#but then also tossed out 'well haha doctors back then were all idiots and knew nothing'

[thebeautyoffanfics]

hii i know you might be busy because of school so take your time! Could i please get a Dead!Mitsuba,,,Dead!Hanako,,,Dead!Tsukasa,, x reader (if you dont want to write for them characters right now than you can choose others i dont mind <3) where they think reader is dying??Any situation is fine :)

dead!mitsuba sousuke x gn!reader, dead!hanako x gn!reader, dead!tsukasa yugi x gn!reader

a/n: ahh thank you for being patient;;! And of course!! Thank you so much for requesting, and I hope this turns out alright! And I’m so sorry for the time it took;;

aahhh i constantly remember how difficult starting and ending fics are,,, sorry if it sounds awkward ;v;; i’m also sorry if this isn’t dramatic enough- i’m trying to get these out, but i’m in a funky phase, as i haven’t written in a while;;

warnings: vomit (in Hanako’s), blood (in Tsukasa’s)

word count: 2,765

mitsuba sousuke <3

It wasn’t uncommon for Mitsuba to watch you do everyday school things. He’d follow you around, playing it off as if he wasn’t. Even now, he sat under a tree, watching you assist one of the clubs.

You were always entertaining… or maybe, you were simply enough to captivate his attention in anything you did? Your arm held high as you caught the baseball tossed your way, grinning at the person who threw it. Though not fond of you smiling like that at another person, the glance you gave Mitsuba practically made up for it- though he still glanced away, as if he wasn’t looking in the first place.

Moments passed, before he peered back up at you.

Your smiling face, as you turned to speak to one of the club members- his eyes darting over at hearing someone yell your name.

“(Y/N)!! WATCH OUT-”

And, eyes back over at you, as the undeniable sound of a baseball smacking against a skull. Mitsuba froze up, only being able to watch as you toppled to the ground. The club members instantly panicked, and Mitsuba did the same- both he and the members running over to you, students shaking you as if that would do anything.

“Idiots!! Don’t shake them-!”

Unfortunately, all of his yelling was futile. Mitsuba was dead, after all, and he was sure that you were too. A bump already formed on your head, as you peeked your eyes open, reaching for your head. Your fingers grazed against the bump, then quickly retracted, as tears filled your eyes. Shouts from the club members to get an adult rang out, as Mitsuba placed his hands on your shoulder, shaking almost as violently as you were. You closed your eyes, shaking as you reached to your head again, only to retract once more.

“(Y-Y/N), it’s okay- a-are you okay?” Mitsuba stuttered out, trying not to get emotional. It was only an injury, right… you were fine. You had to be. You’d be fine. Right?

But, when you only shook your head, squeezing your eyes tighter, he couldn’t help the pure fear that filled his entire body. His eyes grew watery when a teacher finally arrived, already on the phone with, he hoped, the paramedics.

Too much time passed, Mitsuba thought. Too much time spent grasping your hand, tears threatening to spill, as the teacher asked you too many questions. And, the absolute dread at the teacher’s reaction to everything- hearing you attempt to explain that everything went black for a moment- seeing the teachers eyes widen a bit, then eyebrows furrow in frustration. Mitsuba wanted to scream. To yell at whoever threw the ball- he didn’t care if it was a mistake. To yell at the paramedics- it was an emergency! Why couldn’t the emergency vehicle get there sooner??

Finally, they arrived. Paramedics picking you up, Mitsuba following alongside them until you sat in the vehicle. His eyes flickering from person to person, then back at you, until they shut the doors and drove off.

The next few days were like a living hell for Mitsuba. No- he wasn’t living. It was as if he had been doomed to suffer for all eternity. He shook every time he walked past your homeroom, peering inside as he checked for you. Peering over at your desk, praying that he wouldn’t see flowers sitting there. The lack of flowers was the only hope Mitsuba had left. The lack of rumors, the lack of Sakura one day opening up the broadcast with “(Y/N)-san of the baseball field.” It sounded ridiculous, sure, but he couldn’t help it…

Yes, though he’d never say it to anyone- maybe you, but that was a stretch- Mitsuba had never been so worried… he thought, as he finally saw you again, clinging to you as if you were as fragile as glass- that your death would probably affect him worse than his own did. Because, a world without you, would officially be a world without life… without you, Mitsuba knew he could no longer even feel alive.

“You idiot… I hate you so much,” His voice broke slightly, as you wrapped your arms back around him. Much like the moment when he was so sure you wouldn’t show back up, tears threatened to spill. “I missed you. Dummy. I missed you so much-”

hanako <3

There was a part of Hanako slightly paranoid about your death. Not overly so- not in a way that would hinder you. Simply, in the sense that he would risk his well-being to protect you. Yet, there were many situations where he was… helpless.

It wasn’t uncommon for you to enter the girl’s bathroom, though it was almost always to visit Hanako. So, his face instinctively lit up when he saw you stumble into the bathroom- though he felt the color drain from his face when he saw your shakey figure. The color was drained from your face as well, he noted, as he quickly floated over to you.

“(Y/N)?? What’s wrong?” He questioned, pushing the hair from your face, getting a good look at your face. He was already positive you didn’t feel well. He just needed to know how- then, he could help. Surely, he could do something.

“I… I dunno- my stomach hurts, haha… really badly.”

Before Hanako could question further- where did it hurt, what kind of pain- you stumbled into a stall, spilling any contents that were in your stomach into the toilet. Instinctively, Hanako cringed a bit- quickly, he shook the queasy feeling he got off, and stepped over to you, rubbing your back carefully.

When you looked up at Hanako, tears running down your face, he instantly feared the worst.

“Please get a teacher, or Yashiro, or- someone,” You told him, arms securing themselves around your stomach. Hanako quickly nodded, rushing as quickly down the hallway as he could. He wasn’t a doctor, for Pete’s sake- not even close to it. So, he practically flung himself into Yashiro’s classroom, shouting at her from the doorway.

“YASHIRO, (Y/N)’S IN A LOT OF PAIN!!”

Hanako could only ring his hands nervously for a moment, as Yashiro asked the teacher to be excused, floating anxiously beside her for a moment, then rushing back to you when she explained that she was going to get a teacher- thinking for a split moment, as he explained to her that you already threw up. To that, Yashiro nodded, telling Hanako that she’d be sure to make sure your guardians were contacted.

Once he reentered the bathroom, Hanako’s nerves were at a new worst state. His eyes landed on you, practically curled up next to the toilet, sniffling to yourself- he was sure he never wanted to help anyone so badly. He was sure that, if he could, he would take your pain.

“Yashiro’s getting a teacher, (Y/N). A-are you feeling any better?” You shook your head, glancing up at the ghost boy. Your face was slightly flushed with what he was sure was a fever, and your eyebrows were furrowed in clear desperation and pain. All he wanted to do was help.

“I feel like I’m dying…”

Dying. The word “dying” stuck out, striking at Hanako’s nerves as if they weren’t already being tested. You felt like you were dying? Were you?? He sat in front of you, hands shaking violently as he attempted to seem calm. You couldn’t die. No- no, the teacher would come. You would live, wouldn’t you? You weren’t going to die… right?

“It’s okay, (Y/N)- you’ll be okay,” He spoke, rubbing your shoulders gently and placing a soft kiss to your forehead, half trying to convince himself. As he continued to do so, the teacher entered the bathroom, knocking on the stall- though the door creaked open, as you hadn’t had the time to shut and lock it. It wasn’t as if you needed to- the nausea was simply overwhelming.

“(Y/N)? Can you tell me what’s wrong?”

“I’m having really bad stomach pains… I threw up- it hurts to talk,” You muttered, glancing up at the teacher, giving them the same pained look you gave Hanako. They crouched next to you, placing a hand against your forehead, then nodding.

“Where does it hurt?”

Clearly not wanting to move, you sniffled, forcing yourself to sit back just enough to motion around your lower-right abdomen. As if it clicked, the teacher nodded, letting you fall back into the position you were previously in. “I have no room to say for sure, but it does sound like appendicitis. Your parents are on the way, and I’ll let them know to take you over to the hospital.”

Your grip on yourself tightened a bit, panic showing up in your face. Seeing that panic, Hanako could only fear the worst. He knew vaguely of appendicitis, sure- how likely was someone to die from it-?? If your appendix ruptured, he knew it was dire. Did it? How long did it take for an appendix to rupture? Before he could even acknowledge the thoughts running through his mind, the teacher lifted you up, carrying you out of the room.

Though Hanako followed, he was left standing at the doors of the school when your guardian carried you away. The final bell rang, all of the students finally emptying out of the school, as the car you were in drove away. He watched until it was out of sight, silently noting that it must have been the direction of the hospital.

The first few days were practically torture for Hanako. Yashiro’s comments didn’t help- her saying that you went into surgery only worsened his fears. During his lifetime, surgery was… unpleasant, to say the least. They could do it- you could certainly have your appendix removed, but- but what if something went wrong? How had things changed since he lived…? Had it ruptured, were you going to live? What if you died during recovery?

He couldn’t stand it. No, until several weeks passed, Hanako was a nervous wreck. The relief that washed through him when he saw you walking through the school halls was almost comical- that is, if he wasn’t clinging to you like he really had almost lost you.

“(Y/N)... I’m so glad to see you again.”

“Hanako, I’m so glad to see you too. Sorry for scaring you like that… but thanks for sticking with me.”

Of course, Hanako could only accept the praise, unsure how to word “I stuck with you because I didn’t want you to die alone.”

tsukasa yugi <3

Tsukasa, most were sure, wouldn’t necessarily… care if someone around him died. No, he probably loved the pained expressions of someone taking their last breaths. If it was a messy death? It would be better for him, right? Screams of pain, tears streaming down someone’s face, blood splattered around. Natsuhiko half joked that it would be a dream for Tsukasa, no matter if everyone else considered it a nightmare. Sakura remained quiet, shaking her head slightly. You… disagreed, as if protecting Tsukasa. Maybe he wouldn’t… as eerie as your boyfriend could be at times, you loved him nonetheless- and you were sure you didn’t fall for someone who would… enjoy…… others’ pain…?

Hm…

Either way! You were sure you didn’t fall for someone who would enjoy your pain!!!

Those thoughts were just that- little thoughts you had. Thrown into a few conversations between the fellow people who frequented the broadcasting room. Nothing you really wanted to prove, you know? No, you’d rather assume it, and not go through anything particularly painful to prove it.

However, those weren’t necessarily your thoughts as you tripped over the rug, one of Sakura’s tea sets in your hands. The hot tea in them went flying, landing all over you- but, that wasn’t really your focus, as you landed with a harsh thud. The glass cracked underneath you, the uncomfortable sound of shattering filling the room- accompanied by your scream- at first being echoed because of the fright of following, but being finished off because of the feeling of glass splintering you as if you were the fragile object.

Your scream ended in a cry, tears quickly clouding your vision as the sharp pain coursed through every spot the glass had harmed. Sakura’s eyes went wide, and she stood up, aiming to walk over and help you- Natsuhiko did the same, exclaiming your name once he saw you began to fall, a bit quicker than Sakura was- Mitsuba could only stare, as if his fight or flight was activated. Before any of them could reach you, Tsukasa was there, shouting your name and cupping your face.

Tsukasa wasn’t bothered by the blood, as if he could be bothered by any blood, pure worry crossing his face. It was a rare sight- Tsukasa genuinely concerned- but it wasn’t like seeing a bloody (Y/N) on the floor was exactly common. It was no one's focus, as the other three finally were gathered around you. Protectively, nearly forgetting your injuries, Tsukasa held your head to his chest- glaring at the others.

“Go get a nurse!! (Y/N)’s bleeding-!”

Natsuhiko nodded, rushing off, as Mitsuba glanced around panickedly- Sakura pushed Tsukasa away from you slightly, as if to let him know to be careful. His hands wandered to your arms, holding them carefully, peering at the glass, then up at the tears streaming down your face.

“Don’t pull out the glass. It could make the bleeding worse, and we can’t be sure where all the glass has landed. Especially in their arms.”

Tsukasa nodded a bit, glancing at his hand when one of your tears landed on it. He ignored the blood dripping onto his palms, quietly licking the tear that fell onto the back of his hand. That wasn’t enough to distract you though- he half hoped he could take away your pain, but was discouraged to only be met with your shaky sobs. His eyes wandered along the shards sticking out of your arms. Dangerously close to places he knew they couldn’t scratch- an artery, he knew, would be beyond dangerous… what if, when the glass gets pulled out, you’re met with the spewing blood that comes with a punctured artery? Looking around at the blood dripping everywhere- were you… dying?

Tsukasa froze up a bit. (Y/N)? Dying?

Well, he was dead… Amane was dead. Mitsuba was dead. But… what would happen when you died?

Would you become a ghost? Or would death be the final separation for the two of you- would Tsukasa be trapped on earth, while you moved on to whatever afterlife there was??

“(Y/N) can’t die,” was his only thought, as Natsuhiko returned, gently explaining that he was going to carry you to the nurse- then, your guardian could come at take you to the hospital. However, once Natsuhiko’s arms wrapped around your torso, Tsukasa grabbed Natsuhiko’s closest arm. “I- I can take care of them. I’ll carry, (Y/N).” “Runt, you’re a ghost. For real, don’t screw around. Let me carry them, hurry now,” He spoke, lifting you up. Tsukasa stood, balling his hands up slightly nervously. Oh, a nervous Tsukasa… it was also such a strange sight- watching Natsuhiko speedwalk with you in his arms, Tsukasa floating alongside them. In fact, Tsukasa remained with the both of you- holding your arms carefully, until you were entering the car, towels placed around you to keep the blood from spilling anywhere. He watched the car drive off, unsure how to process anything.

