumb against his hand, desperately trying to smother it. He could only show a little at a time. Too much too soon would not go well for him.

“She didn’t like your punishment for her loose tongue, then?” the High Lord said, and a muscle flexed in Eris’s jaw.

“What happens between my wife and I doesn’t concern you, Father.” he said, his fists tightening behind him but he kept his face as neutral as possible. One day he wouldn’t have to. One day he could just rip his father’s head clean off his body. One day.

Beron smirked slowly, watching Eris, and Eris knew exactly what his father would say before he opened his mouth. “Is that so?” he sneered. “Are you afraid she’ll leave you for another Vanserra too?”

He let the comment slide off him, wondering when his father would stop using it as an insult. It didn’t sting anymore. In fact, Eris was bored of it being brought up at all.

“No. Iris gets all that she needs from me and more,” he said and smiled again, allowing the fire flickering in his veins to be found in his gaze. “I’m sure you realize history will not be repeating itself in this situation. So, I am asking again, leave my wife out of your plays. She is not yours to concern yourself with and I will not tolerate you making her uncomfortable again.”

Beron’s smile was a cruel one, laced with amusement. “Oh? And what will you do, son? If I decide I like making her uncomfortable?”

Eris paused here, pursing his lips, his heart thundering in his chest. He would pay for this in some form or another later... but it would be worth it. To not have Iris look at him like she had the other night.

“Well, Father...I will decide to make you uncomfortable.” Eris replied and smiled a dry smile. “You’ll find that I have been a very good son to you. Your son that hardly gives you any trouble, unlike those other idiots no one ever sees. I am your right hand. Your first-born. I will keep this court running as smoothly as possible for you as I truly do enjoy doing what you ask of me.” He paused here, watching his father as the High Lord assessed him. “But you will find that I can be very unhelpful if my wife continues to be spoken to and about in that way again.”

“You’d shirk your duties, boy?”

“You mean your duties, Father?”

And Eris knew it clicked then, in his father’s small brain, exactly how much deep shit Eris would put him in should he decide to be a menace.

“Your mother’s son through and through, hm?” Beron said quietly and Eris raised his brows.

“I am your son too, father. I was raised by your hand.”

Eris almost wanted to laugh at his own statement. Because quite literally so, Beron had not held back to beat his whole family into submission. Especially his firstborn, whom he allowed zero mistakes.

And yet.

The High Lord stared down at his son with slight loathing and Eris waited.

“Don’t make me beat some sense into you, boy.”

Eris shrugged and Beron’s eyes narrowed. It was a long moment before the High Lord finally scoffed.

“I hope her pussy is worth it.”

“Again,” Eris said, a muscle flexing in his jaw, his fists clenching behind his back. “You will not speak of my wife this way. I will decide how she behaves. I will decide what she will or won’t do. I will decide anything that concerns her. She is off-limits to everyone else. At all times.”

Beron quirked a brow. “Is that so?”

Eris gave him a tight smile. “I don’t like people playing with my things, Father. You taught me that.” he said. “I hope I have made myself clear enough for you.”

A tense silence filled the room and Eris wondered exactly what Beron would do. What his father was thinking. He had crossed a line here and showed his hand. Eris only hoped Beron thought he knew his son well enough that his declaration was one of possessiveness rather than anything else.

“What about your mother, Eris?” Beron said softly and Eris willed himself not to flinch, not to show any reaction. “It would be a shame if one day you shirked your duties and I...had to have a long conversation with your mother about it.”

Eris’s fist tightened behind his back and slowly, silently, he took a breath.

“I would think that would be unnecessary, father.”

Beron tilted his head and smiled. “That’ll depend on you, I suppose,” he said airily. “If not your mother, maybe your hounds? You seem to have a strange attachment to them. Surely you don’t need all twelve.”

“You know how valuable those hounds are to our security system.”

“Ah, yes. Our security system.” Beron said, interlacing his hands in his lap, and watched Eris with a smirk. “Even so...It would be very interesting to see what you hold in high regard, no?”

A muscle flexed in his jaw once more. “Meaning?”

“I will hold my tongue about your little wife, sure.” the High Lord with a shrug. “In fact, I won’t talk about her at all.”

“Then we have an understanding.” Eris said tightly.

“Oh yes,” Beron said calmly. “We definitely have an understanding.”

Eris nodded and stood for a moment before whirling around to leave. Except his father cleared his throat and Eris immediately froze.

Slowly, Eris turned back to face his father with a pleasant expression. “Yes, Father?”

“While we have an understanding, I do want to make one thing clear, son,” Beron spoke and Eris braced himself. “Should you step one toe out of line and think to speak to me that way again, I will find myself truly testing where your loyalties lie.”

“My loyalties lie with you, High Lord.” Eris said automatically and Beron scoffed.

“We shall see.” the High Lord sneered. “It would be a shame if I had to test that theory. A shame if I had to find out what you valued more...your mother, your hounds...or your pretty wife’s cunt.”

“Father.” Eris snarled but the High Lord only laughed humorlessly.

“You said your piece and I said mine, boy.” Beron snapped. “Now, get out of my sight and go fix that border issue.”

Eris’s mouth twisted in distaste, and it took him a moment — a good minute of trying to calm his thoughts so he didn’t snap the old man’s neck. So he didn’t do anything stupid.

Instead, he smiled tightly and bowed his head, despite his father’s look that always promised violence. He was too used to it, and Eris would take every bruise given to him if it got his father away from the two women in his life. He’d said his piece. He’d drawn a line and he would bear all the consequences for it. He had to.

It was not lost on him when his thoughts mirrored that of his wife...what was another bruise?

Iris stared at the bouquet of flowers on the table and blinked. She reached out a hand and hesitantly touched a petal then swallowed.

She had spent the time since her mother-in-law’s visit mindlessly tidying their room and thinking. Thinking and overthinking. Getting angry. Then sad. Then downright anxious.

Lady Enya’s visit had shifted her thought process and it made her realize how narrow her view had been about this whole thing. Thinking about talking to Eris still made her want to vomit but she tried to work through it.

Until she had heard him return and did the only rational thing she could — hide in the bathroom. She only stepped out after he left and that’s when her eyes fell on the bouquet sitting here now.

She had been simmering in anger this whole time. So angry.

At her father. At Beron. At all the stupid powerful males in positions that were able to hurt people and make them feel so small. Which is exactly what Beron had done. He made her feel small. He made Eris feel small.

She swallowed, thinking of the look Beron had shot Lady Enya before they left. He had been making her feel small for years.

But Eris…

“I am not him. I actively try my hardest not to be like him in any way.”

He could’ve been. He could. But he hadn’t.

“I will do everything I can to protect you from him and take the brunt of that as well and I am sorry that it has to be that way and I am sorry that you will likely have to hear more things from him that you won’t like, but I am playing his game so that I can keep worming my way around until I can finish him.”

And she had called him a coward. She had made him feel small too.

She had lashed out this morning knowing what she said would’ve been worse than gutting him. Words were often the best of weapons and Iris had been at the end of those weapons long enough to know how to throw it back.

But what would it cost her with Eris?

“You both are coming from the same place. Trust yourself and your judgment. But also...give him the chance to prove himself to you.”

She swallowed again as his mother’s words rang in her ear and Iris bit her lip, guilt eating away at her, as it had been for hours, the pit in her stomach growing. He hadn’t deserved her throwing words like that at him and had regretted it the moment they slipped out of her mouth. Not that he had held back either because clearly, he knew how to hurt.

But...he brought her flowers.

Iris frowned at the beautiful bouquet now. Was it an apology? Would he —

As if summoned by her thoughts, Iris turned at the sound of their suite door opening and Eris stood in the doorway, a tray in his hands.

He paused at the door, his eyes scanning her from head to toe. She noted how he cataloged the choice of dress that hugged her figure, the loose waves of her hair falling down her back. He met her eyes and without saying a word, stepped into the room, closed the door, and made his way to stop in front of her.

“Wife.”

“Husband.” she said dryly, and the corner of his wicked mouth ticked up.

Eris placed the tray on the table and nodded his head toward the chairs. “Would you like to eat?”

She watched him warily. “I didn’t realize you were part of the kitchen staff.”

“For you, wife? But of course.”

They stared at each other in loaded silence for a few minutes before Eris casually waved a hand for her to sit.

Begrudgingly, and because she was hungry, Iris walked to the nearest chair and plopped down. Eris’s lips twitched as he took the seat opposite her and the two stared at each other again, the tension palpable.

So much for trust. One step forward and two steps back.

“So.” Eris began, and Iris blinked before removing the cloth covering the tray of food and grabbing a piece of bread.

“So.” she said, grabbing a knife and looking at him.

“Did you like the flowers?” he asked calmly, and both turned to look at the bouquet.

Iris fidgeted and slowly put the knife and piece of bread down, her nervousness flaring. She frowned at the sound of her thundering heart. Or was it the sound of his?

“I wasn’t sure what your favorite flowers were, so I went with a seemingly obvious choice.” he added, and Iris met his gaze.

“I like carnations. And peonies.” she replied slowly. “But this bouquet is beautiful regardless.”

A heartbeat passed then, “You fucken hate irises, don’t you?” he asked with a snort and Iris bit back a reluctant smile, the tension easing a fraction.

“I really do.” she said and huffed a humorless laugh. “Blame that on my father too. Whenever he beat me too hard, he'd leave a bouquet of crushed irises at my door. Symbolism.”