The next several days were… difficult for Tsukasa. He wasn’t sure how to deal with it, yet he found himself peering into your classroom to see if flowers sat on your desk. He found himself paying closer attention to the rumors spread- listening carefully for anything that sounded similar to you. He wandered the halls, as if he suddenly lost his purpose- keeping an extra eye out for a person, or ghost, with cuts from shards of glass littering their body.

Tsukasa was his… clingy self when you returned. He hugged you as tightly as he could, not wanting to release even when you warned him about your still healing arms. He placed countless kisses to your face, giggling out that he was so sure you were going to die. Even when you questioned his thoughts, Tsukasa continued on, kissing the scars, scabs, and few stitches on your body. Yes, he really was glad that you were alive. Be it for selfish reasons or selfless ones, he couldn’t be sure- he just knew he was glad.

#anon #oneshot #x reader #gn!reader #x gn!reader #tbhk #jshk #toilet bound hanako kun #jibaku shounen hanako kun #mitsuba sousuke #tsukasa yugi #hanako #hanako kun #tbhk x reader #jshk x reader #toilet bound hanako kun x reader #jibaku shounen hanako kun x reader #mitsuba sousuke x reader #tsukasa yugi x reader #hanako x reader #hanako kun x reader

[husbandohunter]

Your Stardew Impact has given me a serious brainrot and I couldn’t sleep on it so here

Imagine the boys getting Isekai to Stardew and meeting their (soon-to-be) s/o a.k.a the farmer who found them in the mines and dragged them out.

It’s basically the same as the original but the reader lives in Stardew universe from the beginning.

The Outlanders who trespassed the Stars [Stardew Valley + Genshin Impact]

Synopsis: You were a simple farmer who lived a simple life before crossing paths with these outlanders. A tale of greetings and farewells tells a story that loving someone was like looking at the stars in the sky; a sense of warmth amidst darkness, where the dots connect no matter what distance it was. But just like stars, they were meant to be unobtainable.

(Basically what happens if the boys get Isekai'd)

Genre: fluff, angst (faceapalm didn't mean to)

Characters: Childe, Xiao, Zhongli

(A/n): Hi anon, haha I didn't think the Stardew Impact series would be this enjoyable. Allow me to serve your brainrot. But just for future references there is a character limit! Also it long, a pro tip to use ctrl+F and type in the name :>

======================

~Childe's Story~

The day you met Childe was perhaps during the most fortunate yet unfortunate hour of your life.

Winter comes by, your fields were left dry, what else was there to do other than mining? You were aiming to build a new Barnhouse before summer comes, fishing only made average income thus you decided to take your pickaxe and hope to run into some diamonds, gold or even better: prismatic shards. However, expensive items could only be found in the deepest parts of the mountains, where dangerous monsters lurk by.

When peeking over the abandoned minecart you so carefully shielded yourself with, you began contemplating whether you've just dug yourself a grave instead. The whole area became infested, you weren't in the best condition and on top of all that, you were out of food.

You decided to make a run for it, with the treasures and goodies at hand, you couldn't give up. However, things only got worse when purple mist began taking over your vision, signaling a lava bat wave drawing nigh. It was thanks to your greed that you ended in such a predicament but it was also your greed that brought you to him.

"W-Woah!!"

You tripped with your toe pointing downwards into a pile of wooden crates. The bats swarmed in shortly after, daunting around the area above but you couldn't afford to look. Your face was down to the ground and you could only rely on your ears regarding their whereabouts. As if Yoba heard your prayers, the lava bats could not seem to find you, confusing them to think you've escaped. And so, they flew away.

"I'm never doing that again," The sudden impact was excruciating, you were sure that your lip bled due to biting too hard. At least the floor felt somewhat soft, cotton-like and warm enough to be comforting. Yet, for some reason it was also a little…bony?

"…Mn…."

Your body jerks up like a springboard when you felt something shifting. A man, no older than his twenties, no older than you, lays sprawled out under your form. He was beginning to stir and you panicked when a pair of blue cerulean eyes pointed into your seemingly shocked ones within the close parameter.

Too close.

The man gives a cheerfully wry chuckle, you could practically feel his breath almost, "Well this is quite unexpected, didn't think I'd end up in this position," he jests, soon his expression began to tighten into a grimace, "Mind getting off me though? With all due respect miss, you're a little-…heavy."

You scrambled to the side while still kneeling, "What the hell, who are you?!"

"Hm," The man didn't answer, instead he pushed himself upright and turned his attention to examine the surroundings, "Where are we?" He paused when he noticed how the ceiling was made of rocks, "Wait, is this a cave?"

"Ninety two floors deep and surrounded by monsters," you sighed in frustration while rubbing your head with your palm, "Seriously, whoever you are you shouldn't be here, especially if you're not even carrying the necessary supplies."

"Hey, I just got here. I'm just as confused as you," he puts his hands up in a defensive gesture, "But how strange," he mutters to himself, lowering his arms ever so slightly before pinching his chin in deep thought, "I swear it was the right portal…or maybe it was the other one? Hmmm, could it be the effect of the hidden seal?"

I have so many questions. You sweatdropped nervously. Here you were, hours spent to get to the deepest parts of the earth and looking like a cavewoman while his clothes were practically untouched, nor did they seem to be a recognizable fashion. You've seen many odd events within Stardew Valley but not to this extent, "Alright you know what, let's forget about it for now. We need to get out of here before those lava bats come back for us again. Otherwise we're toast," you gestured to the lava pool, "Literally."

He gave another one of his gleeful smiles, you wondered if he was afraid at all, "Sounds like a solid plan to me. Judging by the equipment you're wearing, you seem to have been here for a while. You know your way around?"

Figures that he doesn't know, you thought, "I'll lead."

"Glad we're on the same page. Though, we've only just met and yet you're still willing to help a stranger like me," he mentions in an off-handed manner, perhaps he wasn't used to generosity ever since being recruited as a harbinger, "But not that I'm complaining. You have my thanks, comrade."

"(Y/n)," you tell him, "That's my name. I'm a farmer that resides in this town."

"I see. A town it is then," he inquires, "Call me Childe, as where I'm from, not sure how to answer that anymore."

"What do you-"

But before you were able to question him further, a hoard of lava crabs were spotted crawling it's way towards where Childe sat. He shot you a confused look and turned to the direction, amusement sparks in his eyes,

"Lava crabs? You've got to be kidding me," your arms have already grown tired long ago, at this rate, you figured it may be best to pay a visit to Harvey's doctor office and check up for any muscle strains that have occured during the process. You most likely have considered how heavy your items felt now. Partaking in another battle would only make it worse.

"Ah an opponent, to think this place wouldn't have a set of new monsters to fight. I was growing tired of beating up hilichurls all the time."

His casual reaction caused you to scrunch up your nose in disbelief, "We're being ganged up on and your first response was that???"

Childe paid no mind, instead he propelled himself back to his feet using his trained reflexes and swaggered towards the crowd, "Relax girlie," Stopping just after a few steps, he turns his head ajar over his shoulder with a floppy smirk spreading his lips, "I've got this."

You held in your breath, wondering if you could trust this man. For now all you could do was sit back and hopefully regain some of your strength while observing by the stacks of crates that were abandoned years ago. The lava crabs formed a straight line in front of him, they were smart creatures, cornering their prey in a very well strategized form so that trespassing was out of the question. Childe wasn't intimidated in the slightest, he merely looked down at them with hooded eyes, flexing his fingers for preparation.

"Lava crab…in other words you're of the pyro element," the harbinger holds out his hand in front of him, trying to cultivate the shape of his bow, "A shame. This fight would end much shorter than I anticipated."

However, when he expected his element to manifest, nothing came out. Childe was left dumbfounded.

"Don't just stand there," you screeched, "Do something!!!"

"Wait," he halts you and tries to summon his bow again. Once, twice, as the crabs grew closer still there was nothing, "My powers…they're gone?!"

"Take this," left without a choice, you pushed yourself towards him and shoved Neptune's glaive into his grasp. He examines it with curiosity, but you knew this was also your own well-being you were entrusting him, "It's really easy to use, just-"

When a crab leapt forward, you ran back to create some manageable space for Childe to move in. He delivers a powerful slice using one arm, hitting the crab's weak spot while tossing it toward the side until a dent was formed in the wall. Your mouth parts, fast, he was fast, you didn't even have the time to blink. It was as if he knew the glaive more than you did. Though, the assumption wasn't that far from the truth. Childe was well adept with swordsmanship as he was an expert with many other melee weapons. Which is precisely the reason why he chose the bow as his main, a ranged device, the challenge to keep him on his toes. Just like he was now.

"He wasn't lying when he said he could fight," you watched in mesmerization, each single blow he delivered deemed equivalent to three hits on your part. Childe was both powerful and swift. He was formidable. The way he effortlessly deflected his opponents despite not having an enchantment ring made you forget how much of an idiot he was earlier before. Soon, the lava crabs began to lessen, leaving what remained of their dusted corpse while some retreated back into the depths of the cave.

"Not bad, it was kind of fun!" Childe laughs exasperatedly, glancing at his blue reflection upon the marred blade, "It's been a while since I last used a sword, and still haven't gone rusty either," he hands you the hilt, "Thanks for letting me use it by the way. You seriously got yourself a sick weapon."

"Keep using it for now, I think I'm a little too worn out to handle it," you say regretfully and pointed your nose towards the ceiling, "The mist hasn't disappeared so there's probably gonna be more monsters we'll encounter soon."

Childe looks up as well, "Huh I was wondering what that meant."

"By the way I've never seen anyone fight like that. Exactly what kind of place are you from?" You finally ask, "You somehow ended up in a cave, without anything to defend yourself with and it's not like you know your way out either. Are you...from another world?"

"Huh didn't think you'd draw that conclusion so quick," he comments jokingly, "Guess there's no reason to hide it anymore. Indeed I am from another world, at least, that's what I can tell so far. I've never encountered these types of monsters either."

You couldn't help but be taken aback by his honesty, "That was strangely easier than I thought...."

After escaping the cave, you introduced Childe to the wizard who lived in Cindersap forest, M. Rasmodius. He was extremely intrigued by the concept of an outlander and seemed happy to be of assistance. Since helping others was the culture of Pelican Town, you commissioned Robin to build a small cabin for him to live in temporarily. In return, Childe must accompany you back to the caves and make up for your losses. It was a mutual benefit since he had the opportunity to fight as well.

Childe befriended the townsfolk rather easily. On friday nights where everyone goes to the Saloon to enjoy their time, he would be found in the other room playing pool with the gang (Sam, Abigail and Sebastian)-- you as well when he managed to drag you along with him.

Crashes at your place when you were busy with the farm. You can bet that he would pop up suddenly midday through your window, “Can you use the door like a normal person???” But despite how much you get irritated by this habit, all bygones are bygones the moment he starts a conversation.

He sticks around as you carry your hay batches, sharing his stories. How the organization he worked in was a powerful militaristic force that had authority over many countries. But you didn't see him as a brute since he only joined for the sake of his parents, for the sake of his siblings and their dreams.

You thought of your grandfather who also once told you to pursue your dreams: live a peaceful life away from urban society. However, as long as the harbinger was with you, there wasn't much option for 'peace'.

"Tell me again why you dragged me out here? You know thatI still have a lot of work to finish back in the farm," you trekked your feet through the thick icy sheets with one hand clutching the zipper near your collarbone. It was incredibly windy in Cindersap forest and Childe happened to have convinced you to leave the comfort of your home for 'a surprise favour'. He purposely made a vague statement to draw in your curiosity but if you had refused-- well, that would have led to constant nagging on his part.

"You'll see," is what he said, it was what he told you through this whole ordeal. He lifted his chin to feel the frosty air against his face, "There's this one activity I wanted to try out. Back in Snezhnaya, I used to bring my brother to go skating out on the lakes. It's deadly freezing there so the ice is pretty thick to work on. Haven't done any of that since I joined the Fatui."

You shot him a deadpan glare, "That's why you brought me out here? Why didn't you just go by yourself?"

"Now that's cold (Y/n),” you rolled your eyes at the pun, “Can't you loosen up instead of throwing yourself in a pile of work all day?"

"It's not that I don't want to...I'm just very busy with the farm since it's the last day of the month. At least I want to do as much as I can before Spring comes."

"Haha you're right but you only live once y'know?" Childe noted happily despite your protest, "And like I said before, seize the opportunity when you see it. You never know when it will be your last."

You cocked your head to the side, "What do you mean?"

"Now let's get started shall we?" As you both reach the edge of the frozen lake, Childe takes a step forward ahead of you, "Have you ever gone ice skating before?"

"Yeah but..." You glanced at the glassy surface with skepticism, suddenly struck by hesitance. The thought of drowning made you retreat your steps right away, "I don't know Childe, it doesn't seem that safe."

"That's true if you're not careful enough," he pointed out, "Luckily you have me to help you with that."

"How does that work?"

He placed one foot onto the hardened lake and parts his mouth into a grin, "Watch."

In contrast to your cautious personality, Childe was considered to be more of a wildcard if anything. He loved adventure, just like you except his side often included bloodshed and the thrill that danger carries. You weren't sure if it was worth putting up with his antics or entertaining his idea of skating on thin ice, but you complied regardless. He had a way of delivering his words through that cheery voice you couldn't deny.

Prior to meeting him, life was boring. The corporate world was boring. You moved into your grandfather's farm in order to search for some form of fulfillment that Zuzu city couldn't give and you thought you did now that you had your very own farm, but slowly you began to pile more responsibilities than you could even count.

Everything you did, you did alone.

If it weren't for Childe, you wouldn't have learned the art of surfing on ocean waters. You never would have known the taste of mixing three different ice-cream flavours together despite what strange names they all had. Or what it felt like to mingle with the townspeople rather than mingling for the sake of business. Suddenly, everything became...fun.

Childe wanted to go far and wide. He was always running, so far ahead, somewhere beyond the stars as he could conquer the world to the point you might no longer reach him.

No longer reach him, huh. Curling your fingers into your palm, you renewed your courage and took a step onto the ice.

At the sound of boots tapping behind him, Childe spins around to see you wobble in your stance, nearly tipping over. He slid across to where you were and grasped your arm before you fell.

"Gotcha."

"Thanks," You sighed in relief, "Jeez, this is harder than I thought."

"Guess this is your first time then," he commented with a bit of jest, "Don't stress yourself over it too much, you'll be okay. I got you."

He carefully led you to the center, staying close in case you were to fall sideways again. You awkwardly tried to keep your legs straight, balancing on your own yet the fact that there was still water underneath struck fear into your nerve. It caused you to tremble and eventually skittered backwards.

"Haha ice skating isn't your forte isn't it?"

"I'm just getting started!"

He takes your hand in his before you could even protest, it was one of his many aspects that you found endearing-- the fact his impulse stems from genuine intentions, feelings, not giving them a second thought. The two of you glide using the soles of your shoes, he speeds up ever so slightly and the adrenaline begins to increase until there comes a rush of excitement, freedom. The stress you once had already forgotten once taking flight upon the ice.

"Look Childe! I'm actually doing it!" You couldn't help mentioning with a bit of youthful playfulness in your voice, "It's so smooth and fast! Almost like I'm flying!"

He smiles quietly from a distance, “See? I told you that you'll be fine.”

It was clear to many that the two of you were much closer than what meets the eye.

Childe began to notice the change in your aura. You were happier and much more soulful. Before you were always on the edge, cautious in contrast to his sanguine approach, he couldn't help but be caught off guard whenever you teased him. Or the sudden honesty that causes him to be flustered. By your side, he was no longer a Fatui Harbinger rather more of a puppy, adorable almost.

But when he saw that the reason you changed was because of him, it brought fear into his bones. Why? How did things get to this point? You were lost in a wonderland, ignorant to the blossom that had sprung inside of your chest.

Maybe it was better to be ignorant. Just live in the moment while it can still last.

"You're leaving?"

Standing at the gateway between the mountain cliffside and the starry sky, you call out to the man you've known in a way that carries more than what words could say. Because he left a mark in your years that could never be erased and here he was, trying to erase his existence completely.

Childe lets out a bitter chuckle, he didn't dare to face you, "I didn't expect you to catch up so quickly. You're quick-witted, comrade."

"It's (Y/n)," you corrected, trying to steady your voice so that he couldn't tell the expression you were making, "Why didn't you say anything? What makes you think that I'll just stay silent and let you go on your own way? This isn't a joke Childe! Don't act as if none of it matters to you because it sure as hell did to me."

His lips that held his usual smirk flattens into a straight line, "Even if I did, would it make a difference?"

The world stills. You knew the answer, he knew the answer, you just refused to admit it. One by one, the stars begin to collect themselves until a bridge was formed in front of him, on another day he would be enjoying the scenery alongside you. But today they would be for you alone to witness. The man who you spent your time with had slowly, regretfully, inevitably became a stranger. He was right. It wouldn't make a difference. You were already aware since the day you met him that he belonged to another world and you willingly offered to help him find a way home.

"You know, you could come with me."

Your eyes jolt open. His voice was so free of care. As if he was commenting on something so minor on a casual Sunday afternoon while accompanying you to the beach. But when you came face to face with the harbinger, his expression lackluster, you knew that he meant every word.

"Just you and me, we can travel across the world to our heart's content. I always thought you were an adventurer just like me and you know what, the farm life just doesn't suit you," Childe slowly extends his hand as an offer, for you it was a temptation, "So what do you think? Care to join me?

Your lip quivers. What he said sounded like a sweet dream that you so desperately wanted to take a bite out of. But even so, you thought about the townsfolk, your farm, your grandfather. Their images flashed in as if holding you back, chaining you to the ground, "I can't."

The answer pained you more than it did to him.

"Figures, this is your home after all," he huffs out, " Now do you understand? I can't leave my home either. If I did, heh, I think my siblings would despise me until the very end and I just don't want that. So no hard feelings, okay?"

You didn't reply.

"Don't worry. I won't pressure you if you don't want to," Childe turns back to the bridge, it was almost time, "Do what you have to do (Y/n), hate me if it makes you feel any better. You can even forget about me," he paused, renewing his resolve, "But I know I won't."

"Childe-"

You ran to grab his scarf only to have it ghost through your hands. He was relieved that he couldn't hear your voice, as he returned to Teyvat, Childe wonders what kind of expression did you have before he left? He'll never know.

---

~Xiao's Story~

The day you met Xiao...well, you weren't in the best of the best positions.

This was probably your sixth attempt trying to make it through all levels of the cave and reach the last floor. The quest had been sitting in your drawer for months.

Of course you didn't expect things to be easy, the fortune teller channel you watched every morning had yet to inform you with any good fortune and you would often bump into obstacles that would halt your progress.

But to be fair, sometimes the colourful ore would attract your attention and before you knew it, it was time to go.

So close yet so far. You dragged your feet tiredly against the ground. What time was it? Who knows. Judging by your state, you assumed it had already struck past 12 a.m.

However, today luck seems to have taken pity on you, just...slightly.

You puffed air into your cupped hands for the nth time, huddling deeper into the touch of your coat while trudging into the cave's cold climate. A little longer, any time soon, you kept telling yourself over and over but as if time was frozen, the wait felt like an eternity. Ah how much you wish to be in the comfort of your soft, fluffy bed right now. Though, merely visualizing the image only reminded how achingly freezing it was so you decided it was best to spare yourself from the details.

"I can't do this anymore..." leaning your head against the ice covered cavern, you whimpered, "I should have stayed home."

As you were about to shut your eyelids, something flashed by your peripheral vision. You darted towards the direction it came from, the light was a bright green hue against blue, could it be, "Warmth!"

It seems you jumped to conclusions too quickly. With impatience, you swung around the corner, expecting to find a heat source, only to meet something much more horrifying.

"KYAH!"

They stared straight into your eyes, those demonic eyes tainted by black and fangs that stuck out of the mouth like tusks on an elephant.

However, when the light evaporated you were able to have a better sense of sight, slowly revealing the monster's true form and the body of a human boy. He fell onto his back with a thud and you used this chance to calm yourself from the frightful encounter.

"He's...unconscious?"

You meekly crawled to where he lay and examined closely. Aside from the mask, there were various distinct features that stood out in his attire, his tattoo being one of them, imprinted in what looked like an eagle. You then realized how unsuitable his clothes were in this current situation. At least there were no injuries so far. But was that a good thing? This man practically came out of thin air as if some sorcery had been committed. Witches never left a good impression ever since they cursed your chicken coop. You were hesitant whether to help a stranger who could potentially be one of them or a creation they cultivated. What other explanation could there be?

"I can't leave him here, it's too cold."

Your gaze suddenly falls upon his covered face. The design, although intimidating at first, upon closer look was very alluring in it’s own way. You haven't stumbled upon anything like what the merchants had to offer in Pelican Town and the mask almost looked too foreign. Was he from the east? Curiosity eventually takes over and you gingerly reach for the mask, sliding it off his face.

"Eh...?" You gasp, taken aback by his striking appearance. A part of it made you feel this was no ordinary boy but that didn't mean he should be abandoned in this environment. It would be immoral to let him die in a place like this.

Before you could even make a noise, his eyes bursted awake, grabbing your wrist in a harsh grip. He used his other hand to push against your shoulder until you were instantly pinned on your back with no opening to escape. You choked a sharp sound as you stared with wide eyes. The man was akin to a beast, he had the expression to match it, like the glaring sharp gaze of wolves that roam at the mountain cliffside near Zuzu city and the ferocity of the demonic mask he once wore. You were breath taken but in a more fearful way as he continued to grip onto you tighter with the possible intent to harm.

"Speak!” He demanded, “What have you done to my powers and where have you brought me?"

In Xiao’s case, he was thrown into another world under the circumstances of fighting against one of Liyue’s unknown beasts. He was on high alert, thinking the fight was still ongoing.

You may look human but you could still be a threat. Xiao is the type to act upon instinct in the moment when something feels out of place. Like the spear he wields, he was trained to behave like one: to strike, strike down his foes without hesitation. Don't leave an opening for them to take the advantage. Xiao is a weapon and violence was what he knew best. He couldn't afford to lower his guard even for a minute.

You could say he left a pretty strong first impression to the point you were paralyzed. As he looked at your face, petrified and tense, he wavered and began to reevaluate things. Large doe-like eyes stare into his feline ones. They didn't seem to hold any sort of malice, was it possible for you to be the one who cursed him?

"Eeeeeek! I-I have no idea what you're talking about, let me go let me go!" you cried, "Please don't hurt me!"

Perhaps he shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.

Xiao feels your struggle and eventually gets off to give you some space. Your reaction was understandable, he was used to it anyways. Xiao scoffed to himself, why are mortals so weak? Their strength, if compared to the adepti, was separated by a large gap (Like it always should be). Xiao kept his gaze averted to the side as you rubbed your wrist, focusing his attention elsewhere. He glanced at the vastness of the cave in front of him.

Why was he sent here? For what reason did it serve? Ever since he sealed the contract with Rex Lapis, the guardian Yaksha had never entertained the thought of leaving his country nor did he act upon it; he was far too loyal to his god to do so. But here he was, against his own will yet free from his karmic binds, stripped of his divine powers in the return of endless questions about this new found mortal-like form.

What should I do now?

Choosing not to dwell in any longer, Xiao rises to his feet and proceeds to walk the other way.

"Ah u-uhm sir, where are you going?"

If the universe wanted to test him then he'll find his own answers.

"Wait! Please wait up!"

"Tch."

Although he intended to keep going, Xiao heard you running to his direction and slowed to a halt, some mortals surely do not know their boundaries, "Hmph there's nothing timid about you. Leave me be," he demands without turning around, "Don't forget what I'm capable of."

Stay away.

"I-I know that," you retaliate weakly. Just by hearing his tone made you want to melt away and become one with the ice. He was a scary man indeed, the same one who attacked you earlier. But even so, "That doesn't mean I want you dead! If you go that way, you might freeze to death. Aren't you cold? You don't even have a coat on."

"..." Upon the mention of his predicament, his senses started to kick in. As a yaksha, Xiao wasn't able to be affected by temperature but now he felt his hands beginning to sting, trembling from it’s impact. Ah, so this is what it feels like to be cold. Still Xiao was stubborn and continued to push you away, "What happens to me has nothing to do with you. Now leave, or else."

"I-I can't do that!"

Xiao clicks his tongue in frustration. How annoying. This is why he dislikes meddling with meddlesome humans. But quite frankly, he wasn't sure how to handle your type of forwardness since most tend to back away. And so, Xiao does what he usually does, he ignores you and continues walking, eventually you'll give up on him anyway. However he hears a loud thump and whips around to see your body laying in the snow. The hours of travelling in the cave have seemed to caught up that you inevitably collapsed from exhaustion.

Knitting his evergreen brows together, Xiao lets out an irritable sigh.

...

You wake up to find the sky above your head and your coat draped over your shoulders like a blanket. Dawn was slowly rising above the distance valley, you figured it was around 4a.m in the morning. Rubbing your eyes, you eventually noticed a figure sitting across, admiring the sunrise.

"Ah it's you!"

Xiao jolts ever so slightly, peeking over his bare shoulders until you could see the sun's light casted against his golden irises. Did he stay here while you were asleep? Then, that would also mean he was also the one who carried you all the way up from sixty floors below.

“You're awake,” he noted flatly, “If that's the case, then I have no reason to stay here."

Of course, that wouldn't be the last time you saw him.

You were a tenacious human being, always so insistent in dragging him away from his lonesome personality. He resides in the forest and camps there for the time being (similar to Linus since they’re both homeless lol). But you’d always run in, DAILY and sometimes for the most stupid and mundane reasons. It could either be giving him the snacks you snatched off the table since Xiao refused to participate in parties, or fancy seashells you found on the beach. You didn’t want him to miss out on all those things of course! Although he responds with irritation, it was as if his words went through your ear and then out the other. His efforts were futile (however, he was slowly warming up without realizing).

He learns how easily his body reacts in the presence of food purely because he was hungry. You bring an extra set of blankets and pillows to his campsite when the ones you gave him wore out (he didn’t ask by the way). Xiao needed help whether he liked it or not since he no longer has his powers, hence he couldn't run away. He somehow ends up moving in to live on the small islands near your farm.