Eris tensed for just a moment then forced himself to relax. “He keeps getting better and better every time you mention him.” he said tightly, then leaned forward and picked up the knife and bread Iris had put down.

She watched him again, as he had done the first morning, methodically buttering it for her and passing it over. Iris accepted it carefully, watching him fill her a glass of juice and again, pass it over to her.

When he sat back, his own piece of bread in hand and buttering it silently, Iris frowned again.

“Are we going to talk about the other night?” she asked quietly as her heart galloped in her chest.

Eris paused. “I was hoping you’d eat something first so we don’t lash out again. Like we did this morning.”

Iris’s frown deepened and she sat back in her chair, taking a bite of her bread. He watched her chew, his brow raised as he waited.

She swallowed and knew his eyes had tracked the movement of her licking her lips. “Well.” she began. “How did you think that went?”

“Terrible. You?”

“Horrible. I’ve been insulted before but never quite like that.” she muttered angrily, and Eris leaned forward, the bread dropping from his hand.

“So was I.” he said curtly. “My father aside, you took something I shared with you and threw it back in my face. You blamed me for things I had no control over. You called me a coward when I have spent my whole life trying to fight against what I was forced into. I warned you about my father. It shouldn’t have been a surprise.”

Iris flushed, scowling. “I was attacked. Your father attacked me and you let him.” she replied. “You warned me but that doesn’t mean I have to accept that this will be my reality. How am I supposed to feel safe if I have to be on the defense all the time?”

“And how am I supposed to trust you if the first personal thing I tell you, you use against me in an argument?” he said with a flattened expression. “I did not let him attack you. He didn’t wait for my permission. In case you haven’t noticed, my father loves to shit on me constantly.”

“And you just put up with it?”

“I know how to play his game.” he replied, and Iris shook her head.

“That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

Iris watched him frown, his brows furrowed in the frustration written all over his face. She had the strong urge to push her fingers to it.

“You want to feel safe and want trust. You cannot ask this of me and not give it in return.” he finally said. “There are times to respond and times to let him think he won so you can do what needs to be done anyway. That is how he needs to be handled. That is the best I can do with him. The best any of us can do at this time.”

They watched each other silently for a moment.

“If you are willing and you find yourself wanting to, be honest with him. He will meet you in the middle if you are willing to meet him.”

Iris took a small breath. “I... have had the same dream about you for the past two nights.” she whispered, and Eris straightened. “It’s not a pleasant one. It was about what you said to your father. What you’d do to me.”

Eris’s face heated and he shifted in his seat. “It was just a dream.” he said quietly, and Iris’s fingers tightened in the fabric of her dress.

“The panic that woke me up was real each time.”

His mouth twisted as he thought this over then met her gaze. “I said this before, and I understand I will have to keep saying it until you believe it, but I have no intention of hurting you. I will not lay a finger on you.” he said firmly. “I only said that so my father didn’t order me to do anything to you in front of him. It’s the one boundary he wouldn’t cross.”

Iris’s expression furrowed into a frown and a moment of silence passed before she quietly asked, “But he’d watch you beat your wife?”

Eris’s expression tightened for a moment then he mumbled, “He has made me watch while he hurt my mother. It would delight him to watch me do the same to you.”

“And you could do nothing?”

Eris scowled. “I do not appreciate the accusation in that question.” he snapped. “You assume I wasn’t also incapacitated.”

She flushed then mumbled curtly, “I’m not accusing, I’m asking.”

Eris watched her warily, scanning her face. It took him a moment before he finally sighed and rolled his shoulders back.

“Look...I am — my private quarters have always been my safe space.” he said quietly. “Aside from out with the hounds, it is the only place I can just...be. No expectations from anyone. I can’t fight with you in it. I — I don’t have it in me. If you really insist on not wanting to have a functioning relationship, I can arrange for you to have your own space and we don’t need to see each other at all.”

Iris blinked rapidly at the unexpectedness of his answer. “And what? Go our separate ways?”

“You know that can’t happen with your father or mine in the picture.” he said with a humorless chuckle. “You are bound to me as I am bound to you.” And Iris watched him scowl at the words, color blooming in his cheeks. “Or at least for a few years until people are busy obsessing over something else. We could just...orbit around each other. Pretend until then.”

Iris’s eyes dropped to the table, feeling her body suddenly heat up. Pretend? He would —

She took a sharp breath and then very quietly said, “You...would do that?”

“I don’t want someone who doesn’t want me. If you don’t want to try, I will not be the one to force you,” he said, and Iris lifted her eyes in time to find him running a hand through his hair. He met her gaze once then looked down, his expression hardening, a muscle flexing in his jaw. “I am not my father. I will not shackle you to me. You would only need to endure for a while until I can make it work.”

It took her a moment to finally speak, her shaking hands bunching in her dress.

“No one’s ever given you a chance, have they?” she said softly and watched as Eris tensed. “Your father has ruined almost everything for you.”

She watched his hands as they fisted then flexed and it took him a moment before replying.

“It’s a lot easier to let people see what they want to see. I am very good at pretending,” he replied, his eyes on the table. “Being a monster makes it easier.”

“Does it?”

He shrugged. “It’s all I have to work with for the time being.”

Her mouth went into a thin line, and she thought over what he said as he watched her. Trust wasn’t so easily earned but...he was drawing a line, making himself clear.

“I...did not react well the other night.” She said quietly. “Or this morning.”

“Neither did I,” Eris said with a shrug. “I think we can agree not to hold it against each other.”

She sighed and tilted her head back to gaze at the ceiling of their room. “I know you told me we have to behave in a certain way. But your tone...your tone. The sneer in it.” Iris said quietly, color bloomed on her cheeks, and she frowned. “I’ve heard that sneer my whole life. You tell me to expect different things from you then...then you spoke in that tone.”

Iris lowered her head to meet his gaze. “It makes me feel like everything you said and shared was a lie. It makes me feel foolish to believe you. You want me to wear a mask but...I can’t wear one where you’re belittling me in front of others. Even if it’s to have your father leave us alone.”

Eris’s eyes were on his fingers drumming gently on the table. “I...have had to wear this persona for a very very long time,” he said slowly and looked up at Iris. “You will need to give me some room...to work through these things.”

He swallowed then added tightly, “You are the first...opportunity I have ever been given to be different with a female. To openly be better. There wasn’t a relationship I had as important as this one with you.” He frowned. “No one that is supposed to be a...permanent partner. This is different for me too. I need patience from you.”

Iris’s eyes widened at that, and she looked away from him. Her heart was definitely the one thundering at his words so at odds with what his father had said to her.

You’re not important.

She looked up at him and found him watching her carefully. Her eyes darted to the slight color in his cheeks and then to his hands now folded on his crossed legs. He was speaking so calmly but Iris could taste his nervousness. It matched her own.

He had never been bluffing in his declarations.

“Then you want this to work, right?” She asked softly and licked her lips. “You want this to be real?”

“Do you?”

Iris blinked. Did she?

Her gaze dropped to her hands and she considered his question. No part of her going into this marriage had thought about whether it would work or not.

It was a fact. She was to be married to him. She would be his wife. Whatever happened after that, happened. Anything that came from her father would surely be nothing pleasant and she kept expecting the worst. But...Eris clearly didn’t think that way. He wanted it to be different. He had told her so from the beginning. And she had to be one of few people in his life who had ever heard such words from him.

He could be a nightmare for her. But he had endured so much from his father already. From this life. And he didn’t want to be. She had heard him say it.

I’m not trying to. Don’t you see that?

Her mind went back to the conversation with her mother-in-law.

“You two get to decide how real you want it to be.”

He could be more than just her husband. He could be her friend. But...he could also be more. And she had always wanted more. She wanted love. She wanted a...partner. She wanted a life with someone who would see her and care enough for her to protect her. Help her protect herself.

Swallowing, she looked up at him and the color on her cheeks deepened. “Yes. I do.”

And she watched his shoulder sag, just a fraction.

“Then we’re on the same page.”

Iris looked down at her hands for a heartbeat then met his gaze again. “You’re a very good liar,” she whispered. “It scares me to trust you.”

Eris was quiet for a long moment then very, very softly said, “It terrifies the fuck out of me to have you in my life. I don’t know how to...have whatever this is.”

“I don’t want to be a problem. I just want...to have something normal.” she said with a sigh, her eyes darting to him and then back to her hands.

“I don’t think normal will apply in this household,” he said with a soft snort. “But...I think we can figure out what will be normal for us.”

Silence fell between them again and Iris took a breath. A normal for them. A normal she...would be a part of. Iris licked her lips and then quietly said, “I’m sorry for the things I said in anger. It wasn’t fair to you. I was very upset and did not appreciate what was said to me or insinuated about me.”

Eris’s brow flickered up, a look of slight surprise on his face. “You apologize so easily.” he mused.

“Acknowledging when you’re wrong is the first step to getting through an issue.”

Eris pursed his lips and then slowly nodded. “And I am sorry for what I said and how things had to be. It wasn’t fair to you either. My father knew exactly what to say to push my buttons and I walked right into it.”

Iris nodded in return, her frown deepening, and asked carefully, “Why does he do that? What does he get out of it when you do so much for him? Doesn’t he...care for you?”

Eris chuckled dryly. “My father cares for no one but himself,” he said. “He likes to make people feel small when he feels threatened by them. He hasn’t earned anyone’s respect in years, so he keeps things under control by fear. And punishment.”

Iris blinked then said slowly, “At some point...people will not be scared anymore.”