Xiao doesn't understand humans very much. Just as he was unable to understand how human emotions work. He was the almighty yaksha, Adeptus Xiao and a formidable beast that killed thousands in thousands of years, at least that's what he used to be. Even now he still has yet to figure out what he was or who he was exactly without a weapon to define his existence. He was made for battle but nowadays, he found himself watering plants, chopping down trees and throwing seeds to the chickens living in your coop. How did everything escalate to this? It baffles him, how much his life changed so drastically.

Haha, you’re Xiao of course! The greatest farming assistant I could ever have.

But above all else, the one thing Xiao couldn't understand among those universal questions, is you.

"Why are you doing all this?" Finally he asked. The urging thought had been persisting at the back of his mind ever since.

You stopped on your tracks and turned to look at him, tilting your head with a complexion made curious, "What do you mean? Ah, did I do something to bother you?"

"I didn't say that," Xiao interrupts abruptly, he folded his arms across his chest and shot you a deep contemplating gaze, " You're...incomprehensible. All I did was drag you out of that cave yet why are you so kind to me? Don't you think you're extending yourself too much just because of one little deed?"

Because to him, saving a life was the norm. He does it unconditionally just like you helped him with those same intentions. Except, Xiao had been pursuing corrupted souls behind the scenes all this time and expected nothing in return. Experiencing someone's gratitude was rather new.

You shook your head, "It wasn't small to me," a satisfactory smile melting onto your face, "I'm here at this very moment, feeling the wind against my skin and smelling the scent that nature carries, these are just the few things I cherish. It's thanks to you that I can still watch over grandpa's farm, that's why I don't feel like I'm overextending myself in any way," suddenly you beam at him, "At first I thought you were a scary person. Haha. Time flies so fast, it's amazing how much can happen in between."

"Hn, you're a simpleton. But that's not a bad thing..." he points out curtly yet softly, "Do as you wish, I won't stop you so feel free to call my name whenever you need my help. I'll be there."

Xiao also finds you to be very clumsy. He couldn't leave your side even for a minute. But that was a lie. He just grew very attached to you.

When you tell him that you've been going into the mines for a quest, he tells you that you're far from capable. So he teaches you how to wield a weapon properly. Xiao was a strict teacher and he intends to keep it that way, he wouldn’t even allow you to set foot in the mines until he finds you capable enough.

You were a meek yet optimistic person, yet you were also strong-willed.

For a place that wasn't his home, he felt it was. And he found that it was all in your presence. Those peaceful hours hiding inside the barn while a storm rages outside, you sit beside him while hugging a sheep close to your chest. Xiao learns how to feed some of them, he even brings seeds for your hen house too. If you were ever short on materials, Xiao would travel to the enchanted forest behind the wizard's tower and get them for you, no matter how late it was. Though if you went by yourself, he'd deliberately go with you despite your protest.

The minute Xiao realized how much he was attached to you, it was devastating. As if the claws of his karmic debt had come back, pulling him into the shadows once more. He was an adeptus with a contract and bound by his duty, he must choose between his god who saved him from a nightmare and you, the girl he fell for, showed him that the world was indeed a beautiful place, he was stuck in an equilibrium and he felt that the binds may even tear him apart if he kept resisting.

But when did he ever have a choice?

"Where are you going Xiao?"

When he heard your voice calling his name, the yaksha willingly pulled himself to a halt. His sunset eyes narrowing from guilt before it shuts with a trembling sigh out of his mouth. Why is it that you always appear during the moments where he desperately needs to get away from you? He planned to sneak out the door, making sure his footsteps were unheard while you slept. And by the time you woke up, he didn't have to face you, he wouldn't have to say goodbye. He won't. Even if what he was currently doing said otherwise. He will never hear himself say those words.

"Xiao?"

Yet, he cannot refuse you. Not now, not ever. You were breathtaken to see a type of expression that you never thought was possible for him to make. The creases that once formed between his slender brows, the heaviness he always carried in his expression was replaced by a sense of sentimentality. Before you could register what was happening, Xiao took his step towards the porch of your house, not once did he tear away from your attention. He slides his hand beneath your jaw and affectionately against your cheek, the fondness evident in his gaze that you almost felt imprisoned by it.

"You never fail to appear in the most inconvenient of times," He gives a weak smile, a smile that makes your heart swell. Despite how much you could drown in his honesty, you couldn’t help but feel there was something wrong, “No matter how many times I’ve tried to push you away.”

You don't know him. You don't know his history and what things he committed in the past. But as if you've known this whole time, Xiao couldn't picture you leaving him for those reasons.

“You’re gentle but you don’t let others put you down. You’re kind but you don’t allow it to be your weakness. I sometimes wonder how it is possible for anyone to be so forgiving?”

"I-I don’t understand why you’re this Xiao. Is something happening?”

He won’t tell you. He doesn’t see the reason why you need to know.

You wince when something poked the side of your neck and you realized it was a tranquilizer. You looked at Xiao with dismay, his face becoming hazier until your vision darkened and could no longer hold your own weight. Xiao caught you around the waist with one arm as you fell unconscious.

"How can you be so stupid...?"

But he speaks as if those words were meant for him.

Pulling your body closer to him, Xiao chains you down into a desperate embrace. A silent scream of desperation. His forehead pressed against the bent of your shoulder and the other arm rested his hand at the center of your back. He will relish in the shape of your body, memorizing every curve both perfections and flaws. The way you fit into his arms and the pleasant smell of nature that you taught him to love, this was the only remnant he was allowed to take. Every detail, he will remember it as if clinging to the last moments of his whole world.

If he was allowed to have a desire, let him meet you again. He prayed to a god, any god-- even if it meant damaging his oath, he will accept his punishment. He prayed to each star in the sky and if he must he'll pray to the devil himself, whatever it is, he will do it for you.

As he painfully lets go, Xiao lets his hand slide off your body until the last thing he felt was the very tips of your fingers. He settles you down gently into your bed. You belong here in this peaceful world, not the one riddled with monsters.

---

~Zhongli's Story~

The Skull Cavern was considered to be the most dangerous mine of Stardew Valley. It wasn't your intention to run into any trouble, all you wanted was to test your cool new galaxy sword on some easy monsters and then be on your merry way. At first.

Just one more floor. You say, before catching an arm sticking out a pile of rocks.

"I-Is that a person?!!!"

You dug as fast as you could, any time soon the mummies would wake up and start attacking. Quick quick! Moving the last rock, you saw the face of a young man, he was asleep but alive! and undeniably attractive oh wow *lip bite*. But despite your attempts of shaking him awake, it was fruitless and the monsters weren't waiting.

Taking out two warp totems, you raised it to the ceiling and chanted a teleportation spell.

It wasn't everyday that you brought a man to your house.

But when you did, he wouldn't be from a cave, six floors down and buried in a place filled with monsters.

"And this small black device you say is some form of communicator? That certainly is intriguing, never in my years have I heard of something so advanced."

However you were beginning to think otherwise. That this man would have been from the prehistoric ages who you managed to unbury after his thousand year slumber. Zhongli sits on the couch across from you while examining your smartphone, a term he claimed had been completely foreign. You were contemplating whether you should bother Harvey despite being past his work hour and book an emergency appointment to see if this man had a special case of amnesia.

You brushed the idea away. There was so much going on and nothing made sense, for now, you decided to settle this on your own.

"Uhm Zhongli is it?" you asked nervously, "Maybe you can try giving the name of a relative or someone you know. I can use the phonebook to see if I can find their number."

“Number?” He parroted.

You blinked a few times, making sure if you heard him correctly, “Yes, number. You know? To communicate?”

"I appreciate your kind gesture," Zhongli acknowledges in a polite manner, "But that won't be necessary. This device doesn’t seem to be at a level where it can communicate with the people from my homeland."

If he was travelling then how the hell did he end up in THE Skull Cavern is what I wanna know!

“T-Then if you don't mind me asking, where are you from?"

Zhongli takes this moment to think of an answer, aware that if he blurted something out it would not have translated in the way he wanted. But you so kindly invited him to your humble household that he felt it would only be proper to owe you an explanation, "I suppose a land from afar."

You sweatdropped, "Suppose?"

"Yes. Although I won't spare you the details since this is not your burden to bear, it’s quite difficult for me to try and remember exactly what happened," Zhongli took his chin into his hand, fingers almost covering his mouth, "Perhaps I would need search for clues in order to refresh my memory."

Oh no he really does have amnesia!!

"A-Actually why don't I just call the local doctor, I'm sure he wouldn't mind giving you a hand," you say while taking your iPhone.

"A doctor? There's no need," dismissed Zhongli, "My condition is only a minor one and I do not think I'm in a position to afford medical assistance. Besides, you have done more than enough. May you find great fortune in your years Miss (Y/n), I shall be on my way."

He pushes himself up from the couch and you watch him cross towards the door. But just when he was about to reach the space of your carpet, Zhongli pulled to an abrupt stop.

"Ah yes,” He began as if remembering something, “ Do you happen to know where the nearest Inn is located? I would need to find a place to shelter for the time being."

"..."

This was how the former god ended up being your roommate. Like Xiao, Zhongli also takes upon a human form. He needed to eat, drink and a place to sleep. He insisted that he would take the couch as well as help you with any tasks that needed to be completed during the day.

You question if Zhongli was even aware of what situation he was currently in. Answer: HE WASN'T because Zhongli is an extremely dense man. To feel embarrassed was not part of his dictionary when living with a woman.

The type to take long showers. You always find the bathroom steaming because he doesn't turn on the fan to get rid of it (but maybe you should've taught him). So when it was your turn to use the shower, the water was either lukewarm or worst case scenario, cold.

Also he somehow finds your old kettle (that your grandfather used) to brew tea even though you told him you already had a water boiler. He stated that he liked doing things the old-fashioned way, it brings him a sense of nostalgia. You couldn't understand what he meant (unless you considered that he was older than he seemed....no that can’t be it!)

Despite it all, Zhongli was incredibly polite and considerate. Tending the farm was not an easy job and you often came home with sore muscles, fatigued from running so many errands. He's knowledgeable in terms of making the best herbal mix for a soothing remedy.

You would see a warm cup, every morning before going to work and every time you come home, it was sitting on the kitchen table (if his drink had potion effects, they would be regeneration).

Gentle he was but it wasn't good for your heart.

Ever since Zhongli moved in, it became difficult to live in your own house.

There were many situations where he caused trouble despite not intending to cause disruption to your daily routine. And when he did, the repairs came out of your own pocket. One time you opened your microwave to find thick ash and burnt cinders stuck upon the walls.The entire space was a hazard and needed to be dispensed immediately since Zhongli thought that plastic-wrapped items were allowed to be microwaved. Another incident, as bizarre as it sounded, was when your vacuum cleaner zoomed out of your house...and never came back. You remembered the awkward cough he gave when you shot him a deathly glare, hence why Zhongli was not allowed to touch your high-tech devices (if you considered them high-tech) without your permission.

Even so, you couldn’t bring yourself to hate him. It was the opposite in fact. One day, all the flaws you counted suddenly became his charms. You came to find them endearing almost.

Zhongli was a handsome man. He carried himself with a distinct aura that could only be found in the rarest geodes; revealing orestones mined from the depths of a forgotten cave, sometimes in the shape of exquisite artifacts-- a type of ancient charm. Perhaps that was why people were willing to obey his every command without hesitation. Whenever Zhongli spoke, it was full of firmness and authority yet somehow deprived of arrogance. He was polite to all and does not indulge in conflict despite how tempting gossip can be in modern society. Always patient during your temperamental moments and considerate to the point you wonder if he even had any desires. He was so kind that soon enough, you couldn't help but be flustered by his presence. Forget about having a conversation, maintaining his leveled gaze was already enough of a challenge. Like staring into the sun after the morning dew. So gentle and so very comforting. But the more you linger onto the sun, it's rays will continue to set ablaze, eventually bringing you pain.

And you feared that you have grown addicted to those feelings.

Why can't he understand?

Stopping at the center of the bridge, you kept your head low while letting the anger take form into your tightened fists. The town was empty with only the sound of water flowing beneath your feet, filling the heavy air. They rippled and swayed, peaceful amongst your inner turmoil. The fact that such a miniscule attribute was able to make your blood rise was hilariously pitiful. How did you stoop to a point that even nature, the very being you've tended for a living, could bring you bitterness? Were your feelings this uncontrollable? The answer was obvious. It spiraled, violently and mercilessly as if commanded by another. There was a wave of emotions filling your heart and you could almost feel yourself drowning from the inside. If only they were as tranquil as the ones you stood upon.

"I thought I would find you here."

The voice you dreaded calls from across and you fight to keep yourself from gasping. Oblivious to it all, Zhongli proceeds to close the distance until he towered over you, looking down to your bowed head, "When you hadn't returned home without a notice, I was getting worried if something had happened. But I'm glad that wasn't the case."

Your whole face clenches.

"Is something bothering you? If you would like, we can discuss it after eating dinner. Come, I have already prepared our meal while you were gone as well as turning off the rice cooker once finished. I hope it can ease your stress since I know it can be difficult maintaining a farm like this."

"Zhongli."

He blinks hard when the sound of his name falls out of your lips. Zhongli was an experienced observer and listener, he was able to catch the glimpse of frustration that dripped from the tone you used. Relaxing his poised shoulders, Zhongli carefully asked in a reserved manner, "Have I...done something to make you upset?"

A trembled breath escaped when you breathed out. Dense. He was so dense that sometimes it made you want to crack him open.

"Tell me..." you began, "Are you also like this with other women?"

The former god sets a brief sharp pause, "I beg your pardon?"

"I'm talking about the way you act, they're...giving me all these mixed signals. We've been living together for months, we even share meals together! And sometimes you would help me with the farm and when I didn't ask, you still insisted on tending to my needs when I felt sick. I just…” you trailed off, trembling ever so slightly, "It's all perfectly normal. You’re nice to everyone. I know that. I know that!"

"(Y/n)," Zhongli whispered. They sounded like a thousand needles to your heart.

"I doubt you have the intention to put me in this situation. You're a really great person Zhongli but I sometimes can't help feeling this isn't just some roommate thing you know?" closing your eyes, you thought of your past relationships, how they started and ended, "Do any of your actions mean anything to you? Do you know how it makes me feel? Or am I just overthinking this, that it was all one-sided this whole time?"

Alas the truth spills and the air stills, bringing the waves to a halt. Peace, tranquility, nothingness. That was all you wanted. That was all you heard. It was deafening.

"I see, so that's why," Zhongli mutters to himself with eyes narrowed, "There's...something I need to confess."

After several months, he tells you everything. How his memories returned, some of them were already intact. He told you about his homeland and his true identity, that he was a god that once ruled over Liyue for six centuries before giving away the gnosis.

The reason why he hadn't said anything until now was because there will be a day where Zhongli must depart and return to Teyvat. He was a god with a contract, the circumstance didn't matter, he must stay with it until the very end of time.

Through his years, Zhongli learned to cherish his finite moments. He didn't want to taint them with troubles to come. Thinking too far ahead into the future would only bring strain.

But what he didn't tell you was his true feelings. You were a sweet woman, tender and enthusiastic about agriculture, the way your feelings extend to the earth with grace whereas many others chose to trample over without hesitation, he fell deeply in love with that side of yours. You taught him many things and showed him many sides of humanity that he had never seen before. He even discovered an aspect of himself. Like breaking a geode, revealing the beauties held inside.

Zhongli couldn't look you in the eye when your expression was covered in disbelief. He thought he hid his feelings well but it seemed that he was expressing his love in subtle and subconscious ways that eventually drove you to fall for him as well. You didn't stop him when he left the bridge. He wasn't even in your house. He chose this, he chose to set you free from his heavy presence.

And as the weight started to lift from your shoulder, you sank to your knees and wept. It was cruel of him. To give you these emotions yet he could not bring himself to stay by your side. But your heart would not allow you to hate the man you love.

Things couldn't end this way. You had to say goodbye to him, see him one last time because if you didn't, these burdens will haunt you forever.

When Zhongli looked up to the sky he saw his ending drawing near.

Three days had passed since he last spoke with you and he had no plans in seeing you again. Soon, the former god will return to his rightful place. Even though he had already given his gnosis to the Cryo Archon as Liyue already began to enter a new era, it seems that his decisions weren't his to make as he was born in a world where stars ruled above the archons. Fate-- they won't allow it. He does not belong here. If there was one thing Zhongli regretted during his time in your world, it was that he couldn't leave you a good memory before taking his departure. The sight of your large glassy eyes and quivering lips when he crushed you with the truth, he sincerely believed that they would haunt him much more than it probably did to you. But perhaps things would be easier if you despised him. Because if he had stayed and you came to forgive him, he would no longer have the strength to let go.

Despite it all love was indeed a selfish creature. He couldn't help but feel resentment towards the stars for bringing you into his life in such a mockingly sweet manner. They tied him with a contract, made him vow to his own beliefs and tested them by using you-- a bystander struck between the crossfire, eventually bringing you down into the depths of his battlefield and he thought that maybe...maybe there was hope that he could bring you with him as well.

How disgraceful for a god to let the devil tempt him so.

Zhongli was thankful that you weren't beside him. Otherwise he would dance with the ugly hope of a slim chance for you to come along. This was the best choice. It was for his-- your own good.

"Zhongli!"

The arch of his lined eyes shot upwards. As if fate had decided to give him one final test, he felt your small figure crash into him from behind and your arms coming to hug around his waist, tightly and fearfully that he felt like you would be the one who would slip away instead.

"I...I made it time," you panted, burying your nose into his clothed back, "I’m so glad...I'm so glad you're still here…!"

Your cry of relief was a thunder to his ears, a reminder that he was the main cause. Zhongli, casted by solemn smile, lifts his hand to cover over yours and grasped onto them, I'm here, he wishes to say. Yet he knew they were only temporary promises, "To come all this way despite everything that has happened. You foolish girl..."

"It's your fault Zhongli, I'm a fool because I love you! It's all your fault that I have to say goodbye," You grit your teeth as the tears fell down your face until it blended into his clothes, "Take me with you. Please. Don't leave me all alone…!"

The words he wanted to say melted into a silent gasp through parted lips. Zhongli merely clenched them back together and his hand on your hand, even tighter. He won't lie to you. At the very least, let his actions speak for him where he himself could not.

Take me with you.

Don't leave me alone.

Goodbye.

If it is fated Morax...we will meet again.

"I see," letting his thoughts echo in his mind from the distant memories, the former god begins to take a new perspective upon his wisdom, "For many years, I have experienced countless farewells from the people I've come to known," Zhongli reminisced, tilting his head back with his golden eyes against night, as if searching for some sort of answer, "And yet I never thought what it must have felt like being in their position."

"Zhongli…" you trailed off, "Then don't! I may not know everything about you but it doesn't have to be this way. At least, just answer me this, will I ever see you again?"

"I'm sorry (Y/n)," he apologized and you knew the answer. He gently pries your arms off him, turning around so he could swipe the corner of your eyes dry. There was a glowing reverence in his countenance, one that he reserved for you and only you, it was the only way for him to express the feelings that run deep in his heart, "I cannot thank you enough for coming into my life. If there will be a day when I erode from your memories, I truly hope that you will find someone more suitable than I."

"That's ridiculous," defiantly, refusedly, you protest, "No one can replace you."

Zhongli laughs sadly as the white halo outlines his whole figure, signaling that there wasn't much time left. He wonders if there was anything he could do in his last moments, a small token, something, it could even be as small as a single star in the sky, "If it is fated...we will meet again."

You watch him turn transparent until he slipped from your grasp. No longer was the man, only the dust being one with the sky. They shone brilliantly but you were left in the darkness.

#genshin impact #stardew valley #zhongli #xiao #childe #childe x reader #xiao x reader #zhongli x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin imagines #genshin x reader #genshin impact xiao #genshin impact headcanons #genshin impact imagines #genshin impact scenarios #alatus nemeseos #genshin impact au #genshin au #stardew valley au #this doesn't feel like stardew valley anymore lolol #got a little too carried away with zhongli #nya-writes

[squirrel-moose-winchester]

Chapter 30

Title: Falling for the Holidays Ch. 30

Pairing: Dean x Reader AU

Word Count: 2188

Series Summary: With October ending and the holidays underway, that only meant one thing for Dean Winchester. It meant returning to his childhood home and spending time with his family. It meant listening to his parents, especially his mom, ramble on and on about when he was going to find himself a nice girl, bring her home for the holidays, and then eventually get married and have children.  However, Dean wasn’t ready for that sort of commitment, so in order to get his family off his back, he comes up with an elaborate scheme! But like the saying goes, “sometimes lies become truths.”

Warnings: All the FLUFF!!

A/N: The end is here! This is the last chapter and I want to thank you guys for reading, being patient with my procrastinating ass, and most importantly for being so supportive! You guys have been amazing! Truly amazing and I am so grateful! I’m ending this with a lot of tooth-rotting fluff, so don’t say I didn’t warn ya! haha. Thanks again everyone! I love you guys!! xx

New Years Eve!

You have never experienced New Years Eve quite like this. Your childhood hadn’t been the best, while in Dallas, you just spent it at the bar with any of your friends and classmates that weren’t going home, so having a family barbecue was definitely foreign. Many new faces showed up, and many that you’ve met. Jody was there, Bobby and his wife, and even Jo and Benny showed up, much to yours and Dean’s surprise. They claimed that the decision was last minute and that they wanted it to be a surprise.

The atmosphere was light. The company was great and the food was so good that you were sure it would be haunting you until the next backyard barbecue at the Winchester house. Your favorite was John’s secret burger recipe. And he grilled it to perfection! A second favorite was Mary’s pumpkin pie! Sure, it was just a regular pumpkin pie with no secret ingredient, but it was somehow better than anything you’ve ever tasted. Mary gave credit to love. Which didn’t seem like an unlikely ingredient.

The day swindled down quick. Funny how time flies when you’re having fun. Words truer than ever. The sun had set hours ago, the string lights around the yard sparkling beautifully but not taking away from the actual stars in the wide open sky, and everything just seemed perfect.

“Alright everybody!” You heard Sam shout from the elevated porch, Jess hanging off his arm. “New Years is in two minutes! I would like to call up my mom and dad, and my brother and his girlfriend, Y/N, to stand up here with us and help with the countdown!”

John and Mary beat you and Dean to the “stage”, their own bright grins reflecting the lights strung around the yard. You smiled up at Dean, pressing a chaste kiss under his jaw before looking out to the crowd. You had missed it, but everyone else could see the sparkle in Dean’s eyes as he looked down at you. He was in love. There was no doubt about that.

He’d known you for years, but has only been your boyfriend for much less. It will almost be two months and Dean couldn’t imagine being with anyone else. You were his best friend, and during that time, the two of you had had your ups and downs, and has managed to go to bed at the end of the night without being mad at each other. Then there was the whole thing with Lisa and Ketch. Even then, you had both over come it, tossing both evil humans behind bars where they belonged. The relationship only strengthened and flourished, and you the trust you had in each other was unbreakable.

“Alright! Let the countdown begin!” John shouted jovially.

“TEN!”

“NINE!”

The countdown began and Dean flashed a glance over at Sam, who was smiling ear to ear, sending his big brother an encouraging nod.

“EIGHT!”

“SEVEN!”

“SIX!”

Dean was beginning to feel nervous, his palms starting to sweat. He let go of your hand, wiping it on his pants as you gave him a concerned glance. He offered you a smile of reassurance, but before he could say anything, Sam pulled you into a hug.

“This is gonna be your last hug from me this year!” He whispered into your ear, making you giggle.

“TWO!”

“ONE!”

You jumped in excitement, turning to your wonderful boyfriend to give and take your first official kiss of the new year. When you turned, you didn’t except to be greeted with Dean down on one knee. Still in a flutter of confusion, it took you second to take in what was actually happening.

Gasping loudly, hands covering your lips, the cheering erupting behind you fell on deaf ears and all you could hear was the pounding of your heart, and the only thing that held your attention was Dean.

Forgetting where you were and what was happening around you, everyone paused in their celebration awaiting Dean’s question and your response.

“Y/N, I know we’ve been together… not even two months, but we’ve been best friends for years. And I know I might be moving a little too fast, but It’s always been you, and it will always be you. I don’t think I can wait any longer. We can wait to get married, but just know that you are my best friend and had been the love of my life all before I even realized it. So… will you make me the luckiest son of a bitch and marry me?” He finally asked, opening the box to reveal a diamond ring.

“YES!” A chorus of shrills blasted through your eardrums. You jumped, momentarily distracted from the proposal to see Mary and Jess jumping up and down.

“Okay, you two. Why don’t you let Y/N answer?” John chimed in, chuckling, eyes adoringly on you. Giving a slight nod, you returned your attention back to Dean, the hopeful look in his eyes only getting brighter. He already knew your answer, but he just wanted to hear you say it.

“Well, Y/N?” Dean’s smile widening.

“Yes!” You shouted, jumping into Dean’s arms and tackling him to the ground, your lips pressing against his. He groaned in discomfort from his stomach, but the feeling quickly dissipated when the taste of your mouth filled his every being.

Sam sprung into action, picking up the ring from the ground before grumbling about how irresponsible you and his brother were. “Put the ring on, you idiots!” He tried to sound annoyed, but failed as laughter shot through him.

“Oh, right!” Dean sniggered.

With him still laying on the ground and you on top of him, he slipped the ring around your slim finger, staring up at you. “I love you,” you blurted.

“And I love you,” he reciprocated.

“Happy New Years Everybody!” Mary screamed with excitement, overjoyed that Dean had proposed.  

Once you and Dean were back on your feet, everyone came up to congratulate you and Dean’s engagement. Mary was going off about ideas for the wedding, and Jess stood by your side, helping you through all the attention, as did Sam with Dean.

The next day, you and Dean woke up side by side. As your eyes peeled open, you were met with Dean staring down at you. “Morning,” he grinned.

“Morning…” you yawned unattractively, and Dean chuckled.

“You’re beautiful, you know that?”

“Even with messy hair and morning breath?” You croaked.

“Especially with messy hair and morning breath,” he assured.

“You’re disgusting,” you joked, pushing him away.

“Nice try. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

“You’re a cripple. I can run away from you without any problems,” you teased.

“Not with that rock and chain around your finger you can’t,” his hand lanced with yours, revealing the glittering stone.

You couldn’t help but smile, pursing your lips for a kiss that Dean gladly gave. Swinging your legs over his hips you smirked down at him. “You want to partake in some strenuous activities?” you wiggled your brows.

“Sorry, but my doctor said that I can’t do anything too strenuous,” Dean grinned, his hands stroking your bare thighs, hands partially disappearing beneath his shirt that you were wearing.

“Don’t worry, I found a loophole. I’ll do most of the work.”