“Yes,” Eris answered carefully. “Fear eventually grows tiresome. But my father has a very hard time accepting that change is coming, whether he likes it or not.”

“You’ve talked about change and pieces at play but never elaborate.”

Eris observed her. “We will need to work on our trust issues more before I can give you additional information.”

Iris nodded slowly. “That seems fair.” she mumbled, and Eris’s lips curved up and he pushed the breakfast tray towards her. Iris bit her lip and then sat up. “I have one more thing to say about this subject.”

“Just one?” Eris said with a chuckle and Iris shot him a look, picking up her bread once more.

“Your father was outrageous. It’s hard to pick one thing.” she said, her nose scrunched up in disdain. “I don’t know how you’ve tolerated him all these years.”

“Pretending I’m frolicking in a field of daisies whenever he opens his mouth usually gets me through.”

Iris snorted and rolled her eyes, earning her a smirk from him. “Frolicking with a pretty flower crown, are you?”

“Oh, definitely,” he replied with a serious nod. “If Elain has taught me one thing, it’s that you must wear a flower crown while frolicking or you’re simply not doing it right.”

A chuckle slipped from her lips and Iris for once, shyly met his eyes. When the corner of his mouth ticked up, she looked back down at her hands. She sighed and then looked back at him, her expression more solemn.

“He had no right to speak to me that way. He had no right to speak to you that way either.”

“I agree.”

“What I want to say is, I do not want to be spoken to like that ever again.” Iris said firmly. “I will pretend I’m your simpering little wife all you want but I will not tolerate the threats and language like that. Not in this home as well.”

“Neither will I. Which is why it won’t happen again.” Eris said and Iris stilled at his tone.

“What does that mean?”

He adjusted the cuff of his sleeve and then slowly looked at his wife. “I don’t like people overstepping their boundaries with me. He can take it out on me all he wants but you’re my wife. I will not let it happen again. You should still watch your tone with him the same way I do but my father has been made aware that I will not take him speaking to you that way again lightly.”

Iris blinked then flushed lightly, pleasantly surprised. “So...we play his game?” she asked quietly and he gave her a tight nod.

“We play his game,” he confirmed. “Outside of this room, we play by his expectations. It is a lie, a façade. Inside this room, whenever we are alone, and outside of the court...we can be as we wish. Just you and me. As long as this is what you want.”

Iris bit the inside of her cheek, watching him carefully. It wasn’t different from anything he had told her before but...she was truly listening now. She could play games. She had tried to play her father’s games, even when it cost her. Now she would have a partner.

Just you and me.

“You’re willing to be my friend first, then?” she asked quietly.

“Friendship was the first thing I offered you.” he replied simply.

And it hit Iris then — how incredibly similar they were. A fact Eris seemed to have figured out early on.

He was someone who needed a person just as badly as she did.

So she finally said, “Then this is what I want.”

The corner of Eris’s mouth ticked up. “That’s helpful. I won’t have to waste time redecorating.”

She rolled her eyes and then quietly observed him as he finally picked a helping of food. Standing up to his father was a bold move and Eris was careful about all the moves he made. To do it because of her...

She waited until he had a few bites of food then carefully asked, “How did your father take it when you spoke to him about me?”

Eris paused for a moment then slowly replied, “We’ll see in a few days.”

Iris bit her lip, her brows furrowed, knowing what he meant. It would either pass or...Eris would pay for it.

Her face fell as guilt washed over her and Eris straightened.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry.” she immediately said and he furrowed his brows.

“We already stated our apologies.”

She shook her head. “If he decides he doesn’t like what you said because of me —” she started and pushed the tray away, feeling slightly nauseated. “I don’t want him to — if he decides to —”

But Eris held up a hand. “You don’t have to worry about that. I can handle my father. His choices are his own and he is the only one responsible for them.”

Iris bit her lip, glancing at him and then down at her lap. Her mouth wouldn’t cost just her now. Eris would be dragged into it by his father if she stepped out of line. He had thought about what his father would do to her if Eris didn’t behave accordingly but Iris hadn’t even considered what Beron would do to Eris because of her.

“I’ll watch myself better now.” she promised quietly. “I don’t want to give him any other reasons to hurt you.”

Eris stared at her, his expression unreadable but she saw the bob of his throat as he swallowed then nodded.

“I see we’ve reached an understanding then.” he said quietly and Iris nodded in return.

“We’ve reached an understanding.”

A sense of relief washed over the room, any tension between them easing. Iris stole a chance at him to find him watching her, his lips slightly pursed.

“What?”

He shook his head and then cleared his throat. “Now that we’re on the same page, I won’t have to hear your whining.”

Iris squinted at him but her expression softened when she saw the teasing look he gave her.

“You’re annoying.”

“You’re mean.”

“I haven’t slit your throat yet so how mean am I, really?” she said and gave him a pointed look.

Eris smirked and Iris knew whatever came out of his mouth next would be obnoxious.

“You must really have a thing for my neck, you constantly want to get your hands on it.”

“To choke the life out of you.”

“Don’t tease me, I’ll start moaning.”

Very slowly and without breaking eye contact, Iris flipped him off, earning her a soft chuckle.

“We’ll see what good that attitude of yours will do you once we start training.” he said, giving her an amused look.

“And when will we do that?” she asked, sitting up straighter.

“As soon as you’d like, wife.” he said with a lazy smirk. “I look forward to seeing what you’re made of.”

Iris sat back and met his gaze with a challenging look of her own. “And I look forward to giving you the ass-kicking you deserve, husband.”

#eris vanserra #eris vanserra x oc #eris x oc #acotar fanfiction #eris vanserra fanfic #smtb chapters #beron vanserra #gfics #if you'd like to be tagged or removed (no hard feelings lol) please let me know!!#thank you for reading!!#I know for old smtb readers this is all nothing new but I hope you'll be excited for the new stuff to come soon!!

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shyravenns · 5 months

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yeah yeah yeah Soap is dead, but how about Soap coming back and haunting every member of 141 like the clingy bastard that he is

Farah who never really knew Soap as well as the others, but still feels the gaping hole that his presence left. Farah, who finds herself standing beside Ghost underneath the cool night sky, and surprises herself (and him) with a joke that's so oddly distasteful about the state of their recent mission and feeling a soft warmth flutter in her chest at his light huff of laughter. Laughter that she feels as if she hasn't heard in months. Remembering hours later that herself that she could have sworn that there had been a brief, additional gust of laughter along the wind that neither of them bothered to acknowledged.

Alex who feels the unsettling quiet that's grown between all of them at all times as if it were a blanket. He knew Soap as well as one might expect from the very few times they worked together, and oftentimes thinks about the blossoming friendship between them that had died along with him. Alex, who often wonders about the kind of leader Soap would have been and places him in the tiny cranny in his heart that's reserved for every man and woman that's worked alongside him and died. Alex who feels the unwelcome *push* of hands that cause him to stumble so hard he feels as if his teeth has knocked out, and just barely remembers that he's in an active warzone before he glances up and sees the tall tale imprint of a bullet in the wall right where his head had been.

Rudy who had the privledge of actually becoming Soap's friend, and remembers the exact moment he heard the news. They weren't *close*. Not in the way that Soap was close with Ghost or Gaz or even Alejandro, but he still felt as if a bullet had pierced his own heart at the confirmation of his death. Watching at the brief flicked of emotions crossing Alejandro's face at another soldier lost far too soon. Rudy who flips through the long forgotten sketchbook that Soap had left during one of his visits to Las Almas, and delicately places his fingers on the sketches. Rudy who doesn't remember falling asleep, and wakes up with the scent of a long forgotten friend floating in the air and a sketchbook that's been left on an empty page he doesn't remember seeing. He stands up to get his pencil.

Alejandro who takes every death to heart, and keeps every dog tag that he can find stored in a drawer in his desk of all the men and women he had the honor of fighting alongside with. Alejandro who grieves at the absolute unfairness of it all, and vows to kill Markarov himself if he should ever have the chance. Alejandro, who still wants to believe that there is some sort of afterlife and that maybe there's a point to all of this. Alejandro, who loses *another* soldier and feels the weight of a hand on his shoulder that squeezes, and thinks that just for a moment that he can hear the faint whisper of bad spanish with a slight scottish accent in his ear. Words barely perceptible even by his own trained ears, and yet it brings a small smile to his face.

#soapcod #john soap mactavish #codmwf3 spoilers #mwf3 spoilers #call of duty #spoilers #modern warfare iii spoilers #god how many times can I say that this has spoilers #this is me throwing milk on soap's corpse and telling him to get up #alejandro vargas #rodolfo parra #farah karim #alex keller #im doing the outer members of 141 and then maybe i'll do 141+nik and kate later on #any typos you see arent there and I don't make spelling mistakes bc maybe your eyes are just bad #thank you for reading!!#soap as a ghost (hehe) has me in a chokehold

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bimboamyrose · 1 year

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Unfamiliar - Ch. 15: Invitations

Art: @mmm-asbestos ☆ First 2 chapters ☆ Prev. (Ch. 14) ☆ AO3

It was a quick run to the future site of Magic City at the edge of town; Amy was disappointed she couldn’t convince Sonic to slow down and chat for a bit. They’d zoomed off from her house and zipped up and around the hills and through town in no time. But there was always after the mission- maybe he’d be more receptive to taking a break then, Amy mused. She could sense that he was still on edge for now.