“Then by all means, let’s get physical,” he wiggled his brows, making you laugh.

Just as you leaned in to kiss the breath out of your fiancé, a knock rapped from the door. As you pulled away, Dean groaned.

“You two awake?” Mary’s voice asked through the door.

“No,” Dean responded and you giggled, hitting his chest playfully.

“We’ll be right out,” you called back.

“Great! Breakfast in on the table and me and John has some announcements. We’ll see you downstairs.”

“Thank you!” You reply. “C’mon big guy, let’s get ready for the day.”

Dean moaned. “But we were about to go against my doctor’s orders,” he pouted.

“And there will be lots of time to do that. Now get up you, weirdo.”

Descending the stairs, you sigh in bliss from he scents of waffles filling your senses. You heard a similar sigh come from behind you, Dean also reveling in the sweet smell. As you reached the bottom of the steps and turned into the kitchen, everyone was there passing around the waffles with Sam was already eating.

“Good morning,” you greet.

“Good Morning,” came a chorus.

“Sleep well?” Sam smirked knowingly with a mouth full of carbs.

“Dude!” Dean protested.

“Yeah, dude!” You mocked. “Chew with your mouth closed. Who are you, Dean?”

“Very funny,” Dean scolded, “but you and I both know that’s not what he’s talking about,” he whispers, pinching your butt and making you yelp. You whipped around and playfully punched his chest.

“Alright you love birds. Take a seat,” John instructed, chuckling. “We’ve got some announcements to make.”

Following his orders, you and Dean took a seat side by side, Mary passing you the waffles before you passed them to Dean. Once your plate, as well as Dean’s, was filled, John continued the little family meeting.

“As you know, time goes on and the body get’s older,” John started. “Mary and I have been talking about this for a long time, and we’re almost at that age where we can retire.” Glances were shared amongst the Winchester boys, while you and Jess gave each other wary glances, not sure where this was going and how it would affect your boyfriends.

“Okay…” Dean drawled with uncertainty.

“Well…” this time Mary took over. “We will be retiring soon, and this house is just too big for us. We don’t need two extra rooms—”

“Yeah, but where will we stay when all of us come over?” Dean inquired.

“Son, let your mother finish,” John shook his head, but you swore there was a hint of a smile on his face. You noticed Sam sporting a similar grin as well.

“Something fishy is going on here,” you muttered, all eyes falling onto you.

“What are you talking about?” Sam questioned. “There is nothing fishy going on. I can assure you that.”

“Yeah, nothing fishy at all,” Jess smiled, placing her hand over yours.

“Then what is it?” Dean cut in.

John took the lead again. “We’ve bought a new house.” Just as Dean opened his mouth to object, John shut him up again. “It’s not far from here. It’s a couple blocks away, easy enough for kids to ride their bikes back and forth. It’s a one-bedroom house, but I’ve already got this really good pullout couch in mind, so sleepovers would be easy.”

“Okay, okay,” Dean finally interjected. “So the two of you are moving out, great, but what about the house? Are you selling it?”

“No, we’re not selling it. We’re giving it away,” Mary announced.

“What do you mean, ‘giving it away?’ You can’t do that… can they?” Dean directing the question to Sam.

“Dean, can you – for once – just shut up and listen? Listen first, questions later.” Dean glared at Sam’s response.

“Fine.”

“Think of this as an engagement gift,” Mary beamed, eyes practically sparkling at you and Dean. “We’re passing on the house to you,” her eyes fixed on her eldest son, before glancing to you, “both of you.”

“Wait, what?” You and Dean asked simultaneously.

“We want you and Y/N to have the house so that you can start your own little family.”

“M-mom… what about Sam and Jess?”

“Well, Sam and Jess aren’t planning on moving to Kansas,” Mary explained. “They’re settling down in California.

Sam and Jess were smiling wide, chuckling at yours and Dean’s dumbfounded expressions. John and Mary also had similar expressions.

“Wait, let me get this straight…” Dean started, shaking his head as if it would help relieve his confusion. “You’re not selling the house. You’re giving it to me and Y/N?”

“Basically,” John shrugged.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. You’re giving the house – just giving it – to me and Y/N?

“Yes,” Mary nodded.

“Giving it. Just giving it. No payment needed. Just handing it right over to me and Y/N?” Dean reiterated.

“Boy, don’t make me change my mind!” John snapped.

“This is… this is great!” Dean yelped, his entire face smiling, from this lips, eyes, to the lines of his face. Dean was flattered, overjoyed, and there was a flickering heat in the pit of his stomach. A feeling that only added to his validation of spending forever with you.

“Baby, looks like I finally got you that house,” Dean grinned, sending you a wink, making you laugh.

It was funny how some things worked out. The home you grew up in lacked the warmth of love, and when you left for college, you literally had nothing and no one, but then you made friends… you met Dean, fell in love with him, and eventually got the guy, and the house he’d promised that first time he asked you to be his fake girlfriend.

“I love you so much,” you blurted with a love-struck grin.

“Not as much as I love you.”

--

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#dean winchester x reader #dean x reader #dean winchester #reader insert #dean winchester au #dean au #dean winchester x reader au #dean x reader au #dean winchester series #dean series #falling for the holidays #squirrel-moose-winchester

[theabominableblogger]

Rewatching “Crimson Peak”

Discussing this movie on the Gotham group chat with @ckatattack and decided “Eff it, Imma watch it again.”

Lez go!

“Rent movie for $3.99″ absolutely

Holy crap, I forgot about this opening lullaby during the logo.  Holy shit.

For some reason, the bloody Edith in the opening shot really looks like something the girl behind MadeYewLook should do.  Other Alexis, hear me out!

These colors (in young Edith’s bedroom)!

*flinches when the first ghost puts her hand on Young Edith’s shoulder*

You ever had someone put their hand on your shoulder when you’re like seconds away from falling asleep?  Scariest shit ever.

*silently jams out to the music when Edith is traveling to the publisher*

I freaking LOVE Edith’s yellow dress in this movie.  The puffy shoulders, the black under dress, the straw hat, love it.

“Actually, Mrs. McMichael, I would prefer Mary Shelley.  She died a widow.”  *z snaps*

“The ghost is just a metaphor.  For the past.”  Boom there’s the whole movie.

“He told me it needed a love story.  Can you believe that?”  AGAIN-

Also holy shit, Bobby from Supernatural is Edith’s dad!

For a second, I thought this typing house looked like a science fair.

AND THERE HE [Tom HIddleston] ISSSS!!

I’m sorry, I’m just smiling... so hard at this [Edith and Thomas’s first scene together]

Listen, if we get a scene in the Loki TV show where we see him in an outfit very close to the one he wears in this movie, I will... die.  That’s it.  I’ll just die.

The aesthetics for most of Guillermo del Toro’s movies are wonderful.  The like 95% period accurate clothing, the yellow lighting, the red and green wallpapers OH MY GOD I JUST NOTICED THE RED AND GREEN

*The door knob starts creaking*  Oh boy

That shot of Edith’s face in half shadow when she’s about ready to close the door but she sees the ghost of her mother?  Good stuff.

*Thomas waits near the staircase*  OH SNAP HE LOOK GOOD

OHHHHHHH THAT TRANSITIONNNNN [from the staircase to the ballroom]!!

I also love the detail that Lucille’s dress is ten years too old for her because she is still stuck in the past when it comes to life.

*grins like an idiot when Thomas offers the candle to Edith*

There are so many people gasping in this scene

I wonder if they actually did try to do the waltz with the actual candle lit for filming or did they do some VFX to make it look like it was lit the whole time?  Part of me thinks that that flame’s real but I don’t know.

Where have I seen the guy who plays the investigator before?

“The man that just left, among other ailments, is colorblind....only the majority around him does.  Now that man will never perceive the colors red or green.  He only accepts their existence because the majority around him does.”  “Perhaps we only notice things when the time comes for us to see them.”  OH MY GOD ALL THE RED AND GREEN IN EDITH’S HOME

Charlie Hunnam’s Britsh accent slipped in when he said “understand”

Also I want this man to play Green Arrow in the DCEU

Did she [Lucille] just rub the dead butterfly on her face?

*Close of ants feeding on dead butterfly*  Thanks, that was needed.

*Thomas reveals the ring he was going to give Edith*  BOY YOU KNEW HER FOR LIKE A THREE DAYS AND A NIGHT

Were those all the previous marriage certificates?

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have an unexpected announcement.  Sir Thomas?”  *sinks down in seat and hisses nervously*

*is extremely uncomfortable when Thomas has to insult Edith’s novel in front of her*

*Edith slaps Thomas*  Well he took that pretty well.

*Lucille in the doorway of the dining room*  You know what, eff you.

*jaw drops in horror when someone smashes Mr. Cushing’s face in the sink repeatedly, killing him*

I love that Edith is still in her nightgown and she still has bed head (of a sorts) and yet she ran to the hotel, just throwing on a coat and leaving her reading glasses on.

*slams hands on laptop*  THESE.  TRANSITIONS.

I FORGOT ABOUT THE PUPPER!

BACK AT IT AGAIN WITH THE GREEN WALLPAPER, SET DESIGNERS!

I’m sorry, was that a slight kiss mark on Edith’s chin?  Did I see that right?

Boy, you be hugging your sister for way too long...

*Lucille refuses to give Edith a copy of the keys*  Electric chair.

“You chose her.  Why?”  BECAUSE HE LOVES HER YOU BITCH

*One of the ghosts sneaks up on Edith in the bathroom*  We see you, @actordougjones!!  I see you!!

*Thomas loudly stirs Edith’s tea for her*  I’m suddenly flashing back to the tea cup from “Get Out”

So would the Sunken Place for this scenario just be completely red from the red clay?  Thoughts to think about.

Wait, how long is Mia Wasikowska’s hair?  Is that all real?  Jeez!  The last time I had hair down to my butt was in elementary school.

“Mother.”  Oo woo oo...

Look, I’ve already seen this movie, but I already want Lucille to shut the hell up.

I’m sorry, was that a porn book Lucille just showed Edith?

Well damn they replaced that sink real quick!

*Thomas watches Edith as she watches one of his contraptions*  S T O P

Mr. del Toro, you have been reading my list of favorite romantic tropes.  Sir please-

*Edith and Thomas kiss passionately*  OH... OHH...

*gestures in the air with frustration when Lucille enters the room*

GO AWAY

Can we start taking shots every time Edith starts wandering around the halls in her nightgown holding a candelabra in this movie?

GREEEEEENNNNNN...

*One of the ghosts starts crawling on the floor, moaning and wailing*  Haha me

*to the tune of “Sugar We’re Going Down”*  WE’RE GOING DOWN DOWN INTO THE RED CLAY BASEMENT!  EDITH WE’RE GOING DOWN-

“My hands are getting rough.  Your father would approve.”  Why would I just realize that?  Man, I’m getting slow.

The last time I watched this movie was in 2016.  I watched the trailer back when I was a senior in high school.  And I watched that trailer multiple times.

I love the ghost as the scarecrow

Girl, you are coughing up blood.  You have been poisoned.

Edith back at it again wandering around at night!  Take a shot!

This was a terrible decision for me to watch this at like midnight.  Why did I do this?

OK, so which one of these ghosts is Javier Botet?

Oh my gosh, the chair Edith is in is bigger than last time because she’s being swallowed by the house. 

AND ANOTHER TRANSITION!

“Sir Thomas is already married.”  BUM BUM BUMMM!!

*has to look away as Thomas and Edith get it on*

Aaand there’s the English countryside right there.  I’m gonna look back away now.

“Lucille, we’re back!”  Lucille, you son of a bitch.

“You slept there?  You two... alone...”  Yeah, that’s what husband and wife do.  They get together, sleep together, do a lot of things together.  Jesus.

“I was so alone.  I can’t be alone.”  Lady, I just want you to shut the hell up.

OK, so now I forget what’s in the ES suitcase?  Enola’s body?  What’s up?

Oh, it’s just a suitcase full of other stuff.  Never mind.  I thought it was gonna be her body.

Lemme guess the ghost is gonna rise out of the red goo?  Yep!

I’m getting a lot of callbacks to “The Shining” like with all the red and then the ghost with the ax in her head climbing out of the tub

Jessica Chastain’s accent keeps slipping.  Am I the only one who’s noticed?

*laughing*  Oh my God, again!  Take a shot!

Oh my God they freaking swindled a lady in a wheelchair.  Ohhhh my God...

WAIT I FORGOT THAT WAS ENOLA’S DOG!

“The poison... is in the tea!”  Funnnnnnnnn....

Oh but of course she got snowed in. 

“I [Lucille] tended Mother in this bed.”  *so done*

STOP EFFING... SCRAPING THE TEA CUP GODDAMN

STOP IT

So is Lucille the older sibling?  Oh yeah she is because she said she tended to their mom

*completely done with Lucille’s BS*

Whoever did the set design for Allerdale Hall, I want to send them flowers and my love

OK I know for a fact that that’s Doug Jones as the ghost of Enola

WAIT I FORGOT ABOUT THIS SHIT

*quickly rips out earphones*

*cue a very long string of expletives and looking up and away from the screen*

EXCUSE ME HER [expletive] BACK IS BROKEN!  SHE HAS LOST THE WILL TO WALK!

*singing* ALAAANNNN THE UNSUNG HE-ROOOOOO!!!