Letting Amy down from his grasp, Sonic looked into the construction site. Enormous foundations had been laid over several acres since the last time he’d visited. But now, instead of a bustling job site he and Amy found themselves in a comparatively calm environment. No heavy machinery in operation or foreman barking commands. Just dusty concrete floors and towering piles of materials- mostly sheet-metal- dotted with a few temporary trailers probably housing small offices and equipment. The pair looked at one another in confusion, unsure what to make of the unexpected silence.

Amy tiptoed over the dusty ground in a vain effort to prevent her shoes from being covered in construction debris. “Are they on a lunch break or something?” she asked as the pair approached a large trailer.

“Maybe…” Sonic flung himself ahead to the trailer, leaving a dusty cloud in his trail.

He pressed his face to one of its windows. The structure served as a break room for the workers on site, but the tables and chairs inside sat empty. “If they were, they’d be here, but the place is abandoned!” Sonic turned back to a wheezing Amy, who was waving an irate hand through the dust cloud in front of her face. “Oops- sorry,” he chuckled awkwardly.

“It’s fine,” she responded, holding back a sneeze. Now’s not the time to complain, she told herself. Things had to go as smoothly as possible.

The two walked around a while in silence. The dusty sound crunched beneath their steps. It was desolate.

As the silence grew more awkward, Amy rattled her brain for conversation topics. What could she bring up to convince Sonic to stay alone with her after they were finished here? She was about to blurt out the first thing she could think of.

That’s when a low rumbling cut through. Amy raised a brow at Sonic.

“Did you skip breakfast?”

He looked away in embarrassment. “Yeah… heh. Sorry.”

She shook her head smugly. “I’ve told you not to do that.”

“You know I don’t like to eat first thing in the morning,” he groaned. His stomach followed again.

Amy laughed. “So you woke up minutes before picking me up, huh?”

“So I might’ve been up late..” Sonic smiled, mildly embarrassed. “But I found that picture while I was cleaning up, so it was worth it!”

Her laughter slowed to an amused giggle. “Yeah, it’s probably the only picture we all have together when we were kids.”

“We’re busy people,” he shrugged . “Can’t exactly sit down for cake when we’re saving the planet.” His smile only widened at the thought, as if reminiscing about past adventures.

“Well, maybe this year we’ll have a chance. Oh! We should totally recreate that photo! Wouldn’t that be cute?” she beamed.

As little as he enjoyed having his photo taken, Sonic did like the idea. But it wouldn’t stop him from teasing her about it.

“We could… but I thought you’d want something more exciting for your party this year. You’re gonna be an adult! Can’t be acting childish anymore,” he joked.

“Oh, yeah, gonna be 18. I’m practically middle aged,” she ribbed back. “And you’ll be 21 this summer. What does that make you?”

“Ancient. One foot in the grave.”

They burst out laughing in unison. When their voices echoed back at them in the empty landscape, the pair both covered their mouths, doing their best to hold back their snickers. But watching your friend try not to laugh is one of the funniest things you could see. They both had to stop walking until they caught their breath.

Wiping a hysterical tear from her eye, Amy finally took a deep enough breath to recover. There probably wouldn’t be a better opportunity to ask.

She looked to him confidently. “Hey, let’s go to lunch after this.”

“Sure,” Sonic responded between breaths. “I’m starving. We’ll let Tails know-”

“Oh! Look!” she quickly changed the subject. “Uh… Are those people over there?”

Sonic looked toward the horizon. From there, it seemed like the flattened landscape went on forever. He squinted into the distance.

“Hey, you’re right!”

I am? Amy was just as surprised as he was to finally spot some people a couple hundred yards down the way.

A pair of stern-looking men lolled around with clipboards, wearing hardhats but otherwise in business attire. They were being led around by a woman in coveralls- the only person for what seemed like miles that looked to be part of any kind of construction team.

“Hey!” Sonic called out to them excitedly, “are you guys with the construction crew?”

The strangers all turned back in their direction. Amy noticed the woman immediately bring her palm to her face in annoyance as the men looked on in confusion.

“Oh, hey, it’s you!” Sonic lit up. “Wait there!” His voice echoed through the sparse landscape as he got ready to run in their direction- but stopped himself as he remembered the dust cloud he’d kicked up. He turned back to Amy. “Hey- I talked to that lady last time I was here, I bet she’ll help us.”

“Yeah... she seems to remember you.” Amy took notice of Sonic’s quick change of pace. She couldn’t keep a small smile from forming across her lips as he walked just barely ahead, slowing down with her in mind. Before she could overthink the gesture any further, Sonic reached back for her hand.

“Come on, don’t wanna keep her waiting,” he winked playfully.

As he ushered her along, the subtle smirk on Amy’s face spread into a lovestruck grin. There was a lot of good to be said about Sonic, but to say he could be brash was an understatement. They joked about growing up, but maybe this small, mindful act was a demonstration of his growing maturity after all.

The woman groaned an apology to the two men before stepping out of their earshot.

Sonic approached with a wave and Amy in tow.

“You’re back,” she said to him plainly. “And there’s two of you now.”

“Glad you remember- though I can’t say I’m surprised,” Sonic smirked confidently.

There was no sign of amusement in her expression. “I have very important people here today, so you need to leave. Now.”

“Aw, come on! We’re just looking for Eggman. Help us out!”

“That’s- ugh.” The woman let out an exasperated sigh. “Look, that’s not my department. Call his assistant or something.”

“Does Eggman have an assistant?” Amy whispered to Sonic. He offered a shrug before turning back to the lady.

“We’re sorta in a hurry. Just point us in his direction and we’ll get out of your hair,” he told the woman.

“No. You’re trespassing, we’re behind schedule, our investors are irate- just leave before I have to call security.”

“Behind schedule?” Amy chimed in. “Didn’t you guys just break ground a few weeks ago? Why isn’t there anyone here if you’re behind?”

If the poor woman had any patience to begin with, it ran out then and there. “Well, most of the staff’s contracts were cut short like 3 days ago. Doctor Eggman said he’d take care of the rest of the building himself but apparently his ‘equipment’ isn’t in yet for some reason, so he has us stalling, and I’m here with two very upset investors who are ready to pull out of this project if we don’t get things moving, and somehow opening date is in a matter of weeks, and-”

Amy interrupted. “Oh, that’s what we’re here to talk to him about,” she bluffed.

The woman looked skeptical, but it was plain to see that stress was getting the better of her. “About… opening date?”

“About… why his equipment is missing. We took it. Hostage.” Amy’s eyes shot back at Sonic’s momentarily. He stood wide-eyed but let her continue.

A momentary, stunned silence followed.

“Are you serious?”

“Yep,” Sonic cut in. “That’s what we do! Live to be a thorn in Egghead’s side; Mortal enemies and all.”

In her desperation, the woman turned back to see her clients studying their wrists impatiently. One of the men pointed to his watch irritably. She returned her attention to the nuisance at hand, lowering her voice. “I know you two have some ancient beef I don’t care about, but I’ve just been hired to do an honest job, ok? I’ll tell you where to find him- but you didn’t hear it from me.”

“Totally!” Amy responded, louder than she intended. “Our lips are sealed!”

“Quiet down! Ugh- I’m so fired…”

She instructed Sonic and Amy on how to reach The Doctor in hushed tones and subtle gestures. He was evidently on sight in a freshly-built underground lab. The entrance was hidden but accessible via key-card.

“So, any chance we could borrow your ID?” Sonic chuckled.

The woman responded only with an eye roll before quickly going back to her work.

“Thanks, anyway,” he called out to her with a wave. “Well, guess we’re on our own from there.” He turned to Amy with a grin. “Nice bluff!”

“Thanks,” she returned. “But, what do you think she meant by missing equipment?”

“Well, maybe…” Sonic trailed off without finishing. “Ah- who knows. Let’s get moving.”

The entrance wasn’t hard to find for those who knew where to look. A series of square steel support columns lined a freshly laid concrete slab, one of many around the acres-wide construction site. There was the faint shape of a doorway outlined on the otherwise smooth surface of the pillars, just where Sonic and Amy were told they’d find the entrance.

“I bet this is it,” Amy remarked, running her fingertips over the shallow mark on one of the column’s facets. “It’s… subtle.”

“Bit outta character for Eggman.” Sonic’s fist met his hip as he leaned back in observation. “We’d usually just break in, but…”

A flick of her wrist surrounded Amy’s hand in a sudden cloud of pink. “Well, it’s worked so far.” She brandished her hammer with a giggle. “Been a little bit since I got to use this.”

“After you, then.”

Amy curtseyed playfully before taking her stance. A moment later, her hammer made contact with the hard surface, denting it considerably to reveal the clear shape of a doorway. A screeching alarm rang out from the door upon contact. Ignoring it, Amy pulled back her hammer a second time, the door well off its hinges after another swing. The high-pitch whine grew louder, emitting from an alarm panel just beyond the destroyed entrance.

Sonic scratched at his ear with a grimace. “Gotta love an alarm. Let’s-”

A third bash of Amy’s hammer interrupted him. The heavy door smashed against the control panel and cut off the screeching alarm in an instant as the dented steel slab fell off the frame to the floor beyond the entrance. “Better?”

“You bet,” he snickered. “Good work. Let’s get in there!” As he took a step forward, Sonic left a pat on Amy’s shoulder.

A sweet chill tickled Amy’s spine when he did. She couldn’t hold back a soft giggle as they stepped into the dark inside the structure.