LUCILLE I WANT YOU *laughing* TO SHUT THE HELL UP

*gasps*  WAIT SHE TOOK THE RING BACK FROM EDITH!

“I’m [Alan] here to take you [Edith] away.”  *singing*  They’re going to take me away, a ha, they’re going to take me away!

Wait he’s a doctor and he just yanks that sucker out of his arm pit?  You’d think he’d be smarter than that.

OH MY GOD THEY KILLED THE DOG

*shakes head at the whole fiasco*

*ends up glaring at Lucille as she tosses Edith’s manuscript in the fire*

Edith, while she’s looking away, just freaking tear that... *mimes tearing motion*

Oh my God of course she [Lucille] has a drawer full of the victim’s hairs

“You told me you loved me!”  “I do!”  AGH

*Thomas throws the law papers in the fire*  YAASSSS!!

*gasps when Lucille stabs Thomas*

*jaw drops in horror when Thomas just shanked IN THE FACE*

GOD AND YOU CAN HEAR THE BONE-

*Thomas dies*  Jeeesus... that was a good death scene.

God the shot of Lucille running down the stairs from behind?  Ugh!  And with the flowing fabric behind her!  Freaking gorgeous

*Edith goes down in the elevator*  Bye bish

That is a huge freaking meat cleaver

Seeing Edith with her steak knife going up against Lucille reminds me of that freaking chainsaw fight from “Mandy” with Nicholas Cage

This final set piece!

*Edith goes up against Lucille with a shovel*  MY NAME IS INIGO MONTOYA!  YOU KILLED MY FATHER!  PREPARE TO DIE!

*Ghost Thomas*  Those prosthetics look amazing

*Ghost Thomas nuzzles against Edith’s hand before disappearing*  God it’s the little movements.  del Toro freaking GETS it

*nods when the end credits start*

#crimson peake #the blogger reacts #Guillermo Del Toro #jessica chastain #tom hiddleston #mia wasikowska #charlie hunnam #edith cushing #thomas sharpe #lucille sharpe #ckattack #doug jones

[jazy3]

Thoughts on Grey’s Anatomy: 15X8

This episode was intense! It felt to me like a bait and switch in that the episode lulled you into a false sense of security and then suddenly hit you out of nowhere. Very well done. The tree branch hitting Meredith’s car in the beginning scarred the bejesus out of me! I really felt for Richard and Meredith in this episode. Richard’s going through such a tough time.

Both Maggie and Jackson’s behaviour was way out of line in this episode though. I’m back to disliking them again UGH. I couldn’t understand why Jackson was being a jerk to Maggie. He’s the one who emotionally cheated. This is his fault. Maggie didn’t do anything wrong. And then Teddy showed up! And ran into Maggie. At which point Owen, Amelia, and Leo appeared of course. No sign of Betty yet and we find out she’s been missing for three days. Yikes!

Alex and Jo oversleep and as a result wake up late for work. Bailey temporarily takes over and gets her old job back. Richard tells her what happened and she benches him for the rest of the day as a result. When Alex and Jo try to leave the house the wind picks up a dumpster and tosses it into a fence in front of them so they decide to stay home and not die. They decide to have a second honeymoon instead just as the power goes out.

So they light candles, sort through their wedding presents, and find out that Alex forgot to mail their marriage certificate so they aren’t legally married. You need that paperwork to legally assume another name like Jo did, but we’re going to breeze right past that apparently. We also find out that Alex knows what a ramekin is and that they’re used for creme brûlée because of Izzie. And he has a better idea for the stuff! Haha!

Poor CeCe! Her health seriously declines in this episode and she’s isn’t high on the transplant list so her doctors start to get worried. But CeCe still tries to get Meredith to put herself out there regardless. She shows her a picture of Link that she took when he wasn’t looking. LOL! Spurred by CeCe’s words about squeezing the joy out of life she accepts Link’ invitation to get drinks. DeLuca looks on longingly UGH.

DeLuca decides to do something about this (great) and comes to see Meredith in the tech room. He tells her he hasn't been able to stop thinking about the kiss at the wedding and that he knows she has lots of options and he wants her to know he’s one of them. Meredith turns him down, as she should, and DeLuca says he thinks there’s something there and thinks she does too. She tells him she’s had such a week and doesn’t trust her thinking, but she will think about what he said when she can think and walks out of the room.

Bailey takes charge and commands the room! She speaks to the frantic people filling the ER like the true boss she is! I feel like she’s going to take her old job back soon. Meredith sports a pink scrub cap with swirls which is a new look for her. They’re continuing this metaphoric trend of her having a new different scrub cap each episode to mirror her dating life which I like.

Meanwhile, Richard finally finds the strength to call Catherine and Koracick picks up! Now he thinks they’re together. Ugh! Come on! The patients in this episode were interesting. There’s an older gentleman who gets impaled by a giant candy cane Christmas decoration after getting into a fight with his wife and deciding to go for a walk because their neighbours put their decorations up WAY TOO DAMN EARY! The couple bickers incessantly and it is very entertaining. Teddy, Owen, and Jackson take him into surgery.

A young woman is impaled in the head by some stupid teenager’s selfie stick while on her way to work. Incredibly, she’s still lucid and talking. While Amelia and Bailey are treating her Amelia sees Betty come into the ER. Teddy notices as well and alerts Owen who goes to meet them. Betty reveals that she was hit by a tree branch while walking there, but she’s otherwise fine. She tells them she’s high and was getting high while she was away but she came back because she misses them and Leo and really wants to get clean. Amelia has to leave for surgery so Owen takes over treating her. I’m glad Betty is back! It was hard seeing Amelia and Owen worry like that.

The young woman calls her Mom to tell her not to worry and that she loves her. Amelia and Helm perform surgery on her to try and remove the selfie stick and repair the brain damage. After the stick is removed she begins bleeding profusely and her brain stem eventually goes dark. Helm is confused and distraught and we learn from Amelia that she never had a chance, but that they tried anyway. We also learn that she’s an organ donor and a match for CeCe! I had a feeling one of the storm casualties would be a match.

Amelia declares the young woman brain dead and they begin prepping her for organ donation. As she’s about to leave the room the woman’s phone rings. Amelia picks it up. It’s the woman’s mother that she was talking to earlier. She informs her that she washer daughter’s surgeon and has to break the horrible news. Immediately afterwards she comes into the ER to find Betty. Betty tells her to yell and just get it over with, but instead Amelia wraps Betty in a fierce hug, thanks her coming back, and tells her she can always come back, and to please always come back. Betty is stunned, expecting a huge blow out, and hugs her back. This scene made me so emotional! Such great acting here! I’m glad she came back!

Nico and Glasses are fighting at the Denny Duquette Memorial Clinic. Nico is an idiot and doesn’t listen to Glasses and goes out into the storm. He gets tossed like a rag doll and he totally deserves it. Glasses goes out and saves him and they take shelter in a parked ambulance. They get stuck there so Glasses makes a speech about the Sunsword from Dungeons and Dragons and how he spent every evening before he left for college playing D&D with his debate club friends. That he knew early on that he liked men, but as neither him nor anyone around him was having sex with anyone exploring those feelings wasn’t really on the table. Kissing Nico made him feel seen, not ashamed, and Nico’s just being an ass.

Elsewhere Maggie and Meredith are in the OR operating on a woman who was impaled by several shards of glass from her glass door during the storm. Meredith is clearly upset. We the audience know it’s because of everything going on with Richard and Catherine, but Maggie doesn't. Instead of asking Meredith what is wrong and why she’s upset, Maggie instead babbles on about her relationship problems with Jackson and takes Meredith’s professionalism for apathy. She confronts Meredith when they scrub out asking her what’s wrong in her life that she can’t listen to her problems.

Maggie routinely claims to know Meredith so well, yet when Meredith indicates that she’s upset with her behaviour Maggie ignores those cues and whines about her own problems like it’s the literal end of the world, when she knows for the fact that Meredith has dealt with much worse and probably is right now. Meredith expresses upset the same way every time and yet every time Maggie fails to notice and only thinks about herself.

For a someone who is supposed to be her ‘sister’ she sure sucks at it. I was just starting to like her and now just like that I’m back to hating Maggie. She’s back to being a selfish jerk who only cares about herself again. Great.In response to Maggie’s complete immaturity and utter childish nonsense Meredith tells her that Catherine is sick and that she needs to be there for Jackson either as a partner or as a friend if she still loves him which she does.

Back in surgery, Teddy, Owen, and Jackson find that despite being impaled by a giant candy cane the older gentleman has come out almost completely unscathed. Teddy asks Owen if they can get a cup of coffee after surgery and he spends the whole time trying to figure out what’s wrong. After it becomes clear that the man will be fine Teddy drops the bombshell. She tells Owen that she’s pregnant with his baby and apologizes for not telling him sooner. She tells him this in front of Jackson, who looks confused, and then gets called into another surgery via a patient whose just come into the ER. She runs into Amelia in the ER and doesn’t tell her what’s going on like a complete jerk.

As Owen and Jackson transport the patient from surgery to recovery Jackson gives him some sage advice about how he was the last one to find out about Harriet and how she’s the best thing that ever happened to him. Jackson agrees to talk to the man’s wife and Owen runs off to find Teddy. The wife makes this beautiful speech to Jackson about how much her and her husband love each other and that they couldn’t have stayed married for 45 years without fighting. Some great acting her as well. Meredith, DeLuca, and Helm tell CeCe that’ve got organs for her. I love Meredith and CeCe together! They’re so great! Her growl of, “Now give me those organs,” is the best!  

Bailey comes to see Richard. He’s reading a book (it appears to be the Bible or something related to AA) and he tells her he’s going to read it front to back and then he’s going to get a new sponsor and start going to meetings again because he’s pretty sure Catherine and Koracick are having an affair. Bailey scoffs at the idea and Richard retorts that they can’t all be Ben and Bailey at which point Bailey tells him that they’re separated. It’s Richard’s turn to give Bailey some sage advice about getting her life back on track and he’s right.

The heartbreak continues as Owen catches up with Teddy right as she’s about to get into an elevator with a patient. He takes over from the orderlies and they get into the elevator together. He asks how she could not tell him and she retorts that it wasn’t easy at which point the doors open and Amelia steps in. She’s smiling and happy which makes the moment all the more heartbreaking. She’s realized that she wants to be Betty’s official Mom because she loves her like a daughter and wants to be there for her officially and unofficially.

She tells Owen that she’s been looking for him all over because she wants to apply to be Betty’s official foster Mom and as a result they might have to move out for a while for bureaucratic purposes, but that she loves Betty, Betty loves her, and they love Betty. Owen and Teddy look at her with grim faces. Owen tells her they need to talk and that he needs to tell her something. She becomes concerned and asks if something is wrong, if something happened. They’re about to tell her that Teddy’s pregnant when the elevator suddenly grinds to a halt.

Cut to Nico and Glasses having sex in the ambulance! Outside the ambulance a transformer falls knocked over by the wind. It crashes into the hospital, cuts off the power, and cuts Grey Sloan Memorial off from the outside world. We cut to find all of the other elevators screeching to a halt and the lights going out leaving their occupants trapped in darkness. Meredith and DeLuca are stuck in one.

Owen, Amelia, and Teddy are stuck in another, in the dark, with a patient who has a license plate lodged in their chest. Bailey and Helm are stuck in another with the donor patient who had a selfie stick in her head. CeCe is in an OR, on the table, being prepped for surgery, surrounded by her surgical team, minus her surgeons, when the power cuts out and they’re all left in the dark. Talk about an intense finale! Oof! Up until that point, I thought okay this episode had been dramatic, but not intense and then WOW! They've left all of l our heroes in mortal peril! We’ll have to wait till the new year to find out what happens! Yikes!

I think the premiere could go a few ways. One, the characters spend the whole episode in their respective elevators / ambulance’s / operating room’s and work through stuff and are freed at the very end of the episode. Two, the characters are stuck there for half the episode and the other half is the fallout. Three, the characters are freed when the premiere starts and we see what happened in flashbacks the whole episode and it’s intercut with the fallout. These are my ideas I look forward to hearing all of yours!

Until next time! Au revoir!

#grey's anatomy #review #spoilers #fall finale #mid season finale #winter finale #blowin' in the wind #blowin in the wind #blowing in the wind #Meredith Grey #andrew deluca #atticus lincoln #maggie pierce #catherine fox #richard webber #jackson avery #jo karev #alex karev #miranda bailey #taryn helm #dahlia qadri #levi schmitt #glasses #nico kim #cece #teddy altman #betty nelson #baby leo #amelia shepherd #owen hunt

[ec-sanderssides]

Pretty please write another part for The Most Awkward Semester Ever because oh my goodness i love it sooo much!!

Here you go!

Part I Part II Part IV Part V Part VI

The Most Awkward Semester Ever III

Logan sighed, lying down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. His plan had somewhat worked. He had gotten Virgil to relax around him. He just hadn’t been able to keep him relaxed.

But the fact that Virgil would still flinch from his touch was… distressing. Logan had never thought of himself as someone who could inspire such fear, and learning that he could was disquieting.

If only he could pin down the reason for Virgil’s reactions. He had been working off the assumption that it was his reputation in academics that had intimidated Virgil, but the more time he spend with the other, the less he was sure of that.

While it had taken some time to coax out from behind the stammering, Virgil had a quick wit and an intelligent mind. He had especially proven that today, Logan had found his point on the poem’s comparison of immortality and death, with death being upheld as superior, to be most fascinating.