Just beyond the entrance sat a short level, leading directly to a winding underground staircase, deep past the concrete foundation they were standing on a moment ago. The ceilings were fairly low, the top of the column no doubt built with sturdier materials to support the eventual building it would be housed in. Dim lights lined the walls, the only indication that there was anything beyond a few feet in front of them. Amy and Sonic moved forward cautiously. The eerie, quiet stairwell echoed with their steps and grew darker as they descended. It was a far cry from the audacious design they had come to expect from Dr. Eggman.

The pair were just a few steps down when they were greeted by a line of unfriendly security bots floating their way up the stairs in their direction.

“Right on cue,” Sonic sneered.

He jumped into action instantly, making quick work of the first two robots in front of them as Amy smashed her way through a third. Sonic spun out a good way down the staircase, knocking around several more. Amy swung at each of the disoriented guards before they could regain their balance, finishing them off as she caught up. When she reached the next level, however, she stopped in her tracks behind Sonic’s outstretched arm.

Two much larger robots with hammers of their own stood in front of them, a doorway just beyond their guard. They each took a step toward Amy and Sonic as the latter got ready to spring back into battle. Suddenly, a shrill voice could be heard from a nearby speaker mounted to the ceiling.

“Stand down boys, these two little rodents are guests,” Eggman commanded.

Sonic’s ears perked up. “Could’ve told that to the unlucky bunch back there,” he smirked.

“You could’ve waited for your invitation instead of knocking down my door, you pest,” Eggman retorted harshly. “But since you’re here…”

“Invitation?” Amy whispered to Sonic. He looked just as perplexed.

The doorway behind the guard bots split apart. The room beyond was bright- blindingly so- revealing an office suite fit for a business executive, complete with a robotic secretary sitting at a front desk. Stylishly decorated, it was hardly one of Eggman’s usual lab setups.

Sonic and Amy squinted as they walked past the robots cautiously. Amy held her hammer up close to her chest defensively.

“I’m afraid there are no weapons allowed in the executive suite,” a feminine robotic voice rang out from behind the desk. “I can take that for you if you’d like, miss.”

Amy’s head whipped around to meet the secretary’s gaze. It looked on at her stiffly with an eerie “smile” and coldly lit blue eyes. Amy thought she’d be used to being stared at by a robot by now, but this creepy computer was nothing like Metal. She couldn’t help but think of him as “alive” now. But the secretary in front of her was just a machine.

“I can take that for you if you’d like, miss,” the robot repeated.

“Oh- no- thank you.” Amy responded finally, her hammer disappearing from her grasp in a rosy puff.

The robot did not react. “Can I get you a drink?”

Sonic ignored her. “Yo, Eggman! You gonna leave us waiting?”

“The Doctor will be with you shortly. Can I get you a drink?” the secretary asked again.

“These robots are getting creepier, huh Ames?” Sonic said as he peered directly at its icy eyes.

Eggman’s voice interrupted once again, this time from a speaker on the secretary’s desk. “It’s alright- let them in.”

“The Doctor will see you now.” The light in the robot’s eyes blinked green momentarily as another door opened behind its desk.

It remained unmoving, facing straight ahead as Amy and Sonic walked past it. Definitely creepier, Amy thought.

“So glad you could make it,” Eggman remarked sarcastically from behind an executive desk. “Sit.”

“Swanky place you got here,” Sonic commented as he peered around the room. “Unlike you to be this tasteful.”

“You’re a delight as always,” he grumbled back. “Harassing my staff and destroying my security just weeks before opening. Can’t say I’m surprised.”

“Yeah, I keep hearing that- no offense but this place is pretty far from opening date,” Sonic snickered.

“Of course you would think that. I said sit!”

Sonic shrugged and sat back in a stiff chair opposite Eggman’s desk. Amy did the same, still taking in her surroundings tentatively. She looked for a spot to leave the surveillance microphone.

“Alright,” Sonic said impatiently, “I’ll get to the point- what evil scheme are you up to this time?”

Eggman cackled in response. “I’ll tell you all about my ‘scheme’ if you tell me what you’re doing with my ‘equipment’.”

“You heard that, huh?” Sonic shrugged. “It was just a bluff.”

“Well, since you’re here…” Eggman slapped four glossy tickets on the desk in front of him. “You and the other two pests are invited to the grand opening of Magic City.”

Sonic blinked. “Very funny. Are you gonna tell us what you’re really up to?”

“Are you going to tell me what you think you’re doing with Metal Sonic?”

Amy stiffened at the mention of the name. Sonic couldn’t keep his brows from rising in surprise.

“And why would we be harboring that creepy thing?” Sonic responded after a pause.

Eggman grumbled. “He’s been missing for weeks. You were the last ones to see him.”

“Sounds like you need to keep better track of your property.”

Amy didn’t like the idea of calling Metal “property,” but she stopped herself from saying anything. She could feel Eggman’s eyes on her from behind his dark shades. She turned her face away without a word in the silent moments that followed.

“Hm.” Eggman leaned back in his chair, pensively folding his hands over his chest. “You know, Metal wasn’t thrilled about this idea. I suppose it’s my fault- all Metal’s ever done is go after you.”

“Can’t blame my copy for being obsessed,” Sonic interrupted smugly.

“Humph. You could call it that- if you’re ignorant. But, it was a prime objective for many years…” Eggman scrunched his brow. “Bah- anyway, my goals are different now. Perhaps he was a bit conflicted. We all know he has a tendency to be… rebellious, despite my best efforts…”

Sonic rolled his eyes at the long-winded response. “Why wouldn’t you just reprogram him?”

“Don’t act like a fool. You know as well as I that Metal’s AI makes him more than a machine!” Eggman paused with a sigh. “Not that I haven’t tried,” he mumbled under his breath. “Well, given his unique ‘programming,’ I thought a bit more freedom could be beneficial at this stage in Metal’s development. So, I let him have it,” he shrugged. “That’s why I didn’t go back for him. However, I did expect him back by now…”

Amy couldn’t help but scoff at his last remark. “Did you even try to look for him?”

Eggman raised a brow at her. “Of course I did,” he grumbled. “Metal wasn’t where I left him and all systems have been offline. Why would you even care?”

“I don’t!” Amy huffed. Getting his attention was a mistake. She fidgeted uncomfortably in the stiff chair, waiting for his focus to shift away from her.

“If you’re so sure we have your robot,” Sonic chimed in, “why don’t you just come looking?”

“Because,” Eggman gestured with both hands to the wall behind him, which immediately lit up with concept images of the upcoming Magic City. “You saw my investors, you’ve harassed my staff. This is my life now. The time for barging into your pathetic little hideouts is behind me.” He grinned sardonically. “I need to be on my best behavior, don’t you think?”

A brief, stunned silence followed as Amy and Sonic squinted at the intricately rendered images and plans rotating on the screen behind Eggman.

“You expect us to believe that your so-called investors trust you to build a whole luxury resort with your track record?” Sonic shrugged arrogantly. “Every casino and theme park you’ve built has been a deathtrap.”

“My experience is unmatched. Why do you think they trust me to be the one to build it?” Eggman grinned.

“I don’t know,” Sonic continued, “they didn’t seem too happy with your progress.”

“I have my ways.” Eggman lowered his arms, folding his hands on the desk in front of him as the massive screens dimmed once again. “If you would just return my ‘equipment’.”

Now Amy and Sonic realized how accurate their earlier bluff really was. They exchanged a quick glance in realization.

Uneasy, Sonic pressed himself up in his chair. “What’s Metal Sonic gonna do for this dump?”

“Trade secret.” A beam of light flashed across Eggman’s eyes, reflecting off his shaded glasses as he turned his gaze down. His hands folded over his rumpled mustache. “Consider this a truce. Send back Metal Sonic, and we’ll just stay out of each other’s hair from now on, hm?”

“Why would we do that when we could take out your whole operation now?” Sonic grew serious, drawing all of The Doctor’s attention.

Amy saw her opportunity and gripped the bottom of her chair to plant the device. She sat bolt upright when it made a tiny click. Neither Sonic nor Eggman seemed to notice.

“So you do have him.” An irritated scowl twisted The Doctor’s mouth.

“Yeah, right.” Sonic leaned back into his chair with crossed arms, challenging Eggman with a defiant stare.

“So aggressive,” Eggman shook his head. His elbows made their way onto the arms of his chair as he sat relaxed into it, uninterested in participating in a staring contest with the pest in front of him. “Just come to the opening and see for yourself that there’s nothing nefarious going on. You little rats will get to have the night of your lives, and everyone will see that there are no hard feelings between us. Good for branding, as it were.”

Sonic only raised a brow, peering into Eggman’s obscured eyes.

“Are you scared?” The corners of Eggman’s mouth lifted smugly.

Sonic scoffed. “What?”

“Never thought I’d see you so apprehensive to come to a party! Why else would you refuse?”

“I’m not-” Sonic huffed indignantly. “How do we know this isn’t one of your traps?”

“You don’t. But it’s never stopped you before,” Eggman cackled.

The phone on Eggman’s desk chimed, followed by a robotic voice. “Doctor, your next appointment is here.”

“Thanks, we’re almost finished here.” Eggman turned his attention back to the pair in front of him. “I do hope you can all make it. However, I’m a very busy man with many meetings, so if you’ll see yourselves out…” he gestured again, this time to his right. The wall behind him opened to reveal an elevator a few feet away.

“Right. More investors, I bet,” Sonic said sarcastically, standing up from his seat. “We’ll be there. If we don’t bust you first.”

Amy followed behind him, glancing back at her seat apprehensively. She was relieved to see the device wasn’t visible from the side.

Eggman stood up, ushering the pair into the lift.

“Oh, and Sonic,” as they were both stepping in, Eggman took Sonic by the shoulder to get his attention. “I trust you’ll make the right decision about returning my… ‘equipment’.”

Sonic turned back to The Doctor. He paused at the uncharacteristic gesture. “Uh- I don’t know what you mean?” He stumbled on his words.

Eggman stepped back, waving them off. “Sure, sure. And clean Metal up before you reactivate him or I’m sending you a bill for damages.”

“We don’t have your-” Sonic began to shoot back before the elevator’s rounded doors snapped shut between them.

“Can you believe him?!” he turned back to Amy irately.

“Shh!” Amy scolded faintly as the lift made its way back up to the surface. She shifted her eyes around the compact tube, sure they were being watched.

Sonic caught on, clicking his tongue. He crossed his arms with a grumble as they made their way back to the surface.

They both stepped out warily once there. The tube opened from another towering column, diagonal from the one they had entered. Its doors abruptly clamped together behind them. Amy and Sonic could see the towering structure they’d entered from hundreds of yards away

Amy and Sonic gave each other a knowing look. He reached a hand out to her.

“Let’s go.”

----

hiiiii thank you so much for reading if you’ve gotten this far esp after all the hiatuses. ily. i’d love to talk abt the fic or metamy in general so feel free to send me asks/msgs! i love seeing your tags also they make me very happy!

btw work slowed down a lot thankfully but i’m taking this figure drawing class that’s 6 hours 2x per week and my shoulder is so so sore. did not know drawing could be this physically taxing. but it’s fun i’m having fun (or so i tell myself). shout out to my boss for letting me just take class during work time. #1 mvp

#my wife is killing it with this art you better rb #(please)#thank you for reading!!#unfamiliar #metal sonic #amy rose #metamy #sth #sth fanfiction #ch 17 #i'm scheduling this to post bc i keep meaning to post it but i finish work/school late acsjddj it's been ready for a few days oops

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themeeplord · 3 months

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Hi! I'd like as much thoughts on this as possible so I'd appreciate if you gave it a little look❤️

I'm trying to think of ways I can have a membership section on my ko-fi without bringing in too much new work into my already filled schedule while still providing fun things for my members.

Some things I've thought of so far:

Posting wips and projects that are on hold or abandoned.

Answering questions regarding my art process and try to provide art advice to the best of my ability.

Sharing full digital sketch pages and full pages from my sketchbook.

Posting my big art pieces free of watermarks and in the highest quality ko-fi can provide.

Please if you have any suggestions for things I could add, or think my ideas are absolute garbage please let me know and give me advice! Let me know also if you like these ideas and would actually pay to get access to this.

Please be honest and let me know what you think! I want this to be good and feel worth it for everyone while still not burning myself out doing it. :'>

Put your thoughts in my ask box or in the comments❤️

#thank you for reading!!#I'm anxious about this stuff if you can't tell pfkfjrifj #I just want it to be good for everyone :'p #ko fi

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pemprika · 1 year

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hnk ch. 100 thoughts (spoilers)

Making a full-on separate post because I thought there was a lot to draw from in this recent chapter... I needed to document it, so here is my veryy long thought bubble on hnk 100:

The chapter felt like a depiction of Phos in transition to accepting themself and adapting to a new phase of peace that they hadn’t experienced before. While young Phos had a carefree life, they were perpetually stuck feeling useless, never satisfied with the way they lived, and gradually lost all their friends, selfhood, and purpose.

It’s a little difficult to emotionally match the pacing of the story considering how often the series goes on hiatus now, but note that Phos had only recently come to terms with their own flaws and the reasons why everything ended up the way it did. They had a wish to be happy, and meeting these lifeforms allowed them to realize the meaning of their existence and be more content with it.

That poetic verse was introspective and contemplative. Rather than placing worth based on certain levels, like the gems’ hardness levels or Lunarians’ caste system, these rudimentary rocks perceive that all life is made equal. For thousands of years, gems tied their own value to a designated role, and if they couldn’t fulfill it, they devalued their existence. We saw a lot of perspectives throughout Phos’ journey, including how Rutile “failed” as a doctor for being unable to fix Padapradscha on their own, or how Dia “failed'' to live up as a diamond with refined fighting skills compared to their rivaled counterpart. Again, these are just flawed traits passed down from their human predecessors and the curse of immortality.

The chapter ending conveyed a hopeful conception that all things, primitive or refined, come from the same place (nature). I struggled to connect the details mentioned in ch 97 before, but it gave us sooo much foreshadowing to this new world. Dr. Ayumu said that, “the inorganic things that we had been using for ourselves will soon have a world of their own'', alluding that these little guys that Phos met are the new world.

Interesting how Dr. Ayumu wanted Adamant to “build the bridge” and Phos to “burn the bridge” in order to create this “beautiful, rational world” to be a more freeing and less destructive place, and refresh the Earth to avoid relying on human values and qualities to stay self-fulfilled.

I was talking with @/mlkinis who brought up an interesting theory of using rocks in this new arc to symbolize the reversion of materialism. The rocks, elements derived from basic nature, have vastly different virtues compared to the gems, a class of refined minerals that developed a habitual routine of upkeep socially and culturally. While gems are also made from the Earth, they are perceived as high-value and are often polished to be artificially beautiful.

One Buddhist principle reflects on detaching oneself to worldly possessions and desires, such as wealth, in order to attain inner peace, and it seems that having these primitive rocks is a representation of Phos “letting go” of the gem society, which may be another way of showcasing that the world is returning back to life as the way it once was, and that Phos is on a path to attaining ultimate happiness. I’m wondering if Dr. Ayumu’s line, “When you cross that bridge, burn it” refers to Phos leaving their suffering behind as they’re going forth to being happy in this new world that is coming to be...

Anyway, upon reading the passage, along with meeting the sentient rocks and hearing its rock friend sing the verse, I felt like Phos reconciled with their own self and existence, and melted from feeling at peace 🥺😭!! Thank you, Ichikawa as always… This was a very cool and comforting chapter for me.

#hnk #hnk spoilers #hnk 100 #houseki no kuni #very very introspective read between the lines kind of chapter #thank you for reading!!#the pacing of the story has been a little wacky considering how many hiatuses it's been going through #you often forget the context of previous chapters... it can get a little hard to piece together #i'd love to hear other peoples' thoughts too =)

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acacia-may · 5 months

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Enough [A Frank Denouement and Kit Snicket Friendship Ficlet]

A ficlet centric on one of my favorite ASOUE underrated friendships: Frank Denouement and Kit Snicket for Woevember 2023 hosted by @asouefanworkevent Day 4: Hotel Denouement. Dewey x Kit is also mentioned. Thank you for reading!

(Warnings: Sparring. Some mild spoilers)

“Hey. Hey, not the face,” Frank protested as he dodged one of Kit��s punches. Another soon followed. “If you give me a black eye again, I won’t be able to pretend I’m Ernest.”

“That was an accident,” she insisted as he tried and failed to catch her in a hold. “And why do you do that again?”

Her movements were so quick and agile, he could barely keep up with them—not to mention frustratingly unpredictable even after how many times they had sparred together. He supposed he had an excuse. Since he had been put on “hotel duty,” his sparring skills were severely lacking especially compared to Kit who spent most of her time in the field, but still he had thought that with practice he would’ve improved at least somewhat. He huffed, struggling to catch his breath as he quickly weaved in and out of her attacks. “Listen, when you have a boring desk job like me, you have to find ways to keep life interesting.”

“It just confuses everyone,” she argued as she turned, leaving her right side open. When he raised his arm, however, she effortlessly swerved away from his hand, completely unphased and he was back on the defensive. “If your point was to be deceptive, I could understand, but you just want to mess with everyone—why?”

“What do you care?” he huffed as he managed to get a kick in causing her to stumble. He gripped her arms holding her in place. “You can tell us apart.” She could, of course, frustratingly enough so he never got to have any fun with tricking her that he was either of his brothers. “So I don’t know why it would matter to—Ow!”

Frank winced as Kit elbowed him, and within moments she had him pinned to the ground. Pathetic, he thought with a slight shake of his head as he struggled to wriggle free. She was kind enough to practice with him whenever she was around which was getting more and more frequent. That gave him an idea.

“Before you punch me, picture me as someone you love—shouldn’t be too hard,” he teased with a wink and a grin. Kit lowered her hand and loosened her hold on him. The glare she gave him as she got up from the ground made Frank shiver.

“Listen, I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just teasing…” he insisted, but Kit huffed, leaning against the wall with her back to him.

Even though Frank was sure she probably didn’t want him to, he joined her. The roof of the hotel was their favourite sparring place, and probably Ernest’s as well as he insisted it was the least disruptive to the guests. It was one of Frank’s favourite places in general since it had the most beautiful view of the city—especially at night when all of the buildings were illuminated by dim lights and the night sky was filled with stars.

After a long, heavy silence, Kit half-asked, half-stated, “So you know…?”

Frank’s brow furrowed. “About you and my brother? Yeah.”

“I had thought that since his entire existence is a secret, he’d be better at keeping one,” she teased with a twitch of a smile in the corners of her mouth.

“When he’s this happy? Absolutely not,” chuckled Frank. “You are all he ever talks about besides books and the Dewey Decimal System. I guess I just figured that since you were hanging around here a lot more that you two were in some kind of relationship now…” Frank stopped. “Are you in some kind of relationship?”