Of course, with Virgil having proven his ability to keep up with Logan academically, the question remained. Why was he so afraid?

Logan sighed again. Sometimes he wished he was better at understanding other people and their emotions. But unfortunately, people were more complicated than equations. If only he had Patton’s ability to read people.

Logan sat up. That was it, Patton! If there was anyone who could figure out what was going on and make Virgil relax, it would be Patton. He could arrange some outing, social in nature, nothing academic in case that was the reason. Then Patton could help fix things.

Logan pushed himself of the bed, walking to his desk to grab his phone. He quickly pulled up Patton’s contact, drumming his fingers on the desk as he listened to it ring.

“Hello?”

“Patton,” Logan cut in. “I need you to accompany Virgil and me on a social outing.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Patton replied.

Logan explained further. “You are much more talented than I at reading people and putting them at ease. Therefore I have decided to enlist your help with Virgil. I though a social outing would ease any academic pressure he would be feeling, and with you there, he might stay relaxed this time.”

“I take it today didn’t go well then,” Patton said, sounding sympathetic,

Logan frowned. “Well, it was going well. But then I overstepped my boundaries and made Virgil uncomfortable again when I invaded his personal space. Afterwards, I sought to regain the progress I had made, but I fear I wasn’t quite successful.”

There was a pause before Patton spoke up again.

“You know, Logan,” he said, “I’m really proud of you for trying so hard with this, but you do know it’s alright if you can’t make Virgil feel comfortable around you, right?”

Logan stood up straighter, feeling indignant.

“I’m not going to give up,” he snapped. “For starters, having my English partner afraid of me is hardly conducive to good work. And secondly, I have come to enjoy his company. He’s remarkably intelligent, a good conversationalist, and as I learned today, makes an excellent partner for solving puzzles. I think we could be good friends, if he wasn’t so frightened all the time. I just, I don’t like having him scared of me.”

By the end of his rant, Logan’s voice had become softer and more despairing. He often struggled to make friends, there was a reason he rarely spent time with anyone aside from Patton. But he enjoyed his time with Virgil. So to have the other flinch from him was disheartening.

Patton sighed. “Alright, I can see you’re quite determined on this. And it is always nice to make new friends. So what were you thinking?”

“The movies,” Logan replied. “I’ve been meaning to see Kubo and the Two Strings before it leaves theaters, and with the movie being the main focus of the outing, I’m hoping Virgil will feel less pressured and therefore less nervous. I also plan to tell him to feel free to invite any of his friends so that he won’t feel outnumbered.”

“You want to take him to the moves?” Patton’s voice had a strange tone to it.

“Yes,” Logan said, “I was thinking next weekend. Are you free then?”

“Yeah, I’m free,” Patton said. He now sounded amused for some reason.

“Excellent” Logan replied, now feeling much more cheered by his plans. “I’ll text Virgil to determine a more precise time, then tell you the details. I appreciate your help.”

“Anytime,” Patton said. “Talk to you later.“

Logan hung up. With Patton’s help, things were sure to go well. Switching over to messages, he sent off a quick text. Hopefully, he’d get a reply soon.

Virgil was sitting in Roman’s car, his head buried in his knees.

Roman glanced over at him.

“Feeling any better, Hot Topic,” he asked, his voice warring between amused and concern.

“Mrrrrrrg,” Virgil groaned out.

“Right, that’s a no.” Roman sighed. “What even happened that has you this worked up?”

“I’m an idiot,” Virgil mumbled into his knees.

“Alright, not going to disagree with you there, but you have to give some more detail than that.”

Virgil lifted his head up to glare at Roman.

“Haha, very funny,” he said sarcastically, before looking back down at his knees. His fingers traced patterns on his jeans as he tried to bring his thoughts into some form of order.

“Logan touched me and I freaked out,” he finally said dully. “He was getting a watermelon seed off my cheek, and I panicked. He must think I’m a total weirdo.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t that bad,” Roman replied, but he didn’t sound all that confident in his words. Before Virgil could reply though, his phone buzzed.

Pulling it out, he saw it was a text from Logan. Groaning, he tossed his phone onto the seat. That was it, he knew it. Logan hated him.

“Is that him?” Roman asked. “Well, aren’t you going to look at it?”

“I’d much rather wallow in my misery,” Virgil grumbled. But after a brief pause, his curiosity got the best of him, and he unlocked the phone.

The message read: Virgil, I was hoping you would be willing to join me next weekend on an outing to the movies. My friend Patton and I will be seeing Kubo and the Two Strings, and I would like it if you could join us. You are welcome to invite any of your friends as well. If next weekend is an inconvenient time, please let me know and we can reschedule.

Virgil stared at his phone.

“Well, what did he say?” Roman said impatiently, breaking Virgil’s reverie.

“Um, he invited me to go the movies with him and one of his friends next Saturday. Oh, and you can come too,” Virgil finally managed to choke out.

“That’s fantastic!” Roman cheered. “See, he doesn’t think you’re an idiot.”

“Or maybe he’s just taking pity on me,” Virgil shot back. “Plus what if this friend he’s talking about is actually his boyfriend. God, if he’s had a boyfriend all this time, I can never show my face in school again.”

“Calm down, Doctor Gloom.” Roman said, rolling his eyes. “Don’t go jumping to conclusions. Plus from what you’ve told me, the guy tends to be pretty blunt. If it was his boyfriend, he’d probably say so. Now, what’s going to happen is you’re going to text back yes, and we’ll have a great time. What movie is it anyway?”

“Kubo and the Two Strings” Virgil replied distractedly, staring at his phone. He bit his lip.

“You really think I should go?” he asked quietly, feeling his stomach churn.

Roman pulled over. Once the car was parked, he turned towards Virgil.

“Look,” he said gently. “You like this guy, and maybe this is a sign that he might just end up liking you back someday. But if you don’t go, you’ll never know. I know you don’t like taking risks, but sometimes you need to, so life doesn’t pass you by. This is one of those times, and as your friend, I’m not going to let you miss out on this.”

Virgil took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. Roman… had a point.

“Fine,” he said. “But if this goes wrong, I will hold it against you forever.”

Roman just smirked at him. “Yes, but if it goes right, you’ll owe me forever.”

Virgil made a face at him, before turning back to his phone. Here went nothing.

Back at his house, Logan’s head shot up as his phone pinged. He pulled it towards him.

I’m free on Saturday.

#logan sanders #patton sanders #virgil sanders #roman sanders #sanders sides #analogical #the most awkward semester ever #you all get some fluff #because the next fic I'm posting is going to be angsty as hell #my fic

[rustbolt-answers-your-bullshit]

Chapter 7: The end

Without hesitation, Rustina readied the disintegration ray and fired it. Rustbolt ducked out of the way and tackled her, and the two started wrestling on the floor.

“Get him! Crush hum like a grape!” screamed Zomboss.

The pair rolled along the floor until Rustina finally pinned down Rustbolt. Just as she was about to fire, he tossed her off.

“I’m fighting a GENDERBEND. I honestly didn’t see this coming.” He turned to Zomboss. “Why a GENDERBEND of all things!?”

Zomboss raised an eyebrow. “A what?”

Rustbolt rolled his eyes. “A genderbend. Basically you take a character and make them the opposite sex.”

Zomboss laughed. “It’s sad that they have a term for that,” he chuckled.

Rustbolt nodded knowingly.

“But I’m replacing you with a GIRL because Immorticia and Neptuna A, work well together, B, haven’t disappointed me like all you other Zombie Heroes have, and C, Are the only girls! Coincidence? Well…” Zomboss grinned. “We’ll find out.”

Rustbolt saw a flaming-red beam fly past his face, snapping him out of his little standoff. He flew into the air and produced his shrink ray, and the two iron clad zombies had somewhat of a dogfight, attempting to blast the other while also dodging incoming shots. Zomboss was watching with the utmost interest, and even ordered a buckethead to use his bucket to bring his boss some popcorn. As the two Hearty and Brainy heroes flew around the building, the walls were either bursting open from Rustina or getting craters from Rustbolt.

“This is gonna be a short fight,” Rustina said.

Rustbolt grit his few teeth. “Argeed.”

The two never lost eye contact. They both knew only one of them was gonna walk out both alive and normal-sized. For what seemed like ages, the two flew around and shot at each other, until finally one landed a hit.

Rustbolts left boot flew off, throwing him off balance.

“Haha!” Rustina fired again, shooting off the other boot. It came off, with the knee pad and above still on.

Rustbolt plummeted to the floor and crashed. Upon impact, images flashed through his head of EB and him falling off while flying. The pain, the EMOTIONAL pain, was all he felt. For those horrible 18 seconds he had never felt more in his life. Never felt more...

More emotion.

More fear.

More…

A L I V E

He got up to his feet and regained his balance. Alive.

That was the feeling.

He looked up, and filled with a newfound energy, jumped with all his might as Rustina. Well, he made it. But that was mostly because of moon gravity. He latched onto her boot like Impfinity would do all the time to him, and it threw her totally off balance. Rustbolt laughed because it was funny, but his smile was because this rush…. This feeling of LIFE… It gave him a whole new kind of motivation. It was like emotional adrenaline, and he laughed like a child as he climbed onto her back like EB had done ti him, and pointed forwards. “Take to the skies!” He laughed as he remembered EB doing the same thing, and remember the dance freak’s laughter. His REAL laughter. The one that didn’t sound dead. That was Rustbolt’s laugh right now. A genuine, innocent, lively guffaw.

Rustina hit the floor. Next thing you know she got low low low low low and behold, SHE was the one pinned down now. And on her stomach, too. Even though the suit stayed firm, he could hee her squirming. So that’s what Zomboss meant when he said a more fitting suit. Literally it didn’t fit. Either way Rustina was much stronger than Rustbolt and she managed to stand and fling him off. “You’re getting replaced,” Rustina said as she approached the now dazed and disoriented Rustbolt, who was slumped against the wall. “You’re inferior. A piece of trash. Junk.” Rustbolt blinked a few times. He had an idea. But he HAD NO CLUE WHAT HIS IDEA WAS. It was right on the tip of his tongue…. “Say your prayers, punk,” Rustina has the discinnamontegration ray trained on our hero’s skull. “You’re toast.” In that exact instant, Rustbolt realized what his brain had been screaming at him.

JUNK.

The shoulder-mounted weapon fired, and missed. “What!?”

Rustbolt had knocked it to the side. With his toaster. If retracted back into his left armpiece. “You reminded me,” Rustbolt said. “I used to have a hairdrier taped to my boot, before I realized how bad it looked.

“You’re right about one thing, Rustina. We’re different. And the main difference is WHERE. Where we became heroes.

“A junkyard for me, a NOT junkyard for you.

“Sure, the vending machine got hit and not me. Sure, I’m just a normal zombie that now can talk and also has athsma.

“But what do you think ELSE happened, hm? Come on. Use that hero-tronned head of yours. What was I surrounded by?”

“Junk,” said Rustina, lifting her mask.

“EXACTLY. Junk. Junk that I have and YOU don’t. My suit has more fancy gadjets and gizmos because it came from a JUNKYARD!” And with that, his bibble wand make itself shown and he blew a stream straight into Rustina’s eyes. She coiled back, and screamed in pain. Zombies have kinda big eyes. Bubble juice freaking HURTS. Rustbolt shot her with the shrink ray and ZAP! She was only a few inches. He picked her up and turned to Zomboss. The big-brained doctor gulped, chuckling nervously.

“Un-hero her,” he said, holding his spatula to Zomboss’ neck.

“Okay okay okay.” Zomboss pointed the laser and shot it at Rustina. The suit popped off and became a tiny vending machine, and Rustina started saying something but it just became moaning. Rustbolt shot her and the vending machine, and both grew to normal size. “Soooooo…” Zomboss said. “I’m glad you passed.”

Rustbolt lowered his spatula. “...Passed?”

Zomboss nodded, a solemn look on his face. “I made Rustina to test your valor. To see how well you think on your toes.”

Rustbolt nodded. When Zomboss smirked, Rustbolt leaned in and smiled. “You’re out of your mind if you think I’m dumb enough to believe that.” Then about a second after those words left his lips, he turned around, and ran full-speed at the laser and hit it with his spatula: Which bounced right off.

Zomboss burst into a round of laughter. “You idiot! What on earth did you think was going to happen? It’s a laser as big as the zombot! A simple spatula wouldn’t do anything worthwhile. You don’t have anything in that armor that would affect the laser.”

Rustbolt put on one of his boots. “Oh, and there’s something in this suit I’ve never had to use, but I feel like now’s a good time.” Zomboss tilted his head. Rustbolt’s left elbow port opened up and out came a glowing green bottle with a rag stuffed into the neck. Zomboss’ eyes widened, he was horrified.

“Nuke Juice!” He exclaimed.

Rustbolt nodded. “A molotov of Nuke Juice.”

Zomboss ran out the building as Rustbolt took the bottle. He gulped, knowing he wasn’t getting out of this. He bit his lip as he used the boot he wasn’t wearing to set the rag on fire. “Plant or Zombie…” He looked at the laser. “...That doesn’t matter to me anymore.” He held it by the neck and would up. “I’m doing what’s right, and that’s all that counts.” He hurled the bottle and closed his eyes, his shutting eyelids squeezing out a few tears. He waited for what seemed like ages for the bottle to hit the doomsday device.

Crash. The bottle.

Fwoosh. The fire.

Boom. Him.

#story #pvz #chapter 7