Kit frowned. “I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

“Kit, my brother adores you. He would do anything for you—even die for you or follow you into hell if you asked. That level of devotion knows no bounds. I have no doubt that you are the person my brother loves the most in the world, and he is the person I love the most so I…”

“You’re worried about him,” she finished with a sigh. “And you should be.”

“I wouldn’t say…”

“You know about me and Olaf…?” she interrupted again, and Frank tilted his head.

“Well, yeah. Everybody knows about that.”

“Then you know I’m no good for your brother and that he deserves someone so much better.”

“Maybe that’s true,” Frank conceded. “But he doesn’t want anyone else.” Frank sighed. “Look, we’ve all done things that we’re not proud of—I know I have so I’m in no position to judge you or anybody else. The way I see it, there are very few genuinely good people in this world, but Dewey is one of them and he deserves to be happy. And Kit..." he paused—meeting her eyes. "You have made my brother happier than I have ever seen him and as far as I’m concerned that makes you good enough.”

#woevember #frank denouement #kit snicket #kit snicket x dewey denouement #asoue fanfiction #asoue spoilers #thank you for reading!!

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captainmera · 9 months

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I was reading In Blood We Rise in the early days and forgot about it kind of and I am so glad it is ongoing!

thank you for reading my webcomic!!! I work very hard on it!! (TTOTT); <333

My style has developed a lot since the prologue! :'D

#ibwr #ibwr ask #THANK YOU FOR READING!!#it pleasantly surprises me when ppl check out my comic! You're the real GI-joes and OG and GOATS and whatever the kids say these day! Thank

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solalunar-eclipse · 7 months

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Sonic Boom - S3E13

Chapter title: Schrödinger's Hedgehog, Part 1

Summary: The truth about Shadow is revealed, and some problems are solved…while others are made worse. Will a team of five emotionally inexperienced people be able to do what needs to be done?

AO3 Link

First | Previous | Next

[This episode begins without any kind of a cold open, jumping directly into the introductory sequence.]

[Shadow is not present in the part with the rest of the heroes, but their team shot is still structured as if he were there, making the absence very noticeable.]

[Instead, he appears in his old villain intro, with just his stripes and angry eyes visible. However, after a second or two, his eyes change into a much more nervous expression, and dart around briefly.]

[Then, the rest of the sequence continues, complete with the episode title at the end.]

…

When Tails had called the others, they’d all rushed into his workshop immediately, fearing the worst. “What’s wrong, Tails?” Amy had cried. Sonic, somehow, didn’t say a thing. Instead, he darted over to Shadow, clearly concerned for his rival-turned-friend.

What they found, however, was something far stranger than what they had expected.

At Sonic’s gasp, all five teammates gathered around Shadow, staring at his exposed hand. It didn’t look like anything they’d seen before—in fact, it barely resembled any of their own, except in general shape.

Starting from the middle of Shadow’s forearm, his black coloration ended and a strange silicone material began. It was a dull and semi-transparent grey (except for his arm stripe, which was pale red), with wires threaded throughout it, weaving around a central piston that extended up into the rest of his arm. His hand was made of the same silicone, and contained five segmented metal bars that extended through each of his fingers in place of the usual hand structure. They ended in five wickedly sharp steel claws that looked as though they could slice through Eggman’s badniks like they were made of warm butter.

Everyone stared until Sticks broke the silence. “He’s been replaced by a robot!” she screamed. “Who knows who they’ll come for next?!”

“Oh, don’t be silly, Sticks. What I want to know is, since when has Shadow had a prosthetic hand?” Amy asked, confused.

Tails frowned. “I don’t know, but however he got it, this is a seriously advanced piece of machinery. It almost perfectly mimics a real hand!”

While Amy and Tails discussed this revelation, Sonic eyed the way the piston in Shadow’s arm seemed to extend past what he could see somewhat suspiciously. Sure, maybe that was how prosthetics worked and he just didn’t know it, but something wasn’t quite adding up to him.

Running on that gut feeling, he pulled off Shadow’s other glove…

…to reveal a second synthetic hand underneath.

A momentary silence fell as everyone stared again.

Knuckles blinked. “So was Sticks right about him being replaced by a robot?”

“I don’t know about replaced, that just doesn’t feel right, but maybe…aha!” Tails exclaimed. “My scanners were calibrated to organic material, not inorganic! Let me try again.”

The entire team waited with bated breath as Tails’s machinery began to analyze Shadow one last time. The loading bar on the screen seemed almost excruciatingly slow as it ticked upwards a centimeter at a time.

And then, there was a map of Shadow’s insides for everyone to see.

It still didn’t make perfect sense, since there were large parts of Shadow simply listed as “unidentifiable material”, but now it was perfectly clear that he didn’t have one (or even two) prosthetic arms. Shadow was, somehow, an android. An android with Ancient markings on some of his frame, to boot.

Tails looked torn between freaking out in shock and freaking out in excitement. “Chaos, that actually makes perfect sense!”

“Uh…what makes perfect sense, bud?” Sonic asked.

“You guys remember how Shadow knew all this stuff about the Ancients—like with your mech, Sonic? Well, a while back, Amy and I discovered that Mighton and Bolts are actually Ancient robots with ridiculously advanced AIs.”

“Oh yeah! Plus, now that I think about it, he seemed kinda awkward earlier when we were all talking about our opinions on robots.” Sonic added.

“So what I think is, since the robots of Roboken are so…lifelike, mentally, why couldn’t the Ancients have made a robot that looks like us as well as thinks like us?” the engineer finished.

“Why would they want to do that?” Amy asked.

Tails shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe just because they could?”

“But how does any of this help us fix him?” Knuckles said, looking upset.

“Because…” the fox said proudly. “I may not know how to fix people, but I sure know how to fix robots!”

The entire team cheered at that, even Sticks.

“Alright!” Tails declared. “Guys, I need all of you to go back to Shadow’s cave and find anything that might help me fix him. Meanwhile, I’m going to hook him up to my computers and see what else I can figure out.”

“On it!” Sonic said, saluting. He rushed out the door with everybody else in tow, leaving Tails alone in the lab.

With an unconscious, highly advanced robot who also just happened to be his semi-friend.

“This is one of the best days of my life.” he whispered.

Fifteen minutes later, once he’d managed to access Shadow’s brain wirelessly, his computer crashed.

(And so did his mood. At least temporarily.)

Tails sighed, rewiring some ports in the back so that all of his various devices could share processing power. Then, he tried rebooting it and reconnecting it to Shadow.

Immediately, he received about twenty different error messages, including a [Files Incompatible: Open anyway?] request.

He selected [Yes] hesitantly, and then gasped as row after row of files filled his screen. Most of them were names he didn’t even understand…because they were all written in Ancient.

Tails scrambled for the original and translated copies of the robot manuscript that Amy had made him, hoping that he could use them as a sort of decoding mechanism for what he saw on screen. Thankfully, they did indeed make it a little easier to understand the writing—and the parts he could read were all incredible.

Shadow had an absolutely insane amount of files just for his sense of smell, let alone his optics and auditory sensors. And that wasn’t even touching his actual cognitive programming.

Once he’d finished geeking out, Tails ran a full diagnostic of Shadow’s body, and discovered the problem. The house had fallen on him in the right position to somehow…disconnect some of his processing capability? It didn’t entirely make sense, and Tails spent the next few minutes deep in thought.

Suddenly, he came to a realization. Very slowly, he clicked on the file labeled with what he hoped was the Ancients’ version of ‘opacity’, and crossing his fingers, he turned the slider contained within most of the way down.

And with that, the entirety of Shadow’s ‘fur’ faded to the same dull, transparent grey and pale red.

Beneath the rest of his silicone body, endless wires and metal framing lay. Even his eyelids were transparent (and Tails thought it was slightly creepy to see him staring blankly through them, if he was being entirely honest). And in the center of his body pulsed a bright blue crystal.

Looking closely, Tails could see that one of the clamps attaching a wire to the crystal had completely broken, leaving the wire detached. He knew at a glance that it wouldn’t match any of the clamp types he had—it was a completely unique make.

Unfortunately, that meant that all he could do now was wait for his friends to come back.

…

The other four were all busy searching through the boxes in Shadow’s cave, hoping to find something that matched what their engineer friend had seen inside him. Nothing seemed to fit the picture Tails had sent, though, and they were all starting to lose hope.

Sonic wandered throughout the cave, past the place where they’d found the mech. Only a little farther along, a rough bedroom was set up, and it made Sonic a little sad to see how poorly Shadow was living even compared to Knuckles these days.

Then, he noticed the corner of another cardboard box poking out from underneath the bed. Scrambling forward, he pulled it out, barely noting the carefully lettered label: Emergency Parts.

“Guys!” he yelled, already digging through the electronics. “Guys, I think I found it!” The others gathered around him just as he held up a clamp triumphantly, and Amy quickly matched it to the picture Tails had sent.

It was perfect.

Immediately, they all raced back to Tails’s workshop, the blue hedgehog making no effort to be gentle as he slammed the entire box down on the table. “Can you fix him?” Sonic asked, looking over at the android nervously.

“I think so?” Tails said hesitantly. “I spent some time searching through his command files and found a couple things that might help.”

He pressed a button, and a section of Shadow’s silicone covering pulled back to reveal his internal wiring. Carefully, Tails pulled out the broken clamp with his fingers (since there was no tool that matched the ones the Ancients had used) and replaced it with the new one. Then, the engineer pulled out some of his most delicate tools and gently reset the wire in its housing.

After a moment of careful inspection to make sure nothing was out of alignment, as well as a quick voltage check, Tails set the silicone covering back in place and sat back with a sigh. “We’ll just have to hope that he’ll be able to fix the rest on his own from here.” he said quietly, watching Shadow’s still body along with the others.

…

>>System malfunction: Corrected_

>>Rebooting_

Shadow gasped, sitting bolt upright.

He took a trembling breath, out of habit more than anything else. Looking around, he saw that he was in Tails’s (currently empty) lab. He relaxed marginally at that—so he was among friends. Good.

…Immediately afterwards, he remembered to feel embarrassed about how easy it was for him to feel safe around the other five these days.

Now then, what was he doing here? The last thing he remembered was saving that little girl from the house, and then everything went dark. As he looked around, however, he suddenly found that feeling of safety ripped right out of his head—

—when he noticed that his coloration had been dialed down to only twenty-five percent opacity. No matter whether it had happened during his injury, or afterwards here in the lab, it meant that the team knew.

As Shadow looked around with increasing terror, automatically running a self-diagnostic, he noticed that one of his clamps was registered as having been recently replaced. That must’ve been what knocked me out, he noted faintly. The most terrible part of all of it, though, was the fact that there were files filling up the entirety of Tails’s screen.

His files. The files that made up the personality of the creation named Shadow.

How long had they been looking through his head?!

Shadow terminated the connection instantly, his eyes flashing with a mixture of hurt and fury. And here he’d thought he could trust these heroes. They’d called him their friend. He scoffed to himself furiously, ignoring the betrayed pain building up inside him. He had been a fool.

And it was then that Tails appeared at the door.

The android bared his teeth defensively, leaping off the table and into a fighting stance.

“Guys?” Tails squeaked. “I…I don’t think Shadow’s happy with me…”

Suddenly, the rest of the team piled into the room, making Shadow take a sudden step backwards.

“You okay, Shads?” Sonic asked worriedly.

“Do you need anything?” Amy added.

Shadow snarled at them, his shoulders hunching. “Liars. Traitors! Don’t bother pretending you all still like me.”

“What?” Tails said, his eyes widening.

“You heard what I said!” he barked. “I know you all rifled through my head like a—a storage cabinet! Did you like what you saw? Was it fun?”

“No! No, Shads, we didn’t look at anything, except what we needed to fix you! We’d never!” Sonic cried, visibly taken aback.

“Sure.” he scoffed. “As if I’d believe that now.”

And with that, he vanished.

…

The team scoured the entire island in search of Shadow, but he was always one step ahead of them. After several hours of searching, they were forced to take a break, regrouping at Amy’s house.

“How does he keep on escaping?” Knuckles sighed, currently collapsed on the couch.

Tails frowned. “As long as his power source doesn’t die, he can theoretically keep going at the same pace for as long as he wants. We just can’t match up to that kind of persistence.”

Sonic began to type on his communicator even more quickly than usual, belying his stress. “Well, we might not be able to, but I know someone a little more experienced than us who could find him.”

“Nobody’s a better tracker than me!” Sticks cried.

“You are the best tracker we have…but you’re tired right now, and we need more people with different skills to find him.” Amy pointed out.

“Fine.” the badger huffed. “So who’s he calling?”

Sonic watched his communicator intently as three flashing dots appeared on the messaging app. “Someone who owes me a favor.”

Several minutes later, Vector kicked the door open. “Never fear, the Chaotix Detective Agency is here!” he cried.

“Agency?” Amy asked skeptically. “There’s only one of you.”

Vector smirked. “Well, sure. Last time you saw me, there was! But I’ve been asking around, putting up some ads on ConnectIn, and I managed to find these guys!” He stepped aside to reveal a chameleon dressed in stereotypical goth clothing and a hyperactive bee.

“He didn’t actually find either of us on ConnectIn.” the chameleon added. “I sought him out, and he just stumbled upon Charmy over there by pure chance.”

“Ohhhh wow, are you guys the heroes Vector told me about?” Charmy gasped, flying all around them excitedly.

“Yeah, they are. But right now we’re on the job, got it, pal?” Vector said, gently pulling the kid back to his side.

“Got it!” Charmy chirped (and then immediately grinned at the team the moment Vector looked away).

“Yeah, so this is Charmy, our resident scout, air support, and mascot,” Vector explained, “and this here is Espio. He’s got some cool ninja skills, so he helps me out too. A lot, if I’m being honest.”

The chameleon promptly turned invisible, making the other five gasp. “So cool…” Knuckles whispered.

Espio then reappeared, now with a slight blush on his face. “Thanks.” he said quietly.

“Now then, just sit back and relax!” Vector said cheerfully. “We’ll find your guy in no time, I promise!”

…

‘No time’ turned out to be exactly three hours and twenty-two minutes. During that time period, Amy managed to stress-bake two batches of banana muffins, Tails and Knuckles half-heartedly played a board game, Sticks was busy hiding the banana muffins in various ‘apocalypse caches’, and Sonic wore a circular hole in the rug.

All five of them nearly hit the roof when the Chaotix called Sonic’s communicator.

“Hey, Sonic!” Vector said. “Listen, we found your guy, but we have one tiny problem.”

“Yeah? What is it?” Sonic asked, his foot tapping rapidly.

Espio appeared in the picture. “He’s camped out in an old Ancient ruin, and he’s switched all of the defenses on. I was the only one who could get within forty feet without laser cannons trying to blast me to bits.”

“And we didn’t sign up to get blasted to bits!” Charmy chimed in.

“I, uh, I hope this won’t affect our payment?” Vector added hopefully.

“No way!” Sonic said hurriedly, eager to get on with things already. “I called you guys in to find him, not to bring him back here. Just send us the coordinates and we’ll call it all square, okay?”

Vector grinned. “It’s been great doin’ business with ya, Sonic! If you ever need something found again, just remember us and we’ll help you out!”

In the background, they could hear Charmy singing something that sounded an awful lot like “Team Chaotix! They’re detectives you want on your side!”

“Thanks so much, Vec. See ya!” Sonic said, signing off.

“Alright.” Amy said, punching a fist into her other hand. “Now all we have to do is get Shadow back.”

“That’s easier said than done.” Tails said, looking nervous. “I just got the coordinates, and this is a temple nobody’s even discovered before. It could be really dangerous.”

“Oh yeah? We can handle dangerous!” Knuckles said cheerfully.

A montage ensues in which the team prepares for the ordeal ahead. Tails gathers up all of his equipment, while Sticks does the same with their homemade monitoring devices. Amy smashes a few targets with her hammer, Knuckles practices his burrowing form, and Sonic adds some extra sports tape to his ankles.

Then, the scene cuts to the team approaching the ruins. They smile confidently and begin to charge in an epic slow motion shot—only to end up screaming and running back in the other direction when the laser cannons start firing.

“Alright, scrap the ‘Epic Hero Entrance’ plan.” Sonic wheezed. “Tails, you go ahead and disable the cannons. The rest of us can wait until you’re done.”

The fox dashed across the field, his tails whirring at top speed. After a few tense minutes, in which he was forced to work while plastered against the wall to stay in the cannons’ blind spots, he stuck out his hand with a thumbs-up as the machinery deactivated.

Knuckles inched out onto the field carefully, and when he wasn’t immediately turned into a scorch mark, the others followed behind him. Tails managed to open the doors not long after they reached his position, and they all braced themselves for the trials ahead.

Next up was a…completely empty hallway?

At least, it seemed that way until Sticks held up their hand, sniffing the air warily. After a moment, they blew chalk dust into the hall, revealing the laser beams that crisscrossed the way forward. Carefully, the badger dodged each and every beam until they made it to the other side, their foot automatically pressing a panel that deactivated the beams.

After that, there was a memory matching puzzle that ended up being solved by Amy, which took her a few tries to get right. As soon as she finished, she did a quick celebratory dance—before remembering that she was supposed to be the serious one, and if any of you think about mentioning that ever again, first remember the ten out of ten targets I hit with my hammer earlier.

Then, they were faced with a few riddles that Knuckles got right with his oddly specific riddling skills, and then (of course) a giant labyrinth with about twenty different hallways spiraling off it in every direction imaginable. Yes, that did include one pointing directly upwards. Sonic sped through each and every path until he found an exit that didn’t lead to a pit of flames, a pit of snakes, a spike trap, a pit of piranhas, or any other kind of murder-inclined pits. Then, he shot off a guided flare that Tails had provided to show the way, and the rest simply followed the glowing trail directly to him.

Carefully, they all lined up, staring down into the darkness ahead. A faint light emanated from the end of the hall, showing them the way they hoped would lead to their missing friend.

[screen fades to black]

[This time it’s Tails complaining. “Aw, come on! Another cliffhanger? We’re almost to the best part!”]

[roll credits]

#sonic the hedgehog #miles tails prower #sonic boom #knuckles the echidna #amy rose #sticks the badger #sonic boom: ancient secrets #sol's fanfiction #i hope the payoff was worth it! a big congratulations to quartzite49 for being the only one to guess the truth...#but i'll ask the same question here that i asked on ao3 #when would you like the next chapter to go up?#would you like it to be posted sooner #but have a longer wait for the one after?#or would you prefer equal spacing?#let me know and i'll take your thoughts into consideration!#and as always #thank you for reading!!

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